47 Comments
I feel the strike against there education at the time was needed. However I feel it could have gone more peaceful than it did, but I wonder if that would have changed the eventual outcome of a better education. After hearing that only 1/4 Chicanos statistically make it through high school, i didn't know weather to believe that or not. It would make no difference in that fact that what they we're being told to go through education and you can be whatever you want, but the education they we're getting would not allow them to see through there dreams.
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Nicole Matteson
2/9/2015 11:14:39 am
I found it beautiful how passionate the protesters were. Children would leave their classrooms to march and because they were children, It showed the adults that they knew of the mistreatment and they had their own opinions of it. For someone to constantly tell children that they will go no where important in life, the kids will start to believe it. And that is wrong. If you tell a child they are bad or they will never be able to do anything right, they will start to act the way you tell them they are. This is psychological power. It was inspiring that the chicanos recognized this and took action, even if it meant they would spend days in a building away from their homes and families. They slept on floors with people attempting to make their stay there the most uncomfortable. It reminded me of the jews in the Nazi camps and how the Nazi's put so much effort into making their lives hell. Was it because they were scarred of them? In this case, the chicanos succeeded and proved that their voices matter in society and will never have to go unnoticed.
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Chloe R
2/9/2015 11:20:54 am
I've seen first hand how even modern desegregated schools can end up segregating students by race, and I can imagine how the situation is even worsened when the institution itself actually supports the segregation. Its amazing that these students were able to see the injustices happening to them and be so clear and professional in speaking out for their rights, even when they were being given a sub par education. What really stuck me about this is when an older Mexican man said, "They think us Mexicans are weak and you can walk right over us, but that's not true."
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Dylan L
2/9/2015 11:25:20 am
I think that the actions of the students executing a walk out was very interesting. In our times, all of those students would probably be immediately marked as truant, but in their times, they were able to march (for a little bit).
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Emily Dingman
2/9/2015 11:30:34 am
I was inspired by how motivated and passionate the students, parents,and teachers were. They realized was was happening to their kids and students was not going to go over well. They showed an amazing amount of perseverance and will power to get through the walks outs, and sit ins that the endured. I find it almost comical at how the white males that spoke about the issues, spoke as if thy where innocent. Completely missing the facts that were being thrown at them and the full anger of the students. This country has given, but also taken so much from its own citizens. IT took the land that was rightfully owned by the native Americans and the Mexicans, but also opened a land where more people can come from different parts of the world. I think america is embarrassed by their mistakes, so when issues like this arise, the run off like a child caught in an act they do not want to admit. Sugar coating the truth and leading everyone to believe "Hey, everything is okay" When it is in fact not. The movement was amazing and awesome to see high school student taking a stand for their own future, culture, and themselfs.
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Kayla Feather
2/9/2015 11:45:47 am
I think this was very interesting to see that even in California they were having basically the same problems as everywhere else, but on a not so sever scale. To compare it to the book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, it seems that California is this land that is fair and equal with none of these problems everywhere else is dealing with. It is amazing that these students could be so brave to change everything that was going for their future, and to try to redefine who they could be.
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camila antonorsi
2/9/2015 11:55:44 am
Its not really suppressing that the school system was that way. But the fact that the students reacted in the way that they did is great. they left there classes to march. also the discrimination against the mexican-americans was not as bad as it was with the african americans but they were still hated and treated badly. and when they went against the school system it took a lot of curage and bravery and the outcome was great for them.
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Emily Hayashida
2/9/2015 12:00:10 pm
I think that it was interesting to hear bout how ony 1 out of 4 chicanos actually graduated high school, and that leads me to thinking about the support that I have both at home and school that they most likely lacked. It strikes me how through the first half of the video their were so many cases of people feeling ashamed about their culture and who they were. Another particular case that struck me was when the school sent out surveys and took the data to the school board where it was immediately trashed, because the people in charge didn't believe they were the answer. How could they have ignored the date? It is interesting to see how much pressure and agitation the chicanos went through until their breaking point. The walk out was necesarry and inspirational becasue it was started by the youth.
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Chandler Gaines
2/9/2015 12:10:28 pm
This was powerful. It was really something spectacular to see how many poeple were standing up and it was not like a normal protest. People werent protesting just because there freinds were. They were actually passionate and defending there rights. It hit close to home for them and they took the chance to rebel. It could have been more organized as anything can be but it did achieve what they wanted it to and in the end it turned out alright.
