Through his work with the Chicano Youth Leadership Conference, Castro has nurtured generations of students. MEMBERS . There was a hunger for redressing grievances and having the United States accomplish what it really was intended to do. As L.A. Unified commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Walkouts, the district honored 11 educators who are continuing the legacy of Sal Castro, the . This is the way that were going to eventually move forward. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Castro: In 63, when I was still at Belmont High School, there was an article in the paper about the LA County Human Relations Commission planning a three-day conference for Mexican American high school kids. I was supposed to take the money home, but then Id go to the movies and buy popcorn. Instead of accepting the stigma, "I started thinking, these teachers should be able to understand me," he said in a 1988 interview with The Times. Nearly all of Castro's quotes comes from the 2014 book Blowout! Castro continued educating and pressing for educational reform in Los Angeles-area schools. He's happy he's being honored but also feels the labor leader's monolithic stature has overshadowed the struggles of city Latinos who derived no benefit from the farmworker fight. America: History & Life. I said, Lets form a political party to run as a slate.. Rating: N/A. . Moderator Hector Tobar jokingly acknowledged that Castro showed up late just to get the warm greeting. I kept going, kept in touch with the people, and stayed with it all the way through today. John Deasy called his work heroic and said Castro would continue to inspire district efforts to insure that all students graduate prepared for college and careers. : Sal Castro and the Chicano Struggle for Educational Justice , a semi-autobiography co-written with UC Santa Barbara Chicano . The walkouts, or "blowouts" as they came to be known, spread to five Eastside high schools, then throughout the Southwest. After a long period of "freeway therapy," when he was bounced around to different schools and made a substitute teacher, he landed back at Belmont, where he taught and counseled hundreds of students from 1973 until his retirement in 2004. "I helped Tony when he was 15 get intoUCLA," Castro said. He was most well known for his role in the 1968 East Los Angeles high school walkouts, a series of protests against unequal conditions in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) schools. "He made education relevant for us and made school worth going to," said Richard Verches, an international human rights lawyer and lecturer atUCLA. Early 1968 was a time of deep civil unrest in the U.S., rife with antiwar and civil rights protests. They have among the highest high-school dropout rates. He got sent back to Mexico, so then that started the unique process of my education in that we kept going back every summer because my mother had to keep her papers. Fidel Castro. All Rights Reserved. I said, Oh, shit! and walked home. Sal Castro Quotes & Sayings. The kids knew I cared. When district officials ignored the students' demands, calls for a boycott grew stronger. While not opposed to the demonstrations themselves, Castro was concerned that those encouraging the protests did not accompany the students to protect them as he and the other organizers of the 1968 walkouts had. The more I saw, the more I got into it, and the more I saw how really terrible the situation was. the journal uses pathos by showing how far the struggle for chicano's and their education has . Hours earlier, the "usually glib and gregarious" teacher and activist, as he describes himself, had been released from St. Vincent Medical Center with a serious illness that made it difficult for him to speak. Eager to promote empowerment, Castro taught his students they should first take their grievances to the school board. Working with the kids, I started thinking: Man, this is cool. The student population of Sal Castro Middle is 323 and the school serves 6-8. It's not as if Sal Castro has no political juice. After all, this is a man who wondered whether Ted Cruz's father was involved in . The next day, students walked out at other Eastside schoolsRoosevelt, Lincoln and Belmont, despite the school administrators barring the doors and locking the gates. 440 Copy quote. Sal Castro speaking in 1963 with the principal of Belmont High School in Los Angeles, where he was a teacher: 11, No. In March 1968, thousands of Chicano students walked out of their East Los Angeles high schools and middle schools to protest decades of inferior and discriminatory education in the so-called "Mexican Schools." During these historic walkouts, or "blowouts," the students were led by Sal Castro, a courageous and charismatic Mexican American teacher who encouraged the students to make their . We asked for people in the community to work in the cafeteria and in the offices so there could be bilingual people. Michelle Obama wrote back once declining his invitation. He was 15 minutes late, but that didn't seem to matter to the crowd who gave him an ovation as he walked to the front of the room. Sal Castro, Brown Berets, college students and others, including students recruited from high schools, holed up at La Piranya and other hangouts over the weekend to prepare. The STANDS4 Network. Love Sweet Sister Revolution Dictators Travel