Key Terms
What is Precarity?
refers to a condition of insecurity, instability, or unpredictability, especially in relation to employment, housing, or living conditions. It often describes situations where people lack steady income, job protections, healthcare, or long-term stability—leaving them vulnerable to sudden changes or exploitation. Precarity is commonly associated with gig work, migrant labor, low-wage jobs, and marginalized communities.
Who is Cesar Chavez?
was a Mexican‑American farmworker, labor leader, and civil rights activist who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association—later the United Farm Workers (UFW).
Zoot Suit
is a film adaptation of Luis Valdez’s play that dramatizes the real-life events surrounding the Sleepy Lagoon murder trial and the Zoot Suit Riots in 1940s Los Angeles. It focuses on Henry Reyna, a young Mexican American wrongly accused of murder, and explores issues of racial discrimination, identity, and cultural pride within the Chicano community. The film blends drama, music, and dance to highlight the tensions between Mexican American youths and the broader society during World War II. It’s a powerful story about injustice and resistance against racial prejudice.
What is Cinco De Mayo?
a holiday that commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. It is not Mexico’s Independence Day (which is on September 16), but rather a symbol of Mexican resistance and resilience against foreign intervention.
What is Spectacular Speech?
a term often used in rhetoric and communication studies to describe a style of speaking that is highly dramatic, performative, and designed to captivate an audience. It involves using vivid language, emotional appeals, strong gestures, and powerful delivery to make a speech memorable and impactful. This kind of speech goes beyond just conveying information—it aims to inspire, persuade, or move listeners by creating a striking, sometimes theatrical, experience. It’s common in political rallies, social movements, and performances where engaging the audience’s emotions is key.
Who is Dolores Huerta?
a legendary labor leader and civil rights activist whose lifelong dedication has shaped the rights of farmworkers, women, and immigrants across the United States.
Harvest of Loneliness
Harvest of Loneliness: The Bracero Program is a 2010 documentary film directed by Gilbert Gonzalez and Vivian Price that explores the history and human impact of the Bracero Program, a U.S. labor initiative that brought millions of Mexican men to work in American agriculture and railroads between 1942 and 1964. The film uses interviews with former braceros, archival footage, and expert commentary to reveal the exploitative conditions, family separations, and emotional toll of the program.
What is Operation Wetback?
a 1954 U.S. government program aimed at mass deportation of undocumented Mexican immigrants. Led by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), the operation sought to reduce illegal immigration by forcibly rounding up and deporting hundreds of thousands of Mexican workers, many of whom had entered legally but overstayed or were caught up in sweeps. The campaign involved harsh tactics, including raids and deportations, often without due process, and it led to widespread criticism for human rights abuses.
What is Genocide?
the deliberate and systematic destruction of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group, either in whole or in part. It involves acts like killing members of the group, causing serious harm, inflicting conditions designed to destroy the group, preventing births, or forcibly transferring children to another group.
Who is Jaime Alanis Harcos?
Alanis died after he climbed onto a greenhouse roof and fell in an effort to hide from ICE agents. Alanis was from Huajúmbaro, a small town in Michoacán, Mexico.
Lemon Grove Incident
The Lemon Grove Incident is a 1985 educational film that explains the true story of the first successful school desegregation case in U.S. history, which occurred in Lemon Grove, California, in 1931. The film follows a group of Mexican-American families who challenged the local school board’s attempt to segregate their children into a separate, inferior school.
was the peace agreement signed in 1848 that ended the Mexican-American War (1846–1848). Under the treaty, Mexico ceded about half of its territory to the United States—including present-day California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, Utah, and parts of several other states—in exchange for $15 million and the assumption of certain debts. The treaty also promised U.S. citizenship and property rights to Mexicans living in the newly acquired lands, but many of those promises were later ignored or violated, leading to long-term struggles for land, rights, and recognition by Mexican Americans.
What is Settler Colonialism?
a form of colonialism where outsiders come to a land, intending not just to govern it but to permanently settle and replace the Indigenous population.
Who is Paula Crisostomo?
is the central student activist—a high school senior at Lincoln High School in East Los Angeles—who spearheads the 1968 Chicano student walkouts (also known as the East L.A. walkouts or Chicano blowouts) to protest systemic injustices in the schools
Walkout
tells the true story of the 1968 East Los Angeles student walkouts (also called the Chicano Blowouts). The film follows Paula Crisostomo, a Mexican-American high school student who organizes protests with her peers against unequal and discriminatory conditions in their schools—like overcrowding, lack of bilingual education, and biased treatment. Through courage and community support, these students challenge the school system, sparking a broader movement for educational and civil rights for Mexican Americans. The movie highlights youth activism and the fight for social justice in the Chicano civil rights movement.
What is the Sleepy Lagoon Defense Committee?
a group formed in the early 1940s to support the defense of Mexican American youths unfairly accused in the Sleepy Lagoon murder trial in Los Angeles (1942). The committee raised awareness about the racial injustice, organized legal aid, and fought against discrimination and police harassment faced by the Latino community. It became an important example of early civil rights activism, helping to challenge racial prejudice and lay groundwork for the broader Chicano movement.
What is the Latino Threat Narrative?
a concept coined by sociologist Leo R. Chavez that refers to a recurring and harmful storyline in U.S. media and political discourse that portrays Latinos—especially immigrants—as a danger to American society. According to this narrative, Latinos are seen as unwilling to assimilate, illegal by default, and part of a “brown invasion” that threatens national security, cultural values, and the economy. This narrative fuels xenophobia, anti-immigrant policies, racial profiling, and the criminalization of Latinx communities. Chavez argues that the Latino Threat Narrative is not based on facts, but on fear and racialized assumptions, and it serves to justify exclusion, surveillance, and social inequality.
Who is Josefina Fierro de Bright?
a Mexican-American civil rights activist and community organizer active primarily during the 1930s and 1940s. She played a key role in fighting against discrimination and segregation faced by Mexican Americans, especially in California. Fierro de Bright was involved with the Spanish-Speaking People's Congress, an organization dedicated to advocating for Latino civil rights, labor rights, and social justice.
A Better Life
film that tells the story of Carlos, an undocumented Mexican immigrant living in Los Angeles who works as a gardener and dreams of providing a better future for his teenage son, Luis. After Carlos’s truck is stolen, he and Luis embark on a difficult journey to recover it while navigating the challenges of immigration, family struggles, and the pursuit of the American Dream. The film explores themes of sacrifice, hope, and the harsh realities faced by many immigrants in the U.S. It’s a heartfelt portrayal of love and resilience within immigrant families.
What is Mendez vs. Westminster?
(1947) was a landmark federal court case that challenged racial segregation in California public schools. The case was brought by Gonzalo Mendez and other Mexican-American parents who fought against the segregation of their children into separate "Mexican schools" that offered inferior education. The U.S. District Court ruled in favor of Mendez, declaring that segregating Mexican-American students was unconstitutional and violated their civil rights. This case helped pave the way for the Brown v. Board of EducationSupreme Court decision in 1954 and was an important early victory in the fight against school segregation and for Latino civil rights in the United States.