STRUGGLING FOR SPACE, CREATING LATINA/O URBAN CULTURES

CHICANA/O STRUGGLES FOR SPACE

BY STUDENT

Before 1924, Chicanas/os freely crossed from Mexico into the United States because there was no border system to turn them away. Similar to the Puerto Ricans in New York City, many Chicanos/as came to the United States for work in agriculture, canning factories or shipyards. Many Chicanas/os settled into barrio Logan just south of San Diego hoping to better their lives. The Great Depression of 1929 pushed them back across the border, which now was being controlled because there were no jobs left for them and they were often being used as scapegoats during a time of much anxiety. Once World War II began, the job availability increased and only those who were once born in the United States were able to move back into barrio Logan (Chicano Park Documentary, 1988). They came to the United States to better their lives and build up barrio Logan located in a place that was once Mexican land that the United States annexed during the Mexican American War, but as minorities would they be able to remain and keep their spaces? This is often an issue even today that many minorities continue to go through.

Chicanos/as were living together in this Barrio and never seemed to want to leave because they did not know that they were receiving fewer opportunities than others. They had everything they needed right there and it was made up solely of Chicanos/as. This neighborhood was a great place for the Chicanos/as to live together and share their culture but it soon began to be taken from them without any thought of their well being. As San Diego began to flourish, industrialization began to move south eventually moving into barrio Logan. The neighborhood was rezoned allowing junk yards and highways to move in, displacing many families and destroying the barrio. When this first happened many of the people did not know that they could protest against it so they just let it happen leading to the loss of culture in the neighborhood. A bridge for the highway was then built over the barrio and many began to fight for Chicano Park which they wanted to be under that bridge. They fought for three years until they found out that there was going to be a highway patrol station built there. The Chicanos/as began to protest making a circle holding hands under the bridge not allowing the tractors to move until they were finally granted that space for their park. In the film Chicano park one of the men says, “It was the only time we have had a voice or say in something we wanted” (Chicano Park Documentary, 1988). This was an overall achievement for them and it was almost like a rebirth of the Barrio. The tall pillars in the park that led up to the bridge were empty and became a space for murals to bring back the culture that was lost in the industrialization. The park I think symbolizes that minorities can come together and fight for their rights and in some instances get what they so rightfully deserved, things that should never have been taken from them. No one should be displaced without being asked and that is what happened in barrio Logan but the building of this park helped bring back the barrio and the culture that was so important to them.

The murals that were painted on the walls represented heroes and role models in portraits and brought back the culture that began to go missing. The murals were painted by people living in the barrio and people from outside the barrio were brought in to paint their view of Chicana/o culture too. The article, “Women Hold Up Half of Chicano Park,” describes how a few of the artists who came back to the park almost 40 years later to restore their paintings and murals also came to teach people about the hard times like the gender inequalities that were seen when the park was first created and the struggle with gaining the land for the park from the city. “All three women emphasize how gender balance is central to the indigenous culture so richly celebrated in the park” (Perez, 2012). This is so important especially in today’s culture as women are often looked down upon compared to men but in this park the murals were painted by both men and women. The restoration process is to help leave powerful images that show men and women and teach future generations about how women refuse to be devalued in society. Barrio Logan although was somewhat destroyed was fought for by its people and the park symbolizes their fight to gain back their culture they so rightfully deserve to display in America.

References:

Perez, G. (2012) Women Hold Up Half of Chicano Park. Retrieved February 9, 2017, from http://laprensa-sandiego.org/featured/women-hold-up-half-of-chicano-park/

RedBird Films (1988) Chicano Park Documentary. Retrieved February 9, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXwZLo8hrp4