The poor status of our nation’s education system today persists us to reminisce upon a time in our country where changes in our inner city schools happened after minority voices were heard. On March 1968, after having enough of their inadequate school environments, the young Chicanos of East LA organized a mass high school walkout. These individuals were revolutionaries during a time their voices were ignored; they were forced to remain victims of a discriminatory school system unashamed in perpetuating racial biases and stereotypes. Today, when one reflects upon this time of racial and educational turbulence, it becomes evident that although these strong-willed and tenacious individuals fought tirelessly for improved school conditions, our
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Although the process of organizing, gathering, and informing students proved to be lengthy, and although those who participated in the walkouts were unjustly arrested and abused by policemen, the period of March to October 1968 will be historically known as the time Chicanos shed their title of the “Sleeping Giant”. These walkouts were significant not only because teenage minorities organized them, but also because they proved to their oppressors that they would no longer tolerate the suppression their ancestors similarly faced by the ruling race. No longer were they comfortable with being the largest marginal population in the state who seemed to accept their constantly faced discrimination. The catalyst for these walkouts stemmed from a long history of racial inequality Mexican Americans faced. One can identify many examples of Chicano discrimination by the ruling race, however, one stands out as being the most significant when discussing the history of racism perpetuated by white Americans: “…in 1929…white Americans, desperate for work…displaced many Chicano laborers…Many Mexicanos displaced from farms migrated to the cities hoping to find work to obtain money through relief programs. Anglo-Americans…resented using funds to aid the “brown men” in their midst who, after all, did not qualify to be “Americans”…Local authorities decided that money could be saved by shipping …show more content…
Education does not have to remain unequal. While Sal Castro undoubtedly established change in the educational system, there are individuals today who serve to carry on his legacy; Chicano studies professors work determinedly to engage students in their studies, and prove to them they are worthy of rising above a system that works against them. Change is not an overnight process; it begins when one has the courage to create a transformation that individuals years later can benefit from
Although the process of organizing, gathering, and informing students proved to be lengthy, and although those who participated in the walkouts were unjustly arrested and abused by policemen, the period of March to October 1968 will be historically known as the time Chicanos shed their title of the “Sleeping Giant”. These walkouts were significant not only because teenage minorities organized them, but also because they proved to their oppressors that they would no longer tolerate the suppression their ancestors similarly faced by the ruling race. No longer were they comfortable with being the largest marginal population in the state who seemed to accept their constantly faced discrimination. The catalyst for these walkouts stemmed from a long history of racial inequality Mexican Americans faced. One can identify many examples of Chicano discrimination by the ruling race, however, one stands out as being the most significant when discussing the history of racism perpetuated by white Americans: “…in 1929…white Americans, desperate for work…displaced many Chicano laborers…Many Mexicanos displaced from farms migrated to the cities hoping to find work to obtain money through relief programs. Anglo-Americans…resented using funds to aid the “brown men” in their midst who, after all, did not qualify to be “Americans”…Local authorities decided that money could be saved by shipping …show more content…
Education does not have to remain unequal. While Sal Castro undoubtedly established change in the educational system, there are individuals today who serve to carry on his legacy; Chicano studies professors work determinedly to engage students in their studies, and prove to them they are worthy of rising above a system that works against them. Change is not an overnight process; it begins when one has the courage to create a transformation that individuals years later can benefit from