Mexican American Culture: The Film Selena

In the film “Mi Familia,” we follow the story of the Mexican-American Sánchez family who settled in East Los Angeles, California after immigrating to the United States. Gregory Nava and Anna Thomas introduce the story of this family in several contexts that are developed along generations. These generations hold significant historical periods that form the identity of each individual member of the family. We start off by exploring the immigrant experience as the family patriarch heads north to Los Angeles, later we see how national events like the great depression directly impact Maria as she gets deported, although she was a US citizen. The events that follow further oppress this family and begins separate identity formations. These

One of the most defining traits for the United States of America is that the nation is one made up of immigrants, it is a basic building block that can not be overlooked, nor should it. That being said, it is important to countless citizens to be open when it comes to immigration, while keeping the country hospitable to its citizens for generations to come. However, this attitude to immigration is a fairly recent phenomenon in American history, especially in regards to immigrants coming in from non-Western European countries. With the introduction of the Immigration Act of 1965 and the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) came about the changes to immigration policy that would forever change the face of the nation and create the diversity that has become a point of pride. The sentiment is not felt nationwide, however, as the immigration patterns brought about with these two acts has brought hostility as well, especially from those who feel that immigration is a threat to the country as a whole, specifically illegal immigration. Immigration, and its illegal counterpart, is an issue that defines this period in American history, and while it did not necessary start off targeting Mexican and Latino immigrants, it has very much been immortalized within the communities and become the face of immigrants to the nation as a whole.

As someone who identifies with both culture varieties in Louisianan and Hispanic Texan forms, one can see the various types of differences, including music, food, recreation, and life as a seventeen-year-old. As a senior in high school, my parents still give my commutes to and from school. This can be shown by the quote, “In short, the society in which you grow up, and your particular location in that society, lie at the center of what you do and how you think” (James M. Henslin, 2014, pg. 3.) A noticeable confliction shows when my dad drives me to school, he plays the radio, which predominantly plays country music. However, when my mom picks me up from school, she uses Pandora, which gives her more independence on choosing the genre she wants. The songs she often wants to hear is Mariachi, a Spanish-speaking music genre which mixes pop culture in Mexico, folk tales, and current issues. When I either practice my driving or hang out with friends, music genre tends to lean towards what is popular amongst my age group and location, which is pop and country. When I am around my family and relatives, music tends to be in Spanish, such as Mariachi and Spanish Pop. A Mexican-American culture had been forming over generations in my family tree, as my grandparents are from Mexico and my parents are from South Texas. When I visit my grandparents and other relatives, who mainly live at the tip of Southern Texas, cultural changes start to become more apparent as radio stations change

From evidence based practice, it has been proven that racism and discrimination is evident in our society. As defined by Webster’s Dictionary, “racism is the poor treatment or violence against people because of their race; and discrimination is the unfairly treatment of a person or group of people differently from other people or groups of people” (Merriam Webster, 2015). When immigrants settle into America, they are pursuing happiness, sovereignty and a new beginning. However, for countless immigrants, this idea becomes merely an illusion. The battle to gain acceptance from the America population is a struggle. While seeking economic opportunity and independence, it is more often that immigrants experience discrimination. However, the purpose of this essay a to provide readers with evidence based practice regarding discrimination against American immigrants. Found below is an article that both proves its thesis, and provide a data analysis.

“The U.S. immigration laws are bad - really, really bad. I 'd say treatment of immigrants is one of the greatest injustices done in our government 's name.” This quote by Bill Gates, founder and CEO of Microsoft, merely describes one of the factors to the bigger issue of immigration in the United States. It is not only a big deal for the government, but also for society. This issue is not just in states that border third-world countries, like Mexico or Cuba, which immigrants would come from. There are also immigrants who immerse themselves into every other state. Many immigrants are here lawfully, but there are some who are not. Either way, almost all of them endure some kind of discrimination throughout their lifetime.

