Growing Up Chicano
Rep. Gonzalo Barrientos discusses growing up Latino in Texas, and his experiences as a Chicano politician. As the child of migrant farm workers, Barrientos grew up in a Spanish-only household. He gradually learned English from black children on the farms where his parents worked. Because he attended a separate school for Mexican Americans, he did not have much contact with Anglo children until the 1948 case of Delgado vs. Bastrop ISD, which ended the segregation of Mexican American and Anglo children. Growing up, Barrientos says, he never felt like a citizen or an American and he spent much of his youth trying to prove himself to others—a sense of citizenship came years later and with it the realization that he did not need to prove his worth.
As a politician, he has tried to represent a majority of people and not just the Chicano community. He explains that he is able to use his bilingualism on the campaign trail to reach more people. Barrientos advocates bilingual education and talks a little about the discrimination he has faced for that stance. He also discusses the importance of helping Mexican Americans get a good education and good jobs. Barrientos also talks about the diversity of the Hispanic community and argues that diversity constitutes the very strength of the country.
KEYWORDS
AccentsAcculturation
African Americans
Austin, Texas
Bildungsroman
Bilingual Education
Bilingualism
Chicano Childhood experiences
Chicano Political Campaigns
Chicano Politicians
Citizenship
Class Divisions
Coming of Age
Delgado V. Bastrop ISD
East Austin
Ethnic Alienation
Ethnic Division of Labor
Ethnic Slurs
Ethnic Solidarity
Gonzalo Barrientos
Harvest
Interracial interactions
Language Differences
Migrant Labor
Migrant life
Multiculturalism
Poverty
Segregated schools
Segregation
Texas House of Representatives
Undergraduate
University of Texas at Austin
Youth Culture