Mexican American Women And Grassroots Community Activism Summary

In Ruth Gomberg-Muñoz’s book, Labor and Legality: An Ethnography of a Mexican Immigrant Network, she allows us to enter the everyday lives of ten undocumented Mexican workers all living in the Chicago area. Ruth Gomberg-Muñoz refers to Chuy, Alejandro, Leonardo, Luis, Manuel, Omar, Rene, Roberto, Lalo, and Albert the ten undocumented Mexicans as the “Lions”. This book shares the Lions many stories from, their daily struggle of living as an undocumented immigrant in America, to some of them telling their stories about crossing the border and the effects of living in a different country than their family, and many other struggles and experiences they have encountered. Ruth Gomberg-Muñoz’s book delves into

The book ‘Labor and Legality: An Ethnography of a Mexican Immigrant Network’ by Ruth Gomberg-Munoz explains the hardships that surround the Mexican immigrant network. Over the years the ‘undocumented’ workers coming to America from Mexico has increased which has gained the attention of the American government and the media, as it is ‘illegal behavior’. Gomberg-Munoz attempts to create an understanding of the lives of these workers by telling individual’s personal stories. The author reports the workers undocumented lives rather than reviewing their status as this is already covered in society. The author’s main topic revolves around the principle that undocumented workers strive to improve their quality of life by finding employment in the United States (Gomberg-Munoz 9). Gomberg Munoz also presents the daily struggles the works face daily, and how these struggles “deprives them of meaningful choice and agency” which effects their opportunity and futures (Gomberg-Munoz 9). This ethnography shows their social identities through work, the reasons why their position is illegal and how they live their everyday lives under the circumstances.

A good example for women's rights and their struggle starts in the American Revolutionary War in eighteen hundred and eighty one. Thirteen colonies were fighting against the British, and many young men went off to fight this war, including one woman named Deborah Samson, who also believed in Freedom. According to Hiltner, “Deborah Samson served in the army during the American Revolutionary War disguised as a male” (Hiltne, 1999). Deborah knew that the punishment for this, it meant death, but this did not keep her from enlisting. She disguised herself as a man and took on the role of her recently deceased brother Robert Samson and joined the army. In one example Deborah's patrol was outside of Yorktown on patrol when they were attacked. During

Throughout this first chapter of Latino Americans the key points in my opinion were the following. Starting with the origin story of the Americas, the book mentions there might not be a definitive starting point because there “500 nations in North America before a European ship ever dropped anchor off the Eastern Seaboard” (Suarez 3). The book from this point on chronologically starts narrating, first about 55 years before Protestant refugees from Mayflower ever stepped on American soil, a Spanish sailor Pedro Menendez de Aviles forced French protestants from their Florida coast settlement to then stablish St. Augustine. From this point the book continues to tell the stories of Juan de Oñate, from witnessing the founding of Santa Fe, the oldest capital of North America, to exploring more than half a dozen of American states, he is one of the most fundamental conquistadors who is the least

The Chicano Civil Rights Movement was a movement in response to segregation against Razas, or Chicanos, specifically.

“Because of countless millions of women, who planned, organized, lectured, wrote, marched, petitioned, lobbied, paraded, and broke new ground in every field imaginable, our world is irrevocably changed. Women and men in our generation, and the ones that will follow us, are living the legacy of women’s rights won against staggering odds in a revolution achieved without violence” (para.1)

For decades, immigrants have surrounded the United States with culture and diversity. In these states filled with Latinos, we see a lot of rich culture with food, music, fashion, and achievements. Latinos have a huge impact on movements and policies that happened in the United States for years. Starting with marches, protests, walkouts, laws, and policies. The most salient factor for migrant empowerment and migrant rights is the advancement of the policies and movements that the United States unlatched.

“Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.” (Lincoln) Since the 1900s, many citizens have fought for their rights. But they always need someone to lead them, a leader, and that was how people were able to stand up and fight for what is right. Citizens should not be afraid to fight for themselves. True freedom is only possible when citizens are free to fight for their rights and equality.

To me a community is a group of individuals that come together to help and protect each other. For me the Hispanic community is where I belong. A family is a stronger more familiar version of a community because it’s filled with people who you’ve known for the longest and you can really trust them. An identity that’s the way you see yourself or the way you think, act, and even your name are a part of what makes up your identity and for me that’s Ivan. I fit into the Hispanic community by taking part in traditional Hispanic celebrations,music,cooking,and speaking Spanish.

Women rights movement’s dates back to the nineteenth century as the female gender was seeking to have a place in the society where they have their rights and entitlement fairly given to them. It was instigated by the fact that the male population by making them feel as less beings in the society. This is because they were not entitled to having their views brought out. However, in the 1970’s efforts to secure equal rights for women by eradicating gender discrimination put by institution, laws and various behavioural pattern meet serious activism (Barrett. 2014). The reforms enjoyed currently concerning women empowerment is as a result of all the atrocities that they went through at this time. It is, therefore, evident to say that the challenges faced by women in the 1970’s rights movement gave birth to new opportunities such as coming up with severe laws on gender discrimination, pushed for the Title IX law and defining rape as a crime.

For years women have been associated with the discriminating roles society has placed on them. For decades now many women have been trying to change the gender gap in pay, being unable to vote, and maltreatment of several thousand a year. The causes of several women have helped them get to where they stand now in society.

Women have been the most discriminated-against group of people in the entire history of humankind. They have been abused, held back in society, and oftentimes restricted to the home life, leading dull, meaningless lives while men make sure the world goes round. It seems strange that half of the world's population could be held down so long; ever since the dawn of humanity, women have been treated like second-class citizens. Only in the past 100 years or so have women started to win an equal place in society in the Western world. However, the fight for equality has not been a short one. The seeds of the liberation movement were planted hundreds of years ago, by free-thinking

Women have been active since the beginning of the early 1800’s and struggle until today’s day, to fight for equality. There were two women movement waves. The first wave was focused on the equality of the women by working on voting rights. The second wave from 1963 to 1982 concentrated on social issues. As in “Collective Action for Social Change”, Aaron Schutz and Marie Sandy stated in their book “women were tired of being second class citizens”. The civil rights movement spillover inspired women to create social movements by acting and building organizations focused on the issues that affected the women. The social issues were child care, domestic violence, contraception, and women’s health. One of the major topics that the feminists focused on was domestic violence that still exists in today’s day worldwide.

All around the world women are crying out, claiming "that it is no longer acceptable to discuss women's rights as separate form human rights," (Hillary Clinton -- Tumulty, 1997). The abuses females endure are found everywhere in places like Senegal, Bangladesh, and Berjing, China. Abortion, denial of political rights, and suppression of speech (Tumulty) are forces upon women daily. But feminism has taken a strong hold of the women around the world, giving them hope for equal rights in the future. "Our community could see we were a society of strong willed women," prides Faustima Nunez, a resident of Chica, "and we are no

With the advent of protests one would think that rights would come quickly to prevent violence and more uprisings. Sadly, this was not the case. Women’s rights were slow to come and it would still be many years before they achieved even a semblance of equality to men.