Compare and Contrast Essay on Chicanismo, Red Power, and Black Power

Introduction

During the 1960s, there was the development of different movements that aimed at achieving the same objectives: equality in various perspectives. Some such perspectives included political, social, and economic equality. The three movements that came up sharing such similar ideologies were Chicanismo, Red Power, and the Black Power. Such movements were developed after a sense of inequality came up among the marginalized people, and the development of second class citizenship (Burley & Ross, 2019). They focused on embracing their cultural roots, which acted as a significant factor that shed light on different parallels among all three movements. Although Chicanismo, Red Power, and Black Power movements share similar ideologies, they also have their differences in various dimensions.

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Similarities

Chicanismo, Red Power, and Black Power movements shared similar statements based on their economic situation and the objective of their respective populations. Their statements indicated that they have economic control over their lives, and their respective communities could only have the capability to stand on their own by driving the exploiter away. According to the movements, the exploiter was white American. They all shared similar ideas of having an independent, self-determined economy that did not include the white people (Kaplowitz, 2019). They were all advocating for power that had the capability of determining the destiny of their respective communities.

A general sense of cultural acceptance was parallel between all the three movements. That meant that all the movements were after gravitating their identity and heritage. They all advocated for their respective communities' education, terming it as knowledge for self (Burley & Ross, 2019). Just the same way the Red Power and Black power advocated for education, the Chicanismo movement always emphasized the recognition of their Latino population. That could only happen through being provided with a better chance of embracing their culture. Throughout their activities, they always emphasized on acceptance of their respective cultures. They always encouraged their population to be proud of their identity.

The development of the different movements was mainly based on the similar oppression that their communities experienced from white Americans. The social and racial discriminations could not be differentiated from the movements and served as a great source of unity between such communities. The unity for the people of color mainly came from the nation's state of oppression and its relation to capitalism and the supremacy of the white citizens in the country (Dagbovie, 2020). Therefore, the movements were mainly developed as forms of resistance towards such a structure.

The unprecedented meeting between the leaders of all the three movements was a clear indication that they had similar ideas. The meeting took place at the Alianza Federal de Pueblos Libres in 1967. Its key objective was strengthening their cooperation towards eliminating discrimination from white Americans (Kaplowitz, 2019). They all agreed to acknowledge respect among their communities and to develop a cooperative alliance. All three movements had a similar ideology of not making any form of propaganda against one another. They also agreed that they should never let violence break their relationship.

The US had implemented different laws that aimed at the supremacy of the whites. That included giving them more privileges compared to the other group, including clean and better accommodation facilities. All three movements against such ideologies were a similar way of expressing their feelings on how the government had failed to promote equality among all citizens (Burley & Ross, 2019). Chicanismo, Red Power, and Black Power developed the dignity for not depending on the government to respect their rights. All three movements were willing to offer their rights hence pushing for their nationalism.

The ideologies that the movements developed were based on similar experiences, which were racism and discrimination. Coming up with all three movements aimed at ending such negative actions. For example, African Americans can be linked to lynching when the movements were being developed. However, most people forget that the Mexican Americans were as well linked to the same during the movement. Such groups that were well known for lynching included the Ku Klux Klan and the Texas Rangers (Kaplowitz, 2019). Such groups had given themselves the responsibility of assaulting the minority groups since they always considered themselves inferior in the nation and were, therefore, a great threat to the American culture. The key source of anger from all three movements was that the people from their community were being assaulted, but because the groups that assaulted their community always got away with the government doing nothing.

The three movements have been considered part of the civil rights movements that played a significant role in shaping American society into what has developed to become. The movements did a tremendous job, and they all succeeded in what they intended to achieve. They all succeeded in obtaining equality for their respective communities. The movements shared a common phenomenon of having a weak beginning. However, their intentions in the US gained much momentum in the 1960s (Dagbovie, 2020). After they all agreed to be organized and unite as a means of eliminating the existing social barriers that took place.

The signing of the Guadalupe Hidalgo treaty played a significant role in the ending of the Mexican War. That was one of the most significant factors that led to the Chicano Civil Rights Movement (Weber, 2017). Just the same way that movement went into an agreement with the US to end discrimination and oppression on their people, the other groups still eventually followed a similar path. The activists in all movements convinced the federal government to honor the agreements they had agreed. Issues concerning the rights of the farmworkers were among the concerns of all the three movements. They all did not want people from their communities to experience harsh conditions while working nor moving from their homes to workplaces. In most cases, the farmworkers were exploited by working for lower wages, which is an issue that all three movements came together to address in common.

Differences

One of the most significant differences notable between all the three movements is how they advocate the importance of education. The Black Power emphasizes the form of education that teaches its people about their true history and their responsibilities in today's society. They emphasized being educated about who they are as well as their identity in society. That was a bit different from that of the Chicano movement, where they emphasized bilingual education (Kaplowitz, 2019). Their key intention understood the kind of contributions they have made towards society. That was a form of expression to the kind of oppression the minority were experiencing in society.

There were differences through how each of the groups used while working together. That was mainly a result of the regional differences in the movements. For example, the unity of Black Power and Red Power in California was based on the students and farmworkers whose main intention was to fight against racial discrimination and economic rights, especially for the farmworkers, which included being issued with better wages. The Black Power and Chicano in Arizona and New Mexico were united as a way of strengthening their struggle for civil rights (Weber, 2017).

Reflection of the Differences Towards the Unique Experiences of Each Group

The differences among the groups influenced the Black Power on how they perceived the political struggle. The differences helped them n understanding the fact that their oppression is not the same, meaning they needed to implement their strategies to overcome such oppression from the white Americans. The differences still affected the Chicano activists in understanding that the demand for the other movements is not similar to those they had; hence they need to have their approaches (Weber, 2017). Finally, the Red Power understood that their suffering was not the same as the one Chicano and Black Power experienced.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Chicano, Black Power, and the Red Power possessed a plethora of similarities in what they demanded from the federal government. After noticing the Black Power fight for their equality, the other movements joined hands towards pushing for equality in American society. Although they all shared similar platforms, they still had their differences. Such differences can be noted through how each movement was embracing for their respective cultures.

References

Burley, S., & Ross, A. R. (2019). Fascism, Anti-Semitism, and the Roots of Oregon’s White Power Movement. Journal of Social Justice, 9. http://transformativestudies.org/wp-content/uploads/Alexander-Ross-and-Shane_Burley.pdf

Dagbovie, P. G. (2020). Lessons from the Past: Unearthing African American Student (or “Black Ivy Leaguer”) Activism during the Black Power Era. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/706996

Kaplowitz, C. A. (2019). Raza Sí, Migra No: Chicano Movement Struggles for Immigrant Rights in San Diego. https://academic.oup.com/jah/article-abstract/105/4/1095/5352899

Weber, D. A. (2017). The Chicano Generation: Testimonios of the Movement. https://academic.oup.com/jah/article-abstract/103/4/1106/3052585