Mexican Americans and Racial Identity

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Spanish colonizers' label

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Spanish colonizers imposed “Indian” as a label.

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Mexican American resistance in the 19th–20th centuries.

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Formed mutual aid groups, unions, and civil rights organizations.

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Significance of Mendez v. Westminster (1947).

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Legal victory against school segregation.

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Chicano Movement in the 1960s–70s.

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Embraced Indigenous and mestizo roots, promoted racial pride, cultural identity, and activism.

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"Mexican" is not a race, but an ethnic/national origin that has been racialized.

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Mexican identity is based on ethnicity and nationality, not race.

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After 1848, Mexicans became "White by law" for citizenship.

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Despite legal status, Mexicans were treated socially as non-White.

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Immigration: U.S. welcomed Mexican labor but racialized them as outsiders.

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Anti-immigrant rhetoric often paints Latinos as threats.

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Double Colonization of U.S. Southwest

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History of being colonized by Spain and then the U.S.

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Chicanos often say about the border.

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"We didn’t cross the border; the border crossed us."

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Indian Removal Act (1830)

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Forced removal of Native nations to reservations, known as the Trail of Tears.