Mexican Americans

We wished to estimate the incidence of preeclampsia among a group of Hispanic women in the greater Detroit metropolitan area. We reviewed delivery records of 559 Hispanic women from a Detroit hospital and prenatal records of 134 Hispanic women who received care from an affiliated federally qualified health center in southwest Detroit. A retrospective chart review was conducted. The physician's diagnosis was used to study hospital patients. The health center patients were diagnosed on the basis of criteria established in the National High Blood Pressure Education Working Group Report. In 1998, Hispanic women who delivered at the study hospital had an incidence of preeclampsia or pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) of 1.3% (7/559), compared to non-Hispanics 5.3% (118/2241) (chi2(1) = 10.35, P < .05). The relative risk was .24. From health center prenatal records, the incidence of preeclampsia/PIH among the 134 patients was 3.7%. The difference in the incidence of preeclampsia/...

This longitudinal study examined Latino adolescents’ feelings of loneliness and the repercussions of loneliness for later educational success. Participants were 640 Latino students (56% girls, 62% Mexican/Mexican–American) who reported on loneliness across the first 2 years of high school. Growth mixture modeling identified three distinct loneliness trajectory classes for the Latino adolescents—consistently low, chronically high, and low but increasing. Language brokering, language use, and school mobility emerged as predictors of class membership. Increasingly and chronically lonely youth experienced academic difficulty, both in terms of academic progress and exit exam success, but support from friends served as a buffer of the negative relationship between loneliness and academic success. This study highlights the pernicious effects of loneliness and suggests promoting prosocial friendship support as a means of facilitating more positive academic outcomes for Latino youth.

Nepantla Familias brings together Mexican American narratives that explore and negotiate the many permutations of living in between different worlds—how the authors or their characters create, or fail to create, a cohesive identity amid the contradictions in their lives. Nepantla—or living in the in-between space of the borderland—is the focus of this anthology. The essays, poems, and short stories explore the in-between moments in Mexican American life—the family dynamics of living between traditional and contemporary worlds, between Spanish and English, between cultures with traditional and shifting identities. In times of change, family values are either adapted or discarded in the quest for self-discovery, part of the process of selecting and composing elements of a changing identity.

Edited by award-winning writer and scholar Sergio Troncoso, this anthology includes works from familiar and acclaimed voices such as David Dorado Romo, Sandra Cisneros, Alex Espinoza, Reyna Grande, and Francisco Cantú, as well as from important new voices, such as Stephanie Li, David Dominguez, and ire’ne lara silva. These are writers who open and expose the in-between places: through or at borders; among the past, present, and future; from tradition to innovation; between languages; in gender; about the wounds of the past and the victories of the present; of life and death.

Sergio Troncoso, David Dorado Romo, Reyna Grande, Stephanie Elizondo Griest, Francisco Cantú, Rigoberto González, Alex Espinoza, Domingo Martinez, Oscar Cásares, Lorraine M. López, David Dominguez, Stephanie Li, Sheryl Luna, José Antonio Rodríguez, Deborah Paredez, Octavio Quintanilla, Sandra Cisneros, Diana Marie Delgado, Diana López, Severo Perez, Octavio Solis, ire'ne lara silva, Rubén Degollado, Helena María Viramontes, Daniel Chacón, Matt Mendez.

A great American once said that “we have every right to dream heroic dreams.” I had the great opportunity the other day to interview an authentic World War II hero, Professor Eduardo Peniche. Ed is 79 years old, a proud soldier, linguist, college professor, grandfather and, an American of Mexican birth. His story is one of courage and commitment and it is worth telling.

The purpose of this study is to investigate religious features of curanderismo, specifically the role of ostensibly Roman Catholic beliefs and practices in the training and work of curandero/as. The integration of religious beliefs and practices within the rituals of curanderismo and how this potential clash of worldviews negatively and positively impacts clients and practitioners are examined. Interviews were conducted with practicing curandero/as and clients who had sought their services. Factors observed to have potential to facilitate healing include psychological reassurance gained through incorporating familiar religious beliefs and paraphernalia and the therapeutic healing property of features of curanderismo practice, such as herbs used in many remedies. Negative effects may result from feelings of distrust, fear, and embarrassment engendered by seeking care from a curandero/a. Future research targeting the complexities of the relationship between Roman Catholicism and curan...

