American G.I Forum and Mexican American Politics

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Background
Political life of Mexican Americans
Prejudice among Mexican Americans
Influence of governance to prejudice
Partisanship and Political issues
Immigration and Age in political influence
Cultural life of Mexican Americans
Foods, Music and Creativity
Economic issues
Conclusion
Works Cited
Endnotes

Introduction

For several years, foreign communities seeking asylum in the US have continually suffered from racial prejudice and alienation. Several communities living in the US including the black Americans, Afro-Americans, Anglo-American, Canadians, Cubans, Mexicans, Filipinos, Hawaiians, and Chinese among others have experienced discrimination.¹

This aspect led to rising of veterans from different immigrant communities. In special attention to Mexicans, this community had veterans who tirelessly fought for equity especially among Native Americans and immigrant labourers.

The advent of these veterans led to the formation of American Government Issue Forum that consequently spread to over 40 Texas cities in the United States.²

This forum provided a route through which Mexican American veterans articulated their grievances on bigotry against them, which countered favouritism and immigrants found a relief to equity.

Therefore, this paper seeks to examine how the Mexicans in the US integrate in the state through labour unions and how they solve their daily problems socially and politically.

Background

Mexican veterans have continually played a significant role in the life of Mexican Americans living in the U.S, with G.I. Forums making great impacts on their lives. The G.I. Forum came into existence in the year 1948, immediately after the end of the Second World War.³

Dr. Hector P. Garcia initiated the organisation with a primary objective of addressing Mexican American veterans’ issues including the alienation that they were undergoing at that time. Mexican American veterans faced ethnic and racial discrimination in numerous ways.

To begin, the veterans suffered denial of medical services while serving under the United States Army. On realisation of the prejudice that dominated the U.S. army and the entire state, the G.I. Forums officially started fighting against racial and ethnic intolerance to restore equity between the Native Americans and the immigrants.⁴

Soon the G.I. Forums grew exponentially covering several cities in Texas claiming for civil, voting, educational, and adjudicator’s assortment rights.

After acquiring recognition in the U.S, the war against discrimination did not halt. Mexican American leaders and other veterans continued suffering until after the assassination of their most influential leader, Felix Longoria.⁵

The white veterans tried to deny Mr. Longoria burial service, but the founder of the G.I. Forums secured the burial of the veteran through political talks.

The advent of this case brought the American G.I Forum into public and national attention. The American G.I Forum continued to fight against discrimination and ensured that Mexican Americans received all rights just as other citizens, especially in the areas of healthcare to the poor.⁶

Voting being among their greatest concerns got substantial boost after the G.I. leaders fundraised to pay poll taxes for those who were poor, but willing to vote consequently increasing their political prowess.

Currently, G.I. Forum is a nationally recognised organisation focusing on veterans and civilians civil and educational rights.

Political life of Mexican Americans

Through the American G.I Forums’ efforts, equity between Mexican American and Native Americans became an important issue in the US. Through a gradual process of assimilation, the Mexican Americans living in the states have definitely had an opportunity to integrate into the American community.⁷

Their population has steadily increased and to a certain extent, their political dexterity is now eminent in several cities across the US. Since the formation of the American G.I Forums, political life of Mexican Americans has continually witnessed recession.

Several acts and reforms have propelled the Mexican Americans living in the US. The number of Mexican American immigrants has continually increased due to efforts of eliminating prejudice initiated by the American G.I Forums.⁸

However, compared to Asians, Mexican American citizens have little educational and occupational opportunities, which consequently limit their chances of political participation and voting, which is significantly influenced by ethnicity.

Prejudice among Mexican Americans

Despite numerous efforts by Mexican leaders residing in the US, differences in sociodemographic background between the Native American whites and other migrant groups remains quite eminent.

