How Did Quiñonez Influence The Chicano Movement

The events all around us influence the way we think and the way we act, whether we realize it or not. Events that happen during our lifetime affect us in ways we may not even be able to comprehend at the time. In the 1970s and even today the issue of minorities not being treated the same as the majority in America is a prevalent topic that is being talked about more and more. In recent times racial segregation is a major issue all around us, but it is mostly depicted in the news. Ernesto Quiñonez observed racial discrimination all throughout his lifetime, whether it was through people around him or even people he looked up to. Not only the people that surrounded Quiñonez’s life but also the time period Quiñonez lived in and the news he would

Although Quiñonez is Ecuadorian and Puerto Rican that does not mean that the Chicano movement could not have influenced him. Quiñonez lived in New York, which is a melting pot of ethnicities and could have very well been influenced by Mexican-Americans around him who talked about how they were working towards the goal of being ‘equal’ in the eyes of the majority. During the 1960s many the Mexican population had started to take pride in their heritage and culture and “the term ‘Chicano’ gained widespread currency as many younger Mexican American civil rights activists call themselves Chicanos. The Chicano movement embodies both a celebration of Mexican American art and culture as well as the fight for Mexican American civil rights” (“Invisible No More: The Latino Struggle for Civil Rights” 4). When Quiñonez was born at the end of the Chicano movement which is when he saw the majority of Hispanics were empowering each other for being themselves and embracing their culture which caused him to be proud to be who he is. Throughout Quiñonez’s life many accomplishments had been made in favor of Hispanics becoming equal. In 1970 The U.S. Department of Health stated that, “students cannot be denied access to educational programs because of an inability to speak English” (“Latino Civil Rights Timeline, 1903

Now Quiñonez effortlessly contributes to the U.S. Latino literary legacy because he allows for his writing to ‘breathe’ and he also leaves conversation regarding the subject matters in his works up to his readers. In Quiñonez’s works he would “Try [his] best to tell a good story” but he makes his stories prevalent to “ deal[ing] with Latino issues.” Not only did Quiñonez write about Hispanics and their struggles with equality but he also showed his passion for equal rights in other ways. He taught at a school in South Bronx and would stick up for the children the children’s rights. To him it was not fair that his “bilingual 4th graders were always getting Gym and not computer class” (Quiñonez) and that the computer room was only given to the “so-called ‘Gifted and Talented’ classes” (Quiñonez). He fought the principle on getting his kids the computer room. Quiñonez knew his job was more than just “teaching English” (Quiñonez) he wanted to have these kids actually get something from his class and have them have the opportunity to reach their potentials. Ernesto Quiñonez knew that he had to stand up for what he believed in and the equal rights for everyone because if he did not start a movement there was a very little chance someone else would