La Voz de Aztlan, September 26 1991
Item
Title
La Voz de Aztlan, September 26 1991
Creator
Associated Students of Fresno State
Relation
La Voz de Aztlan (Daily Collegian, California State University, Fresno)
Coverage
Fresno, California
Date
9/26/1991
Format
PDF
Identifier
SCUA_lvda_00198
extracted text
Chicano-Latino
I
Major in the works
Opinion,Poetry
Latinos
. page 1
I
Still being underrepresented
CSU, Fresno
I
The Chicano-Latino News a er
Chicano Major is being
planned for next year
inside
Sept 26, 1991
By Christopher Heredia
La Voz Staff Writer
The word is out, a Chicano
studies major is in the works at
CSUF. Students say having a
maJor will encourage further
research of the Chicano communit), in addition to heightening
awareness and sensitivity about
Chicano issues.
Azael Fabian, 21, said that
U.S. history courses on campus
were lacking a Chicano-Latino
perspective.
"All they teach about is
European history," he said.
''They don't teach about Mexican
history and the people who lived
on this land before the colonists
from Europe."
f abian said having a CLS
degree Would change this.
The road to presenting a
pwposal for a bachelor's degree
1 as been long and windy, Lea
YI arra, a CLS professor, said
VY edncsda) .
CLS , originally La Raza
stut,1es, \I • s born ir 1969 on
v n.pu. 1..JUnng E 1'.1ovmueto (the
CL ('ano c:vil n ht~ moveme1Jt).
Campus administration "never
irtcndcd {CLS) to go this far but
times have changed," Ybarra
courage them. I think all liberal
studies majors should be required
to learn about other cultures," she
said.
Similar majors exist at other
Cahfomia universilies. Ybarra
said among the institutions with
master's degrees in Chicano
studies are CSU, Northridge an<l
San Jose State University. Those
state universities with BA
programs include CSU, Los Angeles and San Diego State
University.
CLS major
page 2
said. La Raza studrooms to leam
about Clucano culture.
"With teaching, it will
influence kids and probably en-
Viva La Raza, 1969
by artist Salavador Roberto Torres
Chicano numbers are not reflected in the demographics
Assistant editor
Renee Ruelas
Latinos have been called "the
sleeping minority."
While they are the fastest
growing minority in California, they
remain the most underrepresented in
the nation.
There are 22 million
Chicano-Latinos in the United
States, according to the 1990
census.
Of Fresno's 354,000 population,
30 percent are of Latino heritage.
The white population is 49
percent, falling 14 percent in 10
years.
In the Fall 1990, Chicano-Latino
enrollment rose to 19.3 percent of
the total enrollment at CSUF.
Freshman enrollment is 23
percent Chicano-Latino. White
students represent 42 percent of all
freshman.
Graduate representation is
lower. Last Fall, only 11 percent
were Latino, a significantly lower
number than the 65 percent white
representation.
Latino Educators are not
the ones teaching in our school
system. According to the Hispanic
Coalition of Higher Education,
CSUF is not hiring enough ChicanoLatino teachets. Only 4.2 percent of
CSUF's faculty is Chicano-Latino,
not in proportion to the student
population.
The statistics of Chicano-Latino
high school drop outs are grim.
According to the Fresno Unified
School District, Chicano-Latinos
have the highest drop-out rate. For
the class of 1990, Chicano-Latinos
dropped out at a percentage of 39 .8
percent. That is nearly four ollt of
ten Chicano-Latino high school
students. The Chicano-Latino drop
out rate is higher than the total
FUSD average of 33.9 percent
Sophomore Ana Castillo,
psychology, said she stayed in
school because .she knew that was
the way to stay out of the fields,
where she occasionally worked.
"I wanted a better life."
There are no clear cut explanations, according to the FUSD.
Most srudents just disappear from
school. The reasons vary. There
are some who move away, become
pregnant or just become board with
school.
Sophomore Rosario
Vasquez, nutrition, said she knows a
lot of people who dropped out of
school.
"They were getting pregnant or
married or something like that."
Vasquez knew she was going to college and was encouraged by her
family. Recently her mother
returned to school and plans to
attend CSUF.
Chicano-Latino Association of Student Educators (CLASE)
would like to help wake up the
sleeping minority.
Bertha Lozano, a sophomore
liberal studies major, plans to
become a elementary school
teacher. "I want to show my people
that there are some of us out there,
that are doing it."
As future educators
CLASE is upset by the high drop
out rate. Beatriz Salcedo, senior,
Liberal Studies, also a member of
CLASE is worried about the lack of
ro]e models. "We want to be role
models to those out there," who be-
]ieve they can not make succeed.
Lozano asked, what can we do to
help them to see that there is some- .
thing better out there.
Drop out rate becomes a
problem for the prison system. The
department of corrections reports
that 64.5 of the prisoners are high
school drop outs.
The United Slates is one
of only two nations that <loes not
have medical insurance for its
citizens. Most of those are Latino.
Many have no insurance benefits.
According to the Council
for Health and Long Term Care, 33
percent of the Latinos have no
medical insurance.
Most of Lhe families with
working head of households have no
insurance. Many jobs have no
insurance benefits or they can not
afford to pay insurance for their
families.
A basic check up or
emergency hospital stay are luxuries
many families will never know.
Latinos are also under represented
in politics. Politicians are the best
outlet for Latino concerns. How-
ever, according lo a report by the
National Association of Latino
Elected and Appointed Officials,
there are only 617 Latinos in office.
Latinos make up 9 percent
of the nation's population, but only
1 percent of the Latino population is
in public office.
Se t 26 1991
La Voz de Aztlan
2
Bracero NO. 2,
1967
by anist
Carlos Cortez
Koyokuikatl
Rebel without a Cause
Racism in its most blatant form detracts the true identity of the
people it pervades, not to realize it can create a full potential to the
discourse oflove and contempt within all humanity.Ideally, the future is
vague and hard to understand, and a few words of wisdom can detract
from the true form of realization of the mainstream society extending
the arms of struggle in this time of political obscurity. Time is a rlpe
element the people must use to in terms of its most rnw and natural form
the realization of tomorrowto provide a more adequate vision within the
next generation to come. The people of Aztlan have been reborn but this
vision has come with a price on its headJust as the ancient Aztecs were
burned out of the history of time, the new aztecs must remember the
Movemiento, not only the struggle of the pre-Columbians, but of the re-:centr past, the 60s brought forth a civil-rights era ringing the idelogies
La Voz de Aztlan
Editor
Joe M. Torres
of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King and Cesar Chavez. These people are
the ancestors of a new homage, a returning plight the Chicano culture
must return a 100 years or a 1000 years from now and remember the
time and place the Chicano culture had been reborn. It is significant to
remember the women in the Chicano culture, a homage cannot exist
without them. Words such as "Aztlan" "Chicano" "RAZA" are words
born out of a bastard time. Hermanos and hermanas this is a rip~ time to
feel the pride and strength of the new generation. Roots within our
culturF; have come through man~, centuries og learning the tru\h within
our pa5t. Ideas of a common ground will be the fruit of the new world
and the new century. The message is "pride" and "love" in 0 1rr culture,
equally important is the "truth" in the the way to be identified in this
culturt;:. Love is not necceassarily the medicine towards a solution to the
woos of this Chicano culture, but it is an emotion we as a people must
have in order to maintain our pride, and our common bond with one another. Move forward, always AztHn.
Editor,
Joe M. Torres ·
Together and Unequal is Equal
more detriment to their
Being treated as
Movement. Moreover, as
equals seems to be the
Assistant editor
other
minority groups,
. prevailing goal of most, if
Renee Ruelas
namely Jewish-Americans
not all, minority groups.
and African-Americans,
Attempting to join ranks
Copy editors
also aim for equality, while
with the domineering
Jana Ballinger
white, upper-class males of denying the fact that we
Shannon Wentworth
the American society over- are not equals, Chicanos,
Blacks, and Jews, along
whelmingly surpasses the
Photo editor
with other "ouidders," are
desire to maintain cultural
Angel de Jesus
leading this nation into a
diversity in this melting
state of de-unification. I
pot we call the United
,.
States. Yet, this mixing of maintain that Americans'
Staff Writers
cultures, ideas, and peoples failure to recognize their
Belarmino Castellanos
differences is their biggest
that has changed the
Chris Heredia
obstacle towards unity.
American nation is slowly
Liz Morales
Having lived in
converting itself into one
huge lump of homgeneous Texas seventeen years and
individuals with little or no attending The University
of Texas at Austin for two
sense of identity.
