One of the exciting aspects of the Chicano movement to me was when the movement began to embrace its culture and heritage. To me, this is an exciting aspect since the Chicanos had filed numerous legal cases asking to be considered and recognized as members of the American white class community throughout the 20th century.
However, the legal claims were rejected, and in 1960 they abandoned the need to be accepted as white and instead embraced their cultural heritage with pride. Members of the movement took on their ancestral names, which were highly despised by the white, but they did not care at all.
They also accepted their origin and indigenous linkage to Europe and Africa. They went ahead and used their culture as motivation and armor against the whites, who disregarded their efforts toward equal rights and recognition.