Chicano Studies Final Terms

Neoliberalism

An economic and political paradigm promoting free markets, privatization, and limited government intervention, often associated with the reduction of social welfare programs and trade barriers.

Reagan (Make America Great Again)

refers to the political and economic policies implemented during Ronald Reagan's presidency that emphasized deregulation and tax cuts, aiming to stimulate economic growth.

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

A trade agreement between Canada, Mexico, and the United States that aimed to eliminate barriers to trade and investment. Made is easier for corporations to go abroad and search for cheap labor, specifically in Mexico.

Operation Gatekeeper

A U.S. border enforcement initiative launched in 1994 aimed at reducing illegal immigration by increasing the number of border patrol agents and implementing more surveillance along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Alex Odeh and Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)

ADC is the largest Arab American grassroots civil rights organization in the United States. Alex Odeh a Palestinian activist. Odeh was serving as West Coast regional director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee when he was assassinated in a bombing in Santa Ana, California

Nakba and Palestine

The Nakba is the Israeli ethnic cleansing of Palestinian Arabs through their violent displacement and dispossession of land, property, and belongings, along with the destruction of their society and the suppression of their culture, identity, political rights, and national aspirations.

Irv Rubin and Jewish Defense League

The Jewish Defense League was a violent and aggressive organization that was antisemitic and supposedly attempting to defend the Jewish people. However, under Irv Rubin this organization was deemed a terrorist organization as they organized many bombings, one of which killed the director of the ADC, Alex Odeh.

Central American Sanctuary Movement

A campaign of different community and church groups that offered “sanctuary” to the refugees from the Salvadoran and Guatemalan civil wars. Volunteers would sneak in the refugees through the secret routes into the US, violating US immigration laws.

Father Luis Olivares

An important leader of the Central American Sanctuary Movement. He declared his church a sanctuary church in California and used it to offer housing and resources for Salvadoran and Guatemalan refugees.

Alicia Rivera

She was born in El Salvador and had to emigrate to the US due to the civil war. After learning English, she volunteered for the Central American Sanctuary Movement. Became one of the biggest speakers for this movement.

Women of Conscience

An initiative focused on amplifying women’s leadership, supporting their projects, and promoting peace-building. They worked to correct the historical erasure of women’s contributions.

Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES)

Organization that was founded in 1980, dedicated to supporting the Salvadoran people during the civil war. Its main purpose was to oppose the US and its intervention in El Salvador. Because US intervention in the civil war led to massacres, assassinations, and repressions from the Salvadoran government, CISPES focused on changing the US policies causing the refugee crisis.

South Africa anti-apartheid movement

A movement in South Africa that fought for racial inequality while encompassing internal resistance and international campaigns of boycotts, sanctions and divestment. This movement was successful as there was so much involvement worldwide that led to governments being involved such as when the US Congress passed the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986, overriding Reagan’s veto.

Farabundo Marti

Salvadoran activist who organized a peasant uprising, filled with indigenous and rural workers against the government of Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez. The revolt led to the military unleashing a massive slaughter onto the people of the revolt. Around 30,000 civilians were murdered.

La Matanza 1932

A violent government massacre that followed a civilian uprising. The uprising was organized by Farabundo Marti. Due to the ruling of dictator Maximilian Hernandez Martinez, around 30,000 civilians were murdered.

Archbishop Oscar Romero

Archbishop of El Salvador who used his position to openly condemn social injustice, human-rights abuses, state violence, and inequality in El Salvador. Publicly urged Salvadoran soldiers to disobey orders to kill and follow the laws of God to not kill. Due to his resilience and him being an advocate for human rights, he was assassinated by the military.

El Mozote Massacre and Rufina Amaya

A mass killing of civilians in the village of El Mozote, El Salvador. The murderers were soldiers were supposedly looking to eliminate anyone from the guerrilla. The soldiers instead killed all the men and teenagers in the church. The women, girls, and children were kept in the houses, many of them were raped, then murdered. There were around 1000 victims. Rufina Amaya was known to be the only survivor who testified that all of this happened. She was not believed at the time but was later proven correct from forensic evidence.

Four U.S. Churchwomen

in 1980, four American women traveled to El Salvador to provide aid and support to the refugees during the civil war, they were then abducted by the Salvadoran military. In this abduction they were tortured, raped, and murdered.

School of the Americas

U.S military training programs for Latin American military. Designed to strengthen Latin America against communism however the graduates would be involved in many different massacres and assassinations such as El Mozote Massacre and the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero.

Voces Inocentes

A film made in 2004 written after Oscar Torres’ childhood in the events of the Salvadoran civil war. It follows an 11-year-old boy named Chava who is trying to live his life as a child during the civil war. The film shows how violent and unforgiving living in this war was as military did not care for bystanders. It shows the loss of innocence as these children were simply trying to survive during active warfare.

Oscar Torres

Writer for the film, Voces Inocentes, as well as a survivor of the Salvadoran Civil War. He used his childhood experience to vividly show how absolutely violent and gruesome war can be, specifically the Salvadoran Civil War. He showed how children were never safe during this due to the military recruiting boys as soon as they turn 12. He later emigrated to the US after avoiding recruitment.

Harvest of Empire

The concept is a book made by Juan Gonzalez where he wrote about how immigration into the US was a direct result of their intervention in Latin American countries. The US actions helped create instability, dictatorship, and war which evidently caused Latin American refugees to flee to the US. The film is a documentary based on the book and how it connects to modern day immigration into the US.

Proposition 187

Proposition made in California in 1994 with the objective to deny undocumented immigrants access to public services. This would deny undocumented immigrants from attend K-12 schools, access medical services and state-funded benefits. It did pass but was eventually deem unconstitutional by a federal judge.