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A unique biographical source revealing the experiences common to Mexican-Americans as well as the `diversity and complexity of their struggles to enter the mainstream.' Of the 270 men and women included, approximately 200 are contemporary Mexican-Americans. . . . [H]ighly recommended for large public libraries and special collections. Library JournalThis biographical dictionary provides a useful source for identifying the important figures in the Mexican American/Chicano experience from 1848 to the present. It includes approximately 280 figures, many of whom are contemporary leaders in politics, education, the arts, sports, and other fields. Arranged alphabetically, the entries contain brief biographies of the people who have made Mexican American history while playing important roles in American society, the focus is primarily on public and professional life, with the most important figures receiving greater attention and more detailed histories. Most of the entries are followed by one or more bibliographic references; there are indexes of the biographees by state and by fields of activity. An outstanding feature of this sourcebook is the inclusion of a broader scope of information about each of the figures, such as their social and intellectual background, academic training, their development in their chosen fields, and signal achievements as shown by appointments, awards, and prizes.

U.S. Latinos have made important contributions to American society, and this biographical dictionary is devoted to celebrating those contributions. All 127 men and women profiled in this work have immigrated to or been born in the United States and have made major contributions to American life and culture. Cuban Americans, Puerto Ricans, Mexican Americans, and others of Spanish, South American, Central American and Caribbean heritage—more than one-third of them women—represent 35 fields of endeavor and all 50 states. From historical figures to the newest sports champion, figure-skater Rudy Galindo, this work provides profiles of both prominent and important but less-familiar people who have made significant contributions in their fields. Many of those profiled can be found in no other biographical source. A selection of photos complements the text.All biographies have been written by experts in their ethnic fields. Those profiled range widely from distinguished scientists to sports stars, from actors to activists, from businesswomen to political personalities, from literary luminaries to labor organizers. All are potential role models for young men and women, and many have overcome extreme odds to succeed. These colorfully written, substantive biographies detail their subjects' goals, struggles, and commitments to success and to their ethnic communities. Among the 127 people profiled are: Nobel Prize-winning scientist Luis Alvarez; Treasurer of the United States Romana Acosta Bañuelos; actor/composer/activist Rubén Blades; classical dancer Fernando Bujones; baseball player José Canseco; U.S. Secretary of Education Lauro Cavazos Jr.; writer Sandra Cisneros; fashion designer Oscar de la Renta; U.S. Congressman Lincoln DÍaz-Balart; teacher Jaime Escalante; composer/singer Gloria Estefan; tennis players Gigi Fernández and Mary Joe Fernández ; playwright Mara Fornés; U.S. Men's 1996 Figure Skating Champion Rudy Galindo; physician/political activist Héctor GarcÍa; Coca-Cola CEO Roberto Goizueta; labor leader Dolores Huerta; U.S. Ambassador MarÍa-Luci Jaramillo; artist Marisol; civil-rights activist Vilma Socorro MartÍnez; businessman/politician Jorge Mas Canosa; federal judge Harold Medina; graphic artist Nicholasa Mohr; U.S. Surgeon General Antonia Novello; astronaut Ellen Ochoa; Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Severo Ochoa; TV personality Geraldo Rivera; U.S. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen; educational psychologist George I. Sánchez; newspaper editor Roberto Suárez; women's rights activist/businesswoman MarÍa Elena Toraño-PantÍn; New York State Supreme Court Judge Edwin Torres; mystic Teresa Urrea; film producer/director Luis Valdez. For ease of use, the heading of each profile identifies ethnic group, field of endeavor, birthdate and, where appropriate, death date. Each profile concludes with a suggested reading list of books and periodical articles about the subject. An ethnic index, field of endeavor index, and a general index make research easy. This much needed reference work is essential for school and public libraries.

Mexican Americans, like many other Americans, have a long history of struggle for equality and civil rights. Yet only in recent decades has that history begun to be included as part of mainstream American history. Bringing together a wealth of information on the Mexican American struggle for civil rights, this authoritative encyclopedia provides factual up-to-date information on the concepts, issues, plans, legislation, court decisions, events, organizations, and people involved in that long fight. It includes such leading figures as Corky Gonzales, Héctor Pérez GarcÍa, Jovita Idar, and Alonso Perales, as well as many secondary leaders, and is rounded out with objective discussions of such topics as leadership, the movimiento, lynching, political exclusion, voting, and stereotyping. Appendices include a chronology and several basic documents critical to an understanding of the Mexican American Civil Rights struggle.The first comprehensive encyclopedia on this aspect of Mexican American history, the book fills a noticeable gap in the literature. It includes more than 300 entries, six appendices, sources of additional information, cross-referencing, and a detailed index that makes the history readily available. The book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the Mexican American experience.

Mexican Americans are rapidly becoming the largest minority in the United States, playing a vital role in the culture of the American Southwest and beyond. This A-to-Z guide offers comprehensive coverage of the Mexican American experience. Entries range from figures such as Corky Gonzales, Joan Baez, and Nancy Lopez to general entries on bilingual education, assimilation, border culture, and southwestern agriculture. Court cases, politics, and events such as the Delano Grape Strike all receive full coverage, while the definitions and significance of terms such as coyote and Tejano are provided in shorter entries.Taking a historical approach, this book's topics date back to the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, a radical turning point for Mexican Americans, as they lost their lands and found themselves thrust into an alien social and legal system. The entries trace Mexican Americans' experience as a small, conquered minority, their growing influence in the 20th century, and the essential roles their culture plays in the borderlands, or the American Southwest, in the 21st century.

This single-volume book provides students, educators, and politicians with an update to the classic Carey McWilliams work North From Mexico. It provides up-to-date information on the Chicano experience and the emergent social dynamics in the United States as a result of Mexican immigration.Carey McWilliam's North From Mexico, first published in 1948, is a classic survey of Chicano history. Now fully updated by Alma M. García to cover the period from 1990 to the present, McWilliams's quintessential book explores all aspects of Chicano/a experiences in the United States, including employment, family, immigration policy, language issues, and other cultural, political, and social issues. The volume builds on the landmark work and also provides relevant up-to-date content to the 1990 edition revised by Matt S. Meier, which added coverage of the key period in Chicano history from the postwar period through to the late 1980s.As the largest group of immigrants in the United States, representing more than a quarter of foreign-born individuals in the United States, Mexican immigrants have had and will continue to have a tremendous impact on the culture and society of the United States as a whole. This freshly updated edition of North from Mexico addresses the changing demographic trends within Mexican immigrant communities and their implications for the country; analyzes key immigration policies such as the Immigration Act of 1990 and California's Proposition 187, with specific emphasis on the political mobilization that has developed within Mexican American immigrant communities; and describes the development of immigration reform as well as community organizations and electoral politics.The book contains new chapters that examine recent trends in Mexican immigration to the United States and identify the impact on politics and society of Mexican immigrants and later generations of U.S.-born Mexican Americans. The appendices provide readers and researchers with current immigration figures and information regarding today's socieconomic conditions for Mexican Americans.