What is chicano.neocities.org?

Welcome! This website is a webring and directory for Chicano creators presenting their work online. It is built and moderated by Chicanos for Chicanos. The goal is to create a communal space on the web for us to find each other, and to host events and collaborate on projects. We use the open-source script LIBRERING by LIBRE.TOWN to create our webring.

There are two directories on chicano.neocities.org. One directory is for the webring, or for creators who host their own websites. The other directory is static, or for creators who use social media. This is to allow access to all kinds of Chicano artists.

If you're interested in joining the directory, check the application and submit! You can contact us by sending an email to chicano.webring@proton.me.

What is a webring?

A webring is a series of websites strung together with similar themes. ¹ By uniting websites and their creators, webrings also function as a form of community.

Webrings were first made during the early internet when search engines were still developing, which made it difficult to search for web pages. By creating a loop of web pages with matching content, finding a new web page that interests viewers is just a click away.

Search engines have gotten worse ² due to corporations overpowering algorithms for consumption instead of reliable sources. The first and more visible results are usually advertisements or large websites. Smaller, personal, or more niche websites are completely overlooked. Web rings are coming back to reclaim the internet and put the control back into the hands of small creators.

This is how a webring works:

First, all of the web pages in a web ring get put into a directory.

From there, a webring widget, coded using Javascript language, can then be attached to your website. The widget connects to the directory.

Clicking on the widget can take you back and forth between pages or to a random page in the directory.

It's easy for creators to join a webring and for people surfing the web to find a new page they will enjoy!

1 Casey, Carol. “Web rings: An alternative to search engines.” College & Research Libraries News, vol. 59, no. 10, 1 Nov. 1998, pp. 761-763, https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.59.10.761

2 Bevendorff, Janek, et al. “Is Google getting worse? A longitudinal investigation of SEO spam in search engines.” Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2024, pp. 56-71, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-56063-7_4.

What does Chicano mean?

"Chicano", "Chicana", "Chicané", or "Chicanx" is an ethnic Mexican-American cultural identity from the United States. Chicano identity is defined by active refusal of assimilation into mainstream white American culture ³, and pride and community in being Brown and Mexican-American. Different people use different iterations of the word for themselves.

The word “Chicano” originally comes from an anti-Brown slur. The word was reclaimed and became the front for the ethnic solidarity and sociopolitical movement in the 1960s. ⁴ Chicano primarily refers to Mexican-American cultural identity but can also encompass other Brown and Black cultural experiences in the United States. Filipino Americans, Black Americans, and Latin-Americans of non-Mexican descent all played a part in making Chicano culture what it is today. ⁵

3 Contreras, Sheila Marie. “9: Chicana, Chicano, Chicané, Chicanx.” Keywords for Latina/o Studies, NYU Press, New York, New York, 2017, pp. 32.

4 Houghton Mifflin Company. The American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, Massachusetts, 2005, pp. 90-91.

5 “Research Guides: A Latinx Resource Guide: Civil Rights Cases and Events in the United States: 1962: United Farm Workers Union.” 1962: United Farm Workers Union - A Latinx Resource Guide: Civil Rights Cases and Events in the United States, Library of Congress, 17 Aug. 2020, guides.loc.gov/latinx-civil-rights/united-farm-workers-union.

What does it mean to be Chicano?

As mentioned above, being Chicano means active refusal of assimilation into mainstream white American culture, and pride and community in being Brown and Mexican-American — because of this, being Chicano is an identity one must choose for one's self and actively participate in. ⁶ Not everyone chooses to be called Chicano. Regardless, Chicano people are always Mexican-American or have a connection to the culture.

The act of refusing to assimilate to mainstream white American culture is considered a political statement. ⁷ Engaging in activism isn't necessarily a requirement, but being Chicano and activism often go hand-in-hand.

Concepts of ethnicity and racialization are extremely personal and nuanced, and they can't be defined by one thing. Descendants, skin tone, physical features, where you were raised and who you were raised by all play an important role in defining Brown Mexican-American ethnicity. For example, Chicanos can be of mixed race, with any type of skin tone, or Mexican immigrants who were mostly raised in the United States.

Mexican-Americans who choose not to identify as Chicano, Mexican immigrants, Mexican people from Mexico, and Chicanos all share a connection with each other, and should work together despite their differences. There are many intersections with being Chicano to acknowledge, too. Being a part of this community means including, supporting, and accepting all kinds Chicanos. Women, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Chicanos have often been excluded or ignored ⁸ and they deserve to have their voices elevated.

6, 7, 8 Contreras, Sheila Marie. “9: Chicana, Chicano, Chicané, Chicanx.” Keywords for Latina/o Studies, NYU Press, New York, New York, 2017, pp. 34.

What does it not mean to be Chicano?

Being Chicano isn't inherit to being Brown, Mexican-American, Latino, or Hispanic; if one does not choose to identify as Chicano, then they are not Chicano. ⁹ One cannot choose to identify as Chicano if they aren't Mexican-American, have no connection to Mexican-American culture, or are racialized as white.

Some of the main principals of whiteness and white supremacy are anti-Blackness and anti-Indigeneity. Engaging in anti-Black or anti-Indigenous racism, colorism, culturally appropriating or stealing from Black or Indigenous culture, and speaking over Black or Indigenous voices are all acts that align someone closer to whiteness, and therefore go against what it means to be Chicano.

The Chicano community still struggles with issues involving anti-Blackness and anti-Indigeneity, and they should have no place in the culture. Showing pride in being Brown and Mexican-American shouldn't involve stealing from or claiming Mexican Indigenous cultures that don't belong to one's self.

9 Contreras, Sheila Marie. “9: Chicana, Chicano, Chicané, Chicanx.” Keywords for Latina/o Studies, NYU Press, New York, New York, 2017, pp. 34.

Who gets to decide what being Chicano means?

"What, then, is a Chicano? Chicanos say that if you have to ask you'll never understand, much less become a Chicano." (Salazar)

The history of Mexican-American culture and the Chicano movement go back over a century. Different scholars and historians in Chicano studies have different concepts, definitions, and opinions, and the same can be said of individual people and their own experiences being Chicano and growing up in the United States. The definitions provided here are one interpretation, and you are encouraged to develop your own ideas and feelings of what being Chicano means to you, and how it connects to the long history of Chicano culture.

10 Salazar, Ruben. “Column: Who Is a Chicano? And What Is It the Chicanos Want?” Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 1970.