"Chicana" Identity - Research Topic for Paper

Chicana woman is saying "Chicana for my RACE." Digitial Image from: http://www.umich.edu/~ac213/student_projects05/cf/

Who: Women that are empowered by a closer connection to their indigenous roots as opposed to identifying only as "Mexican, Hispanic, or Latina."

What: This identity is one that the woman would have to self-proclaim. She must agree with degrees of consciousness and awareness that the identity brings to herself and her roots as an indigenous woman.

Where: The First National Chicana Movement took place in Houston, Texas.

When: 1971 is when the women of the Chicana Movement formally gathered and had their first conference to discuss issues in the community involving race, ethnicity, economics, etc.

Why: Mexican and Mexican-American women are identifying themselves as "Chicana" to show that they agree to the social consciousness as well as cultural and political awareness that it carries.

Proof of Identity: Chicana Identity can be found in the way a woman speaks, dresses, and acts. Much of the behavior is self-initiated as it is an identity that a woman must want to declare for herself. Further, this identity can be found in conversation with a Chicana woman as she will tell you what she supports and what she does not support through her view of cultural, political, and indigenous roots.

* I do not know too much about this subject and would like to further my knowledge of it through this research project.