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Niklas Wenz
2/9/2015 12:32:11 pm
This video remembered me about the movie we watched in class today - "Jane Eliot A Class Divided" - only that in this case it was not just segregation and discrimination in a small manner in class but much more discrimination and segregation already starting in school and going on even worse later on.
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Jackson Sjogren
2/9/2015 12:32:33 pm
It's crazy to compare my school life to hispanics during this time period. I almost have to much support where they had none. It makes me feel lousy for ever treating my education like a hassle. It's crazy to me how stubborn the school board was. Parents and students had to go to the board of education several times until they finally meet their demands and the only reason they finally gave in was because they were basically tired of being bothered. There were so many brave students that wouldn't stand for this kind of treatment. It makes me wonder if our generation is ever gonna have to fight for rights at some point in time.
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Morgan King
2/9/2015 12:35:03 pm
I thought that it was very interesting to see that essentially what was happening on the east coast and in the south of the United States, were also occurring in California and the West Coast. However, the actions that took place on the West Coast were much more peaceful and scaled down. It strikes as very interesting, that it is hard to imagine just how torn the country would have become if the same level of hatred that was apparent on the east was also on the west. I thought that it was great though, to see the students taking a stand, to demand what they had a right to, good education. It was definitely inspirational, but also showed the necessity when the corruption and unjust that was happening even on the federal level. Overall, I thought that it was the right thing to do, to stand up when the time was right, when they had every means to. Because, if you let something go, life will pick up on its course, and you will never get the same opportunity again.
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Nicole King
2/9/2015 12:47:27 pm
I thought that it was interesting that it happened in California not to far from where we live. I felt that it was very inspiring on how they all got together and marched, together. Fighting for the same things. They were so passionate on getting there rights and trying to get there rights and not have different schools. It gave me chills and how they did it.
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Kaeli Leoni
2/9/2015 12:49:13 pm
To see the tremendous amount of effort that was put into equal education is horrendous. The countless amount of hours spent at protests, sit ins, and council meetings just to try and get a better education shouldn't have even been necessary. The California School Board should have listened to their demands as soon as they were asked. I found it amazing how inspired the protesting children were, however. They had so much passion and desired an equal education so much that some even went to jail for it. I found it also really interesting how many of the protestors were sent to jail and put on trials since everything they did was in the constitution. They were just peacefully protesting, voicing their opinion to the government. Going through the amount of effort the government did to avoid complying to their demands is crazy and they should have listened sooner.
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Eli Murguia
2/9/2015 12:52:19 pm
I really enjoyed watching this documentary. I feel like it was able to give me insight as to what the generation (or two) before me had struggled with and what they had to face each passing day. It makes me feel overwhelmingly grateful to be able to come to a school like High Tech High, so full of the opportunities that the generation in the documentary was so desperately fighting for. I also feel like it was able to show the power of the people and how an organized group of students with a common goal were driven to create the change that Chicano's now benefit from today. What started as a small school organization of like minded students turned into a nation wide issue that resulted in drastic change that impacts our present day. Imagine the change that we as the next generation can generate with simply the power of each others like mindedness. Imagine what we could change in our own communities. This documentary just really blew my mind with the concept of individual courage that brought these students together to create this transformation in their society to create an environment for themselves in which they can have a better education.
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Sarah Lockhart
2/9/2015 12:57:03 pm
I thought this documentary was really interesting and it's really cool to hear what was happening on the west coast during the civil rights movement because you mostly hear about what happens in the south. What really struck me was how similar the situations were. The common theme is a minority group that is discriminated against finally has a better opportunity to speak out against their oppressors and try to resolve the issue. Peaceful protests are unfortunately not met with peace and police used unnecessary force against them. With that, I am still inspired by how they still retained these peaceful ideologies and desire for equality in a corrupt society and at such a young age. Another thing that struck me was how their culture was shamed. When learning about how cultures were "Americanized" it never really dawned on me just how ashamed people were of their own beautiful heritage, so I am really glad to have watched the video for that takeaway. But I am a bit confused about the Brown Berets and how they were formed and what their goals were as a group because they seemed to be very separate from the students protesting.
