Blowouts!

 "1968 Blowout!!!"

 John Ortiz coined the phrase "blowout" to describe the 1968 L.A. Student Protests, he explains:

"The term blowout was originally used as a Jazz improvisation term...

it meant being expressive. You would say of a musician 'he blew it out'."

In 1968, East L.A. was the largest Mexican-American neighborhood in the United States. Mexican-Americans had been plagued by decades of segregation (schools, housing, etc.), severe corporal punishment, police brutality, and substandard schools which tracked Mexican-Americans (due to racism/ low expectations) into domestic, agricultural, vocational, and sweatshop jobs...the "Mexican" Schools actually promoted a sense of inferiority and belittled Mexican-American language, culture, traditions, etc.

Sal Castro

Students and teachers (especially Sal Castro) began to organize and developed a list of demands (about 50) to be delivered to the Board of Education...here are some of the major demands.

1. Bilingual Education
2. Access to honors/ academic classes
3. More Mexican-American teachers and counselors
4. Smaller class size
5. Mexican-American history classes
6. The end of physical abuse
7. The firing of racist teachers
8. Equality in school funding

When the school board ignored their demands, thousands of students (with the help of several teachers, college students, and The Brown Berets) planned a massive walkout to seek the attention of the news media, public, national politicians, etc...these walkouts became known as the "L.A. Blowouts".

 Bobby Kennedy supporting Chicano Students

Many were arrested and beaten by police, 13 adults were arrested and faced 60+ years in jail, further walkouts and sit-ins were carried out, and national leaders (Cesar Chavez, Bobby Kennedy, etc.) began to support the students/ parents quest for true equality and freedom.

The 1968 Blowouts raised awareness about social injustice in the Chicano Community, built tremendous pride, and helped institute some positive change in L.A. (and nationally) Public Schools...questions.

Have things really gotten better?
Are students still "tracked" (into domestic/ vocational jobs) into "non-academic classes" according to their skin color?
Why are schools more segregated in 2014 than they were after Brown v. Board of Education?
Are teachers promoting and building cultural pride in all of their students?
Do students know history...have a critical conscience...have pride in who they are?

Educacion Justicia 2014?