"They were kicking me as many times as they could," Castro said. Im the one that you want, not the kids. The next day, I found myself suspended. Dorothy Day. It was a pleasure and a learning experience to have spent so much time with him and listen to his stories. Sal Castro also made a significant contribution to the cause of education rights in establishing the Chicano Youth Leadership Conference. "I know that by naming a school after me you are really honoring the students who, 41 years ago, tried to improve education with their courageous walkouts," he added. The panel discussion "History, Identity & Purpose: California Chicanos & Beyond" on Saturday at the Festival of Books began without Castro, one of the key organizers of the East Los Angeles walkouts in 1968. So much tracking was being donethe home economics tracking for girls and the industrialized arts for the boys. They have also lived in Jackson Heights, NY and Woodside, NY. Sal Castro: My parents came up here during the Mexican Revolution and met in Los Angeles. The late Sal Castro, a renowned teacher, education reformer and social justice activist, was awarded a posthumous honorary doctorate during Commencement 2022 at Cal State LA. To Castro, the remarks ignored the economic reality for Latino parents, many of whom must work long hours away from their kids. However, the concepts of conscientizao (conscientization or critical consciousness) are undeniably present as you read through the testimony of Sal Castro. Months after the protests, 40 teachers at Lincoln High asked to be transferred if the district allowed Castro to return. Quotes displayed . On October 13, 2009, the Los Angeles Board of Education voted to name a new Middle School, located on the campus of Belmont High School, Sal Castro Middle School. I almost dropped out [when] the vice principal called me to the office to sign up for the Selective Service System, when I was 18, he says. TOPIC. "Back then, the school board wanted to march him to the guillotine," said fellow educator Carlos Haro, a longtime friend. READ MORE: How the Chicano Movement Championed Mexican American Identity. He urged Mexican American students to run for student government offices, causing a ruckus when he encouraged them to give campaign speeches in Spanish. More than any other year, it shaped the political and social values that guide my work today as a journalist, and it all started with the East Los Angeles walk-outs. Fired after the walkouts, he fought successfully to be reinstated to his teaching position but was transferred several times to schools that had largely non-Latino enrollments. in social science. Chicano activist and educator Sal Castro wows the crowd with his past -- and presence. Latinos continue to lead the nation in high school drop-out rates and teen pregnancies, and bright students are tracked away from college prep courses. There was rationing of food and clothing, and you couldnt buy meat except with food stamps and little red chips, and you had to go to the school to get a new book of food stamps. He also publicly denounced the members of the Minuteman Project as racists. castro-urdiales,spain - sal castro stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images A teacher at Lincoln High talks to students in 1968. In June 2010, Sal Castro sat down with Gilda L. Ochoa to talk about his passion for educational justice. Gloria Estefan. ", -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------, Sal Castro dies at 79; L.A. teacher played role in 1968 protests. The movement reached predominantly black campuses too, but is remembered today as a seminal event in Chicano activism. Walkout: Directed by Edward James Olmos. They liked what I did as a student teacher at Belmont, and they called me back for the fall of 63. The next semester, I found myself at Lincoln High School, just like that. Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. The rest of [us] just shuffled through.. The Board of Education voted him out of his job. Castro: Everything came together. Following the small walkouts, students from the five public schools in East Los Angeles and North East Los Angeles (Roosevelt, Wilson, Lincoln, Garfield, and Belmont), with the aid of local Chicano college students (like David Sanchez and Vickie Castro), coordinated unified protests. Close. Castro was arrested and charged with conspiracy to disrupt public schools and disturb the peace for his alleged role in guiding the blowouts. But the charges were eventually dropped and he came to be hailed as a courageous civil rights leader. No, he says. Which students participate in the conference? He was happy with the choice of Pena. ", from "Teaching Is a Fight An Interview with Sal Castro" (2010).[4]. He was 79. Those students who walked outreally gave back, affirms Talaveras-Bustillos. One of the reasons why theres a lot of resistance to allotting more money into education today is because white folks think that money is only going to be spent on minorities in schools, and they dont want to spend their tax money on minorities. This is fun. In June, more than 40 years after the Los Angeles Unified School District tried to fire Sal Castro for his leadership of the 1968 Chicana/o Blowouts, it came full circle and named a middle school after him. They keep me crazy. In addition to his wife, Castro is survived by two sons, Gilbert and Jimi; and two grandsons. Ochoa: So the Chicano Youth Leadership Conference had already started, and then in 1968 were the student walkouts. Sal Castro recalled as a giant in Chicano history. Then, you better reek of ethnic studies. Castro: They did tell us not to walk out. Boys and girls cry when they leave. If she had been at work at the laundry, hell, they would have taken her. He was arrested and held for five days. I want to see a room full of PhDs here. Close. Bill Clinton had him to the White House in 1996; and in 2010, Salvador B. Castro Middle School was dedicated on the Belmont campus. They were just keeping them out. "Sal Castro held a mirror up to our district that showed the need for a youths' rights agenda more than 45 years ago," district Superintendent John Deasy said in a statement. Castro is keenly aware that the school district still struggles to educate kids from Spanish-speaking families. The Eastside social studies teacher was branded a dangerous agitator in the press held responsible for inciting thousands of teenagers to march out of school. CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT OUR FAMILIES & SAVE THE CHILDREN, A year ago, they were picking fruit with their dad. I said, "Oh, shit, I've got problems here. $1,300,000. When I was going to start school, they took me to the town carpenter. