Agency is the power of an individual or group to evoke change in their situation, given impeding external factors. One assumes agency when they realize that they have a capacity to act and in a sense, control of their situation and environment. In Dennis Medina’s essay, “We Are A Part of the History of Texas That You Must Not Exclude!” he illustrates the manner in which the latino/a community in Houston, Texas was no being incorporated in to the mainstream LGBT movement, with the exclusion of Latina/o representation in leadership positions in addition to lack of consideration for Latina/o issues. It was the Gay and Lesbian Hispanic Unidos agency in organize several bailes which served the Latino/a LGBT community in providing a space for …show more content…
This viewpoint is dangerous because it views such concepts as a final product, instead of a dynamic process by ignoring the multidimensional process taking place. The reification of the Latinx/Hispanic community has led to notion outside and within the latinx community that there are no LGBT people. This is very problematic because it has served as a basis for discrimination within the Latinx community on its own people where one is “less” latina/o because of their sexual orientation. In the essay, “No te Rajes--Don’t Back Down! Daring to Be Out and Visible” by Letitia Gomez, she illustrates the discrimination and obstacles to be visible within the Latinx community. Her organization, ENLACE, knew it was necessary to be present at the Latina/o festival parade to demonstrate that the LGBT community was incorporated within the Latinx. The parade organizers faced pressure to take ENLACE out of the parade, regardless, they were guaranteed a spot in the parade, where they faced yelling and harassment by attendees. In addition, only eight people showed up to ride with ENLACE, although the whole membership was invited. This is again, a result of the reification of the Latinx Sphere, where comments made by a local D.C. Latino DJ that in the Latinx community, there were no gays, that there did not exist a word for “gay” in Spanish, become materialized when people in ENLACE, felt …show more content…
She notes attending Northeastern University where she felt at odds with the topic of feminism, not for its analysis and empowerment of women, but because as a Latina--in addition to lesbian, teenage mom, and on welfare--her experiences from mainstream feminism were significantly different (141). Noriega’s experience at Latina Lesbians en Nuestro Ambiente (LLENA) exposed her to a multitude of realities in the dealings with being Latina and lesbians in a heteronormative worlds where issues such as, immigration, education, class background, language diversity, etc were being considered and discussed. The author noted that her legacy is defined by her ability to have created an infrastructure where intersectionality is addressed and expressed, such as being Latina/o in the context of civil
From examining women voting, children of any race at one school, and even the United States, it is clear that it most definitely necessary to discourage some rules in history, and possibly in today’s world as well. There are rules in society set in place to keep citizens in line and not disrupt the nature of everyday life, but some rules are meant to be provoked. In 1836 Texas declared independence from Mexico. Do you think that Mexico willingly allowed this to happen?
Chapter two of the textbook “Texas Politics” discusses the abundant state constitutions of Texas. The current constitution of Texas is quite lengthy and often ridiculed due to its outdatedness whereas when compared to that of the United States constitution, the results viewpoint and reactions are quite the opposite. Because of this, Texas, along with a great number of other states must constantly make formal changes to the constitution, this is known as a constitutional amendment. The current Texas constitution is extremely long, particularly compared to the United States constitution, this being because of the variety of policies that the constitution attempts to put on the citizens of Texas in order to maintain peace and civility.
“I make no more calculations except to spend my life here. Rich or poor, here I expect to remain permanently.” Stephen Fuller Austin was a very important figure in early Texas history. Austin was an American empresario born on November 3, 1793 in Austinville, Virginia and raised in Missouri. He was the second child of Moses and Mary Brown Austin; their first child, Eliza, only lived one month.
David Román creates excellent perspective into the haven and necessity of theatrical arts for homosexual Latino 's in Chapter 6 of Intervention entitled "Teatro Viva!" Román reveals that progressing as a community requires gay Latino men and women to use the theatre as a tool to break the socio-silence surrounding the idea of homosexuality and the AIDS virus. In this case, the region of Los Angeles, California is accounted for as having an enormous amount of input having to do with the de-marginalization of homosexual Hispanics in the world. "Teatro VIVA!" is the name of a Los Angeles county short-skit theatrical outreach program that provided a bilingual education of the gay Latino community confronted with AIDS during the early nineties. This chapter helps by providing the reader with a detailed record of many such performance acts in the Los Angeles around that time.
The book ‘Anglos and Mexicans in the Making of Texas 1836-1986’ was written by David Montejano. It is a well-written novel that offers a broad interpretation of racial interactions history in the state of Texas. David claims that a racial situation was created right after the annexation of the United States and Anglo subjugation of Mexicans. This was after Texas gained independence (Montejano, 1987). The origin and development of the racial order sprouts from the growth of classes that came as a result of transforming the economy from ranching to urban-industrialization.
