Introduction

While editing this book and translating many of its chapters, I was reminded of the radical difference between how Latin Americans and U.S. Latinxs ¹ have traditionally viewed race, and in many regards, culture. Fortunately, that difference is beginning to erode. The United States has become a temporary and permanent destination for Latin Americans. Ideas, trends, expressions, and knowledge travel back and forth at a dizzying pace. It has also been at the crossroads of a changing identity among Latin Americans and a source of inspiration for new ways of viewing race. In the United States there is more cultural intersection and understanding between mestizos and American Indian groups. In fact, because of the debilitating effects of anti-immigrant racism in the United States, it becomes clear to us that we are, in fact, Black or indigenous, or more simply put, not white. There is no more pretense of fitting into a racial category when you are clearly rejected. This has facilitated the process of decolonization during the Chicano/a Movement by proclaiming the outright acceptance of our indigenous selves. The Chicano/a Movement partly came about as a defense mechanism: somos ni de aqui ni de alla. We were rejected for being too gringo and not gringo enough. Instead of suffering the effects of rejection because of our skin color, and therefore being traumatized, we rejected shame. We made peace with the idea of not being white. Culturally, we invested in our indigenous ancestry. And as César E. Chávez reminded the world: “Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot un-educate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore.” ² Chicanismo represented a cultural shift; it lifted a demoralized people out of the dregs; it healed our trauma and made us confident enough to pursue our dreams. It also created a path for future generations of migrantes to follow.