La Var. would like to thank
of
those years-before
Indeed, as Chicanos
The Daily Collegian for its
help and assistance.
transferring to Fresno State
in California continue to
La Voz de Aztl:in is published monthly by
this semester-I was "inlhcassoc:iatcd Student, Inc. of
strive for equality in a
California State University, Fresno. Toe
~wspaper office is located in lhD Keats
nation which is continually troduced" to a multitude of
Campus Building, Fresno., 93740-0042.
Mexican-American student
Opinians published on this page we not
plagued with racism,
~cassarily those of theAssociau:d StudeDIS,
associations aimed at
Inc. TM Daily Callegian or la Voz ~ Au/an
sexism, classism, and ageor its staff. L"nsigned cdilorials arc: the
forming
"a more perfect
majority opinion of th, papers editorial board.
ism, they merely bring
union" with the W ASPs of
this racist nation, to mention a few ef these groups I
encounterei~-while at The
University: '1..odos Unidos,
La Raza, and The Chicano
Culture Committee. Truly,
these groups identify themselves as stt 'Jng leaders of
the so-called Chicano
Movement. Eut, to my
dismay, whea I would ask
these "leaders" what exactly they meant by "pushing forward with the
'Movement,"' few would
answer intelligently or, at
the very least, confidently.
In contrast, Californian Chicano leaders·seem
to have refined their answers 3:fter years of
struggle, thus giving me
better-rehearsed responses
to my questions about the
Chicano Movement from
the eyes of Chicano
leaders in my native state
of California. However,
both Chicano organizations, of Texas and California, are qnited by what I
find to be the .catalyst
leading to the demise of
the once~trong MexicanAmerican movements: lack
of cultural_identity. This
problem is not, of course,
solely a Mexican-American phenomenea; no,
nearly all minority groups
are confronted_with this
problem. Yet, the Chicano
problem ·seems to be much
more widespread than that
of the other cultures.. For
instance, as I speak to my
fellow Chicano and Chicanas, I am proud of their
strong determination to advance our people ahead
and enter the mainstream
see Equal page 3
'.
La Voz de Aztlan
cont.
Se t 26 1991
3
from page 2
cont.
of society, etcetera, in a
movement that will eventually lead, in their idealistic
expectations, to happiness
for the Mexican-Americans living as equals in the
American society. Furthermore, my amigos'
knowledge of the political
status between Mexico and
the United States is usually
outstanding. Unfortunately, when I ask for their
opinion on Tamayo,
Zapata, Siqueiros, Villa, or
foods such as mole, for
that matter, they will either
stare at me in a questioning
manner or give me a generic response in broken
Spanish. In fact, few Chicanos speak FLUENT
Spanish. Is this so tragic,
you ask? Yes, for language, one of the priciple
links to the chain which
unites us as a culture, a
culture like no other in the
world, a culture that goes
back three centuries, is diminishing at the hands of
El Norte. Indeed, this is
but one of the obstacles we
have as Mexicans living in
the "United" States.
Bluntly speaking, in
striving so hard to fit into
the mold established bv the
white, upper-class males of
the American society,
Mexicans have "learned"
English and allowed their
Spanish to suffer in the
process. Slowly, but
surely, Chicanos will no
longer speak proper Spanish, be exempt of the true
Mexican culture, and lack
complete sense of identity.
Some scholars believe
Chicanos have already
reached that threshold and
are over the brink.
Why has such a
downfall of our Mexican
culture occurred? Today,
the need for unity is often
misnamed as a need for
homogeniety. One cannot
deny that there are very
real differences between all
races, especially between
Mexicans and Anglos, but
it is not those differences
between us that are separating the two cultures; it is
rather our refusal as Chicanos or Mexicans to recognize these differences. The
term "Hispanic," for example, is yet another term
used by Anglos to lump all
Spanish-speaking cultures
together for mere simplification during census procedures. Furthermore. Mexi-
can-Americans calling
themselves Hispanics serve
as concrete examples of a
people with a minimal
sense of identity, having
fallen into the hands of
these Anglo misnomers.
Finally, if Chicanos
in Texas, California, or
wherever want to live in a
society where they can express their beliefs, be
heard, and, at the same
time, be respected, they
must strive to be UNIFIED
with the other cultures of
this land, while not attempting to be considered
the SAME as the others. If
unity is the aim of the Chicano Movement, we would
be opening the minds of
much narrow-minded individuals habitating this
could-be great nation,
thereby allowing for a unifled country where respect
is granted to all regardless
of age, race, sex, or class
are by the bigots living in
United States. Living in
hannony through UNIFICATION, not homogeniety, is, therefore, the
key for the Chicano
Monvement's success.
Belarmino A.
Castellanos
page 1
ies started on campus when
Ybarra said the proposal
the number of Chicano
started at her desk in 1989
students was much fewer than when she was chair of the CLS
department.
it is now.
''There has been a demo"People need to see other
graphic change in the state of
(ethnic) groups on a realistic
California," she said.
level and not just as stereLeonard Salazar, associate
otypes." She said the major
vice president for academic
will provide students with a
affairs who is responsible for
basis for doing other research
submitting the proposal to the in the Chicano community.
CSU Chancellor's office, said
"I think CLS, as a subject,
he doesn't anticipate any
can enhance any major
bumps in the road to apbecause of the population of
Chicanos and Latinos in the
proval.
Valley."
The proposal for the major
has received support from
Ybarra said she hopes that
several committees on campus in the future the department
and is now headed to the
will be able to develop a sepaAcademic Senate for their
rate major for Latin American
review. He said the program
studies. For now, she said
may be implemented by the
students working on minors
can concentrate
fall of 1992.
"There was concern for the
back page
budgetary impact," Salazar
see
said, "but our own (Academic
Senate) Budget Committee has
determined that this will not"
cost the university any more
money.
Chicano Poetry
WHO I AM
Mexico Unchained
My skin of olive beauty, my tresses are of brown and red hues
and my body as strong as it is delicate.
My mind is intrigued with all that is wisdom and knowledge
and filled with intellect and wit.
My soul is peaceful and tomented with the myriad of traditions
bestowed upon me by blood.
My heart is full of love with passion for life, compassion
for all, yet those I see who reflect me, I commend them more.
.
My heritage so glorious, so awesome, sq burdensome, so, old so new.
I am woman, a teacher, a founder, a leader for my children's
children. Yes, I am Chicana, a pioneer in a world of undying traditions
to be broken and remolded for our future.
.The old, the new, holding hands and shouting voices, we are
being heard, the world will listen
This is who I am:
At times chaos is forethought
and Mexicans are looking distraught
We students see the future as brighter
While others pull the knot tighter
Our history is vast and profound
To our race we shall always be bound
Born here or there matters not
We shall never forget the way we fought
Mexico, a country so strong
She never accepted what's wrong
El Norte, so great as it looked
opened the door to get hooked
INDEPENDANCE once more shall be made
This time It shall fade
-Christina DeContreras
excerrteq from Pachuco Children Hurl Stones
Mexico es neustro pois
La raza conquista su amor
Unidos desde ruiz
·
con eso termina el clamo
-Belarmino A. Castellanos
Se t, 26,1991
La Voz de Aztlan
MECHA meetings
Wednesday 5 to 6 p.m.
Chicano Youth Conference
meetings 5 to 6 p.1n. in Joyal 203
Chicano art showing at the Fresno Art Museum
photo by Angel de Jesus
Chicano An Resistance and Affirmation opens at the Fresno An Museum with a Re-enctment of the Aztec blessing
cont,
from3
history and culture.
Ybarra said some students
have already "designed" majors
in Chicano studies with the hopes
that the proposed major will
receive approval before they
graduate. Specially designed
majors are common in other departments and schools on
campus.
Students said a bachelor's
degree was long overdue.
"It's about time," said Maria
Lopez, a 20-year-old functional
biology major. "I think (CLS) has
been here too long to not have a
· degree. A whole generation has
passed without this implemented.
"It's history. When I took CLS
last semester I learned so much
that I hadn't heard in my other
history classes."
Fabian. a liberal studies major,
said he believed non-Chicanos
will also be taking an interest in
Chicano 'studies because of the
changing demographics of the
state.
"They know later that Hispanics are going to play a bigger role
in terms of population and getting
educated. There are more
Chicanos getting into higher positions," Fabian said.
Veronica Silva, a 20-year-old
nursing major, said, "A lot of
them (non-Chicanos) know
they're going to be working with
Chicano kids and they're going
to have to know more than the
(Spanish) language."
Lopez said students in
teaching should have a knowledge of the Chicano experience
and culture. She said, with some
knowledge of the community,
they can encourage the children
in their classrooms to learn about
Chicano culture.
"With teaching, it will
influence kids and probably
encourage them. I think all liberal
studies majors should be required
to learn about other cultures," she
said.
