Case Study: Judicial Side Of The Chicano Movement

Judicial Side of the Chicano Movement
Chicano Studies 3311

Race Relations During the middle of the 18th century, the relationship between the Americans and the Mexican-Americans soured more than ever before. The Mexican- Americans realized that something had to be done about the second class treatment they had been receiving for over a century. The Treaty of Guadalupe, ending the Mexican-American war, was the peace treaty calling for the United States to pay the Mexican government 15 million dollars. This pay was in exchange of the ownership of California, and a large area comprising New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and parts of Wyoming and Colorado. Mexicans, whom remained in the U.S. new territory, had the option under
In the words of Harry Bridges, “There will always be a place for us somewhere, somehow as long as we see to it that working people fight for everything they have, everything they hope to get, for dignity, equality, democracy, to oppose war, and to bring to the world a better life”. I think that the immigrant Mexican and Filipino farm workers believed this with every fiber of their being as they fought for improved labor and working conditions. Their struggle was carried out in the form of picket lines, union gatherings, and marches (Symbolism and History of the Movement, 1997). The Chicano Movement encompassed all of these actions and more. Migrant immigrant workers were great contributors to this nation’s growth and development, yet they had to fight for decades in order to gain equality. Labor and health were two, of many areas that migrant immigrant workers had to continually strive to gain equality in. The movement began long before the 1960’s due to the “repressive, race prejudiced system of power” but it gained momentum when Cesar Chavez became a leader of the Delano Grape strike in 1965. Cesar Chavez worked relentlessly to help farm workers gain better living conditions that would not compromise their existing health. Mexicans, African Americans and other undocumented workers were being exposed collectively to very poor working conditions, but the Mexican Community was largely affected. Migrant
Whenever housing was available, the conditions of the rental houses were in need of refurbishing and they were overly congested, which meant these workers were being exposed to infectious diseases due to the fact that they lived in such close quarters. Clean water was not a guarantee and toilet facilities were rarely available. These workers were exposed to conditions that caused dehydration, and they were offered meager sanitation. There was an incident when some workers on Schinley’s Farm were deliberately sprayed with pesticide as if they were insects by Schinley himself (Symbolism and History of the Movement, 1997). This was more than enough fuel for Cesar Chavez to organize one of the most prominent marches in order to gain support for the farm workers who were being unfairly treated and exposed to harmful working conditions in 1965 along with a Filipino leader. The FWA joined forces with the Filipino Farm workers group in order to form the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee that would eventually help workers to gain higher wages and benefits along with better working conditions. The struggle to gain equality lasted for many years. As Mexicans fought for their rights the government looked for ways to curtail any progress that would be made. One of the methods the government used to try and stop future strikers was by legal injunctions. Legal injunctions are defined as a