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Women: New Voice of La Raza

Ruiz (1998) stated in her book From Out of the Shadows, “[a]lthough many scholars recognize the 1960s and 1970s as the era for the modern feminist movement, they have left Chicanas out of their stories” (p. 100). History rarely speaks of the efforts and strides made by Chicana women during their feminist movement as their own cause; instead, all women are seemingly represented in the modern feminist movement. However, although Chicanas were inspired by the white feminist movement and did take part in their efforts, they ultimately felt that their stories, their suffrage, their oppression was not the same. Instead, Chicanas felt they had suffered a double discrimination: one for being Mexican, and two for being a woman. As a result, Chicanas banded together and created a feminist movement of their own, the Chicana Feminist Movement.

Although the Chicana Feminist Movement made great strides for Chicana women everywhere, despite their efforts – their story remains virtually untold. However, their story is not unwritten. Mirta Vidal passionately wrote on the Chicano struggles, specifically covering the first national Chicana feminist conference ever held. Her article, Women: New Voice of La Raza, is an artifact that is an accurate representation that recounts the struggles and desires of Chicanas during that era.

It is for this reason that I propose Mirta Vidal’s article, Women: New Voice of La Raza, as rhetorically interesting as it provides a means in which to evaluate the Chicana Feminist movement, and, if deemed possible, reveal why the Chicana feminist movement continues to remain a story virtually untold.

As justification for this selection, I will provide an origin of the text for authentication reasons, a brief historical background that surrounds the text, and preliminary findings that represent the content areas regarding the text that I have chosen.

Origin of Text

Women: New Voice of La Razawas an article written by Mirta Vidal that first appeared in the International Socialist Review, October 1971, and was reprinted by permission and made available online in the special collections library of DukeUniversity (Vidal, 1971).

Vidal served as national director of the Chicano and Latino work of the Young Socialist Alliance during the Chicano liberation movement. Additionally, Vidal served on the staff of the Militant, where she wrote a regular column on the Chicano struggle. Her covering of the first national Chicana feminist conference served as the basis for many of her writings, particularly a pamphlet entitled Chicanas Speak Out: New Voice of La Raza, which is still used in a number of university classrooms (Studer, 2004).

Preliminary Findings and Background of Text

As the ‘first wave’ of the feminist movement “succeeded in achieving a significant victory – that of enfranchising women within the political and legal system” (Whelehan, 1995, p. 4), which ultimately secured women the right to vote, the ‘second wave’ of the feminist movement sought “for women the same opportunities and privileges [that] society g[a]ve to men” (Evans, 1995, p. 2). In essence, ‘second wave’ feminist women “believed that men and women are equal and [that women] should have equal respect and opportunities in all spheres of life – personal, social, work, and public” (Wood, 19??, p. 323).

Initially, Chicana women were inspired by the efforts of white feminists. Chicanas also wanted to fight against gender inequality and the domineering patriarchal system; however, they soon realized that they must create their own identity as their Anglo counterparts refused to address racial and class inequalities as part of their movement. As a result of this refusal, Chicanas began to see the movement as a White middle-class movement only. Being that Chicanas saw themselves as Chicanos first, and women second, they separated from the established feminist movement and created their own, which is now known as the Chicana Feminist Movement (Exploring the Chicana, n.d.).

The Chicana Feminist Movement, also referred to as Xicanism, served as a middle ground between the Chicano Movement and the Women’s Liberation Movement. The Chicano Movement was a continuation of the Mexican-American Civil Rights Movement that took place in the 1940s, which sought educational, social, and political equality in the United States for Mexican-Americans (Blea, 1977). According to Asunclow-Lande (1976), a large portion of the Chicano Movement focused on the rhetoric of identity and integration. Chicanos wanted to be identified as equal to their Anglo counterparts without sacrificing their pride in their language, history, culture, and race. The Women’s Liberation Movement sought to establish for women a position of equality in a male driven world. The Chicana Feminist Movementsought to do both. Chicana feminist wanted to establish social, cultural, and political identities for themselves in America (Blea,1977), but also sought to establish an identity for themselves in their own culture, in their own household. Flores (1996) stated that the Chicana feminist often felt alienated and isolated, and longed for a space and home in which they belonged.

In 1969, the Chicana Feminist Movement began to take form as a result of the 1969 Chicano Youth Liberation Conference, which was held in Denver, CO and was sponsored by the Crusade for Justice. In attendance were more than 1500 young men and women (Ruiz, 1998). It was at this conference that Chicano issues first gained a national platform. Moreover, it was at this conference that women began to participate in male-dominated dialogues. Additionally, this conference provided a venue for women to rally together to address feminist concerns that consisted of both racism and sexism. As a result of this conference, it is noted that women went back to their communities as activists; thus, signifying the beginning of the Chicana Feminist Movement (Exploring the Chicana, n.d.).

By 1971, inHouston, Texas, at La Conferencia de Mujeres Por La Raza (First National Chicana Conference), Chicana women were speaking out with a distinct feminist platform. Issues included on the platform included: “free legal abortions and birth control in the Chicano community be provided and controlled by Chicanas, higher education, for acknowledgement of the Catholic Church as an instrument of oppression, for companionate equalitarian marriage, and for child care arrangements to ensure women’s involvement in the movement” (Ruiz, 1998, p. 108). These issues, along with the sentiments of many Chicana women regarding these issues, are recorded in Vidal’s article Women: New Voice of La Raza.

Conclusion

Thirty-seven years later, much progression has been made regarding the issues that plagued Chicana women. As a result of Vidal’s article Women: New Voice of La Raza, modern day Chicanas have a glimpse into the rhetoric that surrounded their movement. This is why I believe that a Vidal’s article contains rhetorical interest and is worthy of further analysis.

Bibliography

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