The Street Belongs to Us: Chicana/o/x Studies for Kids (y Niñes de Corazón)

Abstract

In 2021, I published the middle grade novel The Street Belongs to Us (Arsenal Pulp Press), bringing together, among other influences, learning from my grandmothers’ stories, my Chicana/o/x Studies degree, my tomboy/trans childhood, and Canadian and Indigenous perspectives of the land. The following is an excerpt from the novel where the 12-year-old protagonist Alex asks her “Nana” (her grandmother) about the Chicano Movement.