In defiance of general trends in ethnic-minority broadcasting, U.S. Spanish-language radio enjoyed remarkably consistent growth from its beginnings in the 1920s to its commercial maturation in the 1960s and 1970s. To explain how this happened, this study situates broadcasting in Spanish within the context of foreign-language (or “ethnic”) radio. It then elucidates the factors behind its sustained increase in popularity and commercial viability over its first 50 years, along with the reasons why programming in other tongues diminished. Spanish-language radio’s early success owed not only to demography but also to Latin America’s proximity to the United States, circular flows of entertainers, mutual attitudes between Anglos and Hispanics, and the creative initiatives of Hispanic radio executives, brokers, and advertisers.

Best History Book, International Latino Book Awards 2022.

While the North End has long been the beginning of the American dream for many peoples including African Americans, Southeast Asians, and Anglo Americans, it is perhaps the Mexican American community that best embodies the hopes and struggles in this part of the city. The first wave worked in the packing houses and communities with names such as El Huarache, La Topeka, and El Rock Island emerged nearby.  As the twentieth century unfolded, their children and grandchildren established a vibrant neighborhood along 21st and Broadway.  In recent years, the old industries of the area have faded while a new wave of immigrants from Latin America has been able to redefine an area.  Today, the Mexican American heritage in the North End has become one of its most defining features, an example of a broader diversity that has always made this part of the city special.

In this essay, I argue that familial development was a key concern for Chicanas, and was intertwined with their broader aims to revolutionize their communities and the rest of society along with them. The variety of claims they articulated, from reproductive rights, education, child care services, and sexual freedom bore a special relation to the development of la familia towards a more liberal, feminist, conception of it, while maintaining it as a central identity marker.
Because of this, the conception of la familia under Xicanisma was tailored specifically to their particular experiences as both Chicanas and women. Mothers were both victims and enactors of patriarchal and oppressive structures, while grandmothers offered rest from the strict gender roles enforced by mothers. Fathers were unwanted protectors of “their women” and, along with brothers, were benefactors of the patriarchy.
In a sense, Chicanas hoped to change their immediate surroundings, la familia, in order to be better equipped to fight for the Chicano cause, in a more integrated and egalitarian community which offered women the possibility of participating in their community’s struggle, while retaining their gender identity and individualism.
In this way, Xicanisma worked both at the level of the community and at the level of the individual, which is why I emphasize the importance of the (single) Chicana in the title. Each individual Chicana fought to be included in both the Chicano and the mainstream feminist narratives, which left out their particular experiences. In their journey towards gender equality, they hoped to reform the family structure, that would in turn impact their individual wellbeing as well as that of their community, so that one day there might be equality for all.

