When Mary Salinas Durón ’75 was a college student at the newly formed Loyola Marymount University, she noticed the student government, dominated by white resident students, refused to fund any activities for Chicano students. Taking matters into her own hands, she became president of Student Congress and formed a Chicano voting bloc, ensuring the needs of Mexican American students at LMU would be prioritized as much as those of her white peers.
Decades later, Salinas Durón continues to put community first — through her professional work in the financial sector empowering Latinos, and through her passion for Chicano art and co-creation of one of the most important collections of Chicano art in the world — which is currently on display in “Seeing Chicanx: The Durón Family Collection” at LMU College of Communication and Fine Arts’ Laband Art Gallery. Now through December 6, the public can experience over 50 artworks from the Durón Family Collection by renowned artists such as Laura Aguilar, Frank Romero, Judy Baca, and many more.
Just as the artworks in “Seeing Chicanx” serve as a record of the contemporary Chicano experience, the Duróns have generously contributed their own experiences to the LMU archive in the form of narrated oral histories for IHIP. Launched five years ago, IHIP is a crucial hands-on component of the university’s ongoing campus-wide anti-racism initiative that seeks to gather stories and images from alumni and the greater LMU community to tell a full and inclusive LMU story. The Durón’s own unique and inspiring stories, many of which took place in the same beloved campus buildings we use today, are now preserved in perpetuity and accessible to all. IHIP interviews for both Armando Durón and Mary Salinas Durón are available through wall texts in “Seeing Chicanx: The Durón Family Collection….”
I object to politicization of Mexican-Americans by radical fools. None of the Latinos I know, and none in my family (by marriage) ever use the term “Chicano.” In Latin American countries, as well as in Spain and Portugal, students learn to speak; read and write Spanish or Portuguese beautifully, learn their history well, and read great works by great writers and poets in their language and culture. They also learn all about their great artists, architects, musical composers, traditional Spanish dance (and related styles of dance), and all aspects of their centuries -old, tremendous cultural heritage and traditions.
I am so happy you wrote that. If people want such art on plaques or paintings in their homes, that is one thing, but putting such art on buildings, fences and overpasses is another. It looks cheap and inappropriate. My husband who is partially of Mexican descent would not approve either. His Mexican-American mother would not have put up with it. I do not think ANY kind of “ethnic” art on such structures is acceptable. If a store or shop is selling ethnic items, the owner can show such items on a window advertisement and so forth, not on the building.
I agree. Such “art” certainly is not representative of true Mexican great art, nor the “Three Greats” (“Los Tres Grandes”– Mexican Muralism, 1920s-1940s) ) Mexican muralists, Rivera, Orozco, and Siqueiros, taught in university classes. What the American leftist hippie activists failed to understand, is that true artistic geniuses — no matter who the artist is, or his race, age, or life circumstances — will usually be recognized, and all the public will care about, is their fine artistic talent — nothing else will matter. The world will chase after him/her, offer fame and money, and practically worship him (or her) for their great talent– with the highest respect and honor. Their great works will be studied in every university. Great artistic geniuses also may champion great causes, or else tragically perish in a terrible war or revolution– such as the French or Russian Revolutions, etc. The great literary poet and playwright, Federico Garcia Lorca, was tragically killed in the Spanish Civil War. Great artistic geniuses do not waste their time with pitifully mindless, non-intellectual, degraded revolutions on American college campuses.
I am not a fan of modern art– in Mexico, Latin America, or anywhere else. But I do feel that a university should have high standards in every field, and in all that they teach their students.