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Mikayla
2/9/2015 01:02:54 pm
Watching this was a very different experience than watching "A Time for Justice" simply due to the vast contrasts of the magnitude of the wrongs and the relations against protesters. Though Mexican Americans were certainly not regarded in the same light as white Americans, they were still given rights and their discrimination was smaller and hidden. Teachers and officials did not openly declare that Mexican Americans were inferior and the protests for education did not result in lynchings. I was not as impressed by the conviction behind these protests for education equality. I mean no disrespect, nor do I doubt that the Mexican American children received a different education, however, their civil rights movement was poorly carried out. They included and welcomed the Brown Berets even when doing so gave their protests a violent connotation. The Brown Berets had obviously had a past of violent actions that generated animosity among the population and among the police force. No child or parent ever expressed a need for armed protection; a Beret is interviewed in the video as having decided protection was needed. However, there was never a moment in which violence was needed or produced a positive outcome for the protesters. The parent's sit in and the children's school strike, both peaceful events, generated more results than the addition of the Berets. The continual interviewing of the members seemed redundant. I don't understand why they were involved, or who decided that they should be involved in the first place.
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Hunter Birk
2/9/2015 01:16:07 pm
After watching the documentary I feel astonished, at the begging of the film it gave a Vietnam statistic that was very shocking. After so many Americans gave their lives in Vietnam I would have thought that it would have deteriorated the racial barrier but really it didn't help it all. I was shocked to find out that Latinos had a higher death rate it and really tried to understand why that was. It was crazy the devotion to cause that minorities group had and when matched with such obstacles and that the succeed is very inspiring.
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Christian Klosterman
2/9/2015 01:16:51 pm
It is really interesting to see the contrast of the south and their situation and the west coasts situation. It seems like they had a lot in common, like the children protesting and making a big difference. Although it was less violent, it is almost the same. Whenever I watch things like this it really messes with my mind to think that this went on where I live and how different it was less than 100 years ago.
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Dillon Prescott
2/9/2015 01:23:21 pm
This video would not load for me and when it finally did it went 2 minutes and then froze for an hour.
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Jack Campbell
2/9/2015 01:31:17 pm
I found it interesting that the strikes and protests that took place during this were entirely student orchestrated. The Chicano's were not receiving a proper education and they were not receiving the same treatment as others. They began to see this and they took a stand trying to convince the school board to take action towards the issue. I thought the bravery of the student leaders was interesting.
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Eddie Herrera
2/9/2015 01:59:55 pm
My thoughts, I feel that this spreads light on the discrimination that Mexicans face. Mexican discrimination is rarely talked about but is around us daily and some cases we support it without our acknowledgement. I feel that Brown is the new black, perhaps others may disagree but Mexicans do not have leader or someone to pave a road so that they too can gain their independence, even in the video the movement didn't have a leader nor organization. Even if the movement occurred you still don't hear about Mexican history as much.
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Jordan Farrah
2/9/2015 02:20:14 pm
I thought it was interesting to see a video of a lot of the same crazy racism we've been learning about happening decently close to where we live. I thought it was awesome how the kids risked getting in trouble and skipping school to fight what they stood for. I think its interesting how simply just marching in protest can help end discrimination.
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Jenna Welsh
2/9/2015 02:36:57 pm
I was stunned by how far this escalated! I think everything the Chicano students requested was perfectly reasonable and deliverable, so I have no idea how the police officers got away with beating people for absolutely no reason. I was struck by how awful their education was at the high schools: it seemed that school officials were simply focused on graduating students rather than actually educating them. I wonder why that was. Were the teacher disillusioned by the negative stereotypes at that time? I feel like it could be attributed to white privilege: white people were not tracked into vocational careers because teachers and counselors assumed they wanted more out of life. Chicano students were not entitled to that same advantage. I see a lot of parallels between the education system of that time period and the education of today, except it seems that students of all races are overlooked and misguided. I feel that if we make it our mission to not just see every student through high school but to see them through college, then we will produce more thorougly-educated students.
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Ryan Cormack
2/9/2015 02:38:51 pm
There was a quote that went along the lines of "Their lives were threatened just because they wanted a better education". I find this crazy that students were actually fighting for that when most of the schools here are at least average and I don't think a lot of kids appreciate that. I also find it crazy that students were actually arrested for fighting for something that everyone should have an equal right to have. Its also really interesting to learn about discrimination that was happening in the same area that we live in now, and to see how much has changed (although there is still a lot of discrimination obviously).
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Abby Elliott
2/9/2015 02:46:10 pm
In the documentary entitled “Chicano!”, people/teachers assumed that if a student could not answer a given question, they were stupid. This statement is not true. There could have been many factors to why the student did not answer the question-no breakfast, illiterate in the language, etc. So, there came a point when the “stupid” students had had enough. A fight for a better education began. I bet many of the people/students were surprised to see the “stupid” students standing up for a better education. Most people though, believed that the Chicanos were just trying to start trouble. The public did not value their opinion. I found it impressive that they were just stubborn enough to not give up-no matter the consequences that awaited them. I was pleased to find out that the Chicanos finally won this battle.
