Teatro Chicana: A Collective Memoir and Selected Plays

2. Peggy Garcia

 Peggy Garcia it seems that it’s been many years since I have thought about my experiences in the Chicano Movement and especially the las Chicanas teatro group. I now reflect on this pivotal time in my life, when I questioned my place in the world and was searching for my independence. Why did I gravitate toward las Chicanas? They were a means of support. They were a collective body from which to learn about the world and the conditions revolving around me. My wonderful Catholic Mexican-American parents were born here in the United States. They were proud of their Mexican heritage, but never let us forget that we were Americans first. As my father would say, “In this house we speak English.” They were, in many ways, typical in their generational wants and desires for their female offspring of Mexican descent—marriage, a good job, or the convent. If any topic came up about the Mexican-American plight, it was in relationship to the farm workers’ troubles. Both my parents came from small farming towns, and both worked in factories during part of their adult lives. They spoke of the unfair wages and poor conditions the farm workers had to face on a daily basis. Any participation in other causes was by mainly donating to their Catholic church, and I never saw them take up a picket sign because they considered picketing too radical for them. 17 18 Recuerdos / Memoirs When I attended Mesa Junior College in San Diego, California, there were opportunities for me to get involved with the United Farm Workers (UFW) movement, but I often felt I did not want this to consume my life, so I stayed at a distance. Besides, my desire was to travel the world and, at the same time, find ways to pay for college. I transferred to a four-year college in the fall of 1970, where I recall some memorable experiences. On a beautiful warm day I found myself at San Diego State College. It was a welcoming day for new Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) students, sponsored by Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA), which sounded like a militant name. There were so many Mexican-American students there that I almost thought I was in another country. Most of the young adults could speak Spanish and wanted to be identified as Chicanos. This title felt uncomfortable to me because I was used to the term Mexican Americans, but I had a desire to learn why the title Chicanos was so important to them. All who attended seemed genuinely excited about the camaraderie, the food, the music, and especially the enthusiastic guest speakers. The speakers were charismatic and encouraging. One of the speakers who impressed me the most was a very thin-framed beautiful dark-skinned woman. She was wearing crisp blue Levis that fit her tiny body perfectly. She had donned a traditional Mexican blouse, black boots, and no makeup, which only enhanced her natural beauty. Her name was Felicitas Nuñez. She spoke with much conviction and, it seemed to me at the time, with much common sense. I thought perhaps I could learn much from her. Another strikingly beautiful woman who seemed to be working in the background with Feliz (as we later called her) was a Chicana named Silvia Romero (Chiva). She had raven-black, long straight hair, a small frame, and very exotic features. She kept to herself and took pictures of all the events happening during the conference. The third young woman who appeared to be helping Felicitas was a taller, more native-looking beauty named Delia Ravelo. She was loud at times and had a wonderful, catchy laugh. Her smile was coastto -coast, and she attempted to make everyone feel welcome. Little did I know that with the support of these three women, I was to learn more about myself, my heritage, and the politics of our time than any college course could ever have taught me. It was during an orientation for students interested in college that theatrical skits were used to introduce counselors, tutorial services, and even how to use the class schedule and catalogue. This was one of the student activities where I had volunteered my services. The skits incorporated the problems expressed by these first-time college-bound students and showed possible solu- peggy garcia 19 tions. The first character I portrayed was a helpful...