The growing Hispanic population attracted the attention of markets and politicians, creating both an expansion of businesses and a political backlash. The designation “Mexican” expanded to reflect a diverse “Latino” market.
Immigration and the “Decade of the Hispanic”. The next period was not a continual improvement of the Mexican American/Chicano condition. It was more a steps-forward-steps-back history, much of it around the growing conservative California governorships after the Jerry Brown democratic era to the Ronald Reagan one. Most issues and clashes were backlash to former Democratic gains and centered around issues of immigration and language. Reagan’s amnesty program, the Immigration Reform and Control Act, (IRCA) created a path to become legal and legalize families, worth it to many who applied and waited the five years. Propositions 187 and 209 were among those attempting to deny services and advantages to the Mexican American “minority.” The term “bilingual’ was a hot and divisive topic, whether education or the ballot. AMAE advocated for bilingual education and affirmative action as well as desegregation efforts. By the end of the 80s Decade, we felt disappointment in that maybe our time had not really come yet.
Conditions in Southern Mexico drew many migrants to the Valley from Oaxaca and other native regions where not even Spanish was the language, but native ones. They settled early on in Madera areas and later in communities of the valley from Selma to Tulare County. Oaxaca’s drought and Mexico’s Recession forced many to leave, but ties and traditions they maintained in Spanish, Mixtec, Zapotec and Trique created a binational sense of “OaxacaCalifornia.”
From turmoil in El Salvador, the salvadoreños were drawn to the fields especially in the Mendota area, refugees with temporary protection status for 17 years. Increasingly there were others from Latin American Counties. Farmer Joe Del Bosque on the West side saw his community around Firebaugh and Mendota go from Mexican and bracero workers to Latin American ones, as pictured in a September celebration of the occasions many share to celebrate the independence from Spain. Latin Americans also found their voice and celebrations in the Latin American Club, promoting social and cultural events.
Educational Efforts. During the 80s and the 90s, Chicano activism was joined with Hispanic activism and Latino activism as identity and image became key issues and words became important definers for those in the community and those who wished to lump the community in a single descriptor. Asking Sarah Reyes, a graduate of the next generation, issues that became important were image, not letting negative stereotypes and gang violence define the community and set back progress it had made. Get rid of the Frito Bandito, Speedy Gonzales, the Taco Bell campesino, and the “Yo quiero Taco Bell” chihuahua. The 1980s was the Decade of the Hispanic” and we almost bought it. Many were uncomfortable with anything Mexican associated with something negative, especially in movies like American Me and Boulevard Nights. Certainly, there were more roles for Latinos and a concerted awareness of the old and damaging stereotypes, but still echoes of portrayals of Latin Lovers and Sexy Latinas. During this time also emerged new role models–Gloria Estefan, Latin Jazz greats, Ricky Martin, Julio Iglesias. The general public was given a dose of “La Vida Loca.” That growing, if selective, acceptance of Latin culture, food, and music only grew in scope and numbers to today.
As for the issue of education, in 1980 the AMAE Conference theme was “Make Something Happen,” focusing on the dropout rates. Bilingual Education became more sophisticated and studied and advocated through a growing number of bilingual teachers and another organization, the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE.) The Chicano Alumni formed by Manuel and Frances Olgin at CSUF began a tradition of the Chicano Commencement that not only fills the CSUF stadium, it inspires and raises scholarships. To judge progress in education, take the biography of Cesar Chavez as an example of what many Mexican American students experienced. Then fast-forward to the end of the decade when dual immersion programs began to be taken seriously.
Fields of Business. These last decades of the century brought more into positions of influence and economic success. We especially feature in the exhibit those who also gave back to the community along the way. The Mexican frozen food business of Ruiz Foods in Dinuba began from a food truck in the fields of Tulare County to a nation-wide business. Fred is also a philanthropist in contributing to Mexican American community events and efforts from being an Arte Américas major donor to community fundraisers. As were other business families, like Helen Chavez of Mission Foods, Los Villegas of the Chihuahua Tortillera, the Salazars from Selma and the Cortes family in Visalia. At the same time, they participated and represented the community in general through service on boards and institutions. In Fred’s case, he was also a major donor to CSUF, to the University of Merced and the former Metropolitan Museum. Most of them were also involved in the establishment and development of the respective Mexican American and Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, with key organizations in Fresno, Merced and Tulare County in this period.
Latino Representation. In politics, the continued growth of Latino representation reached state level in this period with Cruz Bustamante, Sarah Reyes, then Juan Arambula and continuing now with his son Joaquín. Many smaller governing boards in cities and towns of the valley had mayors and Latino majorities, and by 2015 a respectable achievement–although not equity. Political Clout may be one of the last indicators of “making it.”
Connecting the Valley through Media and the Arts: Radio, Television, Print, Arts. Smaller precursors to the spread of media and arts blossomed in this period. It became apparent that our efforts to document what was a minority community was being covered and documented daily. Especially through several Spanish language television networks and stations like Univision, TV Azteca and Telemundo. Especially through the public radio network of Radio Bilingüe, started in the 1970s by Hugo Morales, along with the continual support of Radio Campesino for the farmworkers. In print, several earlier weekly and monthly publications were joined in 1990 by Vida en el Valle, a publication of the Fresno Bee with Juan Esparza as its first, and still, Editor. Smaller arts collectives like Brocha del Valle from the 1960s and Centro Bellas Artes in the early 1980s did not last, but Arte Américas did since 1987. Now the Valley is covered and connected through these channels and documenting the history of the Latino community, along with the impact of larger issues on that community.