What Does "Chicano" Mean Today?

Chicano, Chicana, Chicana/o, Chican@, Chicanao, Chicanx, Xicanx. The kaleidoscopic term continues to be used by self-identifying Mexican Americans and Latinos in the U.S. as its definition (and even spelling and pronunciation) shifts and reorganizes. Identity, like language, memory and most things, is fluid as it is both intentionally and unintentionally reconstructed.  Though for some, the term Chicana/o is an obsolete token of the Chicano civil rights movement, for others, it is an ever-evolving term that embraces a spectrum of identities and social justice struggles.

Though the term Chicano was born during the civil rights movement of the 1960s and 70s, it has changed over the years, become more flexible and nuanced, as activism has diversified to encompass a much wider array of causes. In March, the anniversary of the 1969 National Chicano Youth Liberation Conference marks the birth of the term’s politicization with the emergence of Chicano nationalism. Later in March, the birthday of Cesar Chavez honors the life of the Chicano activist who fought for the rights of farm workers in the U.S. April’s 2016 National Poetry Month brings a diversity of literary voices, including a Poet Laureate of Los Angeles, Luis Rodriguez, and also a Chicano, U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera. In May, International Workers’ Day is celebrated by many organizations in the annual May Day march, which brings together support for labor rights with the struggles of all people of color, immigrants, workers, and LBTQ activists.

This diversity of identities and social justice work is reflective of a larger push for practicing intersectionality in activism today. Intersectionality acknowledges the overlap of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, ability, age and religion, and is embraced by many activists, particularly among young generations, as a praxis for more inclusive and radical change.

This video explores the meaning of the word Chicano, through a spectrum of perspectives of the word Chicana/o or Xicanx by multiple generations of artists, writers, scholars and organizers. Get to know more about each of the featured guests:

Jesus Treviño Writer & Director

Jesus Treviño was present at the National Youth Liberation Conference in Denver Colorado, regarded by many as the birthplace of Chicanismo. Trevino was also Co-Executive Producer of the PBS documentary series, Chicano! History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement and is an accomplished director, editor and producer for film and television.

Josefina López Playwright, Founder & Director of CASA 0101

Josefina López is the author of Real Women Have Curves that was made into a film. In 2000, she opened Casa 0101 in Boyle Heights, a cultural and performance space where she continues to fulfill her vision of bringing art and live theater programs to the community she grew up in.

Denise Sandoval Professor, CSUN Chicana and Chicano Studies

Dr. Sandoval is a Professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies at California StateUniversity, Northridge Her work on lowrider culture was featured in two different documentaries on lowriders (Automaniac and Modern Marvels) for the History Channel . She has written various articles for publication on the lowrider culture: “Cruising Through Lowrider Culture: Chicana/o Identity and the Marketing of Lowrider Magazine” in the book Velvet Barrios: Popular Culture & Chicana/o Sexualities (2003), entries on lowriders and Cholos/as in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States (2005), as well as “The Politics of Low n Slow/Bajito y Suavecito : Black and Chicano Lowriders in Los Angeles, 1960’s to 1970’s” that is part of the anthology Black and Brown Los Angeles: A Contemporary Reader (November 2013). She co-edited a book with award winning author Luis J. Rodriguez titled Rushing Waters, Rising Dreams: How the Arts Are Transforming a Community for Tia Chucha Press which documents art activism in the Northeast San Fernando Valley.

Alex Espinoza Novelist and Educator

Alex Espinoza was born in Tijuana, Mexico to parents from the state of Michoacán and raised in La Puente, CA. His first novel, Still Water Saints, was published by Random House in 2007. His second novel, The Five Acts of Diego León, was published by Random House in 2013. He is currently working on his next novel. Alex is an associate professor of English at CSU-Fresno where he teaches literature and creative writing.

Raquel Gutiérrez Writer and Artist

Raquel Gutiérrez has long been a writer and live performer. She is a film actor, curator, publisher (Econo Textual Objects, established 2014), playwright, arts administrator, and community organizer. She writes about art, culture, music, film, performance and community building and creates original solo and ensemble performance compositions.  She is also co-founding member of the now retired performance ensemble, Butchlalis de Panochtitlan (BdP), a community-based and activist-minded group aimed at creating a visual vernacular around queer Latinidad in Los Angeles.

Vickie Vértiz Writer

Vickie Vértiz is a writer from Bell Gardens in Southeast LA. She writes poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Her writing is featured in the Los Angeles Review of Books, The Offing, the James Franco Review, KCET Departures, and the anthologies: Open the Door (from McSweeney’s and the Poetry Foundation), and Orangelandia (from Inlandia Press), among many others.

Ramona Pilar Gonzales Writer, Arts Advocate

Ramona Pilar is a writer, performer, and arts advocate who was named after a California literary legend and her tia abuela. She has recently been published in the anthology "Coiled Serpent" from Tia Chucha Press, the 14th annual Mujeres de Maiz zine "One: Mind Body Spirit". She has acted in, written and produced plays throughout Los Angeles and is a member of Women Who Submit, a literary artivist group. She is a graduate of the MFA Creative Writing program at Antioch University, Los Angeles.

Apolonio “Polo” Morales Political Director, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA)

Polo Morales grew up in El Monte, CA and currently serves the immigrant community as the Political Director for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA). He was also the lead guitarist for Spider Garage and has written for KCET.

Lysa Flores Musician

Flores is a singer songwriter, activist, actress, and producer. She was an integral part of the alternative Los Angeles Chicano music scene in the 90s and was named by Newsweek as one of “20 young Latinos to watch in the new millennium.” Additionally, Flores was the lead-guitar player in seminal L.A. punk-pioneer Alice Bag's all-female group, Stay at Home Bomb.  She recently released two albums and collaborated with East LA Taiko for a ground-breaking experimentation of Chicana Rock and Japanese Taiko.