The Chicano movement is a 1960s campaign extending from the Mexican-American civil liberties movement. This movement seeks to empower the Mexican American based on their rights. It addresses issues like political and voting rights, the rights of farmworkers, reinstallation of land grants, education, as well as discrimination, especiathe lly in private and public organizations. ‘Aztlan’, as employed by this movement denotes some Mexican lands usurped by the U.S following the Mexican-American conflicts.
To attain its objectives, the movement has devised plans; the El Plan de Aztlan and to El Plan de Santa Barbara, both of which address the key strategies and ideologies. They also take into account how history and society were then interpreted and how this led to the movement. This paper checks into details the former plan, El Plan de Aztlan, showing how it tackles the issues above to hit its target of nationalism, which surpasses all religious, economic, as well as political cliques.
The ‘strategy’ of the Chicano movement is no more than a technical plan employed by the Chicano people to help them boost unity and economy among its people, strengthen their culture, improve the quality of institutional service, just to mention a few. The El Plan de Aztlan, acquired in 1969, addressed for the first time the issue of the Chicano people, showing how their autonomist awareness was rising. It showed how they ought to manage their society owing to the impression of their land, Aztlan, grabbed by the U.S people.
Also, the plan highlighted the concept of self determination as to the only way to recover this land and that this goal required a political party based on nationalism as the only means that could bring down oppression, racism, and exploitation. With nationalism, the Chicano people can realize their goals; unity, education, economy, self-defense, among others. The El Plan de Aztlan represents the key strategies towards these goals, publication of the plan being one of them.
To declare a movement, the ‘El Plan Espiritual de Aztlan’ seeks to create people consciousness of the establishment of the plan as well as the reason behind the plan about the Chicano society. This strategy is in such a way that once the people are aware of it, they can join their hands into restoring what has been there for them, but which has got lost in the hands of foreigners.
For instance, Aztlan, the land of their forefathers, their riches, as well as their culture, are good illustrations of what has gone through foreign exploitation. To make this effective, the plan is distributed to as many people as possible. It is made available to schools, churches, institutions, meetings, among other places where people are available, only to make them realize that Aztlan is no more than a nation, free of any kind of foreign oppression.
As a way of improving its significance, the plan constitutes a sensitization walk by all the Chicano people, come Mexico’s day of independence, through all the Mexican academic institutions. This is a systematic walk directed to the education system. The Chicanos have it that this system should be relative to them, rather than interfering with their rights; cultural, historical, contributions, among others. Therefore, this national walk is a strategy, enough for the people to realize their goal in education.
‘El Plan Espiritual de Aztlan’ addresses the need for self guard against any oppressor. This strategy deprives the oppressors of their powers, which are against the Chicano people. On the other hand, it gives the Chicanos, the privilege of standing as a united group in the fight for their people, the young and the old, the rich, and the poor. This strategy welcomes the respect and dignity of the Chicano society as the protector of its people.
The plan also contains a strategy that takes care of all the Chicanos based on their organization as well as its community nationalization. It is meant to unite all the Chicanos, a strategy that will as well increase their strength as a society, and hence power to stand up for its rights. They will be strong enough to reclaim their every right that has been seized by the aliens. It will also give them the authority to put in place any additional rights that benefit them as a nation.
Following the victimizations of resources and the economy experienced by the Chicano community, the plan carries a strategy meant to drive all these exploiters away leaving the community free and in full and fair control of its possessions, its people and land inclusive. On the other hand, the people will be free of materialism, and following the embraced self-realization, they will be integrated into trade as well as fair in their allocation of funds. This will help them realize their goal in the economy sector.
To boost their political freedom, the devised plan contains a strategy that addresses the need of a national political party that will enable them decide freely on matters relating to the utilization of their lands. They will also be unconstrained in deciding on the issue of taxation as well as the profits from their sweat.
In conclusion, with these strategies in place and known to people, the Chicano people can pronounce a movement that will see them through their oppressors, restoring their cultural, political, economical, as well as social freedom.