ABSTRACT
The pressures on Chicanas are many, evidenced by the confusion and burden many feel to declare their identity with particular terminology. All women of Mexican heritage, however, do not embrace the term Chicana, which, like Chicano, carries many personal and sociopolitical meanings. For many, Chicana was a southwestern term, not something for people in Ohio or on the east coast unless they were politically active and took it on. In her essay, “Art in America con Acento,” Moraga (1995) asserted that “to be a Chicana is not merely to name one’s racial/cultural identity, but also to name a politic that refuses assimilation into the U.S. mainstream. It acknowledges our mestizaje-Indian, Spanish, and africano” (p. 215). Of course, not all individuals of Mexican heritage like to use the term Chicana/o for self-reference. Other preferences include Mexican American, Mexican, Mejicana, Hispana, and Latina.