Similar majors exist at other
California universities. Ybarra
said among the institutions with
master's degrees in Chicano
studies are CSU, Northridge and
San Jose State University. Those
state universities with BA programs include CSU, Los Angeles
and San Diego State University.
La Voz de
Aztllln
Wants You
.-
staff writ¢rs, ·
artists, ·arid
photographers
4
I
Major in the works
Opinion,Poetry
Latinos
. page 1
I
Still being underrepresented
CSU, Fresno
I
The Chicano-Latino News a er
Chicano Major is being
planned for next year
inside
Sept 26, 1991
By Christopher Heredia
La Voz Staff Writer
The word is out, a Chicano
studies major is in the works at
CSUF. Students say having a
maJor will encourage further
research of the Chicano communit), in addition to heightening
awareness and sensitivity about
Chicano issues.
Azael Fabian, 21, said that
U.S. history courses on campus
were lacking a Chicano-Latino
perspective.
"All they teach about is
European history," he said.
''They don't teach about Mexican
history and the people who lived
on this land before the colonists
from Europe."
f abian said having a CLS
degree Would change this.
The road to presenting a
pwposal for a bachelor's degree
1 as been long and windy, Lea
YI arra, a CLS professor, said
VY edncsda) .
CLS , originally La Raza
stut,1es, \I • s born ir 1969 on
v n.pu. 1..JUnng E 1'.1ovmueto (the
CL ('ano c:vil n ht~ moveme1Jt).
Campus administration "never
irtcndcd {CLS) to go this far but
times have changed," Ybarra
courage them. I think all liberal
studies majors should be required
to learn about other cultures," she
said.
Similar majors exist at other
Cahfomia universilies. Ybarra
said among the institutions with
master's degrees in Chicano
studies are CSU, Northridge an<l
San Jose State University. Those
state universities with BA
programs include CSU, Los Angeles and San Diego State
University.
CLS major
page 2
said. La Raza studrooms to leam
about Clucano culture.
"With teaching, it will
influence kids and probably en-
Viva La Raza, 1969
by artist Salavador Roberto Torres
Chicano numbers are not reflected in the demographics
Assistant editor
Renee Ruelas
Latinos have been called "the
sleeping minority."
While they are the fastest
growing minority in California, they
remain the most underrepresented in
the nation.
There are 22 million
Chicano-Latinos in the United
States, according to the 1990
census.
Of Fresno's 354,000 population,
30 percent are of Latino heritage.
The white population is 49
percent, falling 14 percent in 10
years.
In the Fall 1990, Chicano-Latino
enrollment rose to 19.3 percent of
the total enrollment at CSUF.
Freshman enrollment is 23
percent Chicano-Latino. White
students represent 42 percent of all
freshman.
Graduate representation is
lower. Last Fall, only 11 percent
were Latino, a significantly lower
number than the 65 percent white
representation.
Latino Educators are not
the ones teaching in our school
system. According to the Hispanic
Coalition of Higher Education,
CSUF is not hiring enough ChicanoLatino teachets. Only 4.2 percent of
CSUF's faculty is Chicano-Latino,
not in proportion to the student
population.
The statistics of Chicano-Latino
high school drop outs are grim.
According to the Fresno Unified
School District, Chicano-Latinos
have the highest drop-out rate. For
the class of 1990, Chicano-Latinos
dropped out at a percentage of 39 .8
percent. That is nearly four ollt of
ten Chicano-Latino high school
students. The Chicano-Latino drop
out rate is higher than the total
FUSD average of 33.9 percent
Sophomore Ana Castillo,
psychology, said she stayed in
school because .she knew that was
the way to stay out of the fields,
where she occasionally worked.
"I wanted a better life."
There are no clear cut explanations, according to the FUSD.
Most srudents just disappear from
school. The reasons vary. There
are some who move away, become
pregnant or just become board with
school.
Sophomore Rosario
Vasquez, nutrition, said she knows a
lot of people who dropped out of
school.
"They were getting pregnant or
married or something like that."
Vasquez knew she was going to college and was encouraged by her
family. Recently her mother
returned to school and plans to
attend CSUF.
Chicano-Latino Association of Student Educators (CLASE)
would like to help wake up the
sleeping minority.
Bertha Lozano, a sophomore
liberal studies major, plans to
become a elementary school
teacher. "I want to show my people
that there are some of us out there,
that are doing it."
As future educators
CLASE is upset by the high drop
out rate. Beatriz Salcedo, senior,
Liberal Studies, also a member of
CLASE is worried about the lack of
ro]e models. "We want to be role
models to those out there," who be-
]ieve they can not make succeed.
Lozano asked, what can we do to
help them to see that there is some- .
thing better out there.
Drop out rate becomes a
problem for the prison system. The
department of corrections reports
that 64.5 of the prisoners are high
school drop outs.
The United Slates is one
of only two nations that <loes not
have medical insurance for its
citizens. Most of those are Latino.
Many have no insurance benefits.
According to the Council
for Health and Long Term Care, 33
percent of the Latinos have no
medical insurance.
Most of Lhe families with
working head of households have no
insurance. Many jobs have no
insurance benefits or they can not
afford to pay insurance for their
families.
A basic check up or
emergency hospital stay are luxuries
many families will never know.
Latinos are also under represented
in politics. Politicians are the best
outlet for Latino concerns. How-
ever, according lo a report by the
National Association of Latino
Elected and Appointed Officials,
there are only 617 Latinos in office.
Latinos make up 9 percent
of the nation's population, but only
1 percent of the Latino population is
in public office.
Se t 26 1991
La Voz de Aztlan
2
Bracero NO. 2,
1967
by anist
Carlos Cortez
Koyokuikatl
Rebel without a Cause
Racism in its most blatant form detracts the true identity of the
people it pervades, not to realize it can create a full potential to the
discourse oflove and contempt within all humanity.Ideally, the future is
vague and hard to understand, and a few words of wisdom can detract
from the true form of realization of the mainstream society extending
the arms of struggle in this time of political obscurity. Time is a rlpe
element the people must use to in terms of its most rnw and natural form
the realization of tomorrowto provide a more adequate vision within the
next generation to come. The people of Aztlan have been reborn but this
vision has come with a price on its headJust as the ancient Aztecs were
burned out of the history of time, the new aztecs must remember the
Movemiento, not only the struggle of the pre-Columbians, but of the re-:centr past, the 60s brought forth a civil-rights era ringing the idelogies
La Voz de Aztlan
Editor
Joe M. Torres
of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King and Cesar Chavez. These people are
the ancestors of a new homage, a returning plight the Chicano culture
must return a 100 years or a 1000 years from now and remember the
time and place the Chicano culture had been reborn. It is significant to
remember the women in the Chicano culture, a homage cannot exist
without them. Words such as "Aztlan" "Chicano" "RAZA" are words
born out of a bastard time. Hermanos and hermanas this is a rip~ time to
feel the pride and strength of the new generation. Roots within our
culturF; have come through man~, centuries og learning the tru\h within
our pa5t. Ideas of a common ground will be the fruit of the new world
and the new century. The message is "pride" and "love" in 0 1rr culture,
equally important is the "truth" in the the way to be identified in this
culturt;:. Love is not necceassarily the medicine towards a solution to the
woos of this Chicano culture, but it is an emotion we as a people must
have in order to maintain our pride, and our common bond with one another. Move forward, always AztHn.
Editor,
Joe M. Torres ·
Together and Unequal is Equal
more detriment to their
Being treated as
Movement. Moreover, as
equals seems to be the
Assistant editor
other
minority groups,
. prevailing goal of most, if
Renee Ruelas
namely Jewish-Americans
not all, minority groups.
and African-Americans,
Attempting to join ranks
Copy editors
also aim for equality, while
with the domineering
Jana Ballinger
white, upper-class males of denying the fact that we
Shannon Wentworth
the American society over- are not equals, Chicanos,
Blacks, and Jews, along
whelmingly surpasses the
Photo editor
with other "ouidders," are
desire to maintain cultural
Angel de Jesus
leading this nation into a
diversity in this melting
state of de-unification. I
pot we call the United
,.
States. Yet, this mixing of maintain that Americans'
Staff Writers
cultures, ideas, and peoples failure to recognize their
Belarmino Castellanos
differences is their biggest
that has changed the
Chris Heredia
obstacle towards unity.
American nation is slowly
Liz Morales
Having lived in
converting itself into one
huge lump of homgeneous Texas seventeen years and
individuals with little or no attending The University
of Texas at Austin for two
sense of identity.
La Var. would like to thank
of
those years-before
Indeed, as Chicanos
The Daily Collegian for its
help and assistance.
transferring to Fresno State
in California continue to
La Voz de Aztl:in is published monthly by
this semester-I was "inlhcassoc:iatcd Student, Inc. of
strive for equality in a
California State University, Fresno. Toe
~wspaper office is located in lhD Keats
nation which is continually troduced" to a multitude of
Campus Building, Fresno., 93740-0042.
