!Raza Si! !Guerra No!
Chicano Protest and Patriotism During the Vietnam War Era

An examination of Chicano antiwar mobilization. It demonstrates how the pivotal experience of activism during the Viet Nam War era played itself out among Mexican Americans. It portrays Chicano protest and patriotism. It considers larger themes of American nationalism and citizenship and the role of minorities in the military service.

This incisive and elegantly written examination of Chicano antiwar mobilization demonstrates how the pivotal experience of activism during the Viet Nam War era played itself out among Mexican Americans. "!Raza Si! !Guerra No!" presents an engaging portrait of Chicano protest and patriotism. On a deeper level, the book considers larger themes of American nationalism and citizenship and the role of minorities in the military service, themes that remain pertinent today. Lorena Oropeza's exploration of the evolution, political trajectory, and eventual implosion of the Chicano campaign against the war in Viet Nam encompasses a fascinating meditation on Mexican Americans' political and cultural orientations, loyalties, and sense of status and place in American society.

List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Note on Terminology Introduction 1. "To Be Better and More Loyal Citizens": A Tradition of Mexican American Activism 2. "New Wind from the Southwest": Questioning a Political Tradition 3. "Branches of the Same Tree": Aztlan and Viet Nam 4. "I'd Rather Have My Sons Die for La Raza ... than in Vietnam": The Making of a Moratorium 5. "A Common Goal": The Chicano Moratorium March of August 1970 Epilogue Notes Bibliography Index