Selena Quintanilla- Peréz, similar to Hester Prynne, was also deprived of her dreams. This was not only because she was a young girl, but because she was also a Mexican performing songs with her siblings in America. When Selena was a young girl, performing at a state fair in the early 1980 's, she was booed off stage. The audience believed that women could not succeed

Every year, millions of immigrants come to America from around the world. The range of diversity makes up America. America’s way of living is based on traditions that have been passed down by our ancestors from generation to generation. Immigrants are seeking change and opportunities that they may not have had in their own country. Even in today’s society, almost every immigrant faces challenges upon arriving in America. One conflict is the language barrier, having a different accent, and getting used to speaking English. Another problem is obtaining a job or finding a home without any documentation. Many immigrants face issues while securing employment and have to tackle language barriers after arriving in America. Immigrants faced similar

key to understanding a culture is to examine how the individuals communicate with one another. The culture characteristic of a county is influenced by the country 's population 's values, heritage, and perception of life all of which influence how people choose to communicate. There are many differences between American and Mexican cultures but these differences define and highlight the unique views of each individual country.  People of the Mexican culture are very proud of the country 's long history as well as it’s traditions and exhibit strong nationalistic opinions and thoughts.  Different from the Mexican culture, the American culture is more patriotic and focuses on the love and pride in the nation with specific emphasis on values

No matter how strict the United States gets with here immigration policies, immigrants find a way in. Today there are over 42.4 million immigrants living in the U.S., 11.9 of which are undocumented (Soylu, Buchanan). Known for being the land of opportunity, the United States often sounds like the ideal location for migration when searching for a new life, with a new job. In fact, the U.S. was founded by colonist who migrated from Europe to the Americas (Dudek). However, nowadays, American is no longer so much of a "nation of immigrants", but a nation against immigrants. Generations down the line, people forget that everyone's family started out with one immigrant. This leads to inequity between citizens and immigrants, especially in the workplace.

I learned this week about minority-group responses how minority’s identity is affected by the social sigma and relationships formed during their integration. I had not thought about how a person may feel when leaving their home country and at times their family to pursue another home and life. Immigrants face many obstacles in the integration process, attempting to find a job, home, people that they can relate to. Not only the physical aspect of the transition of coming to America but also the stigma of how “American’s” view immigrants when they are in their workplace or hometown.

Racial discrimination is one of the most controversial problems in our society. Immigrants come from several different races, religions, and regions and because they do not know the justice system they might have a hard

Time has a weight to it,and right now I can feel it heavy over me.It’s almost three o’clock. Another day is half over and tonight and leave for the tour. I hear the clicking of the antique clock on Selena’s wall. I let the minutes go by longer than than i should before I finally speak. We bother flights. I should probably get moving,” Justin says. My voice sounds far away but I feel weirdly calm.” Are their taxis around here?” ‘No, we get back and forth to Manhattan by river raft” Selena jokes. “ You can call a car” she adds after a minute. Justin stands up, makes his way toward the kitchen counter where Selena’s phone sits. “ What’s the number” Justin asks. Seven one eight,” Selena begins. Then she interrupts herself Wait.” At first I think

The United States of America has repeatedly been called a “land of immigrants” due to its extensive and continuing history of taking in large amounts of foreign born people from all over the world. Despite this, immigration has always been a controversial subject. These issues have existed as far back as the time of George Washington; it was thought that too many German settlers would flood and eventually stamp out the treasured British culture of the colonies. Throughout history, each new wave of immigrants has brought along new fears and disputes. In the face of these hardships, immigrants have carved out places for themselves within the US and even succeeded in paving the way for future immigrants. For many,

It is difficult to be a Mexican-American because both cultures expect and demand of us to act what we truly are. The social units of my life remind me of what is expected of me as a person in this society and the importance to act upon the demands expected of me.

But the film then flashes back to the early 1960s when Selena’s father, Abraham, and his band Los Dinos were trying to make it as musicians. Though the film could have easily omitted the scenes where Los Dinos failed to be successful in the music industry, since the focus of the film is Selena, the fact that they were included leads one to believe they were meant to serve a greater purpose. Eventually, their purpose is revealed as the film progresses. As Selena belonged to more than one minority group she had to face both racial and gender discrimination to reach her level of success. Thus, the contrast between Abraham’s failure as a musician in the early 1960s and Selena’s overwhelming success in the early 1990s helps to bolster Selena’s standing as an emblem of hope to those in search of the American dream. The success of Selena gives the impression that although something may seem impossible at a certain time if one keeps trying then success will eventually be reached. In this case, even though Abraham failed with Los Dinos he eventually managed to succeed through his daughter, who he always believed could become someone despite her being a part of the minority. The pride of Selena’s parents at seeing their daughter succeed is undeniable and perhaps best captured in the first scene of the movie when Abraham comments on his daughter beauty and shortly after Marcella, Selena’s mom, says “You go girl!” while proudly smiling at Selena onstage. Consequently, the meaning of Selena’s success to her parents as well as others in pursuit of the American dream is made clear to the audience. To those who saw her Selena was more than just another success story, she was simply and purely the embodiment of the American