Mexican-American student
Opinians published on this page we not
plagued with racism,
~cassarily those of theAssociau:d StudeDIS,
associations aimed at
Inc. TM Daily Callegian or la Voz ~ Au/an
sexism, classism, and ageor its staff. L"nsigned cdilorials arc: the
forming
"a more perfect
majority opinion of th, papers editorial board.
ism, they merely bring
union" with the W ASPs of
this racist nation, to mention a few ef these groups I
encounterei~-while at The
University: '1..odos Unidos,
La Raza, and The Chicano
Culture Committee. Truly,
these groups identify themselves as stt 'Jng leaders of
the so-called Chicano
Movement. Eut, to my
dismay, whea I would ask
these "leaders" what exactly they meant by "pushing forward with the
'Movement,"' few would
answer intelligently or, at
the very least, confidently.
In contrast, Californian Chicano leaders·seem
to have refined their answers 3:fter years of
struggle, thus giving me
better-rehearsed responses
to my questions about the
Chicano Movement from
the eyes of Chicano
leaders in my native state
of California. However,
both Chicano organizations, of Texas and California, are qnited by what I
find to be the .catalyst
leading to the demise of
the once~trong MexicanAmerican movements: lack
of cultural_identity. This
problem is not, of course,
solely a Mexican-American phenomenea; no,
nearly all minority groups
are confronted_with this
problem. Yet, the Chicano
problem ·seems to be much
more widespread than that
of the other cultures.. For
instance, as I speak to my
fellow Chicano and Chicanas, I am proud of their
strong determination to advance our people ahead
and enter the mainstream
see Equal page 3
'.
La Voz de Aztlan
cont.
Se t 26 1991
3
from page 2
cont.
of society, etcetera, in a
movement that will eventually lead, in their idealistic
expectations, to happiness
for the Mexican-Americans living as equals in the
American society. Furthermore, my amigos'
knowledge of the political
status between Mexico and
the United States is usually
outstanding. Unfortunately, when I ask for their
opinion on Tamayo,
Zapata, Siqueiros, Villa, or
foods such as mole, for
that matter, they will either
stare at me in a questioning
manner or give me a generic response in broken
Spanish. In fact, few Chicanos speak FLUENT
Spanish. Is this so tragic,
you ask? Yes, for language, one of the priciple
links to the chain which
unites us as a culture, a
culture like no other in the
world, a culture that goes
back three centuries, is diminishing at the hands of
El Norte. Indeed, this is
but one of the obstacles we
have as Mexicans living in
the "United" States.
Bluntly speaking, in
striving so hard to fit into
the mold established bv the
white, upper-class males of
the American society,
Mexicans have "learned"
English and allowed their
Spanish to suffer in the
process. Slowly, but
surely, Chicanos will no
longer speak proper Spanish, be exempt of the true
Mexican culture, and lack
complete sense of identity.
Some scholars believe
Chicanos have already
reached that threshold and
are over the brink.
Why has such a
downfall of our Mexican
culture occurred? Today,
the need for unity is often
misnamed as a need for
homogeniety. One cannot
deny that there are very
real differences between all
races, especially between
Mexicans and Anglos, but
it is not those differences
between us that are separating the two cultures; it is
rather our refusal as Chicanos or Mexicans to recognize these differences. The
term "Hispanic," for example, is yet another term
used by Anglos to lump all
Spanish-speaking cultures
together for mere simplification during census procedures. Furthermore. Mexi-
can-Americans calling
themselves Hispanics serve
as concrete examples of a
people with a minimal
sense of identity, having
fallen into the hands of
these Anglo misnomers.
Finally, if Chicanos
in Texas, California, or
wherever want to live in a
society where they can express their beliefs, be
heard, and, at the same
time, be respected, they
must strive to be UNIFIED
with the other cultures of
this land, while not attempting to be considered
the SAME as the others. If
unity is the aim of the Chicano Movement, we would
be opening the minds of
much narrow-minded individuals habitating this
could-be great nation,
thereby allowing for a unifled country where respect
is granted to all regardless
of age, race, sex, or class
are by the bigots living in
United States. Living in
hannony through UNIFICATION, not homogeniety, is, therefore, the
key for the Chicano
Monvement's success.
Belarmino A.
Castellanos
page 1
ies started on campus when
Ybarra said the proposal
the number of Chicano
started at her desk in 1989
students was much fewer than when she was chair of the CLS
department.
it is now.
''There has been a demo"People need to see other
graphic change in the state of
(ethnic) groups on a realistic
California," she said.
level and not just as stereLeonard Salazar, associate
otypes." She said the major
vice president for academic
will provide students with a
affairs who is responsible for
basis for doing other research
submitting the proposal to the in the Chicano community.
CSU Chancellor's office, said
"I think CLS, as a subject,
he doesn't anticipate any
can enhance any major
bumps in the road to apbecause of the population of
Chicanos and Latinos in the
proval.
Valley."
The proposal for the major
has received support from
Ybarra said she hopes that
several committees on campus in the future the department
and is now headed to the
will be able to develop a sepaAcademic Senate for their
rate major for Latin American
review. He said the program
studies. For now, she said
may be implemented by the
students working on minors
can concentrate
fall of 1992.
"There was concern for the
back page
budgetary impact," Salazar
see
said, "but our own (Academic
Senate) Budget Committee has
determined that this will not"
cost the university any more
money.
Chicano Poetry
WHO I AM
Mexico Unchained
My skin of olive beauty, my tresses are of brown and red hues
and my body as strong as it is delicate.
My mind is intrigued with all that is wisdom and knowledge
and filled with intellect and wit.
My soul is peaceful and tomented with the myriad of traditions
bestowed upon me by blood.
My heart is full of love with passion for life, compassion
for all, yet those I see who reflect me, I commend them more.
.
My heritage so glorious, so awesome, sq burdensome, so, old so new.
I am woman, a teacher, a founder, a leader for my children's
children. Yes, I am Chicana, a pioneer in a world of undying traditions
to be broken and remolded for our future.
.The old, the new, holding hands and shouting voices, we are
being heard, the world will listen
This is who I am:
At times chaos is forethought
and Mexicans are looking distraught
We students see the future as brighter
While others pull the knot tighter
Our history is vast and profound
To our race we shall always be bound
Born here or there matters not
We shall never forget the way we fought
Mexico, a country so strong
She never accepted what's wrong
El Norte, so great as it looked
opened the door to get hooked
INDEPENDANCE once more shall be made
This time It shall fade
-Christina DeContreras
excerrteq from Pachuco Children Hurl Stones
Mexico es neustro pois
La raza conquista su amor
Unidos desde ruiz
·
con eso termina el clamo
-Belarmino A. Castellanos
Se t, 26,1991
La Voz de Aztlan
MECHA meetings
Wednesday 5 to 6 p.m.
Chicano Youth Conference
meetings 5 to 6 p.1n. in Joyal 203
Chicano art showing at the Fresno Art Museum
photo by Angel de Jesus
Chicano An Resistance and Affirmation opens at the Fresno An Museum with a Re-enctment of the Aztec blessing
cont,
from3
history and culture.
Ybarra said some students
have already "designed" majors
in Chicano studies with the hopes
that the proposed major will
receive approval before they
graduate. Specially designed
majors are common in other departments and schools on
campus.
Students said a bachelor's
degree was long overdue.
"It's about time," said Maria
Lopez, a 20-year-old functional
biology major. "I think (CLS) has
been here too long to not have a
· degree. A whole generation has
passed without this implemented.
"It's history. When I took CLS
last semester I learned so much
that I hadn't heard in my other
history classes."
Fabian. a liberal studies major,
said he believed non-Chicanos
will also be taking an interest in
Chicano 'studies because of the
changing demographics of the
state.
"They know later that Hispanics are going to play a bigger role
in terms of population and getting
educated. There are more
Chicanos getting into higher positions," Fabian said.
Veronica Silva, a 20-year-old
nursing major, said, "A lot of
them (non-Chicanos) know
they're going to be working with
Chicano kids and they're going
to have to know more than the
(Spanish) language."
Lopez said students in
teaching should have a knowledge of the Chicano experience
and culture. She said, with some
knowledge of the community,
they can encourage the children
in their classrooms to learn about
Chicano culture.
"With teaching, it will
influence kids and probably
encourage them. I think all liberal
studies majors should be required
to learn about other cultures," she
said.
Similar majors exist at other
California universities. Ybarra
said among the institutions with
master's degrees in Chicano
studies are CSU, Northridge and
San Jose State University. Those
state universities with BA programs include CSU, Los Angeles
and San Diego State University.
