“Why Not Us?” Leslie Altamirano Candidate for District 4 Jurupa Valley City Council

“Why Not Us?” By Irene Sanchez Xicana Ph.D. Leslie Altamirano Candidate for District 4 Jurupa Valley City Council Leslie Altamirano is 36 years old and running for Jurupa Valley City Council to represent District 4 which includes a long neglected area of the city (where the author went to high school): Rubidoux, CA. If you … Continue reading “Why Not Us?” Leslie Altamirano Candidate for District 4 Jurupa Valley City Council →

Latina Equal Pay Day

Latina Equal Pay Irene Sanchez, Ph.D.-Xicana Ph.D. Originally Published in 2017 https://xicanaphd.com/2017/11/02/latina-equal-pay/ Latinas are among the lowest paid workers in the U.S. at 54 cents to the dollar. Today marks the day Latinas catch up to white men and their earnings from last year. http://www.latinaequalpay.org/ Wages determine (unfortunately) whether people have enough to eat and … Continue reading Latina Equal Pay Day →

Through My Father’s Tears: Remembering the Chicano Moratorium and My First Lessons in Chicano History

When my father told me about the events on August 29th, 1970, it was one of the few times I have seen my father cry. I was in middle school when he began to tell stories about growing up in East LA. I know it had something to do with the release of the PBS … Continue reading Through My Father’s Tears: Remembering the Chicano Moratorium and My First Lessons in Chicano History →

Honoring Cesar Chavez Day During a Pandemic: Why “America” Needs to Learn About the Exploitative Conditions Farm Workers Still Face

I want to ensure that my students understand what Cesar Chavez did and how his legacy can inspire us right now because there is still much more that needs to be done to improve the lives of the people that grow our food and feed this country.  

Capitalism is Also the Pandemic

Capitalism is Also the PandemicBy Irene SanchezXicana Ph.D. If you are like me before this era of Coronavirus, quarantines, self-isolation, you may have not heard of a pandemic, but you have heard of Capitalism and its’ ideas. According to the CDC, a pandemic is “an epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents, usually … Continue reading Capitalism is Also the Pandemic →

The Real American Dirt: How Targeting Mexicans Led to Banned Chicano/Latino Books and Classes

The Real American Dirt: How Targeting Mexicans Led to Banned Chicano/Latino Books and Classes By Irene Sanchez Xicana Ph.D. The most recent discussion on NPR surrounding the novel American Dirt featuring Myriam Gurba- the Chicana author who was the first to critique the book, author Luis Alberto Urrea, author Sandra Cisneros and author of American … Continue reading The Real American Dirt: How Targeting Mexicans Led to Banned Chicano/Latino Books and Classes →

Why High School Graduation Remains an Important Achievement for Chicanos/Latinos

The same year my son began kindergarten was the same year I started teaching high school. After completing a Ph.D. in Education in 2015, instead of working in higher education as I anticipated, I was called to teach Ethnic Studies in high school classrooms to be in schools that sometimes feel like the “Mexican Schools” I teach about from the 1940s. As Teaching Tolerance has documented in these Mexican Schools, “Many Anglo educators did not expect, or encourage, Chicano students to advance beyond the eighth grade. Instead, the curriculum at the Mexican schools was designed, as one district superintendent put it, “to help these children take their place in society.”