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. Sal Castro, a teacher who supported the students and spoke out against racist and discriminatory practices at Lincoln High in East L.A., would be included in the group of thirteen, which sparked uproar in the community in order to reinstate him as a teacher at Lincoln High. Ochoa: Can you tell me about your role in the walkouts and with the students? Sal Castro, a teacher at Lincoln High, talks to students in 1968. I said, Oh, shit! and walked home. Ochoa: How has the Chicano Youth Conference tried to address educational disparities? In the late 60s, there was turmoil, and there were folks out in the street not only for the Vietnam War but also for civil rights. More than 1000 people gathered to eulogize him. Obama has the California Latino vote in the bag; the Chavez dedication is a national play. "Blowout! It put us on the map, says Montes, now a community activist focused on police brutality. "I didn't think I was dumb I thought they were dumb.". So they had respect for me. Theres no way that you would get positive results [from student walkouts] from what people feel today. Fidel Castro. NEA was going to finance it. In 1963 while teaching at Belmont High School Castro got into trouble for supporting Latino students He waved another letter he had written, taking Obama to task for an education speech arguing that children need a parent at home to turn off the TV and help with the homework. Castro: Last night when I was speaking at UC Riverside, the college students were telling me, Hey, we want to go to Arizona. I said: Let the feds take care of that. On Friday, there are welcoming speeches and that evening they see the movieWalkout. 12 Sept. 2016. Author Mario T. Garcia, who wrote "Blowout! The minute the kids walked out, the weight went away, and I became cocky. In 1970, all charges were dropped against the East L.A. 13. The students demanded bilingual education, ethnic studies and other changes at a time when the curriculum largely ignored Mexican American history and educators forbid Chicano students to speak Spanish and often steered them toward menial jobs rather than college despite strong academic abilities, according to the district. Although Castro continued to lament high dropout rates and other problems, he discouraged students who wanted to launch new walkouts, arguing that staying in school was more important. Sal is related to Elizabeth Castro and Daniel Castro as well as 2 additional people. They never once bother to see Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution that says the government is there to promote the general welfare. My first source comes from a journal entry from the American Ethnic History. Do you?" Seeing, listening and being proud of all of these accomplishments really helped the students think critically about their own family [situations], says Talavera-Bustillos. Or maybe they're just running out of names. Introduction. That was what we wanted in 68, but what do these Mexicans know? [All] Power! Social Studies (1961) . Standing in the halls on the first full day of the blowouts, teacher Sal Castro looked on with pride and emotion as his . At that point, the kids really come home. sal castro quotesbmw 328i problems after 100k miles. TV Shows. Sal Castro: It's a beautiful day to be a Chicano! Edward James Olmos directed the film. Sometimes its Dr. Rudy Acua or Dr. Juan Gmez-Quiones, so its been high-powered people. A lot has changed in L.A. since the 1960s. During these historic walkouts, or blowouts, the students were led by Sal Castro, a courageous and . If it took so long for the first Mexican American to receive that presidential recognition, what were the chances of a second commemoration? Photo courtesy Charlotte Lerchenmuller. Salvador Castro was a Mexican American civil rights activist and fervent education reformer. Dubbed the "Chicano Blowouts", the first day of protests were peaceful, but the second day was marred by police violence against students from Roosevelt and Belmont high schools, who, unlike protesters at the other schools, had no protection from college students.[3]. "He's a giant in Chicano history and should be recognized as a giant in American history.". There is no doubt that a free press is the first enemy of dictatorship. "Cesar Chavez unionized 16,000 farmworkers," Castro wrote on his little board. We lead the nation in high school dropouts. Montes recalled that on March 6, 1968, he drove his car to Lincoln High School and parked across the street from the campus. Castro worked to encourage students at Eastside high schools to protest crowded classrooms and the tracking that funneled many bright minds away from college-prep courses. He held various positions in the Los Angeles-area schools before being hired at Belmont High School in Downtown Los Angeles as an interpreter and social studies teacher. The California-Mexico Studies Center (CMSC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose mission is to research, develop, promote, and establish policies and programs between higher educational institutions and cultural organizations that will enhance the teaching, mobility and exchange of faculty, students, and professionals between California and the U.S. with Mexico and other nations in the Western Hemisphere. I started teaching in 62 in Pasadena and then continued at Belmont High in LA. Castro continued educating and pressing for educational reform in Los Angeles-area schools. 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