The video depicts the discrimination of Mexican Americans in the education system through the segregation of schools, and a below standard curriculum. Mexican students were systematically prepared to carry on the professions of their parents as manual laborers. IQ tests, financial background, and racial stereotypes were used to justify these substandard conditions. For instance, Mexican school girls were encouraged by a homemaking teacher to pay attention because most of them will end up as house makers (Galan, 2014). The video also show the denial of civil rights on the Mexican American group. They were treated with hostility by law enforcement agencies in an attempt to silence them even though all they did was hold peaceful protests (Galan, 2014).
Various approaches were used by Mexican Americans to be included in the political system. Walkouts were conducted by students from at least 16 schools in the LA area and later in other parts of the country. Peaceful demonstrations, sit-ins, negotiations with authorities and legal procedures against the government were also used (Galan, 2014). I think that legal procedures against the government was the most effective because the constitutional rights of an American citizen are clear and undeniable and the courts had no option but to uphold the constitution and award Mexicans their civil rights.
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As a Mexican American, my racial and cultural background has influenced how I see the government institutions. Racial profiling is happens within most institutions and people view Mexicans with suspicion as they are associated with crime and robbing Americans of manual jobs. However, if a Mexican American is wealthy and light enough to appear white, they are treated like a white person (Sandoval, 2009). The incorporation of Mexican territories affected the incorporation of Mexican Americans into the political system because it set them apart from the white man. It was the first time that citizenship was extended to a group that was not considered white and discrimination based on race ensued to try and preserve white supremacy (Sandoval, 2009). Consequently, the incorporation subsequent Mexican immigrants in the U.S is more difficult and illegalized. They are seen as a people who steal opportunities from white people, and this is judged based on their language and skin color.
References
Galan, H. (2014). Chicano! History of the Mexican-American civil rights movement. Episode 3: Taking back the schools . Kanopy. Retrieved from https://www.kanopy.com/product/taking-back-schools
Sandoval, T. S. (2009, July 18). Mexicans after the U.S.-Mexican War [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://latinolikeme.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/mexican-after-the-u-s-mexican-war/
