39 Reasons Why Chican@s Should Go to College

Inspired by Juan Felipe Herrera’s estilo.
By: Chuey P. Newton

Because curandismo should be a required course for all health-science majors.
Because you can buy diapers with Grant money.
Because you can pay rent with Scholorships.
Because it’s been 39 years since Chican@ students took over the administration building at the University of Texas El Paso.
Because Chicanismo has become a genre of the arts.
Because Aristotle is taught in every class.
Because Plato is taught in every class.
Because Greek history is called humanities.
Because the Mayan’s are considered primitive.
Because Netzalhualcoyotl, the Poet King is taught in anthropology.
Because the green movement was created by Meso-Americans.
Because architects still can’t figure out how we built our temples.
Because the Toltecs were the greatest Mathematicians.
Because our ancestors genetically engineered corn.
Because the word Raza is a cliché.
Because word tierra is a cliché.
Because gabacho is a cliché.
Because Governor Rick Perry was re-elected.
Because John Crook is still in office.
Because La Raza Unida has more members then the Tea party.
Because we got President Kennedy elected.
Because we got President Obama elected.
Because sí se puede.
Because every Chican@ art student goes through a Virgin de Guadalupe phase.
Because you need to teach your spell-check to read in Spanish.
Because Pancho Villa is still considered a villain in the academic world.
Because we need more teachers.
Because you can get a Student Visa.
Because hippies are hosting all the political rallies these days.
Because you can get a B.A. in Chican@ studies.
Because Sandra Cisneros is only one of many, Feminist Chican@ writers.
Because we need sleeper agents in the Federal Government.
Because you can use the “frequent crossers” line at the Puente.
Because you can take “Code-Switching” as a second language.
Because you are a descendent of Nezhualpilli.
Because La Rana is a poet.
Because Benjamin Alire Sáenz is a poet.
Because you’re a Poet and you didn’t even know it.