La Chicana

Unfortunately, Chicanas who participated in the Chicano movement and in different civil rights organizations (including the Brown Berets) experienced discrimination including sexual harassment and a lack of respect during their service. There was this large presence of machismo in the Chicano community and there were high levels of testosterone in many organizations. Despite this negative stigma and backlash many Chicanas were still driven to step out of the cultural and gender norms and help fight for their rights as Chicanas. They played an integral part in the Chicano movement as they too fought on the frontlines. There are some pieces that are present in the newspaper publications of La Causa and La Raza that were written by Chicanas with the hopes of fighting for Chicana rights and gender equality. A source from La Causa states, "One day we shall win by men who are not ashamed to weep and women who are not afraid to sweat."