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Shea Saulino
2/9/2015 02:51:59 pm
I truly believe the level of segregation is unspeakable and the fact that there was so much resistance and pushback should have clued white supremacists (as well as everyday people) that a change needed to be made. My favorite part of the video was when the Mexican community organized Walk-Outs against the school board. It touched my heart to see a Chicano named Harry Gamboa (25:32) talking about what he did to help. He had every disadvantage and right to sit at home and complain, yet there he was helping with equal rights. Harry proves that there was good in the world at that time, and his persistent goal is representative of The American Dream for Latino/as. Another part of the video that struck me was when the policeman said that the force had to go under training for riots. There was too much passion to control with their guns- power to you Chicanos!
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Grant
2/9/2015 03:26:22 pm
I found the video to be very interesting and inspiring. I found it to be interesting because I never heard about this happening before. I also found it to be inspiring because they stood up for what they believed in. I was also shocked to hear that only 1 out of 4 chicanos made it through high school and the cause of it. Which was the push to get them out of the school and into more labor oriented jobs. It also said they were only making ⅔ s of what they should have.
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Lucas LeVieux
2/9/2015 04:11:16 pm
I had no idea that Mexican segregation existed in California! When we learn about segregation, we always learn about the Africans in the American South. It's funny that we focus on something more foreign to us. Perhaps the matter is too close at hand for it to be uncontroversial.
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Alexis Habib
2/9/2015 04:22:59 pm
This video, though it was informative and thought provoking, only re-in forced knowledge that I already had on the subject. I am not so much surprised by the content as I am repulsed by it. That kind of blatant racism, not saying that subliminal racism or quit racism is better, angers me and makes me wonder how many people who had racial advantages thought that racism and segregation was horribly wrong.
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TJ
2/9/2015 05:02:27 pm
I have to follow lucas's lead on this one when I had no idea that segregation existed in America. It all makes sense to be honest, the only type of segregation you hear about on the west coast is that of japanese Americans (and even then that was WW2). In southern California it really makes a lot of sense that Mexicans were really segregated as there was a lot of immigrants at the time. I really do admire their effort in the film and I felt so horrible when they were being infiltrated and used by the LAPD to be made look bad. How low and how much hatred do you have to harbor to start instigating fights to make your enemy (in this case the LAPD's enemy was the Chicanos) look bad.
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2/9/2015 05:10:59 pm
I felt like this video was very shocking, It was also interesting to know that the black civil rights movement was also happening at that time. It made me realize how much had happen over those times in promoting civil rights or equality. It was sad to see the lack of education given and it must have been hard for them as Mexican children, teens to be told what jobs they would have , just like their parents who were laborers or housewives being told that they are not capable of anything better that that. It also made me appreciate the kind of education I am able to get now and being opened to options and not be cut short because of my race. Just like in the black movement Mexican children were the ones who were going out in protesting. Just like them they were arrested as well and the parents also going in to support the children that were being put in jail. It was sad because they didn't hold back on children they just saw them as Mexicans and nothing else and as they were protesting, Mexicans who were just watching were even put to jail. Some of the white counsel or teachers were giving the polices excuses for the actions they had taken out on the Mexicans saying that they didn't know how to deal with the situation. Even though through all their protesting they were given the rights to a wholesome education they still had to fight for two more years. After watching this documentary it really made me think of the segregation done to different races and labeling them based off that and not given the chance to prove themselves as a person or giving them to chance to show their abilities and to be able to prove that they went through multiple protests, sit-ins, jail time, and abuse. It's truly fascinating because sometimes I take education for granted and I may not see the importance of equality for education and how people in different races fought for that right of a higher education
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Eamonn McGuiness
2/9/2015 10:36:17 pm
I thought it was really shocking how the Chicanos were treated in this film. In one portion they were talking about some of the ways they were discriminated against. Some were being made fun of for not taking "American food" to school or one had to sit at the back of the class with a hat that said "Chicano." I agree with their idea to protest because they shouldn't have to put up with being segregated and treated unequally because of their race.
