An Author Defines Chicano Rights

This short excerpt was part of a book-length conversation between Amalia Mesa-Bains and bell hooks, two writers who both explore issues of race, gender, and identity in their work. Home Grown takes the reader through that conversation as they talk about their experiences as women of color from different cultures in America, and about what shapes identity.

Chicanos are people of the Americas who have been occupied twice—first by the Spanish, then by the Anglos. Therefore, when we talk about homeland, it’s often tied to our rights to be in this place at this time, and to understand our own origins.