To date, the level of racial parity is a critical issue amongst American immigrants, with most of them becoming internally colonised.⁹

Ethnic biasness in the voting registration has dominated Texas and other area within the U.S “for the majority of Americans, voting requires few resources, while on the other hand, for individuals with personal or recent family history of immigration, however, there is an additional ‘cost’ to this most common form of participation”.¹⁰

Ethnic bias is a nuisance and hindrance towards Mexican Americans’ political participation in the US and thus their political impact is hardly felt due to low voting rates.

Influence of governance to prejudice

The form of regional administration and local governances frustrates Mexican American in their political economy. Due to continued ethnic issues and other biasness practiced through acculturation. Acculturation refers to an individual autonomy over civil duties and accessibility to information.¹¹

A sense of civic duty means that an individual has civic rights, which include voting and participating in national affairs. On the other hand, “an individual’s level of information is gauged by the degree of familiarity with the American issues.”¹²

Most of the Mexican American citizens lack these two important variables, which are the most commonly associated with political partnership. Being more informed means that one has the prowess of civic rights that allow someone to participate actively in the government public affairs.¹³

Of the two most important issues, lack of information and low sense of civic duty posses significant barriers towards participation of Mexican Americans in political affairs.

Partisanship and Political issues

Partisanship is another factor that affects Mexican American political influence in the US. Partisanship simply describes the citizen’s ability, willingness, and power that influence selection of politicians or leaders.¹⁴ Partisanship is a very influential variable in the leadership and political landscape of the Americans.

Characterised by ethnicity and other socio-demographic factors, the whites have higher political participation due to partisanship.¹⁵ Due to partisanship that Americans mostly dominate, leaders from the Mexican American community and their fellow citizens rarely possess chances in the American political realm.

Compared to other immigrants living in the U.S, “better education, occupation, and stronger partisanship are important predictors of campaign contribution.”¹⁶

Therefore, in common knowledge, having a stronger partisanship depicts that Americans have a better likelihood of participating in voting and political issues.

Immigration and Age in political influence

The whites’ negative attitude towards immigration and immigrants is also a factor that significantly influences the Mexican Americans participation in the Americans politics. Native American views other races as illegal immigrants who have no civil, educational, labour, or even economical rights.

This aspect consequently creates fear of prejudice from naturalisation and immigration service officials amongst Mexican Americans and other negro-white immigrants living in the U.S, which keeps them less informed and active in political affairs, giving pleasure of political dominance to the whites.¹⁷

Age is also a predominant socio-demographic factor. In most cases, old age associates with strong partisanship that influences voting participation amongst the whites.

With these two factors, there is a clear sense that they adversely affect the Mexican American political participation and political influence in general. Due to lack of proper laws to protect immigrants, the American whites have continuously practiced prejudice and segregation.

Cultural life of Mexican Americans

Mexican Americans have a unique culture with a substantial influence to the rest of immigrants and the American natives. Since Mexican Americans are the largest immigrant group in the US, their cultural influence spreads exponentially.

“The persistent inflow of Hispanic immigrants threatens to divide the United States into two peoples, two cultures, and two languages.”¹⁸

Unlike other immigrants, the Mexican American immigrants have not integrated or rather assimilated into the American culture, instead Americans have continually adopted the Mexican American culture. Taking an example of cultural dominance in Texas, where the American G.I Forum brought significant reforms, there is diversity of Mexican American culture.¹⁹

Their cultural housing system known as “colonias” dominates most parts of Texas with some whites adopting it.²⁰ In El Paso, Texas, the Mexican American culture has influenced the culture of the surrounding communities through their music, foods, customs, and other cultural practises including ceremonies and other merriment parties.

Foods, Music and Creativity

Mexican American music is among the most popular music with its acceptance cutting across all ages and races along the American boarders. The entire Mexican culture has a nature of consumerism.

Despite unequal economic and political power, Mexican Americans have managed to explore music and food market through their consumerism culture. For instance, in El Paso, Texas, basic foods of Mexican culture epitomise the complexity of the consumerism culture in this region.

