│By Phil Virta, Senior Acquisitions Editor, Gale Primary Sources│
Gale’s archive Latino Social and Political Culture and History: Perspectives on the Chicano Movement presents a history of Chicanas/os in the United States with documents on programmes that brought Mexican guest workers to the country such as the Bracero Programme, organisations that evolved to support the community such as the United Farm Workers, and the individuals who helped found and advance the Chicano Movement (El Movimiento) such as César Chávez, Dolores Huerta, and Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales.
Labour records, correspondence, organisational papers, personal papers, manuscripts, and ephemera all contribute to our understanding of a tumultuous period in the annals of the United States. This post will introduce the background and content of this important new archive.
What is the Chicano Movement?
Also known as El Movimiento, the Chicano Movement began in the 1960s as a social and political movement organised by Mexican Americans that embraced the Chicana/o identity. Chicanismo is a form of cultural nationalism, and involves celebrating a heritage that includes Spanish, European, Indigenous, and African roots.
El Movimiento addressed multiple social issues, starting with farmworker labour rights and moving on to education reform, war protests, and land reclamation. Ultimately, the Chicano Movement led to greater self-determination for Mexican Americans, numerous social reforms, and representation in government.
Programmes: World War II and the Bracero Programme
Chicano history is more than just the Chicano Movement; it is about the individuals who left their Mexican homeland in search of opportunities in the United States. Many came to the U.S. during the World War II Bracero Programme that permitted Mexican citizens to take temporary agricultural and railroad work in the United States, freeing up U.S. citizens for military service.
Migrants in this programme ensured the United States had a steady supply of food and could ship provisions to the front lines. The Bracero Programme allowed Mexican migrant workers to establish social communities and familial roots. They developed networks north of the border that eventually enabled them to transition into urban living and new job opportunities. They also became familiar with U.S. labour practices, fuelling César Chávez’s Farm Worker Movement, and ultimately, the broader Chicano Movement.
From the Hagley Library, Wilmington, Delaware, we have the Mexican Employment Files (1944-1946). This collection covers the Pennsylvania Railroad’s involvement in the Bracero Programme. The files include dossiers on individual Mexican workers and correspondence relating to the administration of the programme, which was a joint effort of the railroad industry and the American and Mexican governments.
The dossiers include information on workers, such as their home province, wages, and paperwork that closed the contract and repatriated the worker to Mexico. The collection complements the Aguayo Family Papers from the Denver Public Library as both offer perspectives on the Bracero Programme.
Organisations: The United Farm Workers
While the United Farm Workers (UFW) is often associated with the Chicano Movement and Mexican American history, there were many others contributing to its success. It should be noted that aside from César Chávez, the other founder of the UFW was Filipino American Larry Itliong.
In 1962, two organisations, The Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) composed mainly of Filipinos, and the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) composed mainly of Mexicans, formed in separate locations in rural California and occasionally supported one another in strikes. In 1965, the two organisations merged to create the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee, known as the “UFW”.
The UFW was and is a truly multicultural organisation. It attracted a wide array of workers and contributors to la causa—from the mostly Filipino and Mexican workers who started the movement to Arab, Puerto Rican, and white farm workers, urban Chicano students, and white and Jewish college-educated staffers and volunteers who provided legal counsel and bodies on the picket lines.
One of the most popular tactics the UFW used to support farm workers was the boycott. César Chávez expanded the use of boycotts by appealing to the public.
With the Civil Rights Movement going strong, Chávez’s boycotts and engagements of urban, liberal consumers appealed to the zeitgeist of the 1960s. During these boycotts, marches and rallies in rural California were often coordinated with picket lines at urban markets. In this way, Chávez was able to draw a connection between the conditions of farm labourers and the buying habits of urban consumers.
Individuals: People in the Chicano Movement
What do these boxing gloves have to do with Chicano history? They are the gloves of Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales. In 1944, Gonzales became an amateur boxer, fighting first at a Veteran’s Athletic Club Smoker. While he belonged to the Epworth Boxing Club in Denver, he won both the Golden Gloves and Diamond Gloves Tournaments. As a professional featherweight from 1947-1952, he fought 75 times. His professional record was 65-9-1.
Gonzales wasn’t just a boxer; he was a writer and an activist. In 1965, Gonzales founded the Crusade for Justice. In 1968, he led a Chicano contingent in the Poor People’s March on Washington. The Chicano Youth Conference of 1969 led to the writing of El Plan de Aztlan: a document that articulated Chicano political, social, economic, and educational issues and demands. In 1969, Gonzales opened a school, and in 1970 the Escuela Tlatelolco was born as a school for Chicano children.
In addition to his activism, Gonzales was also a successful author. His epic poem, “Yo Soy Joaquin (I am Joaquin),” was published in 1967. It was considered the clarion call for the Chicano Movement and was quoted literature, published as plays and reprinted in several editions.
The Chicano Movement expanded its scope to aid and advocate for Latinas/os all around the United States. Flora Rodriguez Russel was a champion for Latina rights from the 1970s to the 1990s. The Flora Rodriguez Russel Papers primarily document her involvement on the boards of several reproductive health justice organisations.
Also included are materials related to social work theory; Chicano rights educational curricula; her personal college, graduate school, and law school research papers; and her involvement with the Catholic proto-feminist organisation, The Grail.
Perspectives on the Chicano Movement
This new archive will provide scholars with documents on the rich history and culture, and courage of the millions of Mexican individuals and families who brought their heritage and experience to the United States. It provides researchers with an opportunity to explore history from a new perspective and foster a greater understanding of the multicultural melting pot that is the United States.
If you enjoyed reading about the Chicano Movement, check out these posts:
- United Farm Workers and Chicano Literature: Primary Sources as a Tool for Language and Cultural Studies
- An Interdisciplinary Treasure Chest: The Pacific Coast Counterculture Collection
- Global Communist and Socialist Movements – The Third Instalment of Political Extremism and Radicalism
Blog post cover image citation: A selection of images from Denver Public Library and the Hagley Library.
