How Did Chicanas Fight For The Women's Liberation Movement?

Chicanas have proven through their activism that they are powerful and courageous women who aren’t afraid to stand up for themselves and others. Throughout history, Mexican Americans suffered here in the United States, especially women, since they were usually of the lower working class and faced discrimination based on race. Chicanas had an extra struggle that male Mexican Americans didn’t go through and this would be sexism. This led to Mexican American women creating an alliance with the Women’s Liberation Movement and beginning this fight against sexism. Chicana feminists fought battles with their own cultural beliefs, white feminists who didn’t want to include the race struggle in their own fight for gender equality, and the negativity

Not only did these Chicanas fight for their reproductive rights, but they also wanted the freedom to have a life outside of being a caretaker. New Voice of La Raza: Chicanas Speak Out (1971) states, “The resolutions also called for ‘24-hour child-care centers in Chicano communities’ and explained that there is a critical need for these since ‘Chicana motherhood should not preclude educational, political, social and economic advancement.’” This same idea has been brought up in consciousness-raising; women shouldn’t revolve around men but instead should live the lives they want. Through Women’s Eyes: An American History With Documents states, “Ultimately, consciousness-raising rested on the conviction that ‘the personal is political,’ that the massive power inequities from which women suffered could be found in the tiniest details of daily existence.” These power inequalities were being challenged every day by Chicana feminists who didn’t want the lives their mothers were forced to live. Consciousness-raising was significant to the Chicana Feminist Movement because it allowed women to further review the problems that were most important to them and it also gave women a safe space to express themselves

Although the white feminist movement didn’t welcome Chicanas to the organization, Mexican American women were able to put their own spin on the feminist movement. According to The Development of Chicana Feminist Discourse, “Many Chicana feminists began their writings with a section that disassociated themselves from the ‘women's liberation movement.’” Chicanas disconnected themselves from the movement, but it had nothing to do with the goals of the movement, it was mostly due to the people within. White feminists didn’t feel the need to include the rights of Chicanas as a whole and only wanted to focus on the problems they faced as white women. However, Women’s Liberation gave Mexican American women a platform and the tools that would help build the Chicana Feminist Movement. An article titled The Foundations of Chicana Feminism by Livia Greshon states that “Ultimately, many decided that a better strategy for their work was to create coalitions with other women of color whose concerns they saw as more similar to theirs.” Chicanas were able to align themselves with other feminists who shared similar stories as them and would understand the struggles they went through daily. With the Women’s Liberation Movement, Mexican American women were capable of facing and testing the sexism they experienced through their