Emma Tenayuca's Relevance to Modern Life

Over the next few days, I will post about how Emma Tenayuca's activism is still relevant to us today, as well as demonstrate the connected nature of her areas of work. The more I research Tenayuca, the more connections I make between her activism and current events.  The issues she worked on are far from solved, and some have arguably grown into worse problems despite the effort she and others put into fighting them. Emma Tenayuca's life and work are still highly relevant, and burying her in the confined of history without making these connections is a serious detriment to progress.

Emma Tenayuca, age 21, with the Pecan Shellers Strike

Nearly every issue Emma Tenayuca addressed during her life continues to this day. Latinos, both recent immigrants and native citizens, are alienated or rejected by normative society. Although the situation has changed for many, Tenayuca’s description of Latinos as a “conquered people” still holds true in many ways 1. The land grabs that removed ancestral lands from Mexican residents in the United States have not been reversed, and this modern day form of conquering continues with unjust deportations and racially targeted laws such as Arizona’s SB 1070 2.

This process of conquering demonstrates ongoing white domination in an era where we as American citizens brush the thought of colonialism aside as a thing of the past.  Although the United States may no longer be taking lands by force (as we and other Western nations have already taken nearly all that there was to take), cultural colonialism of non-whites continues in full force as our national ideology encourages homogeneity.  In Emma Tenayuca’s past, homogeneity in Texas was enforced through techniques such as the exclusion of Mexican voters through restrictive voting laws and poll taxes 3. Political exclusion continues today with Texas’ recent redistricting and voter ID laws.

Emma Tenayuca in front of San Antonio City Hall, 1938

Tenayuca’s work with unions and labor reform are particularly striking to think about at this time of year not only because it is the beginning of the holiday consumer craze, but also because of the nationwide workers’ protests against their treatment during Black Friday. Tenayuca worked for livable wages and fought against the abuse of low wage laborers.  Decades later, the same issues persist.

---

1. Emma Tenayuca, “The Mexican Question,” in La Voz de Esperanza, ed. Antonio Casteñeda, September 1999, 13.

2. Tenayuca, “Question,” 14.

3. Tenayuca, “Question,” 14.

Image Credits
Image 1 and 2: Institute of Texan Cultures, reproduced by San Antonio Express in article "Marker to Honor Labor Leader."