Estrada, Elisia

Hello Class,

My name is Elisia Estrada and my pronouns are she/her/hers. I am a senior and I am majoring in Sociology. I transferred from Mt. San Antonio community college last year, so this is technically my second and final year. My time at UCLA has gone by so fast and I can’t believe my undergrad years are almost over. I have taken several Chicanx courses here at UCLA to be more aligned with my heritage and culture. Both my parents were born in the U.S. and growing up I felt as if my family’s cultural roots were not embraced. I have enjoyed learning more about Chicanx history as it has helped me be more in tune with my own identity. I look forward to this class this quarter and learning about how Chicanx artists have aided activism within the Chicano movement. As a sociology major, I am also interested in ways in which intersectionality has affected Chicanx art. In the future, I hope to pursue grad school and focus on social welfare. I have always had an interest in helping families and would like to help reform the current welfare system that is in place in the United States.

For this week’s reading, ¡Printing the Revolution! The Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965 to Now by E. Carmen Ramos, I really enjoyed seeing all of the images within the reading. One of the images that stood out to me was the poster of the documentary Yo Soy Chicano by Malaquias Montoya. Looking at this image, it provoked a sentiment of being proud of being both Mexican and American. For myself, I naively previously resonated the term “Chicano” to be seen as a derogatory term. However, through taking several classes I have come to the realization how the term “Chicano” is meant to bring together both American and Mexican identities and form a sense of community.