La Voz de
Aztllln
Wants You
.-
staff writ¢rs, ·
artists, ·arid
photographers
4
Chicano-Latino
I
Major in the works
Opinion,Poetry
Latinos
. page 1
I
Still being underrepresented
CSU, Fresno
I
The Chicano-Latino News a er
Chicano Major is being
planned for next year
inside
Sept 26, 1991
By Christopher Heredia
La Voz Staff Writer
The word is out, a Chicano
studies major is in the works at
CSUF. Students say having a
maJor will encourage further
research of the Chicano communit), in addition to heightening
awareness and sensitivity about
Chicano issues.
Azael Fabian, 21, said that
U.S. history courses on campus
were lacking a Chicano-Latino
perspective.
"All they teach about is
European history," he said.
''They don't teach about Mexican
history and the people who lived
on this land before the colonists
from Europe."
f abian said having a CLS
degree Would change this.
The road to presenting a
pwposal for a bachelor's degree
1 as been long and windy, Lea
YI arra, a CLS professor, said
VY edncsda) .
CLS , originally La Raza
stut,1es, \I • s born ir 1969 on
v n.pu. 1..JUnng E 1'.1ovmueto (the
CL ('ano c:vil n ht~ moveme1Jt).
Campus administration "never
irtcndcd {CLS) to go this far but
times have changed," Ybarra
courage them. I think all liberal
studies majors should be required
to learn about other cultures," she
said.
Similar majors exist at other
Cahfomia universilies. Ybarra
said among the institutions with
master's degrees in Chicano
studies are CSU, Northridge an<l
San Jose State University. Those
state universities with BA
programs include CSU, Los Angeles and San Diego State
University.
CLS major
page 2
said. La Raza studrooms to leam
about Clucano culture.
"With teaching, it will
influence kids and probably en-
Viva La Raza, 1969
by artist Salavador Roberto Torres
Chicano numbers are not reflected in the demographics
Assistant editor
Renee Ruelas
Latinos have been called "the
sleeping minority."
While they are the fastest
growing minority in California, they
remain the most underrepresented in
the nation.
There are 22 million
Chicano-Latinos in the United
States, according to the 1990
census.
Of Fresno's 354,000 population,
30 percent are of Latino heritage.
The white population is 49
percent, falling 14 percent in 10
years.
In the Fall 1990, Chicano-Latino
enrollment rose to 19.3 percent of
the total enrollment at CSUF.
Freshman enrollment is 23
percent Chicano-Latino. White
students represent 42 percent of all
freshman.
Graduate representation is
lower. Last Fall, only 11 percent
were Latino, a significantly lower
number than the 65 percent white
representation.
Latino Educators are not
the ones teaching in our school
system. According to the Hispanic
Coalition of Higher Education,
CSUF is not hiring enough ChicanoLatino teachets. Only 4.2 percent of
CSUF's faculty is Chicano-Latino,
not in proportion to the student
population.
The statistics of Chicano-Latino
high school drop outs are grim.
According to the Fresno Unified
School District, Chicano-Latinos
have the highest drop-out rate. For
the class of 1990, Chicano-Latinos
dropped out at a percentage of 39 .8
percent. That is nearly four ollt of
ten Chicano-Latino high school
students. The Chicano-Latino drop
out rate is higher than the total
FUSD average of 33.9 percent
Sophomore Ana Castillo,
psychology, said she stayed in
school because .she knew that was
the way to stay out of the fields,
where she occasionally worked.
"I wanted a better life."
There are no clear cut explanations, according to the FUSD.
Most srudents just disappear from
school. The reasons vary. There
are some who move away, become
pregnant or just become board with
school.
Sophomore Rosario
Vasquez, nutrition, said she knows a
lot of people who dropped out of
school.
"They were getting pregnant or
married or something like that."
Vasquez knew she was going to college and was encouraged by her
family. Recently her mother
returned to school and plans to
attend CSUF.
Chicano-Latino Association of Student Educators (CLASE)
would like to help wake up the
sleeping minority.
Bertha Lozano, a sophomore
liberal studies major, plans to
become a elementary school
teacher. "I want to show my people
that there are some of us out there,
that are doing it."
As future educators
CLASE is upset by the high drop
out rate. Beatriz Salcedo, senior,
Liberal Studies, also a member of
CLASE is worried about the lack of
ro]e models. "We want to be role
models to those out there," who be-
]ieve they can not make succeed.
Lozano asked, what can we do to
help them to see that there is some- .
thing better out there.
Drop out rate becomes a
problem for the prison system. The
department of corrections reports
that 64.5 of the prisoners are high
school drop outs.
The United Slates is one
of only two nations that <loes not
have medical insurance for its
citizens. Most of those are Latino.
Many have no insurance benefits.
According to the Council
for Health and Long Term Care, 33
percent of the Latinos have no
medical insurance.
Most of Lhe families with
working head of households have no
insurance. Many jobs have no
insurance benefits or they can not
afford to pay insurance for their
families.
A basic check up or
emergency hospital stay are luxuries
many families will never know.
Latinos are also under represented
in politics. Politicians are the best
outlet for Latino concerns. How-
ever, according lo a report by the
National Association of Latino
Elected and Appointed Officials,
there are only 617 Latinos in office.
Latinos make up 9 percent
of the nation's population, but only
1 percent of the Latino population is
in public office.
Se t 26 1991
La Voz de Aztlan
2
Bracero NO. 2,
1967
by anist
Carlos Cortez
Koyokuikatl
Rebel without a Cause
Racism in its most blatant form detracts the true identity of the
people it pervades, not to realize it can create a full potential to the
discourse oflove and contempt within all humanity.Ideally, the future is
vague and hard to understand, and a few words of wisdom can detract
from the true form of realization of the mainstream society extending
the arms of struggle in this time of political obscurity. Time is a rlpe
element the people must use to in terms of its most rnw and natural form
the realization of tomorrowto provide a more adequate vision within the
next generation to come. The people of Aztlan have been reborn but this
vision has come with a price on its headJust as the ancient Aztecs were
burned out of the history of time, the new aztecs must remember the
Movemiento, not only the struggle of the pre-Columbians, but of the re-:centr past, the 60s brought forth a civil-rights era ringing the idelogies
La Voz de Aztlan
Editor
Joe M. Torres
of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King and Cesar Chavez. These people are
the ancestors of a new homage, a returning plight the Chicano culture
must return a 100 years or a 1000 years from now and remember the
time and place the Chicano culture had been reborn. It is significant to
remember the women in the Chicano culture, a homage cannot exist
without them. Words such as "Aztlan" "Chicano" "RAZA" are words
born out of a bastard time. Hermanos and hermanas this is a rip~ time to
feel the pride and strength of the new generation. Roots within our
culturF; have come through man~, centuries og learning the tru\h within
our pa5t. Ideas of a common ground will be the fruit of the new world
and the new century. The message is "pride" and "love" in 0 1rr culture,
equally important is the "truth" in the the way to be identified in this
culturt;:. Love is not necceassarily the medicine towards a solution to the
woos of this Chicano culture, but it is an emotion we as a people must
have in order to maintain our pride, and our common bond with one another. Move forward, always AztHn.
Editor,
Joe M. Torres ·
Together and Unequal is Equal
more detriment to their
Being treated as
Movement. Moreover, as
equals seems to be the
Assistant editor
other
minority groups,
. prevailing goal of most, if
Renee Ruelas
namely Jewish-Americans
not all, minority groups.
and African-Americans,
Attempting to join ranks
Copy editors
also aim for equality, while
with the domineering
Jana Ballinger
white, upper-class males of denying the fact that we
Shannon Wentworth
the American society over- are not equals, Chicanos,
Blacks, and Jews, along
whelmingly surpasses the
Photo editor
with other "ouidders," are
desire to maintain cultural
Angel de Jesus
leading this nation into a
diversity in this melting
state of de-unification. I
pot we call the United
,.
States. Yet, this mixing of maintain that Americans'
Staff Writers
cultures, ideas, and peoples failure to recognize their
Belarmino Castellanos
differences is their biggest
that has changed the
Chris Heredia
obstacle towards unity.
American nation is slowly
Liz Morales
Having lived in
converting itself into one
huge lump of homgeneous Texas seventeen years and
individuals with little or no attending The University
of Texas at Austin for two
sense of identity.
La Var. would like to thank
of
those years-before
Indeed, as Chicanos
The Daily Collegian for its
help and assistance.
transferring to Fresno State
in California continue to
La Voz de Aztl:in is published monthly by
this semester-I was "inlhcassoc:iatcd Student, Inc. of
strive for equality in a
California State University, Fresno. Toe
~wspaper office is located in lhD Keats
nation which is continually troduced" to a multitude of
Campus Building, Fresno., 93740-0042.
