For over a hundred years, minority groups such as African Americans and Mexicans have dealt with extreme cases of racism and violence. With much unrest and violence rooted in history, there have been many other instances where actions and movements were created to help them give them a voice. From the actions taken by groups such as the Black Panthers, or movements such as the Chicano, a new wave of change was constantly introduced to enforce their freedom and equality in the American society.
To begin, the Black Power movement was one of the first to truly emphasize the need to embrace black roots. Mostly northern and urban, this movement complemented that of the traditional rights movements introduced by leaders such as Martin Luther King. King believed that the issue of segregation was to be handled calmly through the means of civil disobedience, where peaceful protests would convey messages of enforcing change. Whether that be in the form of sit ins or walks, the southern rights movements promoted the need to demonstrate peace. The urban movement focused on practicing their rights and creating an everlasting image. By incorporating theatrical acts in their actions, they made sure their every move was memorable for the audience, both black and white.
The Black Power movement incorporated poetics and politics to get their message across. For the political aspect of the argument, groups like the Black Panthers made sure to acknowledge their rights to freedom as a citizen to make their argument stronger. For example, in the Sacramento protest, a young black person addressed themselves as “exercising constitutional right to see (my) government making laws, and (my) right under the second amendment to bear arms” (Reed 40). Additionally, built around drama and styled confrontation, the cultural front was more effective in causing a greater impact on the revolt. New messages of black empowerment and pride allowed for young individuals to embrace their culture more through the new “black aesthetic.” In different areas of the society, changes were greatly felt. For example, there was a greater admiration for music like jazz and blues. Black people began to establish their own unique culture within the country by creating new food culture like soul food, practicing holidays like Kwanzaa, and using styles/gestures like the Afro and fist raise. It was simply things like these which revolutionized the black consciousness.
Two very different types of black nationalism are also discussed which rose from the influence of Malcolm X and Leroi Jones. Malcolm X was a very vocal figure for his stance on African American’s needs to achieve freedom and equality. When he was assassinated, the famous group Black Panther was created, to resolve the problems in society and reflect pride in their history and culture. Cofounders Huey Newton and Bobby Seale both felt the importance to emphasize this need for awareness especially after suffering a past filled with hardships and adversity. They created the Ten Point Program meant to demand food, education, safety, etc for blacks. Leroi Jones on the other hand was a famous poet and playwright who rose to prominence with his works. Later changing his name to Amiri Baraka, he supported the creation of new schools for black actors.
Ultimately, the Black Panthers were destroyed by the COINTELPRO after the government began to see them as a threat to safety. After they began infiltrating their organization, the FBI charged about thirty people with capital punishment while hundreds other went to jail. Although things spiraled out of control by the end, their legacy still lies in their ability to have made such a great impact in the black culture. They took the world by storm and demonstrated their strong message to make their voices be heard.
The Mexican Americans (Chicanos) came into existence through their resistance to two wars of conquest. With the first invasion of the Spanish conquistadors, rape, concubinage, and intermarriage led to the variety of different people of all different backgrounds who make up Mexico today. Second, the tensions with United States lead to Mexicans losing their own land after the Mexican-American War. Although most Mexicans have deeper roots to these areas since the time of their ancestors, they are often discriminated and seen as the “illegal aliens.” Before the 1960s, many tried to overcome this racism by denying their Mexican and Indian side and assimilating into the white culture. However, in the 1960s, Mexican Americans were segregated in “barrios” which lead to inferior schools and services, high unemployment, and poverty. To tackle these tensions, resistance had begun amid the times of assimilation, leading to the development of the Chicano movement.
The term “Chicano” meant to announce the emergence of a new political identity, reversing the policies originally set for assimilation. The goal was to revive the cultural heritage that made them unique. One of the most prominent ways people began expressing themselves was through the mural movements. The murals were a way for Chicano and Chicana female artists to address the cultural politics in Mexico. “Reading” the mural from left to right gives strong images of an underlying message. For example, the story of La Adelita, mythical heroine of the Mexican Revolution is seen all the way to Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa, the peasant turned folk heroes, and Mexican/Californian Robin Hood Joaquin Murieta. All four of these figures represented that el movimiento, helping to develop a strong sense of history.
The Chicano murals and cultures reached a wide mass of people all over. For example, in places like California, paramilitary group the Brown Berets, arose who protested the police brutality in the barrios. These people had different ideologies yet emphasized the need to get equality as they were always addressed as second-class citizens. With changing times, mural images also began expressing conveying social questions too. For example, mural images like the La Familia, show the stereotyped representations of Mexican American families, which is traditionally male dominated.
Both groups, Blacks and Chicanos, tried to convey themselves through their own unique cultures and traditions. By bringing elements of their heritage into the arts, both have left a massive impact today.
-SK
