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Ernest Rodriguez' "Impressions," 1960s-1980s

""Chicano History and Civil Rights Movement"" by Ernest Rodriguez Page 1

Chicano History and Civil Rights Movement
by Ernest Rodriguez
You know I didn't know where to begin my presentation for tonight. For one thing the Mexican American has so many problems and so much catching up to do in every problem area that it is hard to know where to begin to explain the why of the Chicano movement. To simplify matters I think we should get down to the basic root cause of the Chicano movement, and for that matter that of the civil rights movement in toto. 
You know a few years ago the Catholic Messenger ran a picture in its paper which showed some people standing in the darkness outside of a home. They were a man, his wife and child, three were a ragged and wretched-looking family, and hunger and misery were reflected in their face and eyes. They were looking through the window of a nice house where a family was enjoying a sumptuous supper in the comfort and security of middle-class well being. In fact, it could be the home of any one here tonight. 
Along with the picture was a message that went something like this. I don't know exact words but the core of the message is still fresh in my memory, so I'll explain it in my own words. It was a message to all people who are basking in the complacent sunshine of comfort and security of a high standard of living. It said, "Leave the comfort of your homes and go out to minister to the needs of those less fortunate that you who are standing outside your home. If you do not do so, there are others lurking behind them in the shadows, who are saying, "Look, those people have more than enough for themselves and it is only right that they share with the poor who have nothing. Go into their homes and take what they will not give you. It is morally right for you to take from those who have more than enough when your children are starving to death."
The poor people listen but do not heed these words because even in their miserable condition they know this is not the way, but if you continue to refuse to recognize the needs of  these people and help them to help themselves, then you will drive them to the violent and savagery that these evil forces advocate. Time is running out for you, and every minute you languish in the warm security of apathy, you invite your own destruction.
Reis Tijerina "El Tigre"
Emiliano Zapate: "I will die a slave to principle, but never to men."
I. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848 signed by the U.S. after war against Mexico, Article VIII: "In the Name of Almighty God."
"He who steals a million is a financier," wrote he Rio Abajo Weekly Press of Albuquerque in 1863. "He who steals half a million is only a defaulter. He who steals a quarter million is a swindler. He who steals fifty thousand is a knave. But he who steals a pair of boots or a loaf of bread is a scoundrel and deserves hanging."

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Chicano History and Civil Rights Movement by Ernest Rodriguez You know I didn't know where to begin my presentation for tonight. For one thing the Mexican American has so many problems and so much catching up to do in every problem area that it is hard to know where to begin to explain the why of the Chicano movement. To simplify matters I think we should get down to the basic root cause of the Chicano movement, and for that matter that of the civil rights movement in toto. You know a few years ago the Catholic Messenger ran a picture in its paper which showed some people standing in the darkness outside of a home. They were a man, his wife and child, three were a ragged and wretched-looking family, and hunger and misery were reflected in their face and eyes. They were looking through the window of a nice house where a family was enjoying a sumptuous supper in the comfort and security of middle-class well being. In fact, it could be the home of any one here tonight. Along with the picture was a message that went something like this. I don't know exact words but the core of the message is still fresh in my memory, so I'll explain it in my own words. It was a message to all people who are basking in the complacent sunshine of comfort and security of a high standard of living. It said, "Leave the comfort of your homes and go out to minister to the needs of those less fortunate that you who are standing outside your home. If you do not do so, there are others lurking behind them in the shadows, who are saying, "Look, those people have more than enough for themselves and it is only right that they share with the poor who have nothing. Go into their homes and take what they will not give you. It is morally right for you to take from those who have more than enough when your children are starving to death." The poor people listen but do not heed these words because even in their miserable condition they know this is not the way, but if you continue to refuse to recognize the needs of these people and help them to help themselves, then you will drive them to the violent and savagery that these evil forces advocate. Time is running out for you, and every minute you languish in the warm security of apathy, you invite your own destruction. Reis Tijerina "El Tigre" Emiliano Zapate: "I will die a slave to principle, but never to men." I. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848 signed by the U.S. after war against Mexico, Article VIII: "In the Name of Almighty God." "He who steals a million is a financier," wrote he Rio Abajo Weekly Press of Albuquerque in 1863. "He who steals half a million is only a defaulter. He who steals a quarter million is a swindler. He who steals fifty thousand is a knave. But he who steals a pair of boots or a loaf of bread is a scoundrel and deserves hanging."