Warto zacząć od odpowiedzi, jaką Amerykanie udzielają sobie i innym na pytanie, kim są. Otóż tożsamość amerykańska ma charakter obywatelski, nie zaś etniczny. Wprawdzie w momencie uzyskania niepodległości aż 80% obywateli miało pochodzenie brytyjskie, ale właśnie dzięki wspólnym wartościom i zwyczajom udało się zbudować tożsamość odrębną od brytyjskiej, czyniąc to na podstawie wartości demokratycznych, a nie odmienności etnicznej. Proces ten sprzyjał więc otwartej i inkluzywnej koncepcji narodu, której przejawem jest hasło E pluribus unum ("z wielu-jeden"), przypisywane Wirgiliuszowi i przyjęte w 1782 r. przez Kongres jako napis na Wielkiej Pieczęci Stanów Zjedno-czonych. Hasło to uznawane było przez prawie dwa wieki - do czasu przyjęcia przez Kongres w 1956 r. oficjalnego motta In God We Trust za faktyczne motto Stanów Zjednoczonych. Do dziś pozostaje jedną z dewiz kultury i tożsamości amerykańskiej. Kultura jest także nośnikiem wartości cenionych przez dane społeczeństwo. W przypadku Stanów Zjednoczonych te wartości to m.in. wolność, indywidualizm, nieufność w stosunku do władzy, pragmatyzm, szczególne podejście do równości, wolontariat, optymizm i wysoka mobilność społeczna. W samym centrum wartości i idei społeczeństwa amerykańskiego leży wol-ność. Amerykanie wysoko cenią zarówno wolność negatywną (brak ograniczeń i przeszkód), jak i wolność pozytywną (możliwość działania). Centralna rola wolności w kulturze amerykańskiej sięga zarania państwowości. Do dziś jest też często przywoływana w dyskursie publicznym. Partia Republikańska akcentuje na przy-kład wolność gospodarczą, tzn. swobodę prowadzenia działalności gospodarczej, niskie podatki, deregulację i jak najmniejszą ingerencję państwa. Republikanie są także przeciwni ograniczaniu przez państwo dostępu do broni palnej, uzasadniając to prawem jednostki do samoobrony. Partia Demokratyczna z kolei opowiada się za wolnością w sferze życia prywatnego. Co więcej, wolność bywa nawet wykorzystywana jako argument uzasadniający atak na inne państwo.

In a brief fashion, this paper covers the history of the Chicano Art movement from its origins in the 1960s up to some of its more recent expressions. The essay also includes a succinct history of the Chicano socio-political movement, since the author maintains that the Chicano art is interrelated and interdependent to it. On the artistic movement’s history, it is noted the significant influence of the Mexican Muralist Movement and other Mexican artists, like Frida Kahlo. It is also remarked the fundamental importance of the indigenous Mexican Pre-Columbian art forms and myths. On the description of the movement, the paper states that the essence of the Chicano Art movement is to provide an artistic outlet to the Chicanos social demands, helping the Mexican-American community to find and define its own identity as an American ethnic group, with the purpose of empowering it. As the American society becomes more diverse, the Chicano art movement moves forward, progressively assimilating to the American cultural mainstream.

Utilizing the concept of race-based traumatic stress, this study tested whether posttraumatic stress symptoms explain the process by which perceived discrimination is related to health risk behaviors among Mexican American adolescents. One hundred ten participants were recruited from a large health maintenance organization in Northern California. Mediational analyses indicated that adolescents who perceived more discrimination reported worse posttraumatic stress symptoms, controlling for covariates. In turn, adolescents who experienced heightened posttraumatic stress symptoms reported more alcohol use, more other drug use, involvement in more fights, and more sexual partners. Perceived discrimination was also directly related to involvement in more fights. Results provide support for the notion of race-based traumatic stress, specifically, that perceived discrimination may be traumatizing for Mexican American adolescents. Counseling psychologists and counselors in schools and community settings should assess Mexican American adolescents for the effects of discrimination and provide appropriate interventions to reduce its negative emotional impact.

This is the first study that provides normative, reliability, factor validity and discriminant validity data of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI; Beck, Epstein, Brown, & Steer, 1988) in the Spanish general population, Sanz and Navarro's (2003) Spanish version of the BAI was administered to 249 adults. Factor analyses suggested that the BAI taps a general anxiety dimension comprising two related factors (somatic and affective-cognitive symptoms), but these factors hardly explained any additional variance and, therefore, little information is lost in considering only full-scale scores. Internal consistency estimate for the BAI was high (alpha = .93). The BAI was correlated .63 with the BDI-II and .32 with the Trait-Anger scale of the STAXI 2, but a factor analysis of their items revealed three factors, suggesting that the correlations between the instruments may be better accounted for by relationships between anxiety, depression, and anger, than by problems of discriminant validit...

