On Friday, September 25th, I saw a full play production of El Nogalar at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center. The play follows a mother and her two daughters, their maid, and a worker on the orchard as the women of the family try to figure out a way to save their pecan orchard (El Nogalar). The family is out of money but do not want to sell the orchard to a cartel because they will just cut down the Pecan trees and plant drugs. However, if the family doesn’t sell their land then the cartels are likely to just take it.…
For the past 50 years Chicano Theater has gone through several phases to become a successful enterprise, but, it did more than that it also helped change the lifestyles for the Latinos. The one who created the Chicano Theater was Luis Valdez also known as, “the father of the Chicano Theater.” The Chicano Theater first started as an entertainment business for the Latino community. However, the first days of the Chicano theater they didn't have professionals actors or even had a stage to perform. Sometimes they use flatbed of a truck to execute their plays.…
Such a lesson can be extended to the current issues occurring in America today. With the large number of illegal immigrant laborers today and many politicians calling on immigration reform, in my opinion, it necessary for the formation of a union for such workers to ensure their rights as paid workers and human beings in this country as well. Altogether, Precious Memories provided me with an engaging night at the theatre, but an educational experience on the reality of life once here in…
According the “The voices of Experience from Inside the Maquiladoras”, shows and emphasis how the people of maquiladora have had disregarded systematical structures and most are agents of labor. They are not treated fairly. Ciudad Juarez is a rising community in commercials trades. Maquiladoras hardworking and thriving people with an average work week of 38-40 hours. However, the expansion of the border is affecting the people and people are taking lands that belongs to the Maquiladoras who have worked so hard for the land.…
For example, the classic play, “Los Vendidos” by Luis Valdez expresses the satire of the United States government and its policy of assimilation that offends racial identities during that era. “Los Vendidos” revealed problems from the Chicano community like “Zoot Suit” did as well. The play revealed the iconography of a popular culture, indigenous roots, working class ethos and popular art and traditions (Kinan Valdez 04/16). The play revealed this by creating Mexican American stereotypes that represented a large community that varied different heritages. The actos, mitos, corridos and historia techniques were used throughout the play to bring out Valdez’s main message about highlighting the problems of the Chicano community.…
In “Struggle in the Fields”, it presents the injustice existing in that period of time and shows the fights of farmer workers, the Mexican American labors. Even the the labors were living in a poor condition and not treated as a regular citizen, they untied together to fight back, started small and ended up influencing thousands of people. In general, political and societal of Chicano/a’s equality improved higher and higher over the struggle which giver their offspring a better condition to live and leave a valuable lesson to remember. b. Identify a thesis for Martha Menchaca's Chapter 1.…
Throughout the Progressive Era, the typical work day consisted of long hours and poor working conditions until Samuel Gompers transformed the entire work force that evolved to today's average working day. Samuel Gompers mobilized the the work force tremendously with great dedication and passion for a better life for all working men. Gompers pushed to end child labor and a limited workday with manageable working conditions. Samuel Gompers changed the lives of working individuals and with great motivation and preparation, he was able to contribute the eight hour work day, better working conditions, and an end to child labor.…
The old-fashioned film projector creates vintage look of the City of Los Angeles in the 1950s in the theatre. Scrolls is uncovered across the back wall of the stage, depicting Chavez Ravine, a hillside community of Mexican Americans in L.A. In the stressful atmosphere, a women is wiped out of her home, and the Chaves Ravine is bulldozed. Suddenly, the theatre is lighten up, and filled with big yelling out of a baseball game. We are still in the place, where used to be Chavez Ravine, but now is Dodger Stadium.…
San Quintin is a rural community known for its swaths of cucumber, strawberry, tomato crops, generated a tones of wealth for the company, whereas, on the other hand, the farmers are struggling to make a living with the wage they are being paid. Many of them are paid below the Mexico minimum wage, and also forced to work overtime with no compensation. Moreover, the elderly were being poorly treated and also overworked. Also, the females’ workers were encountering sexual harassment by farm staffs. Thus, for many years, they have endured these circumstances and tried to mend their working conditions by reaching out to the Municipal, the union, but unfortunately their answers remained unanswered, where they had protest and make their voice…
In the movie Pleasantville, the reality show shows how people is really outdated how after they had kids, they use to sleep in different beds. How the old days wife just stay at home cleaning, they had not rights to speak up. Wife always had to make the food for the husband and the kids. Those ideas of the husband going to work and have a perfect life. Men always wanted a wife that clean and do not have the right to work or give her opinion or say like I’m tired and let’s eat out.…
The impact of technology gave the work of Salvadoran American and Mission-born and raised multi-media artist Veronica Majano new opportunities to showcase her communities in lots of ways, like for example in the photography exhibit “The Q-Sides” she takes photographs of queer Latinx/Chicanx next to a classic lowrider car. She reverses the genders on the photograph exhibit “The Q-Sides” she has queer Latinx/Chicanx females doing men poses and has male queers posing as females like they did back when the lowrider culture was really popular in the Chicanx culture but also showcasing and representing the Chicanx/Latinx LGBT community. One of the most interesting aspects of the photography exhibit “The Q-Sides” was how Veronica Majano brought back…
The Farm: Angola is a film based on a prison named Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola) located in Louisiana. The film looks into the lives of six inmates in the prison. All of these inmates featured are sentenced to life, except one who is on death row. The central messages of the film shows how the criminal justice system is corrupt, survival and freedom is the central goal for every inmate in the prison, and how racism is portrayed in the prison.…
Morales provides contrasting ideas between “the disrespect the Hispanic community had towards the Theater” which expresses the opinion the people in the community have about the Mexican people and “the architectural dignity of the Center” which expresses the decadence of the Theater. These contrasting phrases show how the community members feel the Mexicans are unfit to be in such a place. The notion that “they should not have attended” on the opinion that they were only there “to see one performing actress” creates a sense of exclusivity and…
The American Dream, or promise of freedom and equal opportunities, is still accessible to all Americans because America rewards hard working citizens that can better their lives by going through pain and hardships to achieve success. To begin, the American Dream gives all Americans an opportunity to achieve freedom and success, but citizens have to be determined to put in hard work and go through pain and suffering to accomplish it. In the poem “Europe and America”, David Ignatow explains how the father went through misery and torture, but fought through it to try and make his son’s life better. Throughout his life, the father faced many difficult challenges compared to his son, who explains that “While I am bedded upon soft green money…
The American musical has started the conversation for many important issues and allowed for the inclusion of Black and LGBTQA* communities in the American identity by bringing them into the spotlight and the conversation. Broadway and the American musical has become an incredibly valuable platform for issues like these to gain the visibility they wouldn’t otherwise get. I think that Broadway has become this platform because it is one of the only places where live performance art can still thrive. The reason live performance has had such success talking about tough issues is because of the magic of live theatre. Watching an actor perform live automatically instills a sense of empathy in the audience for that character, even if that character’s culture, race, sexual orientation or life choices are something you struggle to…