Reflection

What I took away from this course was the variability with which an artist chooses to identify as a Chicana artist in this current social and political climate. It became apparent throughout learning about the lives of these artists and the movements they were a part of that acknowledging ones's Xicana roots stemmed from a much deserved sense of pride and admiration for those sacrifices made by their ancestors to preserve the legacy and authenticity of their richly complex indigenous history. To be a Chicana artist predominantly but not always seems to stem from a place of feminism and familial connectivity, exuding confidence and resolution with a past that may inform much of the art they create in the future. Their familiarity as well as their embrace of their ancestry is particularly admirable at a time when many people are trying to distance themselves from their backgrounds. The amount of influence the Chicana community has had on the California landscape behind the scenes is impressive enough, but the dedication to the cause and the resoluteness with which these women strive to make a palpable difference is truly uplifting. Not only have they been a consistent cultural undercurrent but their pronounced public sway is thankful becoming more and more prominent.  Participation alone is not the end goal for these ladies or even effectively what defines them, but rather their perseverance to see a real change for the treatment of their peers and a much deserved recognition for their impact on an indelible piece of American history.