Latinos and the Rights Revolution Chapter 17 Section 3

Lecture Focus Questions What were some of the demands of Latino groups in the 1960’s and 1970’s?

A Spanish-Speaking Population Spanish speaking population steadily rising West Coast: Bracero Program 1942 Over 4 million migrant workers entered the U.S. over 25 years Primarily from Mexico

A Spanish-Speaking Population East Coast: Post-WWII: large numbers of Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and Cubans migrated to the U.S. Puerto Ricans = automatically legal immigrants Puerto Rico still a U.S. protectorate!

Cultural Identity Cultural Identity Terms Latino: someone whose family origins are in Spanish-speaking Latin American countries Chicano: someone who seeks to give Mexican Americans a fresh identity by combining the elements of the ethnic/cultural identity with their status as American citizens Hispanic: someone who is a Spanish-speaker and who has a lineage or cultural heritage related to Spain

Pressing for Equal Rights Latinos had long faced discrimination Largely overshadowed by the racism shown to African Americans Influenced by the growing civil rights movements of 60’s and 70’s

United Farm Workers Migrant farm workers Long hours, low wages Moved from farm to farm César Chávez Organized UFW to fight deplorable wages/working conditions Focused on grape industry

United Farm Workers United Farm Workers (UFW): union set up to fight for better wages and working conditions for farm workers Main strategy  boycotts 1975: CA passed law requiring collective bargaining between growers and union reps

1968 Walkout LAUSD Issues: Latinos had highest dropout rate of all ethnic groups Poor facilities and low expectations Students demanded: Bilingual education Mexican American history courses More Mexican American teachers

1968 Walkout Students from all 6 LAUSD campuses simultaneously walked out of their classes in protest No immediate accomplishments, but change would come slowly