Reflection 2-Casa de Unidad and Alma Canales

          I utilized the Bentley Historical Library to find an image from the Casa de Unidad Cultural Arts and Media Center archive. This gave me a little more experience utilizing the archive search system, and the list of contents made it easier for me to track down photographs. I looked through the collection of photographs and found two images that I thought reflected Casa de Unidad’s activities. One photograph is a group of children in front of Diego Rivera’s “Detroit Industry” mural in the Detroit Institute of Art.

Although the picture did not have any information attached to it, I surmised that this was a group of children who participated in some of the art workshops. The image tells me that one of the fundamentals of the center is to expose Mexican-American children to the great artists of their people in order to instill pride in their heritage. Seeing Rivera’s mural also demonstrates how life experiences can be translated into works of art admired by all people. What drew me to the image was the large number of people included in the photograph. A lot of the other photographs featured only a handful of people and lacked the spectacular background of this image.

            The other image that I chose was a semi-aerial shot of a festival. Again, this photograph did not include any information, but I would assume that this photograph is of one of the “Unity in the Community” festivals.

What drew me to this picture was again the large number of people in attendance, the concert stage, and the backdrop which featured houses in the neighborhood. It tells us that a lot of planning goes into each festival as demonstrated by the different activities shown. There is a concert stage, numerous exhibitions, and what might be a petting zoo. The large number of people indicates that a lot of effort was put in to promote the festival. I had read in the archive that the organizing committee was always looking for volunteers to staff the event. I really enjoy how the community part of the festival is emphasized by the homes in the background.

Alma Canales’ Oral History

            I watched Alma Canales’ oral history for my reflection and was very pleased that I had done so because it demonstrated the point that women are often left out of history. Canales grew up in the south Texas town of Edinburg and had no political background. She mentions that she was aware of disparities in the educational and labor opportunities for Mexican-Americans at an early age. Her experience as a migrant farm worker opened up her eyes to the discrimination that Mexican-American faced. She also discusses her involvement in La Raz Unida party as a candidate for Lt. Governor of Texas in 1972 at the age of twenty-four.

            Canales’ narrative informs our understanding in the roles women played in Chicano and Chicana organizations and how they combatted sexism within those movements. Canales discusses how the women within La Raza Unida party asked for representation and participation within the party beyond cooking and supporting the men. She says that the women learned to make demands like nominations for offices or else they would walk out. She cites how her candidacy for Lt. Governor was a direct result of their demands. Her narrative also highlights how issues of disparity in education, health, labor opportunities, and political representation of fueled various Chicano and Chicana movements. Canales also points out that often only half of a story is presented, an issue that we have discussed several times in class. Her narrative also points to the importance of telling one’s life-story. She mentions that she has never been much of a public speaker, but that it was the telling of her life-story that helped voters to identify with her and to secure their vote. Her narrative provides insight into La Raza Unida party that was lacking in Martinez’s 500 Years of Chicana Women’s History and Chicano: The Mexican-American Civil Rights Movement part four. I was flabbergasted to see that Canales was not mentioned in 500 Years of Chicana Women’s History. Only one page was dedicated to La Raza Unida party and did not include Canales, and although she lost the election, she was not mentioned in the “Tejanas in Office” section. Her campaign for Lt. Governor alongside Ramsey Muniz in 1972 was also absent from the Chicano documentary. This speaks to the importance of oral history as a way to supplement knowledge absent from an organization’s history as replicated in books and documentaries.

            Canale’s narrative referenced the history of two political movements. She notes that Viva Kennedy clubs were active at the time of her college education. Viva Kennedy clubs sprouted up in the early 1960’s in response to John F. Kennedy’s attempt to reach out to Latino voters. Kennedy’s Catholic upbringing appealed to Mexican-Americans who shared the same religion. These clubs were active in many states and provided the support necessary for him to win. Canales most importantly discusses the rise of La Raza Unida party which was created after the 1969 Crystal City High School walk out by José Angel Gutiérrez and Mario Compean. Their first efforts involved going door to door, as Canales notes in her narrative, to get signatures and register people to vote. After first focusing on municipal elections, La Raza Unida party set up in other states and began to work with Rodolpho “Corky” Gonzales. In 1972, La Raza Unidad party had Ramsey Muniz running for Governor of Texas and Alma Canales running for Lt. Governor of Texas. Unfortunately, both lost, and as the years went by, the party gradually lost support.

            Canales’ interview had a very inviting quality to it due to the soft lighting and the home setting. The tight shot and open questioning gave the interview a conversational tone that may make the interview more accessible and easy to watch. I was drawn in and found that I enjoyed listening to her life story. Had the lighting been harsh or the background too busy, I may not have enjoyed listening as much as I did.