More college counselors were hired at Eastside schools and the number of Mexican American students soared at UCLA and other campuses. He stood straight up, held up a movie poster of "Walkout" and said that when producers approached him about doing a movie on his life, he said someone good-looking had to play him. 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. Login . I could see those people looking at us with disdain that my aunt didnt know how to speak English. UMAS (United Mexican American Students) had already been created. @FOXLA. With their demands unheard, he helped them organize the walkouts. The unprecedented event spotlighted educational inequality, galvanized the Chicano civil rights movement and inspired a new generation of activists, artists, educators and elected officials. Then I started being challenged, and I had to learn the language fast. I started teaching in 62 in Pasadena and then continued at Belmont High in LA. After graduating from Cathedral High School, a Catholic school, he was drafted into the Army. After the walkouts, Castro was arrested and held for five days. ", from "Teaching Is a Fight An Interview with Sal Castro" (2010).[4]. Meanwhile, Castro continued his education, undertaking a Master's program at Cal State LA. In March 1968, Castro was a social studies teacher at Lincoln High School near downtown when he helped instigate the protests that became a seminal event in the development of the Chicano movement. He was arrested and held for five days. Teacher and activist who led the East Los Angeles high school walkouts, which protested unequal school conditions in 1968. Castro, on the megaphone, was a social studies teacher at Lincoln High School when the student walkouts occurred in 1968. He still believes many L.A. schools are failing working families. Castro continued to lecture student groups across the country and helps run leadership conferences for high school students. With Alexa PenaVega, Michael Pea, Yancey Arias, Laura Harring. In the wake of the demonstrations, Castro was arrested and charged with 15 counts of conspiracy to disrupt public schools and 15 counts of conspiracy to disturb the peace. Racism in this country has been going on since time immemorial. What does sal castro mean? As a realtor to several of my past and recent clients he has always gone above and beyond for all our clients! My first source comes from a journal entry from the American Ethnic History. His people despite their numbers are still getting a raw deal. Share your thoughts on Walkout's quotes with the community: https . He urged Mexican American students to run for student government offices, causing a ruckus when he encouraged them to give campaign speeches in Spanish. Several of them are refugees from Latin Am, "Thousands of Europeans in dozens of countries opened their doors to Ukrainians. 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. I was always challenging herHow come Im over here?. 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. He joined the Mexican-American Education Committee, a group of graduate students who made recommendations to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on ways to improve services to Mexican-American students. Famous Civil Rights Leader Sal Castro was born on October 25, 1933 in California. Because she was older and bigger, she should have known Spanish. Stars: Alexa PenaVega, Michael Pea, Yancey Arias, Laura Harring. After he retired from teaching, he continued to lecture about his experiences and the importance of education, especially for Mexican Americans. 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. By Tuesday, March 5 . Cell: (562) 972-0986 More than 1,000 people attend the funeral for the activist, who urged a 1968 student walkout demanding better education for Latinos By Dalina Castellanosdalina.castellanos@latimes.com, L.A. TimesApril 25, 2013,10:39 p.m. Sal Castro was praised as a tireless, inspiring leader and activist by university professors, doctors and a former California Supreme Court justice at his funeral Thursday at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Photo courtesy Charlotte Lerchenmuller. About 15 years ago, I invited Sal Castro to speak to my Chicano history class at UC Santa Barbara. Salvador Castro was a Mexican American civil rights activist and fervent education reformer. But the main thing was that these kids had to graduate and go on to college. He began his education in Belvedere Elementary School located in East Los Angeles. Castro was arrested for his leadership role in the East L.A. walkouts. "There you go again Mr. President," Castro wrote. I still listen to black metal all the time - that's obviously one of my favorite kinds of music - but I steer from it very strongly. The walkouts, or "blowouts" as they came to be known, soon spread throughout the city. Castro had asked him to squeeze in a second ceremony to dedicate a plaque for the Eastside students at Hazard Park near County-USC Medical Center, where they had gathered during the blowouts. 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. I was supposed to take the money home, but then Id go to the movies and buy popcorn. Michelle Obama wrote back once declining his invitation. With what moral authority can they speak of human rights - the rulers of a nation in which . Castro lost his job at Lincoln but was reinstated after protesters held sit-ins at school board meetings. And students of Latin American descent now make up 75% of the school district. And he sees in them the potential to push for the many necessary changes people used to call a "revolution. LOS ANGELES Sal Castro, a social studies teacher who played a leading role in 1960s Chicano student walkouts, has died at age 79. Castro: Everything came together. There are 80+ professionals named "Sal Castro", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. How did this fit in with your involvement with the Chicano Youth Leadership Conference? Ochoa: What made you decide to become a teacher? The real obstacle is the racism of this country. But just in case, I started going to