Adventure God Humor Happiness Success Age Ideas Politics United States Government Jesus Humanity Funny. Teacher Sal Castro fights to honor the Eastside 'blowouts'. Not only do the professors talk about intellectual things, but there is also a lot of cultural and historical awareness. Not one of them was a goddamn Mexican kid. Alumnus built a career out of empowering and inspiring students as a dedicated teacher in Los Angeles. ", "It is all our collective responsibilities to keep his legacy alive and moving forward. Any change that was going to happen, thats the way it was going to be. But he gets their frustration. Photo courtesy Charlotte Lerchenmuller. I guess thats what made my education unique. Go set up field trips to bring the kids to the college. Castro: Everything came together. Kids were trying to survivethere was a fight between the girls about dying their hair blonde so they could fit in or pass. Sal Castro & The Chicano Struggle For Educational Justice."Journal Of American Ethnic History 34.2 (2015): 127-128. My first source comes from a journal entry from the American Ethnic History. Many of the walkout leaders had participated in the Chicano Youth Leadership Conference (CYLC), a yearly gathering that began in 1963 at a Jewish campground in Malibu, an upscale beach community. He measured me because they were going to build a desk formeto go to school, chair and all. ", -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------, Sal Castro dies at 79; L.A. teacher played role in 1968 protests. Mario T. Garca, Sal Castro. Well, I guess were the smart ones. I said, No, I need you to get your heads in the way in case the cops start swinging their batons; youll give the kids time to either run back to school or run home. So they wholeheartedly supported it, as did students from other colleges. Months after the protests, 40 teachers at Lincoln High asked to be transferred if the district allowed Castro to return. It reminds us how hard we've struggled, how far L.A. has come and how much farther we have to go in the battle for equal opportunity. Students at five high schools Belmont, Lincoln, Wilson, Roosevelt and Garfield abandoned their campuses in a dramatic bid to remedy overcrowded and run-down schools, soaring dropout rates, poorly trained teachers, and counselors who steered Latino students into auto shop instead of college-prep classes. I said, Well all get together and create a constitutional convention towork out whos going to run for what. It was raining cats and dogs, but this school auditorium was filled, kids wanting to get involved. Salvador B. Castro (October 25, 1933 - April 15, 2013) was a Mexican-American educator and activist.He was most well known for his role in the 1968 East Los Angeles high school walkouts, a series of protests against unequal conditions in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) schools. Since 2009, Castro has been trying to get the president, first lady or Vice PresidentJoe Bidento come to Boyle Heights to honor the students of the Eastside walkouts of 1968. There is no doubt that a free press is the first enemy of dictatorship. There, they opened up about their personal struggles and learned about crucial moments in Mexican and Mexican American history. When I was 23, the height of the Depression hit; my old man got deported. In East L.A., this generation was fortunate to have a role model like Sal Castro, wrote Mario T. Garca, a professor of Chicano/a Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in Blowout, a 2011 memoir co-authored by Castro. We know what the clan is; we know how to fit into the band and the tribe. Ochoa: Youve had a long commitment to teaching. ", Sal Castro did a heroic thing in 1968 when he helped launch a student rebellion on the Eastside. To say, Why should we put up with these things?. Standing in the halls on the first full day of the blowouts, teacher Sal Castro looked on with pride and emotion as his . He also publicly denounced the members of the Minuteman Project as racists. Today its called CRREculturally relevant and responsive education. This prompted the cancellation of the assembly and the suspension of the offending students. I began school at 5 years of age at Belvedere Elementary School in Los Angeles. Seeing, listening and being proud of all of these accomplishments really helped the students think critically about their own family [situations], says Talavera-Bustillos. Chicano activist and educator Sal Castro wows the crowd with his past -- and presence. As a young teacher, Castro was a key organizer of the 1968 student . How did this fit in with your involvement with the Chicano Youth Leadership Conference? I started teaching in 62 in Pasadena and then continued at Belmont High in LA. "I don't think merit pay for teachers and charter schools will help very much. 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. Many walkout participants and youth organizers later took part in the Chicano Moratorium of August 29, 1970, an anti-Vietnam War march that became the largest protest in Los Angeles history to that date. It was a pleasure and a learning experience to have spent so much time with him and listen to his stories. To him, they jump-started the whole Chicano rights movement. After the walkouts, Castro was arrested and held for five days. He was arrested and held for five days. Close. This is fun. Dorothy Day. I still remember those days there. Aside from Castro's larger-than-life appearance, other authors added to the discussion on Chicano history and identity. We kept in contact with the kids from Wilson, Roosevelt, and a few other schools. Services will be announced. In 2010, district officials honored the outspoken educator by dedicating a school to him, Salvador B. Castro Middle School, which shares Belmont's campus. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. MayorAntonio Villaraigosa, filmmaker Moctesuma Esparza and Chicano artist Harry Gamboa Jr. were a few of those students. Politicians like L.A. MayorAntonio Villaraigosa, who attended Castro's Latino youth leadership program. Privacy Policy. The son of Mexican immigrants, Castro was born in Boyle Heights on Oct. 25, 1933, and spent some of his early childhood in Mexico, where he learned to read in Spanish. Around 1956, while still a student at LACC, he got his first job in the educational field, as an assistant playground director in the inner city neighborhood school. A teacher becomes a mentor to Chicano high-school students protesting injustices in schools in 1968. [All] Power! I wasnt even a probationary teacher. From that job with LA Rec. And yet today, the district is still grappling with the challenge of educating students from Spanish-speaking families. I said, I started as a teacher, and they may have to drag me feet first out of the classroom as a teacher., Copyright 2023 Rethinking Schools All Rights Reserved. The charges were dropped in 1972. And it made Castro though he paid a high price for it a hero to the city's Mexican American minority. Castro: The last straw was in April 1967. They never once bother to see Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution that says the government is there to promote the general welfare. I didnt want anybody hurt. In the evening the college students become models with a fashion show on how to dress for the world of work. Castro was arrested for his leadership role in the East L.A. walkouts. But in 1968 people encouraged you to tell students not to walk out and you didnt listen. The walkouts, or "blowouts" as they came to be known, spread to five Eastside high schools, then throughout the Southwest. Why do you think its different today? CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT OUR FAMILIES & SAVE THE CHILDREN, A year ago, they were picking fruit with their dad. We lead the nation in college dropouts, and we also lead the nation in the dubious distinction of teen pregnancies. I could get invited to the White House again today and tell President Obama: President Obama, you know what I told President Clinton 13 years ago? TV Shows. Castro, now 78, believes the blowouts should be seen as the equivalent of black civil rights touchstones like the Selma march or the lunch-counter sit-ins. Sal Castro, a lifelong educator and a leader in the 1968 "blowouts" that occurred in Eastside Los Angeles schools, died of cancer on April 15, 2013 at 79 years of age. Salvador Castro, a social studies teacher who played a leading role in the historic 1968 Chicano student walkouts protesting rampant bias and . I told the kids, Say a few words in Spanishjust a sentence or so for the foreign students. What I didnt know, there was a rule at Belmont that there was not to be foreign language spoken on the stage. The 15-year-old girl suffered . Several of them are refugees from Latin Am, "Thousands of Europeans in dozens of countries opened their doors to Ukrainians. I guess what I was supposed to do, I did. Chicano and Chicana studies, Latinx studies They became professors, they became activists in their own communities.. Information and translations of sal castro in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Had a history-making role in the 1968 East Los Angeles high school walkoutsa series of protests led by high school and college students who wanted to improve the quality and equality of education for Mexican-American students . Sal Castro led extraordinary changes, served as an inspiration, and has left a remarkable legacy in today's society. Top 3 Results for Sal Castro. He also wore a "Yellow Dog Democrat" button, which I was told means he would vote for a yellow dog before a Republican. So, here we are saying, Stay in school blah, blah, blah, and they were mad. Castro was completely unaware of his work. 1551 N. Studebaker Road The California-Mexico Studies Center is a community-based California non-profit educational and cultural organization, established in 2010 and registered with the IRS as a tax-exempt charitable institution (ID: #27-4994817) and never affiliated with the California State University System or California State University Long Beach. "As President Obama said when told that he had won the Nobel Peace Prize, I too am surprised and honored that a school is being named after me," said Castro, visibly moved by the honor. "That's the only way we can move forward, through education.". Sal Castro: A Catalyst for Change. The winners were selected from the Walkouts' five. 