COMMENTS for "The Chicano Moratorium 50 Years Later: Retracing the Mexican American Struggle Against the Vietnam War"
On August 29, 1970, East Los Angeles became the stage for one of the most captivating moments of the Vietnam War’s home front – the National Chicano Moratorium protests against the disproportionate loss of Mexican American servicemen in the war. The largest protest of the 1960s/1970s Chicano movement, nearly 20,000-30,000 people participated in the Moratorium. However, its message was muffled by violence between the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and demonstrators leading to 150 arrests and four deaths, including journalist Rubén Salazar.
Retrace the route of the Chicano Moratorium through East Los Angeles here and rediscover Mexican American protestors’ cries for racial justice: “Chale no, we won’t go – bring the ‘carnales’ home!” – and then leave your thoughts below!
Each year Mexican people celebrate the 16th of September in commemoration of the 1810 start of what became the Mexican independence movement. The colorful patriotic festival is celebrated not only within Mexican national boundaries, but also on the other side of its northern border wherever great concentrations of Mexican communities are found. In Los Angeles, California the demographic and cultural strength of the Mexican community – the second largest in the world after Mexico City – makes celebrating the annual “fiestas patrias” an indispensable local tradition. A colorful ceramic mural located in the historic heart of L.A. titled El Grito (“The Cry”) celebrates Mexico’s independence and as well as the heritage of the city’s vibrant Mexican American community.
U.S.-Mexican, Latino, and Border Historian