#White#Americans: As we near May 5 & a holiday massively co-opted by the #US, many of you/us should reconsider that sombrero & learn the history of #CincodeMayo. It celebrates an epic battle w/the French won against all odds & was revived by activists from the 1960s/70s #Chicano Movement because they viewed their struggle against the systemic #racism they faced in the #UnitedStates in the same light.
Today in Labor History March 18, 1918: U.S. authorities arrested Mexican anarchist Ricardo Flores Magón under the Espionage Act. They charged him with hindering the American war effort and imprisoned him at Leavenworth, where he died under highly suspicious circumstances. The authorities claimed he died of a "heart attack," but Chicano inmates rioted after his death and killed the prison guard who they believed executed him. Magon published the periodical “Regeneracion” with his brother Jesus, and with Licenciado Antonio Horcasitas. The Magonostas later led a revolution in Baja California during the Mexican Revolution. Many American members of the IWW participated. During the uprising, they conquered and held Tijuana for several days. Lowell Blaisdell writes about it in his now hard to find book, “The Desert Revolution,” (1962). Dos Passos references in his “USA Trilogy.”
Today in Labor History March 14, 1954: Salt of the Earth premiered. The film depicted the 1951 strike of Mexican-American workers at the Empire Zinc mine, in New Mexico. The film was one of the first to portray a feminist political point of view, particularly through Actress Rosaura Revueltas’s role as Esperanza Quintero. When the Company uses the new Taft-Hartley Act (which also bans General Strikes) to impose an injunction preventing the men from picketing, their wives go walk the picket line in their places. LGBTQ and labor activist Will Geer also played in the film. Writer Michael Wilson, director Herbert Biberman and producer Paul Jarrico had all been blacklisted for their alleged communist ties. Only 13 of the 13,000 theaters in the U.S. showed the film.
‘The Devil in Silicon Valley
Northern California, Race, and Mexican Americans’ by Stephen J. Pitti. This book covers the history of racism against Mexican-Americans within #siliconvalley in #california from the Gold Rush to the #tech industry of today. #exploitation#latino#chicano@bookstodon
Pues por lo que veo, yo tendría que apoyar este proyecto. Creo que son Los Alacranes Mojados, autores de la bellísima y significativa “Chicano Park Samba.” #chicano#california#musica
Today in Labor History February 2, 1938: Emma Tenayuca led a strike at the Southern Pecan-Shelling Company in San Antonio, Texas. The workers were fighting against low wages and inhumane working conditions. Tenayuca first became interested in activism before graduating from High School and was first arrested at age 16, in 1933, when she joined a picket line against the Finck Cigar Company. She later founded two international ladies' garment workers unions, and was involved in the Woman's League for Peace and Freedom. She also organized a protest in response to the beating of Mexican migrants by US Border Patrol. She was arrested several times for her participation in strikes and other activism. 12,000 women, mostly Mexicana and Chicana, participated in the Pecan-Shelling strike. Police clubbed, gassed, arrested and jailed the women. The strike ended in October, with an arbitrated raise to 25 cents per hour.
Today in Labor History February 2, 1931: U.S. citizens of Mexican heritage were “repatriated” to Mexico. During the decade’s first four years, the federal government deported anywhere from several hundred thousand to 1.8 million Mexicans. 40-60% of those deported were U.S. citizens and overwhelmingly children. President Hoover blamed Mexicans for the Great Depression and deported them in huge numbers to win support from his right-wing base.
Today in Labor History January 31, 1971: For the second time in six months, rioting broke out during an anti-war protest in East Los Angeles. Police fired into the crowd, killing one protester. The anti-war demonstrations were organized by the Chicano Moratorium. Chicanos were dying at a higher rate during the Vietnam War than white Americans. During the August 29, 1970 protests, police killed three people, including Journalist Ruben Salazar. Oscar Zeta Acosta portrayed Salazar in his 1973 novel, “The Revolt of the Cockroach People.” Hunter S. Thompson portrayed Acosta as his “Samoan attorney” in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.”
When Tlaozolteol presents the beheaded corn snake, a metaphor for desire - She is showing us its sacredness. Even the corn snake bleeds the sacred fluid.
In opening the snake, She reveals its inner divinity.
In opening the snake, She makes us and our desires whole.
Tlazolteotl, #mexica goddess of filth, chaos, lust, and redeemer of those afflicted by them. She is the great Cleanser and Mother of all things that are born from disarray.
Xinachtli: Chicano Revolutionary Internationalist Solidarity with the Oppressed Palestinian Masses in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip #FreePalestine#Revolutionary#Chicano
Today in Labor History December 4, 1970: The authorities jailed Cesar Chavez for 20 days during the Salinas Salad Bowl Strike. The strike was, in many ways, a turf war between the UFW and the teamsters, who had already signed a deal with the growers. It was the largest farm workers strike in U.S. history. It cost the lettuce growers $500,000 per day. The UFW also initiated a nationwide boycott of lettuce. On November 4, someone bombed their headquarters. Chavez’s arrest, on December 4, was his first of many arrests. Ethyl Kennedy, widow of Robert Kennedy, visited him in jail. As she left, an anti-union mob attacked her. The Brown Berets collaborated with the police to prevent a full-scale riot from breaking out.