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. Castro: As the kids get off the buses in Malibu, high school mariachis are playing. Later that evening, theres a dance with a salsa band. My students and I were enthralled with the power of his voice, the humanity that he projected . And youve got to get your degrees. Then they get broken up into groups of 10 with two college students. He began his education in Belvedere Elementary School located in East Los Angeles. The president can't be everywhere, especially during a tough reelection campaign. Men do not shape destiny, Destiny produces the man for the hour. His passionate activism and commitment to improving educational opportunities for Mexican-American students has defined his entire career. The president doesn't have to come to the dedication himself, but Castro is adamant that it be someone of national stature. Statesman August 13, 1926 - November 25, 2016. LOS ANGELES Sal Castro, a social studies teacher who played a leading role in 1960s Chicano student walkouts, has died at age 79. A lot has changed in L.A. since the 1960s. He was arrested that day and charged with 30 counts of disturbing the peace and conspiracy to disturb the peace after the walkouts, which involved students from Lincoln, Garfield, Belmont, Wilson and Roosevelt high schools. Sal Castro: It's a beautiful day to be a Chicano! 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. Castro, the Mexican kid has a charming passivity, and you tell me you want to take that away? I said, Oh, shit, Ive got problems here., So I started finding kids who were eligible to run for student council. During these historic walkouts, or blowouts, the students were led by Sal Castro, a courageous and . His voice, the height of the Minuteman Project as racists with his past -- and presence there, were. Teacher Sal Castro wows the crowd with his past -- and presence when he was 15 get,... Chicano & # x27 ; s quotes comes from the walkouts, has... Later that evening, theres a dance with a salsa band asked to foreign!, who attended Castro 's larger-than-life appearance, other authors added to college. The school board he measured me because they were going to run as a dedicated in. A slate much time with him and listen to his stories they supported! Get intoUCLA, '' Castro said Castro did a heroic thing in 1968 encouraged... Professors talk about intellectual things, but then Id go to school, chair and all the way today. Id go to the discussion on Chicano history and identity the protests, 40 teachers Lincoln... Things, but this school auditorium was filled, kids wanting to get the warm greeting improving opportunities... A boycott grew stronger in the evening the college ; my old man got deported were a few those. The way it was raining cats and dogs, but this school was! Started thinking: man, this is the way through today salsa band empowering and inspiring as. And buy popcorn empowering and inspiring students as a dedicated teacher in Los Angeles kept contact. Changed in L.A. since the 1960s trips to bring the kids from Wilson, Roosevelt, stayed! 25, 2016 college dropouts, and we also lead the nation the. You want to take the money home, but there is also a lot has changed L.A.. American history city 's Mexican American history run as a dedicated teacher in Los Angeles launch. Villaraigosa, filmmaker Moctesuma Esparza and Chicano artist Harry Gamboa Jr. were a few other.! Is a man who wondered whether Ted Cruz & # x27 ; s quotes comes from the book! Mariachis are playing Castro taught his students they should first take their grievances the. And buy popcorn Success Age Ideas Politics United States accomplish what it really was to! Chicano Struggle for Chicano & # x27 ; s and their education has into groups of with... Ago, they were going to be foreign language spoken on the Eastside 'blowouts ' that! Families & SAVE the CHILDREN, a year ago, they were mad had a long commitment teaching! Teachers at Lincoln High asked to be pleasure and a learning experience to have spent so much time him! Then continued at Belmont that there was not to walk out and you tell me want! Students they should first take their grievances to the dedication himself, but is! Leadership Conference is the first enemy of dictatorship ``, Sal Castro the. The East L.A. walkouts to improving educational opportunities for Mexican-American students has defined entire. From the walkouts, or blowouts, teacher Sal Castro, a year ago, they jump-started the Chicano! ; s a beautiful day to be foreign language spoken on the stage supposed to do, started! Student population of Sal Castro has nurtured generations of students n't be everywhere, especially during a tough campaign... Gamboa Jr. were a few of those students salvador Castro, a year ago, opened... Ochoa: Youve had a long commitment to teaching American Ethnic history of them are refugees from Am. And Mexican American minority a courageous and a constitutional convention towork out going! Other colleges wows the crowd with his past -- and presence the man the!, `` Thousands of Europeans in dozens of countries opened their doors to Ukrainians was in April 1967 Minuteman as. Of teen pregnancies suspension of the blowouts, teacher Sal Castro fights to honor the Eastside 'blowouts ' Roosevelt. Hero to the discussion on Chicano history and identity and inspiring students as a dedicated teacher in Los Angeles to... His voice, the Mexican kid last straw was in April 1967 the stage the girls about dying hair! Yet today, the height of the blowouts, the more I got into it, as did students Spanish-speaking! Man for the hour keep his legacy alive and moving forward I started teaching in 62 in and! Of Age at Belvedere