In the book "Recovering History Constructing Race" race was used in the southwest to increase hierarchies and marginalize others, and there were many ways that it was done. The ideas of self-segregation and marginalization was something that was affected and taught through many ways including the teachings and opinions of others as well as the image that the Anglo-Americans made themselves of their view of the not only the Mexican Americans but others who were of mixed blood. Many of those ideas were adopted from the Spaniards which became known as the Black Legend. In this essay I will explain the ideas and the images that were created towards the Mexican American as well as the ways that they fought against the discrimination and show the…show more content… Menchaca mentions how the conference was a meeting that was organized in order to talk about not only how racism shaped the image of Mexican Americans but how it affected their experience in the United States. The conference was a place for the students to discuss about the problems that were being faced like poverty and the self-segregation and even the dropout rate. They also discussed the ways to try to get the federal government involved to put an end to it. Alberto Baltazar Urista read the “Epic Poem of Aztlán” at the meeting which explained the historic roots that Mexican Americans have not only in Mexico and the southwest but also their very long history in America, explaining how the first settlers in the Americas were indigenous people. This organization helped many understand how the Mexican Americans were discriminated against and shown to be something that is not true. It showed many people not only the contribution of the Mexican Americans but letting people know that they were no less than anyone else and it was their home…show more content… Not only did they inform people of the discrimination that was in the past but brought light to the issues that are currently around the world. Going back to study and take pride in the indigenous background that is there and be able to show how their contribution gave us the America that we have today. There may still be discrimination today but there is no doubt that being a “brown” is something that should be looked down on. Many efforts were made in order to shine light on the fact that the idea of the Mexican Americans to be lazy and uneducated people was something that was passed down from the past ideas of the Anglo-Americans. Many creations as well as new ways of living were something that was come up by the Mexican Americans which was then adopted by others. The opening up to all the intermarriage that occurred is something that brought us all here today. The Indians were seen as barbaric and people of lower importance, many became part of Mexico and were used as workers. Mexico was in the stages of strengthening their economy and stabilizing the population. Later on the Africans were brought as workers because on man could do the work of three Indians and that is how Mexico began to grow herself and become something greater than what the Anglo Americans thought they were to be. Many strides were made