Mexican-American student
Opinians published on this page we not
plagued with racism,
~cassarily those of theAssociau:d StudeDIS,
associations aimed at
Inc. TM Daily Callegian or la Voz ~ Au/an
sexism, classism, and ageor its staff. L"nsigned cdilorials arc: the
forming
"a more perfect
majority opinion of th, papers editorial board.
ism, they merely bring
union" with the W ASPs of
this racist nation, to mention a few ef these groups I
encounterei~-while at The
University: '1..odos Unidos,
La Raza, and The Chicano
Culture Committee. Truly,
these groups identify themselves as stt 'Jng leaders of
the so-called Chicano
Movement. Eut, to my
dismay, whea I would ask
these "leaders" what exactly they meant by "pushing forward with the
'Movement,"' few would
answer intelligently or, at
the very least, confidently.
In contrast, Californian Chicano leaders·seem
to have refined their answers 3:fter years of
struggle, thus giving me
better-rehearsed responses
to my questions about the
Chicano Movement from
the eyes of Chicano
leaders in my native state
of California. However,
both Chicano organizations, of Texas and California, are qnited by what I
find to be the .catalyst
leading to the demise of
the once~trong MexicanAmerican movements: lack
of cultural_identity. This
problem is not, of course,
solely a Mexican-American phenomenea; no,
nearly all minority groups
are confronted_with this
problem. Yet, the Chicano
problem ·seems to be much
more widespread than that
of the other cultures.. For
instance, as I speak to my
fellow Chicano and Chicanas, I am proud of their
strong determination to advance our people ahead
and enter the mainstream
see Equal page 3
'.
La Voz de Aztlan
cont.
Se t 26 1991
3
from page 2
cont.
of society, etcetera, in a
movement that will eventually lead, in their idealistic
expectations, to happiness
for the Mexican-Americans living as equals in the
American society. Furthermore, my amigos'
knowledge of the political
status between Mexico and
the United States is usually
outstanding. Unfortunately, when I ask for their
opinion on Tamayo,
Zapata, Siqueiros, Villa, or
foods such as mole, for
that matter, they will either
stare at me in a questioning
manner or give me a generic response in broken
Spanish. In fact, few Chicanos speak FLUENT
Spanish. Is this so tragic,
you ask? Yes, for language, one of the priciple
links to the chain which
unites us as a culture, a
culture like no other in the
world, a culture that goes
back three centuries, is diminishing at the hands of
El Norte. Indeed, this is
but one of the obstacles we
have as Mexicans living in
the "United" States.
Bluntly speaking, in
striving so hard to fit into
the mold established bv the
white, upper-class males of
the American society,
Mexicans have "learned"
English and allowed their
Spanish to suffer in the
process. Slowly, but
surely, Chicanos will no
longer speak proper Spanish, be exempt of the true
Mexican culture, and lack
complete sense of identity.
Some scholars believe
Chicanos have already
reached that threshold and
are over the brink.
Why has such a
downfall of our Mexican
culture occurred? Today,
the need for unity is often
misnamed as a need for
homogeniety. One cannot
deny that there are very
real differences between all
races, especially between
Mexicans and Anglos, but
it is not those differences
between us that are separating the two cultures; it is
rather our refusal as Chicanos or Mexicans to recognize these differences. The
term "Hispanic," for example, is yet another term
used by Anglos to lump all
Spanish-speaking cultures
together for mere simplification during census procedures. Furthermore. Mexi-
can-Americans calling
themselves Hispanics serve
as concrete examples of a
people with a minimal
sense of identity, having
fallen into the hands of
these Anglo misnomers.
Finally, if Chicanos
in Texas, California, or
wherever want to live in a
society where they can express their beliefs, be
heard, and, at the same
time, be respected, they
must strive to be UNIFIED
with the other cultures of
this land, while not attempting to be considered
the SAME as the others. If
unity is the aim of the Chicano Movement, we would
be opening the minds of
much narrow-minded individuals habitating this
could-be great nation,
thereby allowing for a unifled country where respect
is granted to all regardless
of age, race, sex, or class
are by the bigots living in
United States. Living in
hannony through UNIFICATION, not homogeniety, is, therefore, the
key for the Chicano
Monvement's success.
Belarmino A.
Castellanos
page 1
ies started on campus when
Ybarra said the proposal
the number of Chicano
started at her desk in 1989
students was much fewer than when she was chair of the CLS
department.
it is now.
''There has been a demo"People need to see other
graphic change in the state of
(ethnic) groups on a realistic
California," she said.
level and not just as stereLeonard Salazar, associate
otypes." She said the major
vice president for academic
will provide students with a
affairs who is responsible for
basis for doing other research
submitting the proposal to the in the Chicano community.
CSU Chancellor's office, said
"I think CLS, as a subject,
he doesn't anticipate any
can enhance any major
bumps in the road to apbecause of the population of
Chicanos and Latinos in the
proval.
Valley."
The proposal for the major
has received support from
Ybarra said she hopes that
several committees on campus in the future the department
and is now headed to the
will be able to develop a sepaAcademic Senate for their
rate major for Latin American
review. He said the program
studies. For now, she said
may be implemented by the
students working on minors
can concentrate
fall of 1992.
"There was concern for the
back page
budgetary impact," Salazar
see
said, "but our own (Academic
Senate) Budget Committee has
determined that this will not"
cost the university any more
money.
Chicano Poetry
WHO I AM
Mexico Unchained
My skin of olive beauty, my tresses are of brown and red hues
and my body as strong as it is delicate.
My mind is intrigued with all that is wisdom and knowledge
and filled with intellect and wit.
My soul is peaceful and tomented with the myriad of traditions
bestowed upon me by blood.
My heart is full of love with passion for life, compassion
for all, yet those I see who reflect me, I commend them more.
.
My heritage so glorious, so awesome, sq burdensome, so, old so new.
I am woman, a teacher, a founder, a leader for my children's
children. Yes, I am Chicana, a pioneer in a world of undying traditions
to be broken and remolded for our future.
.The old, the new, holding hands and shouting voices, we are
being heard, the world will listen
This is who I am:
At times chaos is forethought
and Mexicans are looking distraught
We students see the future as brighter
While others pull the knot tighter
Our history is vast and profound
To our race we shall always be bound
Born here or there matters not
We shall never forget the way we fought
Mexico, a country so strong
She never accepted what's wrong
El Norte, so great as it looked
opened the door to get hooked
INDEPENDANCE once more shall be made
This time It shall fade
-Christina DeContreras
excerrteq from Pachuco Children Hurl Stones
Mexico es neustro pois
La raza conquista su amor
Unidos desde ruiz
·
con eso termina el clamo
-Belarmino A. Castellanos
Se t, 26,1991
La Voz de Aztlan
MECHA meetings
Wednesday 5 to 6 p.m.
Chicano Youth Conference
meetings 5 to 6 p.1n. in Joyal 203
Chicano art showing at the Fresno Art Museum
photo by Angel de Jesus
Chicano An Resistance and Affirmation opens at the Fresno An Museum with a Re-enctment of the Aztec blessing
cont,
from3
history and culture.
Ybarra said some students
have already "designed" majors
in Chicano studies with the hopes
that the proposed major will
receive approval before they
graduate. Specially designed
majors are common in other departments and schools on
campus.
Students said a bachelor's
degree was long overdue.
"It's about time," said Maria
Lopez, a 20-year-old functional
biology major. "I think (CLS) has
been here too long to not have a
· degree. A whole generation has
passed without this implemented.
"It's history. When I took CLS
last semester I learned so much
that I hadn't heard in my other
history classes."
Fabian. a liberal studies major,
said he believed non-Chicanos
will also be taking an interest in
Chicano 'studies because of the
changing demographics of the
state.
"They know later that Hispanics are going to play a bigger role
in terms of population and getting
educated. There are more
Chicanos getting into higher positions," Fabian said.
Veronica Silva, a 20-year-old
nursing major, said, "A lot of
them (non-Chicanos) know
they're going to be working with
Chicano kids and they're going
to have to know more than the
(Spanish) language."
Lopez said students in
teaching should have a knowledge of the Chicano experience
and culture. She said, with some
knowledge of the community,
they can encourage the children
in their classrooms to learn about
Chicano culture.
"With teaching, it will
influence kids and probably
encourage them. I think all liberal
studies majors should be required
to learn about other cultures," she
said.
Similar majors exist at other
California universities. Ybarra
said among the institutions with
master's degrees in Chicano
studies are CSU, Northridge and
San Jose State University. Those
state universities with BA programs include CSU, Los Angeles
and San Diego State University.