“The consumerism culture of the Mexican American culture is eminent in grocery stores, family parties, and fast-food restaurants in El Paso.”²¹ There are several Mexican basic foods, which have played an important role in propelling the services of fast-food restaurants in the city including fresh tortillas, tacos, hamburgers, burritos, and even cakes and beverages.

Currently, Mexicans’ basic foods that people consumed in the Mexican interiors have now become the first choice foods that have completely replaced the American food culture in El Paso, Texas. Music is another Mexican culture that has regulated and changed cultures in the US. “The replenishment of Mexican immigrants maintains the vitality of Mexican culture and the social boundaries that animate ethnic distinctions.”²²

Music is a popular Mexican America culture in El Paso, with their traditional and modern stage performances dominating the region. Replenished by painting techniques (murals), community social networks, and their family co-operations, the Mexican music has continually performed well across the US.

Commercial businesses and big hotels have now realised the talent possessed by Mexicans and this element has increased the consumerism of the Mexican culture and music.

Consumerism culture of the Mexicans has now placed them into a position that at least enables them to overcome ethnic barriers, economical differences, and political inequalities that have segregated the Mexican communities residing in the United States.

Apparently, Mexicans like their fellow Philippines and Spanish counterparts are renowned for their creativity in movies and soaps that have great media dominance across the world. One of the key components of their consumerism culture lies in their culture.

The key element of Mexican American culture is common in the use of Spanglish. This element of creativity is frequent in radios, billboards, televisions, product advertisement, and signs in restaurants and in the grocery stores used as attractive public figures to nurture business.

“The majority of radio stations in El Paso broadcast in Spanish and incorporate much Spanglish, especially in advertising.”²³ Due to the influence from television, radio, and other advertising media, the Spanglish has now become a common language and is currently the standard language for communication between Mexican American businesspersons. Comedians are now using Spanglish in their comedies.

Economic issues

Economically, the Mexicans are still languishing in poverty in the US. To date, the American government recognises Mexican American as illegal immigrants and are therefore economically disadvantaged. “Mexican Americans also constitute one of the most economically disadvantaged groups in the United States.”²⁴

Estimates reveal that most Mexicans live below the poverty level with an average of 40 per cent as their household income. Despite being the most dominant immigrant population in the US significantly increasing to the growth of the entire American population, their economic condition is disquieting.

Mexicans like other immigrants are the first victims of economic problems during the national economic downturns due to high rates of unemployment and low paying jobs that associate with the Mexican Americans.²⁵

Poverty has stricken most Mexicans and other immigrants that are disproportionately segregated having an estimated unemployment rate of 4.9 per cent.

However, resulting from their hard work, Mexicans living in the US have significantly influenced the American economic growth. Mexicans work in several industries including agriculture, construction, and other small companies and businesses. Americans cannot ignore the efforts of Mexicans in building the American economy.

“The experiences of second and third generation Mexican Americans reveal the long-term economic prospects of the Mexican-origin population.”²⁶ However, despite their efforts, the American government rarely recognises Mexican immigrants and higher level of socio-economic differences are still dominant across American cities and states.

In fact, statics keep on ignoring their economic efforts and keep on displaying false statics that undermine Mexicans’ hard work in propelling the American economy.²⁷

The fight to stabilise equity, which the American G.I. Forum initiated and has continuously emphasised, has significantly enhanced the educational attainment, which is key to improving the Mexican Americans’ economic status.

Conclusion

The American G.I. Forum, which was started in the year 1948 by Mexican American veterans, brought a great impact in acquiring social justice and civil rights to several immigrants living in the US.

Since the advent of the American G.I. Forum, Mexicans and other immigrants residing in the US have gradually tried to assimilate into the American environment by realising the importance of education and civil rights including voting.²⁸

However, the Mexican Americans have continually faced segregation with their political and economical influence rarely recognised. Ethnic differences, the aspect of immigration, acculturation, partisanship, and socio-economic disparities are factors that have significantly affected Mexican American participation in political issues in the US.

Socio-economic differences have the greatest impact on Mexicans’ political participation. However, Mexicans have proven important in shaping the culture of their surrounding especially in the Texas City.