I have never in my life seen a very excellent Spanish or Latin American university professor– teaching or giving lectures in any field– complain that he or she is a “victim,” sufferring from any sort of “tragic discrimination” on an American college campus. They might give lectures on serious evils committed by Marxist or Communist dictators in a Latin American country. But these evils do not exist in America. American college kids come from decent homes where they are well-fed and “spoiled” with many luxuries and privileges unknown in other countries. These professors command respect, and kids had better listen, and behave as mature college students, in their classes. The dirty, rebellious hippies were mindlessly led by the nose to be violent, anti-society and anti-Christian leftist activists, tearing down everything in sight– leading horrible, destructive lives, centered around highly destructive, ignorant sex-dope-&-rock-“music” entertainment. They had endless tantrums about being disrespected “victims of discrimination” in one way or another. They refused to see that the only way to get respect and stop being babyish “victims”– is to end their filthy, rebellious, highly destructive “lifestyle” — and grow up, and behave as respectable, mature adults in our society.
Much smarter for interested students to get a Ph.D. in Spanish literature– and then, teach it on the college level, along with Spanish and Latin American history and culture. You would be highly respected for that. You can also specialize in an area of interest– such as the “Golden Age” Spanish poets and writers of Spain. Or the great Mexican writers and poets. Etc. So-called “Chicano Studies” is a bunch of liberal political garbage– unfit for serious study and research.
Many people from Latin American countries have asked Americans to refrain from use of the liberal radical (and LGBT) gender-less term, “Latinx” and “Chicanx.” Such terms are very disrespectful. The Spanish language has a definite grammatical division of masculine and feminine nouns, along with proper articles (el/la) and adjectives, which must be respected and used correctly
Does anyone at LMU ever study anything other than butt-hurt ethnic feelings and butt-hurt LGBT feelings?
So, Chicano is back and LatinX, Latino and Latina are out, along with Hispanic? Wait, I see, Chicano and Chicana are still out, Chicanx is the term, for now, as long as gender confusion reigns in “higher education.” And, LMU says that’s from their “newsroom?!”
That’s ridiculx.
C’est Magnifique!
Totalitarian Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) apparently didn’t get the memo. She refers to herself as a “Muslima.” I guess that makes me a Catholico and an Americano. A Catholico primo and an Americano segundo. Would someone at LMU send Ms. Tlaib the X files, por favor? Maybe Chico in the mail room? Lo siento, I meant to say lx sientx ,Chicx in the non-binary room. I’ll have to visit Calfornix again soon to get enlightened by Catholicx there. Miss y’all. JK
Thx. 😜
The extreme irony is that the chicano movement is deemed to have functionally ended by the mid-seventies and stayed frozen in time in uncreative art that piggybacked on Aztec and folk art and Warhol techniques. The abuse of our Lady of Guadalupe’s image and mockery of santo art showed the nihilism and emptiness of the violent Chicano movement that took major inspiration from the Black Panther movement. The LMU show owes it to the current student body and public viewers to give the dark activist context that this angry art was born in.
How many titles do these people want to be called? Latino, Hispanic, Latinx, Chicanco, Black, African American, Negro, Asian, Oriental, Pacific Islander, Native American, Indian? Whites who only account for just 60% now of the population don’t wake up every morning and say hmmmm what should I call myself today? This has gotten way past old and tiresome none of this was even talked about 50 years ago when cities like Minneapolis St. Paul, Denver, Chicago, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, St. Louis, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Philadelphia were majority white cities we were just all Americans and not put into racial camps. Let the truth be told without any feeling of guilt that red states and white majority cities do not have the crime issues and racial hang ups like blue Leftwing states and cities with brown people as the majority do, I have no hesitation to state the facts about what the hell is going on in this country.
Make of it what you will – “Whitey” ain’t reproducing.
This is estupido. I mean estupidx.
I used to think I was a Cubano. I was born here, but my parents immigrated (legally) from Cubx.
I’ve got to get back to work.
Many places of business, and government offices, provide information about their services in a number of different languages. I think a national language is better, if possible, and to make sure that everyone can speak, read and write it, fluently. A national identity, formed of a “melting pot” of Americans– whose families were originally immigrants from other countries– is the best idea, where you can still enjoy some parts of your family heritage and history– but join together with all other Americans, and support our great country, together, as one group.
Very true, Whites are not reproducing Europe is a prime example as Islam quickly has taken over.