La Voz de
Aztllln
Wants You
.-
staff writ¢rs, ·
artists, ·arid
photographers
4
I
Major in the works
Opinion,Poetry
Latinos
. page 1
I
Still being underrepresented
CSU, Fresno
I
The Chicano-Latino News a er
Chicano Major is being
planned for next year
inside
Sept 26, 1991
By Christopher Heredia
La Voz Staff Writer
The word is out, a Chicano
studies major is in the works at
CSUF. Students say having a
maJor will encourage further
research of the Chicano communit), in addition to heightening
awareness and sensitivity about
Chicano issues.
Azael Fabian, 21, said that
U.S. history courses on campus
were lacking a Chicano-Latino
perspective.
"All they teach about is
European history," he said.
''They don't teach about Mexican
history and the people who lived
on this land before the colonists
from Europe."
f abian said having a CLS
degree Would change this.
The road to presenting a
pwposal for a bachelor's degree
1 as been long and windy, Lea
YI arra, a CLS professor, said
VY edncsda) .
CLS , originally La Raza
stut,1es, \I • s born ir 1969 on
v n.pu. 1..JUnng E 1'.1ovmueto (the
CL ('ano c:vil n ht~ moveme1Jt).
Campus administration "never
irtcndcd {CLS) to go this far but
times have changed," Ybarra
courage them. I think all liberal
studies majors should be required
to learn about other cultures," she
said.
Similar majors exist at other
Cahfomia universilies. Ybarra
said among the institutions with
master's degrees in Chicano
studies are CSU, Northridge an<l
San Jose State University. Those
state universities with BA
programs include CSU, Los Angeles and San Diego State
University.
CLS major
page 2
said. La Raza studrooms to leam
about Clucano culture.
"With teaching, it will
influence kids and probably en-
Viva La Raza, 1969
by artist Salavador Roberto Torres
Chicano numbers are not reflected in the demographics
Assistant editor
Renee Ruelas
Latinos have been called "the
sleeping minority."
While they are the fastest
growing minority in California, they
remain the most underrepresented in
the nation.
There are 22 million
Chicano-Latinos in the United
States, according to the 1990
census.
Of Fresno's 354,000 population,
30 percent are of Latino heritage.
The white population is 49
percent, falling 14 percent in 10
years.
In the Fall 1990, Chicano-Latino
enrollment rose to 19.3 percent of
the total enrollment at CSUF.
Freshman enrollment is 23
percent Chicano-Latino. White
students represent 42 percent of all
freshman.
Graduate representation is
lower. Last Fall, only 11 percent
were Latino, a significantly lower
number than the 65 percent white
representation.
Latino Educators are not
the ones teaching in our school
system. According to the Hispanic
Coalition of Higher Education,
CSUF is not hiring enough ChicanoLatino teachets. Only 4.2 percent of
CSUF's faculty is Chicano-Latino,
not in proportion to the student
population.
The statistics of Chicano-Latino
high school drop outs are grim.
According to the Fresno Unified
School District, Chicano-Latinos
have the highest drop-out rate. For
the class of 1990, Chicano-Latinos
dropped out at a percentage of 39 .8
percent. That is nearly four ollt of
ten Chicano-Latino high school
students. The Chicano-Latino drop
out rate is higher than the total
FUSD average of 33.9 percent
Sophomore Ana Castillo,
psychology, said she stayed in
school because .she knew that was
the way to stay out of the fields,
where she occasionally worked.
"I wanted a better life."
There are no clear cut explanations, according to the FUSD.
Most srudents just disappear from
school. The reasons vary. There
are some who move away, become
pregnant or just become board with
school.
Sophomore Rosario
Vasquez, nutrition, said she knows a
lot of people who dropped out of
school.
"They were getting pregnant or
married or something like that."
Vasquez knew she was going to college and was encouraged by her
family. Recently her mother
returned to school and plans to
attend CSUF.
Chicano-Latino Association of Student Educators (CLASE)
would like to help wake up the
sleeping minority.
Bertha Lozano, a sophomore
liberal studies major, plans to
become a elementary school
teacher. "I want to show my people
that there are some of us out there,
that are doing it."
As future educators
CLASE is upset by the high drop
out rate. Beatriz Salcedo, senior,
Liberal Studies, also a member of
CLASE is worried about the lack of
ro]e models. "We want to be role
models to those out there," who be-
]ieve they can not make succeed.
Lozano asked, what can we do to
help them to see that there is some- .
thing better out there.
Drop out rate becomes a
problem for the prison system. The
department of corrections reports
that 64.5 of the prisoners are high
school drop outs.
The United Slates is one
of only two nations that <loes not
have medical insurance for its
citizens. Most of those are Latino.
Many have no insurance benefits.
According to the Council
for Health and Long Term Care, 33
percent of the Latinos have no
medical insurance.
Most of Lhe families with
working head of households have no
insurance. Many jobs have no
insurance benefits or they can not
afford to pay insurance for their
families.
A basic check up or
emergency hospital stay are luxuries
many families will never know.
Latinos are also under represented
in politics. Politicians are the best
outlet for Latino concerns. How-
ever, according lo a report by the
National Association of Latino
Elected and Appointed Officials,
there are only 617 Latinos in office.
Latinos make up 9 percent
of the nation's population, but only
1 percent of the Latino population is
in public office.
Se t 26 1991
La Voz de Aztlan
2
Bracero NO. 2,
1967
by anist
Carlos Cortez
Koyokuikatl
Rebel without a Cause
Racism in its most blatant form detracts the true identity of the
people it pervades, not to realize it can create a full potential to the
discourse oflove and contempt within all humanity.Ideally, the future is
vague and hard to understand, and a few words of wisdom can detract
from the true form of realization of the mainstream society extending
the arms of struggle in this time of political obscurity. Time is a rlpe
element the people must use to in terms of its most rnw and natural form
the realization of tomorrowto provide a more adequate vision within the
next generation to come. The people of Aztlan have been reborn but this
vision has come with a price on its headJust as the ancient Aztecs were
burned out of the history of time, the new aztecs must remember the
Movemiento, not only the struggle of the pre-Columbians, but of the re-:centr past, the 60s brought forth a civil-rights era ringing the idelogies
La Voz de Aztlan
Editor
Joe M. Torres
of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King and Cesar Chavez. These people are
the ancestors of a new homage, a returning plight the Chicano culture
must return a 100 years or a 1000 years from now and remember the
time and place the Chicano culture had been reborn. It is significant to
remember the women in the Chicano culture, a homage cannot exist
without them. Words such as "Aztlan" "Chicano" "RAZA" are words
born out of a bastard time. Hermanos and hermanas this is a rip~ time to
feel the pride and strength of the new generation. Roots within our
culturF; have come through man~, centuries og learning the tru\h within
our pa5t. Ideas of a common ground will be the fruit of the new world
and the new century. The message is "pride" and "love" in 0 1rr culture,
equally important is the "truth" in the the way to be identified in this
culturt;:. Love is not necceassarily the medicine towards a solution to the
woos of this Chicano culture, but it is an emotion we as a people must
have in order to maintain our pride, and our common bond with one another. Move forward, always AztHn.
Editor,
Joe M. Torres ·
Together and Unequal is Equal
more detriment to their
Being treated as
Movement. Moreover, as
equals seems to be the
Assistant editor
other
minority groups,
. prevailing goal of most, if
Renee Ruelas
namely Jewish-Americans
not all, minority groups.
and African-Americans,
Attempting to join ranks
Copy editors
also aim for equality, while
with the domineering
Jana Ballinger
white, upper-class males of denying the fact that we
Shannon Wentworth
the American society over- are not equals, Chicanos,
Blacks, and Jews, along
whelmingly surpasses the
Photo editor
with other "ouidders," are
desire to maintain cultural
Angel de Jesus
leading this nation into a
diversity in this melting
state of de-unification. I
pot we call the United
,.
States. Yet, this mixing of maintain that Americans'
Staff Writers
cultures, ideas, and peoples failure to recognize their
Belarmino Castellanos
differences is their biggest
that has changed the
Chris Heredia
obstacle towards unity.
American nation is slowly
Liz Morales
Having lived in
converting itself into one
huge lump of homgeneous Texas seventeen years and
individuals with little or no attending The University
of Texas at Austin for two
sense of identity.
La Var. would like to thank
of
those years-before
Indeed, as Chicanos
The Daily Collegian for its
help and assistance.
transferring to Fresno State
in California continue to
La Voz de Aztl:in is published monthly by
this semester-I was "inlhcassoc:iatcd Student, Inc. of
strive for equality in a
California State University, Fresno. Toe
~wspaper office is located in lhD Keats
nation which is continually troduced" to a multitude of
Campus Building, Fresno., 93740-0042.