Health and nursing are shifting from acute care to community settings, causing confusion for clients and professionals. Although the holistic nursing perspective has improved care to human beings in interaction with their environment and has moved nursing away from pathology-focused care, the community as the focus of care has not been addressed. This article presents an integrated model of community health that expands holistic nursing to the community as client. The model clarifies nursing care for the individual, family, aggregate, and community. One can focus on any one level, with the awareness that each is part of a unified whole. Holistic community nursing completes the circle of care by moving beyond the particular part to focus on the greatest health for the community. The intent is to help nurses describe their unique areas of expertise within the complex community system and to establish a basis for collaboration and partnership.

Nobody's Pilgrims is an adventure story about three teenagers, Turi, Molly, and Arnulfo, on the run from evil and unwittingly carrying even a greater menace in their stolen truck. The border goes beyond the border in a story about who belongs in the United States and how finding your place in this world is about finding the right person to be with you. A literary novel with the propulsion of a thriller, Nobody's Pilgrims both offers and questions the possibility of escape in America -- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn meets No Country for Old Men. (Lee & Low Books: Cinco Puntos Press, 2022)

"The castoffs and castaways of Nobody's Pilgrims hit the road in search of the American Dream, a long shot made longer by the pack of human devils hot on their trail. In this superb novel, Sergio Troncoso gives us a fresh take not only on the great American road trip, but on the American Dream itself in all its glorious and increasingly fragile promise. The propulsive force of this novel, and the destination it ultimately brings us to, left me wanting more, and yet feeling completely satisfied. As only the best novels do."
--Ben Fountain, PEN/Hemingway award-winning author of Brief Encounters with Che Guevara

"In a world marked by cruelty, corruption, bigotry and disease, Troncoso shows us there's still room for love. With his finely honed prose style, he takes us on a journey across the country with three young hungry teens whose dreams are the only lifelines they have left. A powerful, compelling read."
--Octavio Solis, author of Retablos: Stories From a Life Lived Along the Border

"Eloquent, bold and terrifying, Nobody's Pilgrims is a fresh new take on the ancient themes of innocence pursued by evil, and of the young finding their way through a chaotic and uncertain world. Turi, Arnulfo and Molly are original and uniquely endearing, and they're a pleasure to travel with, even on such a frightening journey."
--Elizabeth Crook, author of Monday, Monday

"Nobody's Pilgrims offers a stark vision of a country whose social ills have sullied the path to the pursuit of happiness. Yet its intrepid protagonists Turi and Molly persevere, charting their own map and adapting, like generations of dreamers, immigrants, and adventurers before them, to the latest hurdles of our troubled world. Sergio Troncoso has given us a timely dystopian tale heavy with anguish but invigorated by resilience."
--Rigoberto González, author of Butterfly Boy: Memories of a Chicano Mariposa

This essay examines the murals of the Chicano movement, which flourished in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1960s, through the lens of colonial Latin American iconography. Murals were a powerful means of communication as Chicano artists sought to address the marginalization and political isolation of Mexican-Americans in society. Much of the scholarship regarding murals completed in the late 1960’s through the 1980’s decodes the use of indigenous icons and Mesoamerican modes of representation. While this emphasis on the pre-colonial era has been made clear, there are indisputable instances of colonial visual remnants in Chicano murals, and their function serves as an artistic form of resistance against past or present injustices. Examining these murals through the lens of colonial Latin American art and identity allows audiences to come to terms with a complex history, and find instances of beauty in an oppressive past.

DRAFT PROOF of a chapter from Sämi Ludwig (ed), AMERICAN MULTICULTURALISM IN CONTEXT(Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2017). To cite this work, please see the published version when available. Book information at: http://www.cambridgescholars.com/american-multiculturalism-in-context

The Conference Program I designed for the First Annual La Chola Conference sCHOLAr: The Study and Work of Homegirls Online Virtual Presentation Brought to you by The IxChel Scholarship Foundation Chola Vida, OG Chola Pinup 2021 #LACHOLACONFERENCE #LACHOLACON2021