40 yrs of Chicano Studies

[Jeanfromfillmore]

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We stood up, and it mattered.

By Luis Torres

Quote:
The Chicano walk out of 1968 was about dignity and fundamental change that we're still striving for...

We also wanted to protest the conditions that led to a drop out rate hovering around 45%. Barely half of us were making it out of high school. Something was desperately wrong and we wanted to do something about it...

I gained a pride in my heritage that made me more comfortable with who I was -- a young man whose parents were from Mexico. I overcame the shame that I used to feel as a kid when my mother "spoke funny" in public. ..

In those times, I remember reading that "the best way to get the Man off your back is to stand up." We stood up on that day...

Forty years ago, the Los Angeles school board was the Man. Today it is an ally with the community in the effort to improve education...

The drop out rate at my alma mater, Lincoln High School, and the other Eastside high schools is still about 45%...

PDF:

http://classjump.com/mrcilker/docume...20mattered.pdf

HTML:

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedi...,5135201.story