The Surprising Soundscape of "Xicano Power"

During “Xicano Power,” you may notice audio elements that are not your typical flamenco sound. That is because the show’s creators mixed pieces of audio from Tejano filmmaker Hector Galán's award-winning documentary “Chicano! History of the Mexican-American Civil Rights Movement” in the concert’s soundscape.

“The audio represents what was being fought for or against in the Chicano Movement — educational opportunities, fair employment, workers’ rights, civil rights. The audio selected from Mr. Galán’s film captures voices of people involved in the Chicano Movement or the voices of people who the Chicano Movement was moving against.” — Marisol Encinias, NIF Executive Director

In 1996, PBS aired the Hector Galán-produced, four-part series “Chicano! History of the Mexican-American Civil Rights Movement”, detailing the major situations that inspired and cemented the Chicano Movement between 1965 and 1975.

It features the Chicano land struggle, Cesar Chavez and the UFW, the Los Angeles High School Walk-outs and the creation of the political party La Raza Unida.

According to IMDB: Galan has cast his lens on the Latino experience in America, bringing the culture and history of the U.S. Latino experience to the screen. He is an independent filmmaker from San Angelo, TX, and has contributed over forty hours of programming to the national PBS television schedule including eleven episodes for the provocative series, Frontline, two programs for the PBS series The American Experience, and the landmark four-part PBS series, Chicano! History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement.

His work has garnered numerous awards and recognitions including two Imagen awards, the Cine Golden Eagle Award, the Telly Award, SXSW Best Documentary, the Golden Apple, and the Blue Ribbon Award as well as numerous festival awards.