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Srdja
2/9/2015 11:06:14 pm
The thing that shocked me was that only 1 out of 4 Mexicans kids finished high school. Something was terribly wrong with the system back than. Also the thing that segregated school still excited after the law banned them is scary. How far people can go in order to put down the minorties? Banners in the classroom, which say that only English is allowed to be spoken, are really humiliating. That is literally taking one of the most Imortant characteristic of every "Chicano", language. Strike that high schoolers organizes is a really brave move. Especially for young people who showed that can do something to change world where they lived.
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Matt Rose
2/9/2015 11:08:50 pm
Watching so many people come together and unite to protest and fight for their own people and stop the maltreatment and discrimination of their people was something beautiful to watch. It is very difficult to start and maintain a good movement, and there has been many instances where movements have gone no where for people. So its a huge and brave step to be able to join and take part in this Chicano movement. Promoting equality and civil rights seems to be a common factor in the United States and even to modern day there are still riots and protests fighting to be equal. I am grateful for the education I have and after watching this video I am still having troubles figuring out what kind of emotions the minority must have gone through. I am guessing mostly pain and frustration was built up inside of them.
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Piper Tompkins
2/9/2015 11:24:13 pm
I found while watching the video, one of the first interviews is what effected me the most. When the man talked about how he was bullied by the teacher into making a hat out of card stock and having to walk to the front of class and he couldn't take it off "Till he learned to speak english" On that hat the teacher wrote 'Spanish'. When hearing this man recollection of his childhood, I expected to hear about how children his age bullied him, I did not suspect a teacher to stoop so low and represent to kids how to alienate and bully at such a young age.
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Kevin Stiemke
2/9/2015 11:46:08 pm
I thought that it was crazy how only one out of four Mexicans would graduate high school. I felt sorry for the first guy who was interviewed. No one should have to be humiliated by wearing a card board hat. I also thought it was crazy how many of them ended up cooking, and cleaning when they get older, because they had no where else to go. The fact that many of them graduated with only a nineth grade reading level really struck me.
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Michele moua
2/9/2015 11:49:36 pm
I found myself get somewhat frustrated by the content being show at the beginning of the documentary. Anyone being ashamed of their ethnicity or culture because of factors portraying with social unacceptable and segregation are that if an offence too high for Marcia to consider them selves a "melting pot of cultures"
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Rena
2/10/2015 12:22:06 am
In this video I was reminded of the children's March organized by Martin Luther king. I saw many similarities such as the organized rally among children and the drive to achieve social equality. There of course were some differences too, such as the participants and their true reasons behind their motives. This documentary was very inspiring and hearttouching.
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Mrs. Clark
2/11/2015 11:37:15 am
What do you mean by the "true reasons behind their motives"?
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Allison Hopkins
2/10/2015 12:27:54 am
Through out this film I kept comparing it to other films we have watch throughout the year and other movements we have learned about. Each march and sit-in reminded me about the movements we have learned about in the last week, especially how they had a certain signal in the school to start the march.
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Alex de Villiers
2/10/2015 12:29:20 am
I thought it was very interesting how the students just got up and left. Kids today wouldn't have the courage to do something like that today. They stood up for what they believed in and didn't let anything stop them. I wonder how the entire situation would have gone if it had happened today.
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Isaac fernandez
2/10/2015 12:29:50 am
I think what the kids in the video last night did for themselves how they stood up for themselves was awesome. There is so much injustice in the world, and I know from personal experience it would be hard to stick up for myself like that. I love how they stood up for each other like family in a situation like that! Reminds me of my friends!
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Justin Reyes
2/10/2015 03:15:02 am
I found this video very interesting and inspirational. I thought that this was really inspiring because these people fought to the death for what they truly believed in. I found it shocking how only 1 out of the 4 Chicano made it through high school. This really opened up my perspective on the worlds education.
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Nathan Tomczak
2/10/2015 08:31:08 am
What i unjoyed most in this video would have to be the begging, the short sequence about how much mexicans have contributed towrds america and yet, the Chicano's were not given a proper education and they were not given the same treatment as others. They began to see this and they took a stand trying to convince the school board to take action towards this injustices . I thought the bravery of the student leaders was interesting.
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Hesham Hamed
2/11/2015 01:05:53 pm
This was an awesome movement. Usually we hear about adults protesting and taking a stand and advocating for their rights, but we rarely hear about kids doing the same thing. They wanted to tell the school board how they were not getting a proper education and how they were being treated differently. Even though the school board ended up helping them they did it only out of annoyance. It is sad that the school board acted like that but at least the Chicano's won. One thing that shocked me was that this big event didn't get as big as other civil rights movements, and I didn't learn about that until this year.
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3/26/2017 12:17:52 am
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