The Texas Revolution has played a massive role in Texas history. In fact, without it, Texas wouldn’t be Texas! But, why was there a Texas Revolution to start with? In this essay, we will be discussing why there was a Texas Revolution and who was there to start it.
Furthermore, he describes the multiple forms of control Chicana women face when he states, “The Chicana is first of all oppressed economically, socially, and politically by virtue of her being a woman. Secondly, the Chicana as a member of an oppressed ethnic and/ or racial group is limited to the same extent as the Chicano by the dominant Anglo society” (50). However, he fails to mention the experiences of queer women, which implies how the Chicano
Injustice and inequality often ignite the sparks of social and political movements. The Chicano (Mexican-American) and Puerto Rican movements of the 1900s provide such examples. Latinos are often considered a homogeneous and involved political subsection or as Beltrán describes a ‘sleeping giant.’ The metaphor describes a sleeping giant who contains much political control through its sheer size but does little with its power. Mexican-Americans and Puerto Ricans have historically proven this metaphor wrong and mobilized in great numbers to affect real change within their respective communities.
The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named María is an essay by Judith Ortiz Cofer that addresses the impact of stereotyping on Latino women. Throughout the essay, Cofer relates her personal experiences with stereotypes to discuss how they have negatively affected her life and the lives of other Latinas. She also explains how these stereotypes originated and calls on her audience, the majority-white non-Latino population, to stop propagating the stereotypical portrayals of Latino women. In The Myth of the Latin Woman, Cofer speaks out about how stereotyping hinders the process of assimilating to a new culture by appealing to ethos through her personal experiences, using similes that show how stereotypes create isolation, and adopting
The Myth of The Latin Woman Analysis Latin American women face challenges every single day and moment of their lives. They are strongly discriminated against in all sectors of employment, in public places, and even while just walking down the street. In her essay, "The Myth of the Latin Woman," Judith Ortiz Cofer describes her own experiences using illuminating vignettes, negative connotation, and cultural allusion to exemplify how she used the struggles in her day to day life as a Latin woman to make herself stronger. Cofer uses illuminating vignettes to illustrate the different situations she encountered as a Latina while growing up and living in America.
I am currently enrolled in a First-Year Seminar that covers Feminist theory, backlash and development. In this seminar, I have developed my own idea of feminism for the first time. My newfound knowledge has helped me read stories that focus on women and women’s sexuality in an entirely enlightened way. In a similar fashion, García Márquez, having deep roots in Machismo culture, uses his background to reveal his conception of women’s sexuality. Through this contrast, he creates an emphasis on the role women are capable of playing in a male dominated society.
In her book, From Out of the Shadows, Viki L. Ruiz argues the contributions to history that was made by farm workers, activists, leaders, volunteers, feminists, flappers, and Mexican women. She explores the lives of the innovative and brave immigrant women, their goals and choices they make, and how they helped develop the Latino American community. While their stories were kept in the shadows, Ruiz used documented investigations and interviews to expose the accounts of these ‘invisible’ women, the communities they created, and the struggles they faced in hostile environments. The narrative and heartfelt approach used by Ruiz give the reader the evidence to understand as well as the details to identify or empathize with.
During the Chicano Nationalist Movement, a well-known speaker, Rodolfo ‘Corky’ Gonzales, delivered a speech titled Chicano Nationalism: Victory for La Raza. In this speech, Rodolfo Gonzales tries to unify the Latin American people within the United States by using the idea of a family and to create a new political organization for the Chicano people. This speech was a cumulation of various ideas which stemmed from his own life, the experiences of the Chicano people, and the Chicano Nationalist Movement in general. Each of these factors contributed to the context of the speech and how the ideas within the speech are presented by Rodolfo Gonzales. Rodolfo ‘Corky’ Gonzales was born to Federico and Indalesia Gonzales, two Mexican immigrants, on June 18, 1928.
“The common denominator all Latinos have is that we want some respect. That 's what we 're all fighting for” - Cristina Saralegui. Judith Ortiz Cofer published the article, “The Myth of the Latin Woman,” where she expresses her anger towards stereotypes, inequality, and degradation of Latin Americans. Cofer explains the origins of these perceived views and proceeds to empower Latin American women to champion over them. Cofer establishes her credibility as a Latin American woman with personal anecdotes that emphasize her frustration of the unfair depiction of Latinos in society.
Gloria Anzaldúa’s “La Prieta” tell her struggles with identity by talking about prejudices she dealt with while growing up. These prejudices, such as colorism, sexism, and heteronormativity, were not only held by people outside her social groups but within them as well. Anzaldúa goes on to explain the way identity is formed by intersecting factors and not only one aspect of someone’s life therefore denying one factor of identity can cause isolation and self-hatred. The fact that Anzaldúa developed faster than is deemed normal the first struggle in forming her identity.