Mi Gente es su Gente: La Vida Chicana en los EEUU

November 18, 2010 – January 2, 2011

ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
The photos in this exhibit examine a period of history of American Latinos from the mid 1960s through the early 1990s. These photographs represent a celebration of the American spirit and demonstrate the resolve to continue the pursuit of equality for all. 

Seen through the eyes of scholar Gilberto Cárdenas, the photographs in this exhibit range from the East Los Angeles student walkouts protesting the unequal education offered to minority students to the presence of Chicano leaders in Central America’s peace process. Throughout, the viewer is provided a first-hand account of the Chicano community’ struggle for civil rights.

Other images in this exhibition document the Chicano Moratorium as the community demonstrated against the Vietnam War and the high mortality rate of minorities. Cárdenas also takes a critical view of the treatment of migrant workers from the American Southwest to the Midwest, through his examination of their working and living conditions—and the often-striking parallels with conditions on the U.S.-Mexico border and throughout Latin America. Finally, the exhibit highlights Chicano leadership as it began to project into the international arena as part of their role as leaders in American society.

Teresa Hayes-Santos, Curator

FEATURED ARTIST
Gilberto Cárdenas