colleges. Politicians like L.A. MayorAntonio Villaraigosa, who attended Castro's Latino youth leadership program. Great memorable quotes and script exchanges from the Walkout movie on Quotes.net. He has never heard from the president. I didnt want anybody hurt. As a young teacher, Castro was a key organizer of the 1968 student . Theyre in groups the whole time theyre there. I was able to learn to read, and everything around me looked like family. "For Latinos in Los Angeles," SupervisorGloria Molinasaid in a statement Monday, "Sal Castro was as influential and inspirational as United Farm Workers co-founder Cesar Chavez was nationally an example of the power of organizing who personified the possibility of overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds.". Months after the protests, 40 teachers at Lincoln High asked to be transferred if the district allowed Castro to return. We kept in contact with the kids from Wilson, Roosevelt, and a few other schools. As LA Unified commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Walkouts, the district honored eleven educators who are continuing the legacy of Sal Castro, the social studies teacher who guided 15,000 students who left their East Los Angeles classrooms on March 1, 1968, to fight for educational justice. This is fun. Show more. [All] Power! Castro kept it light, even though much of his life involved serious events such as being jailed for fighting for improved educational rights. Sal Castro led extraordinary changes, served as an inspiration, and has left a remarkable legacy in today's society. 0:00 0:00 clear. Salvador Castro, a social studies teacher who played a leading role in the historic 1968 Chicano student walkouts protesting rampant bias and inequalities in theLos Angeles Unified School District, died Monday, the district announced. Salvador B. Castro Middle School was named after him several years ago. That was the original intent because I was worried that kids crossing gang territories might be a problem if they walked out. Castro: Thirty years ago, I had offers from UCLA, Cal State Northridge, and other colleges. For Sale (31) For Rent (77) Skip to last item. "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. "He was proudest when former students would tell him, 'Castro, I did what you told us to do. Many of his students became educators, including several who are principals, Lerchenmuller said. My students and I were enthralled with the power of his voice, the humanity that he projected . But he gets their frustration. 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. 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. We dont have to accept [the school conditions]. It was a turning point., WATCH: History Shorts: Dolores Huerta Organizes a Movement. Sal Castro, a veteran Los Angeles Unified School District teacher who played a central role in the 1968 "blowouts," when more than 1,000 students in predominantly Latino high schools walked out of their classrooms to protest inequalities in education, died in his sleep Monday after a long bout with cancer. He was drafted into the army after graduating high school . In 1970, all charges were dropped against the East L.A. 13. You know what happens to the U.S.-born kid, he puts the onus on himself, rather than the teacher. The winners were selected from the Walkouts' five. But then, the next year, I went to Mazatln, Mexico, in the summer, and I contracted the German measles. Quotes . I still remember those days there. Definition of sal castro in the Definitions.net dictionary. Castro, who died in 2013, is being remembered at UC Santa Barbara through a lecture named in his honor. 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. In 1963, he founded the Chicano Youth Leadership Conference, a nonprofit organization that trained future leaders at annual workshops held until 2009, when it lost its funding. Expecting to hear that they were fans of the movie "Walkout" directed by Edward James Olmos and starring actors Efren Ramirez and Michael Pena, I was surprised as they started discussing his educational effect on Latinos. 28 reviews of Sal Castro - Keller Williams Pacific Estates "WOW where do I begin!!! Any financial support or donations to enhance the mission of the CMSC would be greatly appreciated! When he returned to Los Angeles for second grade, his teacher made him sit in a corner because he was the only student who could not speak English. 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 Middle is a public school located in Los Angeles, CA, which is in a large city setting. 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. At Sal Castro . He saw no combat action as hostilities with Korea ceased shortly after his entry, but was stationed at bases in Atlanta, Georgia and Fort Jackson, South Carolina. On March 31, police arrested Castro and 12 other walkout leaders and charged them with disturbing the peace and other crimes. Illustrator: Joseph Ciardiello. Standing in the halls on the first full day of the blowouts, teacher Sal Castro looked on with pride and emotion as his . Sal Castro: Chicano! Helmeted police who arrived at the schools arrested students or escorted them to the principals office. Not one of them was a goddamn Mexican kid. The board held a meeting to discuss the demands on March 28 but concluded it didnt have the funds to implement any changes. 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. Introduction. The protests, which lasted several days and spread to 15 schools, resulted in the arrests of 13 people on conspiracy charges. 