At La Joya Community High School, could you spot the kids within your community that are Chicano/Chicana? You’d be surprised at who is and isn’t! Well among the majority of the population in La Joya, it is made up of mostly Hispanic/Latino. But would you consider them Chicano/Chicana? Chicano or Chicana is a chosen identity of some Mexican Americans in the United States. The term Chicano is sometimes used interchangeably with Mexican-American.In this day in age, it is alarming as to what people don’t know about Chicano culture. It is very popularized as a very unappreciated culture because even in some identities that Mexican-American’s have, it could be something highly offensive for them! Well, here at La Joya we would like to allow open space for the acceptance to hear out Chicano and Chicana people speak out on their side of being part of Chicano Culture?
In an interview set up by Victor Robles, 3 people were interviewed on subjects about Chicano Culture. The interview was set up of 3 students from La Joya Community High School, who are all self-titled “Chicanos”
, and they all gave their personal opinions and belief into some of the questions that most Mexican-Americans find to be controversial!
When asked “Would you identify yourself with Chicano Culture? If so, can you elaborate as to why?”
Jordan Acosta, a 10th grader at La Joya answered,
“I would identify myself with Chicano Culture because I know where I’m from and I am proud of who I am but I’m so proud of what we brought to America as well what America brought to us and I feel like it’s really important to tie those two things together.”
On another scale, Daniela Medina, a 11th grader at La Joya answered the same questions, stating,
“I do identify myself with Chicano Culture, my parents raised me with speaking Spanish and traditional Mexican foods!”
Coming from such a young mind set (Acosta), you’d think it would be easy to satiate that Chicano Culture is endorsed here at La Joya. Acosta is a self-defined Feminist, as a Chicana, she thrives to even let the people around her know about the Culture that is descendent of Mexican Culture. As well as Medina, a very influential Chicana woman herself, she is very subjugated to advocation on topics of Chicano Culture.
As the interview came to more questions, it started to become more controversial. It was asked by our interviewer, Tiffany Acosta, “do you find it offensive when people who are not Mexican-Descent attempt to talk to you in Spanish?”
Whereas, Lorenzo Solis, an 11th Grader at La Joya explained,
“it just depends on the way they come up to me, if they sound rude or like mocking, then yeah, i’m gonna be like ‘Sis?’, but if they want to-learn Spanish, i’m not gonna be like ‘don’t talk to me in Spanish’…it just depends on the whole presentation.”
From what is shown, it seems that the whole overall topic of Chicanos is that, Chicanos are to be appreciated and the art of how their identity is to be brought into the spectrum of blood & culture when paying more mind to titles. Chicano is art, Chicano is poetry. This educational remark and essence of culture is so boiled in the stems and roots of the area we live in. A majority of La Joya is Chicano and it is so astonishing if this community could title more events, customs, traditions, and art into what the stems of Chicano Culture is. La Joya is a proud place where Chicanos can be themselves into self identity.
