Lorena V. Márquez, in La Gente: Struggles for Empowerment and Community Self-Determination
Lorena V. Márquez, in La Gente: Struggles for Empowerment and Community Self-Determination in Sacramento, argues that the Chicana/o movement was not limited to a handful of charismatic leaders or organizations. It also encouraged those that were the most marginalized—the working poor, immigrants and/or undocumented, and the undereducated—to fight for their rights on the premise that they, too, were contributing and deserving members of society. In their efforts to be self-determined, la gente (the people) contested multiple forms of oppression at school, at work sites, and in their communities.
They were not alone in their struggle. The concept of self-determination was widely circulated as an empowering tool during the social movements of the 1960s. Self-determination meant taking control of one’s destiny through different means, in a time when folks of color were largely rendered “inferior” subjects of the state and unable to determine their own fates. In an essay, explain how self-determination efforts played out by
- Describing two movements (same time period), one must be a segment of the Chicana/o Movement
- Differences/similarities
- Lessons learned: What were some possible shortcomings of the movements?
- Moving forward: What advice would you provide to future movement leaders?
Answer preview Lorena V. Márquez, in La Gente: Struggles for Empowerment and Community Self-Determination
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