East Los Angeles Walkouts

The East Los Angeles Walkouts, also known as the Chicano Blowouts, occurred in March of 1969, when more than 15,000 high-school students walked out of seven schools throughout East Los Angeles. Inadequate and unequal education prompted the protests. In the 1960s, Chicano students made up almost three-quarters of the student population on the East Side of Los Angeles. However, Mexican-American students had a 60 percent high-school dropout rate. Those who graduated averaged an eighth-grade reading level. Some teachers forbade speaking Spanish in classrooms and pushed Spanish-speaking students into vocational programs, as opposed to college-preparatory ones. Others encouraged Mexican-American students to be taught with a curriculum that mirrored the curriculum used at that time for teaching special education students.

The walkouts focused on schools in and around Los Angeles; however, they ultimately became part of a larger political movement that extended across the southwestern part of the United States and called for social justice and equality. The protests occurred at a time when civil rights protests and marches to end the Vietnam War were frequent. The East Los Angeles Walkouts, led largely by students, took the Chicano Rights Movement from more rural settings to the city. They were supported by various other groups and activists, including Students for the Democratic Society, the American Civil Liberties Union, labor leader Cesar Chavez, and Senator Robert Kennedy. On March 31, 1968, thirteen organizers were charged with conspiring to disrupt public schools and disturbing the peace. Although student demands were not met immediately by the schools, the walkouts are believed to have played a role in future educational changes.

Background

The United States in the 1960s was a time of frequent social and political protests, many of which served as the impetus for major changes, both immediate and delayed. A major theme for a number of movements was recognition of, and equal rights for, marginalized groups. Many of the protests, marches, and demands came from high-school and college students throughout the nation. Activist students challenged the status quo and urged their peers to do so as well. In particular, students called for those in power to make changes that would provide a more equal environment for all people.

Los Angeles County has had the largest Hispanic population in the United States since at least 1980, when the United States census first included a “Hispanic” category. Though not specifically documented, East Los Angeles in the 1950s and 1960s was nonetheless home to a large number of Chicano people, with East Los Angeles schools comprising approximately 75 percent Chicano students. (The term “Chicano” refers to Americans with Mexican ancestry.)

Although the schools educated children and teens coming from Mexican neighborhoods, the educational system was not prepared for the number of Spanish-speaking students. Many documented inequalities existed in the schools, including a lack of qualified counselors to serve the student population. For example, a school might have only one academic counselor for a 4,000-member student body. In some schools, teachers or administrators forbade the use of Spanish. At the most basic level, school facilities were often overcrowded and run-down, and teachers were often underqualified to work with the existing student population.

Overview

In 1967, some students, many of whom had participated in the annual Chicano Youth Leadership Conference, began to speak out about the inadequacies they found in their schools. Students Vicky Castro and Paula Crisostomo presented a list of demands to the Los Angeles School Board. The demands were based on prior meetings with students, as well as a survey completed by several hundred students. The school board heard the survey results and student demands, but never truly considered them. This led the students to reach out to a teacher, Sal Castro, who urged the students to organize in protest. The students formed committees and gathered help from local college students. The plan was to stage a walkout on March 6, 1968. However, unscheduled walkouts occurred at Wilson High School on March 1, and at Garfield High School on March 5.

On March 6, 1968, students held walkouts at Roosevelt, Lincoln, Belmont, Jefferson, and Venice high schools. Venice High School was a primarily White high school, located about twenty miles from East Los Angeles. In some cases, school officials locked gates and doors to prevent students from leaving, and some called in the police. At some schools, parents and community activists joined in the protests outside the grounds. By the end of the week, more than 15,000 Mexican-American high-school students and their supporters participated in the protests, which included public speeches in addition to the walkouts. Students demanded better education, better schools, and a less Euro-centric education.

On March 11, 1968, the Educational Issues Coordinating Committee, comprised of students, teachers, parents, and activists, met with the Los Angeles Board of Education with a list of thirty-nine demands. The demands ranged from including more diverse books in the school libraries to firing teachers deemed to have acted in a racist manner. The board agreed to a formal meeting on March 28. More than 1,200 people attended the meeting at Lincoln High School. The meeting accomplished little more than building awareness, however. The board argued that there was no money to implement any changes at that time.

On March 31, 1968, thirteen of the walkout organizers were arrested and charged with conspiracy to disrupt public school and disturbing the peace. The group became known as the “East L.A. 13” and included Sal Castro, Moctesuma Esparza, Eliezer Risco, Joe Razo, Carlos Montes, David Sanchez, Ralph Ramirez, Fred Lopez, Carlos Muñoz Jr., Gilberto Elmeda, Richard Vigil, Henry Gomez, and Juan Sanchez.

Following the arrests, protests began and the American Civil Liberties Union and Chicano Legal Defense Committee provided legal help. Most of those arrested were released on bail quickly. Castro, however, remained in custody until June 2, 1968. After his release, Castro learned he had been terminated from his job. He was eventually reinstated on October 2, 1968. In 1970, the California Court of Appeals struck down all indictments against East L.A. 13.

Bibliography

“1968: East Los Angeles Walkouts.” Library of Congress, guides.loc.gov/latinx-civil-rights/east-la-walkouts. Accessed 13 June 2023.

Christenson, Camille. “The 1968 East LA Walkouts and the Sorry State of US Education.” Interzine, 11 Aug. 2021, www.chicano.ucla.edu/files/news/The%201968%20East%20LA%20Walkouts%20and%20the%20Sorry%20State%20of%20US%20Education‗INTERZINE‗08112021.pdf. Accessed 13 June 2023.

“East L.A. Walkouts.” Los Angeles Almanac, www.laalmanac.com/history/hi08b.php. Accessed 13 June 2023.

Lopez, Robert J. “The East L.A. Walkouts of 1968.” California State University Los Angeles Magazine, 1968, www.calstatelamagazine.com/university-news/cal-state-la-east-la-walkouts-1968. Accessed 13 June 2023.

Mejías-Rentas, Antonio. “How 1968 East L.A. Student Walkouts Ignited the Chicano Movement.” History, 14 Sept. 2022, www.history.com/news/east-los-angeles-chicano-student-walkouts-1968. Accessed 13 June 2023.

Vasquez, Heydy. “Ya Basata, It’s Time for a Walkout.” Daily Trojan, 8 March 2023, dailytrojan.com/2023/03/08/ya-basta-its-time-for-a-walkout/. Accessed 13 June 2023.