The Chicano/Latino experience had informative aspects; during the Second World War, white servicemen despised Chicano youth and targeted them for their supposed ‘cool.’ They were disregarded and treated as hostiles and accused of being defiant to the general white population. Regardless Chicano youth did not retaliate, which annoyed the white soldiers. As a result, white rage erupted during the zoot riots of 1943 in Los Angeles.
During these riots, the white service members bartered the youth claiming to strip the zoot since the children used zoot suits as their symbol against racial segregation. Many of the Chicano and black youth at the time had enlisted to fight for their country, yet they faced harsh discrimination and oppression daily in the US; this was hypocritical.
Another thing learned about the experience of Mexican Americans was that in the 1960s, a radical movement was started that championed change and the rights of Mexican Americans. It was called the Chicano movement or ‘El Movimiento,’ and its grievances included; political rights, identification, and honoring of the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
The US government had promised citizenship to Mexicans and the right to own property in America but forfeited the treaty’s terms. They fought for recognition as Chicano and not white. They embraced their heritage and wore it like armor.