The Iconography of Chicano Self-Determination: Race, Ethnicity, and Class

In the short essay, The Iconography of Chicano Self-Determination: Race, Ethnicity, and Class, Shifra Goldman discusses how oppression and exploitation by Anglo-Europeans were responsible for creating a sense of self-determined identity among Chicanos. Through this, they expressed themselves with Chicano art in efforts to promote race, ethnicity, and their working class status in the United States. Goldman examines the work of various Chicano artists that have exemplified such efforts. One that I found extremely interesting in particular was Antonio Bernal's untitled mural on the Teatro Campesino headquarters. Goldman goes over two of its unique elements this mural demonstrated to the public: the acknowledgement of activist women and the alliances attained with African-Americans and Mexicans during the civil rights movement. You seldom see a Chicano artist giving much appreciation to a Chicana and as well as introducing alliances with other marginalized individuals. Goldman also discusses some of Yolanda Lopez's artwork which I thought was pretty neat considering we have been studying her art work in class. Lopez pays homage to regular working class female citizens best through her Guadalupe triptych. She demonstrates this by placing her grandmother, her mother, and herself surrounded by the iconic guadalupana symbols. Each portrait Lopez illustrated accentuates the characteristics of each individual and concurrently represents realities Chicanas face every day.