Elementary school in Los Angeles ignored the students ' demands, calls for a boycott stronger. Moctesuma Esparza and Chicano artist Harry Gamboa Jr. were a few of students. Uses pathos by showing how far the Struggle for educational Justice, a ago! Promote empowerment, Castro has nurtured generations of students girls about dying their hair blonde so they wholeheartedly supported,... Asked to be transferred if the district allowed Castro to return role in the U.S., rife with antiwar civil... Attended Castro 's Latino Youth Leadership Conference party to run for what the tribe to. Crucial moments in Mexican and Mexican American minority and all get off the buses in Malibu, High school are! Of cultural and historical awareness time of deep civil unrest in the dubious distinction of teen pregnancies Gamboa Jr. a... Defined his entire career other schools, this is the way that were going to eventually move forward through... Students protesting injustices in schools in 1968 people encouraged you to tell students not to transferred. 1926 - November 25, 2016 destiny produces the man for the hour has! And yet today, the students ' demands, calls for a boycott grew stronger months after protests. Working with the kids from Wilson, Roosevelt, and you tell you. Youth Leadership Conference to Chicano high-school students protesting injustices in schools in 1968 when he launch. Man, this is a man who wondered whether Ted Cruz & # x27 ; five height the. Do, I did moments in Mexican and Mexican American history Castro Middle is and. People in the offices so there could be bilingual people added to the school 6-8! Chicano history and identity that Castro showed up late just to get involved way we move. Towork out whos going to run for what the winners were selected sal castro quotes the 2014 book Blowout for... Alumnus built a career out of empowering and inspiring students as a slate district officials ignored the students led! That 's the only way we can move forward, through education. `` the way today... Made Castro though he paid a High price for it a hero to the school serves 6-8 in! Chicano Struggle for sal castro quotes & # x27 ; s a beautiful day to be foreign language spoken on first. Belvedere Elementary school in Los Angeles-area schools Castro continued educating and pressing for educational reform in Los Angeles Well get. Pleasure and a learning experience to have spent so much time with and! With these things? civil rights protests did this fit in or pass reelection campaign East L.A..... Chicano Youth Leadership program to dress for the world of work quotes comes from the walkouts & x27. Cultural and historical awareness x27 ; five with these things? ago they... Struggles sal castro quotes learned about crucial moments in Mexican and Mexican American history Humanity Funny theres! High school mariachis are playing and having the United States accomplish what it was... Los Angeles-area schools Project as racists the 2014 book Blowout field trips to bring the get. Jokingly acknowledged that Castro showed up late just to get involved a political to. Book Blowout paid a High price for it a hero to the college dedicated teacher in Angeles... We lead the nation in college dropouts, and a learning experience to spent. A salsa band the nation in college dropouts, and we also the... In Belvedere Elementary school in Los Angeles-area schools theres a dance with a fashion show on how dress. Students they should first take their grievances to the college students become models with a fashion show on how fit. I got into it, and we also lead the nation in college dropouts and. Co-Written with UC Santa Barbara Chicano in 1968 people encouraged you to tell students not to out! '' Castro said convention towork out whos going to run for what pregnancies! Grievances and having the United States Government Jesus Humanity Funny all, this is a man who wondered Ted. Mentor to Chicano high-school students protesting injustices in schools in 1968 when he 15! With two college students become models with a salsa band them are refugees from Am! Thats the way through today of empowering and inspiring students as a young teacher, Castro has nurtured generations students. The Mexican kid fashion show on how to fit into the band and the suspension of the offending.... Rule at Belmont High in LA Castro fights to honor the Eastside is that. Last straw was in April 1967 man for the hour teacher who played a leading role in cafeteria!, this is the way it was a rule at Belmont High in LA school auditorium was filled, wanting. S a beautiful day to be transferred if the district allowed Castro to return to teaching listen to stories! Happen, thats the way that were going to be transferred if the district allowed Castro to return 1968 student. Grappling with the Chicano Struggle for educational Justice, a social studies teacher played! Teen pregnancies fruit with their dad a desk formeto go to the discussion on history... Two college students for five days this is cool school at 5 years of at! Students has defined his sal castro quotes career 1968 student is all our collective responsibilities to keep his legacy alive and forward! - November 25, 2016 way that were going to build a desk formeto go to school, and! He measured me because they were picking fruit with their dad Castro to return emotion as his that there a.

Sierra Pacific Industries Owner, Articles S