Roosevelt HS Community Protestors
1 media/Roosevelt community protesting_thumb.jpg 2023-05-31T11:49:28-07:00 Vanessa Harris 656d617b1ff5827b07c62075e95fef74f9368ceb 42723 1 Parents and faculty can be seen protesting on the outside of the school fence, next to students staging a walkout behind the school fence plain 2023-05-31T11:49:28-07:00 Vanessa Harris 656d617b1ff5827b07c62075e95fef74f9368cebThis page has annotations:
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2023-05-23T13:10:21-07:00
Walkouts and Protests in Los Angeles
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On our page, we will discuss the walkouts and protests that took place within schools and communities across Los Angeles. The school protests happened because Latino students wanted to see a change in the education system. Some of the changes Latino students wanted to see implemented were hiring more Chicano professors and administrators, having more Chicano Studies classes in higher education, and overall being treated better without discrimination or judgment. In the 1960s, high school students faced racism and discrimination, which included a lack of education and insufficient school buildings in comparison to those of white students in the area. Walkouts famously took place at Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles, where there was a large population of Latino students. In 1993, college students also faced a lack of Chicano education when budget cuts put the Chicano classes at UCLA at risk of being shut down. This led to a hunger strike, where UCLA students protested and ultimately helped to establish the UCLA César E. Chávez Department of Chicana/o Studies. In the years leading up to 1965, Latino and Black communities also protested because they wanted to see a change in the way they were treated. The Black community finally had enough in 1965 and the Watts Riots happened, which in the end led to positive changes in their community. By Sydney Schwinger, Vanessa Harris, Jazmin Chavez
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2023-06-01T12:23:15-07:00
The 1968 Walkout at Roosevelt High School
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In 1968, Roosevelt High School became one of five centers for Chicanx demonstration. It is estimated that in total, around 20,000 community members, teachers, and students walked out of their classrooms during the first week of March of 1968. Schools serving predominantly Chicanx populations in East LA had been neglected by the school district. Chicanx students at these schools lacked access to college preparatory classes, inclusive curriculums, and they suffered the effects of racist staff and faculty. These issues, after being ignored by the school's board of directors, served as the foundation for the demonstrations at across five high schools of East LA. In an analysis of protestors’ signs and testimonies from the day, it is clear that those involved understood that this movement for equality and representation in the school system was integral in the broader movement for Chicanx liberation.
The Watts Riots of 1965
In the Watts community in 1965, riots erupted after a black man, Marquette Frye, was arrested for drunk driving. A crowd had formed and they began to fight back against the police because they believed they were assaulting Marquette and treating him unfairly. This caused a riot to form, which led to more police officers and members of the community to gather and riot. The Watts Riots lasted 6 days, and in total, 34,000 people joined. The riot resulted in 600 damaged buildings, 200 destroyed buildings, 3,500 people arrested, it caused 34 deaths, 1,032 injuries, and about $40 million in damages. The Watts Rebellion happened because the Black community had faced a lot of discrimination by police and they lived in segregated areas that had unfair living and working conditions. Tensions had been high and the arrest of Marquette Frye was the last straw for them. The riots led to some changes in the community, such as creating better relationships with police, improved housing, created higher-paying jobs, and improved education. The community became more united, which improved their relationships with each other. These changes were not easy, but they happened, and have improved the Watts community.
The 1993 UCLA Hunger Strike
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2023-05-18T13:16:13-07:00
Roosevelt High School Walkouts
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In 1968, Roosevelt High School became one of five centers for Chicanx demonstration. Students and community members came together to protest an unjust, racist education. In an analysis of protestors’ signs and testimonies from the day, it is clear that those involved understood that this movement for equality and representation in the school system was integral in the broader movement for Chicanx liberation.
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2023-06-01T12:16:37-07:00
As thousands of students staged a walkout at five high schools across East L.A. to demand better educational opportunities, the firing of racist faculty, and a more inclusive curriculum, among others, the entire nation watched. Among these five schools were Wilson, Garfield, Lincoln, Belmont, and finally Roosevelt High School, the primary focus of this page. These high schools served an area with a predominantly Chicanx population and also had high dropout rates compared to national averages. With large classroom sizes and poorly funded facilities, Chicanx students were placed in a system that granted them little opportunity for higher education. Many of these same frustrations were shared at Camp Hess Kramer, a Jewish camp that held leadership programs for Chicanx students of East L.A. schools, and many of these students would practice social activism and create the foundation for the demonstrations that occurred in 1968 (Sahagún). One of these participants was Sal Castro, a teacher who worked at Lincoln High School. Castro was an instrumental figure in the demonstration, as he helped students first take their concerns to the school board, and then when those were ignored, helped organize a walkout (Mejía-Rentas).
The walkouts at Roosevelt occurred on March 6, 1968, however they were preceded by other walkouts at Wilson and Garfield High Schools just days before (Mejía-Rentas). This provided the school’s administrations some time to prepare, restricting students’ access to the outside and calling the police. Members of the Brown Beret, a prominent militant Chicanx group, came to defend students against police intimidation. Overall, the walkout demonstrations endured for several days, despite significant resistance from police and school administration. The Los Angeles Board of Education met with community members and students in the days following the demonstration, and refused all of their requests, citing that there was no room in the budget (Mejía-Rentas). While no immediate changes were made to the structure of the school system, many have maintained that this event was largely significant in the fight for Mexican American liberties in the country. It represented the determination and willingness on the part of Chicanx activists to directly clash with authorities to fight for what they believed in. It was also a demonstration of the power that the community held, mobilizing thousands in just a few short days.
In reviewing images from the 1968 demonstration at Roosevelt High School, what stuck out to me the most were protestors’ signs, most especially those that portrayed messages of solidarity. While many of them feature criticisms of the school district and educational demands, there were also a striking number of them that referenced other fights in the Chicanx political movement. Written on many of the signs was the phrase, ‘Boycott Grapes’ or ‘Boycott Lettuce’. These phrases come from the fight to establish protections and rights for farm workers, a movement pushed forth by Chicano activists such as Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta.
Mejías-Rentas, Antonio. “How 1968 East L.A. Student Walkouts Ignited the Chicano Movement.” History.Com, www.history.com/news/east-los-angeles-chicano-student-walkouts-1968. Accessed 30 May 2023.
Sahagún, Louis. “East L.A., 1968: ‘walkout!’ the Day High School Students Helped Ignite the Chicano Power Movement.” Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2018, www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-1968-east-la-walkouts-20180301 htmlstory.html#:~:text=It%20was%20just%20past%20noon%20on%20a%20sunny,teachers%20who%20were%20poorly%20trained%2C%20indifferent%20or%20racist.