Mexican American’s culture of consumerism has dominated almost all regions around the city of Texas where American G.I. Forums started its roots. Mexican consumerism culture is eminent in America ranging from basic foodstuffs, commutation language, and their music as well.

Works Cited

American Government Issue Forum. History of the American G.I. Forum: American G.I. Forum, 2011. Web.

Campbell, Howard. “Chicano Lite: Mexican-American consumer culture on the border.” Journal of Consumer Culture 5.207 (2005): 204-233. Print.

Fitzgerald, David. “Beyond ‘trans-nationalism’: Mexican hometown politics at an American labour union.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 27.2 (2004): 228–247. Print.

Grogger, Jeffrey, and Stephen Trejo. Research Brief: Public Policy Institute of California, 2012. Web.

Hook, Jennifer, and Jennifer Glick. “Immigration and Living Arrangements: Moving Beyond Economic Need versus Acculturation.” Demography 44.2 (2007): 225-249. Print.

Jackson, Robert. “Differential Influences on Latino Electoral Participation.” Political Behaviour 25.4 (2003): 339-366. Print.

Jimenez, Tomas, and David Fitzgerald. “Mexican Assimilation: A Temporal and Spatial Reorientation.” Du bois review 4.2 (2007): 337–354. Print.

Lien, Pei-te. “Ethnicity and political participation: A comparison between Asian and Mexican Americans.” Political Behaviour 16.2 (1994): 237-249. Print.

Rosenblum, Mar, and Kate Brick. U.S. Immigration Policy and Mexican/ Central American Migration Flows: Then and Now, 2011. Web.

Villarreal, Angeles. “U.S.-Mexico Economic Relations: Trends, Issues, and Implications.” Congressional Research Service, 2012. Web.

Endnotes

Pei-te Lien. “Ethnicity and political participation: A comparison between Asian and Mexican Americans.” Political Behaviour 16.2(1994): 243.
American Government Issue Forum. History of the American G.I. Forum American, G.I. Forum, 2011. Web.
American Government Issue Forum.
American Government Issue Forum.
American Government Issue Forum.
American Government Issue Forum.
Howard Campbell. “Chicano Lite: Mexican-American consumer culture on the border.” Journal of Consumer Culture, 5.207 (2005): 233.
Tomas Jimenez and David, Fitzgerald. “Mexican Assimilation: A Temporal and Spatial Reorientation.” Du bois review 4.2 (2007): 338.
Tomas Jimenez and David, Fitzgerald. (2007): 339.
Pei-te Lien. (1994): 237.
Pei-te Lien. (1994): 255.
Pei-te Lien. (1994): 255.
Pei-te Lien. (1994):255.
Tomas Jimenez and David, Fitzgerald. (2005): 233.
Pei-te Lien. (1994):253.
Pei-te Lien. (1994):250.
Angeles Villarreal. “U.S.-Mexico Economic Relations: Trends, Issues, and Implications.” Congressional Research Service, 2012. Web.
Robert Jackson. “Differential Influences on Latino Electoral Participation.” Political Behaviour 25.4 (2003): 342.
Robert Jackson. (2003): 345.
Howard Campbell. (2005): 210.
Howard Campbell. (2005): 207.
David Fitzgerald. “Beyond ‘trans-nationalism’: Mexican hometown politics at an American labour union.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 27.2 (2004): 245.
Howard Campbell. (2005): 213.
Jeffrey Grogger, and Stephen Trejo. Research Brief, 2012. Web.
Marc Rosenblum and Kate Brick.
Jeffrey Grogger and Stephen Trejo.
Marc Rosenblum and Kate Brick. “U.S. Immigration Policy and Mexican/ Central American Migration Flows: Then and Now, 2011. Web.
Jennifer, Hook, and Jennifer Glick. “Immigration and Living Arrangements: Moving Beyond Economic Need versus Acculturation.” Demography 44.2 (2007): 230.

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