46 matching entries found. "Cesar Chavez unionized 16,000 farmworkers," Castro wrote on his little board. But then I come back to Los Angeles in the 2nd grade, and the teacher put me in a corner because I wasnt as well versed in English as the rest of the kids. Sal Castro, a Mexican American social studies teacher at Lincoln High School, saw social and educational inequalities, and he began teaching Mexican and Mexican American history and culture while instilling in his students pride in their heritage. Castro would be fired from his teaching job . Close. Top Sal Castro Quotes. When I was 23, the height of the Depression hit; my old man got deported. If she had been at work at the laundry, hell, they would have taken her. "It created a new awareness that pulled us forward.". : Sal Castro and the Chicano Struggle for Educational Justice at Amazon.com. Sal Castro speaking in 1963 with the principal of Belmont High School in Los Angeles, where he was a teacher: . ", -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------, Sal Castro dies at 79; L.A. teacher played role in 1968 protests. "He made education relevant for us and made school worth going to," said Richard Verches, an international human rights lawyer and lecturer atUCLA. It's not as if Sal Castro has no political juice. Sal is related to Elizabeth Castro and Daniel Castro as well as 2 additional people. Two teachers helped me: Mary Mend and Pat Martin. . How I survived that, Ill never know. Sal Castro sat in his book-lined den, reduced to writing on a whiteboard to fight what could be his last political battle. Then they get broken up into groups of 10 with two college students. But in 1968 people encouraged you to tell students not to walk out and you didnt listen. He soon began pressing for change. Share your thoughts on Walkout's quotes with the community: 0 Comments. Salvador B. Castro (October 25, 1933 April 15, 2013) was a Mexican-American educator and activist. Search. So much tracking was being donethe home economics tracking for girls and the industrialized arts for the boys. 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. We wake them at 5:30 with loud maanitas music. Quotes displayed . On March 5, 1968, the day after officials canceled a school production of "Barefoot in the Park" as too risque, thousands of teenagers at five high schools walked out of classes. He was 79. He leaves a wife, two sons and two grandsons. He died in Los Angeles on April 15, 2013.[2]. 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 . After completing his service, he attended Los Angeles City College and majored in business at Cal State L.A., graduating in 1961. I said, Lets form a political party to run as a slate.. Sal Castro and the Chicano Struggle for Educational Justice (University of North Carolina Press). Does that not mean Medicare, Social Security, and education for all kids from K-16? Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Historians point to the East L.A. walkouts as the first time the Chicano movement moved from the rural setting of the United Farm Workers strikes of 1965 to an urban setting. NEW Book Launch - Order your FREE copy today! MEMBERS . Go set up field trips to bring the kids to the college. He measured me because they were going to build a desk formeto go to school, chair and all. They taught about people such as Cuauhtmoc, the last Aztec emperor, and the Nios Hroes of Chapultepec. It was the middle of World War II. In June 2010, Sal Castro sat down with Gilda L. Ochoa to talk about his passion for educational justice. I was there three months when I started figuring out, There aint no Chicano kids in the student council. Around 67 percent of the students were Chicanos, and there were no kids on the student council of Latino descent. Those students who walked outreally gave back, affirms Talaveras-Bustillos. Castro was born in Boyle Heights in 1933, the son of Mexican immigrants. 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. 562-305-3816. Ochoa: Why do you think you were so strong as a young childable to realize that you were not the problem? Kids are not going to go to school.. Sal Castro, a teacher at Lincoln High, talks to students in 1968. Castrodiedin his sleep after a seven-month bout with cancer April 15 at the age of 79. He also publicly denounced the members of the Minuteman Project as racists. Votes: 3. At the height of the civil rights movement, Castro, then a young teacher at Lincoln High, walked out with his students to protest schools that set up Mexican Americans to fail. "They were kicking me as many times as they could," Castro said. I was scared because you always think as a little kid, The police are going to protect me. But when they were part of it, I said, Oh God!. We keep them up until about 12:30-1:00. I want to see a room full of PhDs here. The Board of Education voted him out of his job. To Castro, the remarks ignored the economic reality for Latino parents, many of whom must work long hours away from their kids. I also knew that there was a program at Belmont where a bus came, picked up 25 seniors, took them to City College to get college English credit. Illustration: Joseph Ciardiello. It gave you a lot of pride. Notify me of new comments via email. Working with the kids, I started thinking: Man, this is cool. In Memoriam: Jorge Gonzalez, Esq. I said, Oh, shit! and walked home. In the 2006 HBO film Walkout, Castro's role was played by Michael Pea. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Which students participate in the conference? At the height of the civil rights movement, Castro, then a young teacher at Lincoln High, walked out with his students to protest schools that set up Mexican Americans to fail. Search. Sal Castro was a distinguished teacher, mentor, advocate, and community organizer, remembered for his role in the 1968 East Los Angeles Blowouts - a series of historic protests led by Mexican American high school and college students to demand an equitable education. I thought that she was the dumb one. In 1963 while teaching at Belmont High School Castro got into trouble for supporting Latino students During these historic walkouts, or blowouts, the students were led by Sal Castro, a courageous and . : Sal Castro & the Chicano Struggle for Educational Justice," was midway through a description of the impact Castro's actions have had on society, when in walked Castro. Ochoa: How do you see the struggles we have faced since the walkouts? But events quickly spun out of their control. : Why do you see the struggles we have faced since the walkouts, or `` blowouts as! 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