Where? Los Angeles, CA
Who? Sal Castro
When? 1968
How? Being a teacher and mentor to the students, and led the Blowouts on the side
What? LA Blowouts (organized walkouts due to unequal school conditions.)
With What? Organized students and support, organized via the Mexican American Youth Leadership Conference
For Whom? Mostly Latino and Hispanic students who were treated unfairly due to their heritage
Why? He wanted to promote the equalization of schooling for Hispanic children, so that they would be given a chance to pursue future careers and more productive lives.
March of 1968 rattled the pedestrian homes of East Los Angeles, when a mass of Chicano students walked out of their schools in retaliation to the injustice, and maltreatment …show more content…
As a young child, he was affected by the Mexican Repatriation Movement of the Great Depression, which forced roughly half a million Mexican immigrants out of the U.S., and back to Mexico. This movement came as a way to blame the Hispanic people for their economic disparities, and to remove them from ruining the morals of regular American citizens. As a result of this movement, Castro’s father was sent back to Mexico, and left Castro’s mother to raise their child without his support. Before she remarried years later, Castro experienced a multi-cultural educational experience, in Mexico and in the U.S., while visiting his father. This opened the young child’s eyes to the discrimination of Mexican immigrants in the L.A. School District, and further witnessed the Zoot-Suit Riots. In 1943, Sal Castro was making extra money on the side by shining shoes in different parts of the Hispanic areas in Los Angeles. At the same time, young Anglo-American Sailors started to protest, and attack Hispanics who wore Zoot-Suits. These were well tailored, sharp suits that was popular among many minorities, especially the Latino and African American population. Castro had eye witness accounts of these beatings by the American Sailors, and his mother forbid him from going back to the city to shine …show more content…
At the time, High Schools in East L.A., and in most of California, did not see Hispanics as “intelligent” as their Anglo Counterparts. This led to school board segregating the Hispanic students into special classes, which were about the same as “special classes.” They did not cater non-English speaking students, and were scrutinized for embracing their language and culture, often with corporal punishments, or degrading janitorial work. However, unlike 60% of Hispanic Students who made it in to high school, he graduated, and was then drafted into the U.S. Army for the Korean War. Luckily for him, the war was on the downturn, and he never saw combat. But in his travels at stations in Georgia and South Carolina, he saw further discriminations by Anglo-Americans amongst minorities. He left a few years later, and returned to Los Angeles, and got married. He sought further education, and attended L.A. City College, before transferring and graduating from what is now Cal State Los Angeles with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science. While studying for his degree, he worked part-time as a playground director, and studied how the inner city kids reacted to their everyday struggles. A few years later, he got his first teaching position at Belmont High in downtown L.A. as a Social Studies teacher and interpreter. However, his term there was short, because he encouraged students to run for Student Council, which was frowned upon by his
Who? Sal Castro
When? 1968
How? Being a teacher and mentor to the students, and led the Blowouts on the side
What? LA Blowouts (organized walkouts due to unequal school conditions.)
With What? Organized students and support, organized via the Mexican American Youth Leadership Conference
For Whom? Mostly Latino and Hispanic students who were treated unfairly due to their heritage
Why? He wanted to promote the equalization of schooling for Hispanic children, so that they would be given a chance to pursue future careers and more productive lives.
March of 1968 rattled the pedestrian homes of East Los Angeles, when a mass of Chicano students walked out of their schools in retaliation to the injustice, and maltreatment …show more content…
As a young child, he was affected by the Mexican Repatriation Movement of the Great Depression, which forced roughly half a million Mexican immigrants out of the U.S., and back to Mexico. This movement came as a way to blame the Hispanic people for their economic disparities, and to remove them from ruining the morals of regular American citizens. As a result of this movement, Castro’s father was sent back to Mexico, and left Castro’s mother to raise their child without his support. Before she remarried years later, Castro experienced a multi-cultural educational experience, in Mexico and in the U.S., while visiting his father. This opened the young child’s eyes to the discrimination of Mexican immigrants in the L.A. School District, and further witnessed the Zoot-Suit Riots. In 1943, Sal Castro was making extra money on the side by shining shoes in different parts of the Hispanic areas in Los Angeles. At the same time, young Anglo-American Sailors started to protest, and attack Hispanics who wore Zoot-Suits. These were well tailored, sharp suits that was popular among many minorities, especially the Latino and African American population. Castro had eye witness accounts of these beatings by the American Sailors, and his mother forbid him from going back to the city to shine …show more content…
At the time, High Schools in East L.A., and in most of California, did not see Hispanics as “intelligent” as their Anglo Counterparts. This led to school board segregating the Hispanic students into special classes, which were about the same as “special classes.” They did not cater non-English speaking students, and were scrutinized for embracing their language and culture, often with corporal punishments, or degrading janitorial work. However, unlike 60% of Hispanic Students who made it in to high school, he graduated, and was then drafted into the U.S. Army for the Korean War. Luckily for him, the war was on the downturn, and he never saw combat. But in his travels at stations in Georgia and South Carolina, he saw further discriminations by Anglo-Americans amongst minorities. He left a few years later, and returned to Los Angeles, and got married. He sought further education, and attended L.A. City College, before transferring and graduating from what is now Cal State Los Angeles with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science. While studying for his degree, he worked part-time as a playground director, and studied how the inner city kids reacted to their everyday struggles. A few years later, he got his first teaching position at Belmont High in downtown L.A. as a Social Studies teacher and interpreter. However, his term there was short, because he encouraged students to run for Student Council, which was frowned upon by his