[Dan31639]

A Chicano is a person of Mexican heritage who was born and raised in the United States. ‘Chicana’ is the female version. It is a word a person must choose for themselves, as it entails a political stance and a strong love for culture and ‘la raza’ (the people). It also means focusing less on the ‘Hispanic’ identity and more on the Native American identity, as the vast majority of Mexicans are of indigenous or mixed indigenous heritage. The most commonly accepted origin of the word is the following: white farmers used to derogitarily call the Indians brought in from northern Mexico to work the fields ‘Chicanos’ or ‘Shicanos’ because they couldn’t pronounce the ‘x’ in ‘Mexicano.’ Mexican-Americans already established in the United States also referred to the incoming wave of immigrants as ‘Chicanos’, and eventually this slur was turned into a badge of pride. However, many today feel weary of this designation because it excludes Central Americans, South Americans and those of the Carribean. Yet in the Southwest and in California, where persons of Mexican descent are the vast majority of the Latino population, the term is still widely used.

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Name : Dan31639, Gender : M, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Pentecostal, Age : 22, City : L.A. area, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, 

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