Today in Labor History October 17, 1950: The "Salt of the Earth" zinc mine strike began in Silver City, New Mexico. The strike lasted for 14-months and inspired the film “Salt of the Earth,” which was blacklisted. The film was one of the first to portray a feminist political point of view, particularly through Actress Rosaura Revueltas’s role as Esperanza Quintero. When the Company uses the new Taft-Hartley Act (which also bans General Strikes) to impose an injunction preventing the men from picketing, their wives go walk the picket line in their places. LGBTQ and labor activist Will Geer also played in the film. Writer Michael Wilson, director Herbert Biberman and producer Paul Jarrico had all been blacklisted for their alleged communist ties. Only 13 of the 13,000 theaters in the U.S. showed the film.
Today in Labor History August 29, 1970: LAPD brutally attacked 10,000 Chicano antiwar demonstrators, killing three, including journalist Ruben Salazar. The attack led to a week of rioting. Salazar was portrayed under the name "Roland Zanzibar" in Oscar Zeta Acosta's 1973 novel “The Revolt of the Cockroach People.” Oscar Zeta Acosta, himself, was portrayed in Hunter S. Thompson’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” as his “Samoan attorney.” Salazar wrote for the L.A. Times and was the first mainstream journalist to cover the Chicano community. He covered the 1965 U.S. occupation of the Dominican Republican, as well as the 1968 Tlatelolco Massacre in Mexico City. He often wrote critically about how the local L.A. government treated Chicano people, particularly during and after the school walkouts.
Today in Labor History August 23, 1970: The Salad Bowl strike began. Led by Cesar Chavez and the UFW, it was the largest farm worker strike in U.S. history. The strike was not only a battle between farm workers and the large, corporate growers. In late September 1970, the UFW launched a consumer boycott of all lettuce which had not been picked by members of the United Farm Workers. Violence was widespread. In November, someone bombed a UFW regional office. In December, federal marshals arrested and jailed Chavez. Two days later, former Olympic gold medal decathlete Rafer Johnson and Ethel Kennedy, widow of Robert Kennedy visited him in jail. However, an anti-union mob attacked Kennedy and Johnson on the steps of the jail. Only the intervention of Salinas city cops and the Brown Berets prevent injury to the visitors and full-scale riot.
The turf war between the Teamsters and the UFW continued after the strike and grew increasingly violent. A UFW picketer was shot on August 3. And on August 9, five firebombs were thrown at UFW picket lines. Another two UFW members were shot on August 11, and a UFW picketer was shot to death on August 16, 1973. Chávez ultimately entered into talks with the Teamsters. On September 27, 1973, the Teamsters agreed to leave jurisdiction over farm field workers to the UFW.
Today in Labor History August 4, 1942: U.S. and Mexico began the Bracero Program to provide cheap Mexican labor to replace U.S. workers who were being sent to fight in World War II, and to replace the 500,000 Mexican workers who were deported during the Great Depression in order to mollify xenophobic demands for “white jobs.” The Bracero program also gave farm-owners an alternative to hiring Anglo farm workers who hadn’t been drafted, many of whom were affiliated with the radical IWW. The Bracero program promised decent and sanitary housing and a minimum wage, but these were generally ignored by employers. Additionally, the workers were often subjected to racist attacks. The abuses contributed to the development of the Chicano Movement, the United Farm Workers and other forms of activism.
Today in Labor History June 4, 1943: The Zoot Suit riots began in Los Angeles, with white soldiers attacking and stripping mostly Latino, but also some black, Italian and Filipino youth who wearing zoot suits. They did it in response to wartime propaganda vilifying the wearers of zoot suits as unpatriotic hoodlums. There was a government ban on zoot suits and other long, woolen articles of clothing because of war rationing. Additionally, the LA Times had been whipping up racial tensions by publishing propaganda associating Mexican and Hispanic youth with delinquency, particularly in the wake of the Sleepy Lagoon murder. Race riots also occurred that summer in Mobile, Beaumont, Detroit, Chicago, San Diego, Oakland, Philadelphia and New York City.
During the Great Depression, the U.S. had deported between 500,000 and 2 million Mexicans. Of the 3 million who remained, the largest concentration lived in Los Angeles. Because of discrimination, many were forced into jobs with below-poverty wages. And then, the U.S. military built a naval academy in the Latino community of Chavez Ravine, further exacerbating tensions.
Zoot suits (baggy pegged pants with a long, flamboyant jacket that reached the knees) became popular in the early 1940s, particularly among young African American men. It was associated with a sense of pride, individuality and rebellion against mainstream culture. The trend quickly made its way into the Hispanic and Filipino subcultures in southern California. During this time, there was also a rise of pachuco culture among Latin youth. Chicano or pachuco jazz had become incredibly popular. Some of the great Pachuco band leaders included Lalo Guerrero, Don Tosti and Don Ramon Martinez.
Margarita Engle depicted The Zoot Suit riots in her young adult novel, Jazz Owls (2018), which she wrote in verse.
Today in Labor History May 9, 1972: Four thousand garment workers, mostly Hispanic, struck for union recognition at the Farah Manufacturing Co. in El Paso, Texas.
We are talking #LaLlorona next week on the #podcast and would love to hear about any specific variations on the legend you may have heard in your community. If you'd care to share with us for the show, please let us know so we can arrange something.