Mexican-American student
Opinians published on this page we not
plagued with racism,
~cassarily those of theAssociau:d StudeDIS,
associations aimed at
Inc. TM Daily Callegian or la Voz ~ Au/an
sexism, classism, and ageor its staff. L"nsigned cdilorials arc: the
forming
"a more perfect
majority opinion of th, papers editorial board.
ism, they merely bring
union" with the W ASPs of
this racist nation, to mention a few ef these groups I
encounterei~-while at The
University: '1..odos Unidos,
La Raza, and The Chicano
Culture Committee. Truly,
these groups identify themselves as stt 'Jng leaders of
the so-called Chicano
Movement. Eut, to my
dismay, whea I would ask
these "leaders" what exactly they meant by "pushing forward with the
'Movement,"' few would
answer intelligently or, at
the very least, confidently.
In contrast, Californian Chicano leaders·seem
to have refined their answers 3:fter years of
struggle, thus giving me
better-rehearsed responses
to my questions about the
Chicano Movement from
the eyes of Chicano
leaders in my native state
of California. However,
both Chicano organizations, of Texas and California, are qnited by what I
find to be the .catalyst
leading to the demise of
the once~trong MexicanAmerican movements: lack
of cultural_identity. This
problem is not, of course,
solely a Mexican-American phenomenea; no,
nearly all minority groups
are confronted_with this
problem. Yet, the Chicano
problem ·seems to be much
more widespread than that
of the other cultures.. For
instance, as I speak to my
fellow Chicano and Chicanas, I am proud of their
strong determination to advance our people ahead
and enter the mainstream
see Equal page 3
'.
La Voz de Aztlan
cont.
Se t 26 1991
3
from page 2
cont.
of society, etcetera, in a
movement that will eventually lead, in their idealistic
expectations, to happiness
for the Mexican-Americans living as equals in the
American society. Furthermore, my amigos'
knowledge of the political
status between Mexico and
the United States is usually
outstanding. Unfortunately, when I ask for their
opinion on Tamayo,
Zapata, Siqueiros, Villa, or
foods such as mole, for
that matter, they will either
stare at me in a questioning
manner or give me a generic response in broken
Spanish. In fact, few Chicanos speak FLUENT
Spanish. Is this so tragic,
you ask? Yes, for language, one of the priciple
links to the chain which
unites us as a culture, a
culture like no other in the
world, a culture that goes
back three centuries, is diminishing at the hands of
El Norte. Indeed, this is
but one of the obstacles we
have as Mexicans living in
the "United" States.
Bluntly speaking, in
striving so hard to fit into
the mold established bv the
white, upper-class males of
the American society,
Mexicans have "learned"
English and allowed their
Spanish to suffer in the
process. Slowly, but
surely, Chicanos will no
longer speak proper Spanish, be exempt of the true
Mexican culture, and lack
complete sense of identity.
Some scholars believe
Chicanos have already
reached that threshold and
are over the brink.
Why has such a
downfall of our Mexican
culture occurred? Today,
the need for unity is often
misnamed as a need for
homogeniety. One cannot
deny that there are very
real differences between all
races, especially between
Mexicans and Anglos, but
it is not those differences
between us that are separating the two cultures; it is
rather our refusal as Chicanos or Mexicans to recognize these differences. The
term "Hispanic," for example, is yet another term
used by Anglos to lump all
Spanish-speaking cultures
together for mere simplification during census procedures. Furthermore. Mexi-
can-Americans calling
themselves Hispanics serve
as concrete examples of a
people with a minimal
sense of identity, having
fallen into the hands of
these Anglo misnomers.
Finally, if Chicanos
in Texas, California, or
wherever want to live in a
society where they can express their beliefs, be
heard, and, at the same
time, be respected, they
must strive to be UNIFIED
with the other cultures of
this land, while not attempting to be considered
the SAME as the others. If
unity is the aim of the Chicano Movement, we would
be opening the minds of
much narrow-minded individuals habitating this
could-be great nation,
thereby allowing for a unifled country where respect
is granted to all regardless
of age, race, sex, or class
are by the bigots living in
United States. Living in
hannony through UNIFICATION, not homogeniety, is, therefore, the
key for the Chicano
Monvement's success.
Belarmino A.
Castellanos
page 1
ies started on campus when
Ybarra said the proposal
the number of Chicano
started at her desk in 1989
students was much fewer than when she was chair of the CLS
department.
it is now.
''There has been a demo"People need to see other
graphic change in the state of
(ethnic) groups on a realistic
California," she said.
level and not just as stereLeonard Salazar, associate
otypes." She said the major
vice president for academic
will provide students with a
affairs who is responsible for
basis for doing other research
submitting the proposal to the in the Chicano community.
CSU Chancellor's office, said
"I think CLS, as a subject,
he doesn't anticipate any
can enhance any major
bumps in the road to apbecause of the population of
Chicanos and Latinos in the
proval.
Valley."
The proposal for the major
has received support from
Ybarra said she hopes that
several committees on campus in the future the department
and is now headed to the
will be able to develop a sepaAcademic Senate for their
rate major for Latin American
review. He said the program
studies. For now, she said
may be implemented by the
students working on minors
can concentrate
fall of 1992.
"There was concern for the
back page
budgetary impact," Salazar
see
said, "but our own (Academic
Senate) Budget Committee has
determined that this will not"
cost the university any more
money.
Chicano Poetry
WHO I AM
Mexico Unchained
My skin of olive beauty, my tresses are of brown and red hues
and my body as strong as it is delicate.
My mind is intrigued with all that is wisdom and knowledge
and filled with intellect and wit.
My soul is peaceful and tomented with the myriad of traditions
bestowed upon me by blood.
My heart is full of love with passion for life, compassion
for all, yet those I see who reflect me, I commend them more.
.
My heritage so glorious, so awesome, sq burdensome, so, old so new.
I am woman, a teacher, a founder, a leader for my children's
children. Yes, I am Chicana, a pioneer in a world of undying traditions
to be broken and remolded for our future.
.The old, the new, holding hands and shouting voices, we are
being heard, the world will listen
This is who I am:
At times chaos is forethought
and Mexicans are looking distraught
We students see the future as brighter
While others pull the knot tighter
Our history is vast and profound
To our race we shall always be bound
Born here or there matters not
We shall never forget the way we fought
Mexico, a country so strong
She never accepted what's wrong
El Norte, so great as it looked
opened the door to get hooked
INDEPENDANCE once more shall be made
This time It shall fade
-Christina DeContreras
excerrteq from Pachuco Children Hurl Stones
Mexico es neustro pois
La raza conquista su amor
Unidos desde ruiz
·
con eso termina el clamo
-Belarmino A. Castellanos
Se t, 26,1991
La Voz de Aztlan
MECHA meetings
Wednesday 5 to 6 p.m.
Chicano Youth Conference
meetings 5 to 6 p.1n. in Joyal 203
Chicano art showing at the Fresno Art Museum
photo by Angel de Jesus
Chicano An Resistance and Affirmation opens at the Fresno An Museum with a Re-enctment of the Aztec blessing
cont,
from3
history and culture.
Ybarra said some students
have already "designed" majors
in Chicano studies with the hopes
that the proposed major will
receive approval before they
graduate. Specially designed
majors are common in other departments and schools on
campus.
Students said a bachelor's
degree was long overdue.
"It's about time," said Maria
Lopez, a 20-year-old functional
biology major. "I think (CLS) has
been here too long to not have a
· degree. A whole generation has
passed without this implemented.
"It's history. When I took CLS
last semester I learned so much
that I hadn't heard in my other
history classes."
Fabian. a liberal studies major,
said he believed non-Chicanos
will also be taking an interest in
Chicano 'studies because of the
changing demographics of the
state.
"They know later that Hispanics are going to play a bigger role
in terms of population and getting
educated. There are more
Chicanos getting into higher positions," Fabian said.
Veronica Silva, a 20-year-old
nursing major, said, "A lot of
them (non-Chicanos) know
they're going to be working with
Chicano kids and they're going
to have to know more than the
(Spanish) language."
Lopez said students in
teaching should have a knowledge of the Chicano experience
and culture. She said, with some
knowledge of the community,
they can encourage the children
in their classrooms to learn about
Chicano culture.
"With teaching, it will
influence kids and probably
encourage them. I think all liberal
studies majors should be required
to learn about other cultures," she
said.
Similar majors exist at other
California universities. Ybarra
said among the institutions with
master's degrees in Chicano
studies are CSU, Northridge and
San Jose State University. Those
state universities with BA programs include CSU, Los Angeles
and San Diego State University.
La Voz de
Aztllln
Wants You
.-
staff writ¢rs, ·
artists, ·arid
photographers
4