In East Los Angeles during the late 1960s and 1970s, a group of young activists used creative tools like writing and photography as a means for community organizing, providing a platform for the Chicano Movement in the form of the bilingual newspaper.
In the 1960s and 70s, a group of young idealists-activists came together to work on a community newspaper called La Raza that became the voice for the Chicano Movement. With only the barest resources, but a generous amount of dedication, these young men and women changed their world and produced an archive of over 25,000 photographs. Hear their thoughts on the times and its relevance today, while perusing through some photographs not seen in public for decades in this series of narrated slideshows.
Click right or left to look through the images from the 1960s and 70s. Hit the play button on the bottom right corner to listen to the audio.
1/16 Young boys raise their fists while holding newspapers in support of Raul Ruiz for California's 48th State Assembly District | Manuel Barrera Jr., La Raza photograph collection. Courtesy of UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center
2/16 Crowd of people listening during the Chicano Moratorium anniversary | Patricia Borjon Lopez, La Raza photograph collection. Courtesy of UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center
3/16 Child holds out his arm inside a restaurant with the words "Viva mi raza." | La Raza photograph collection. Courtesy of UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center
4/16 Child holds protest sign on the street corner outside Mejian Chevrolet | La Raza photograph collection. Courtesy of UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center
5/16 People carry protest signs outside state building during a Center for Autonomous Social Action demonstration | Pedro Arias, La Raza photograph collection. Courtesy of UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center
6/16 Raul Ruiz and others pose for photograph for Rudy Salas' Wedding | Pedro Arias, La Raza photograph collection. Courtesy of UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center
7/16 Crowd gathers during McGovern and Shriver Presidential Rally | Patricia Borjon Lopez, La Raza photograph collection. Courtesy of UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center
8/16 Women at a musical performance by Estudiantina de la Facultad de Ingenieria from UNAM | Pedro Arias, La Raza photograph collection. Courtesy of UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center
9/16 Children at a musical performance by Estudiantina de la Facultad de Ingenieria from UNAM | Raul Ruiz, La Raza photograph collection. Courtesy of UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center
10/16 San Fernando Valley State College protestors gather during Marcha Por La Justicia | Maria Sanchez Marquez, La Raza photograph collection. Courtesy of UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center
11/16 Children holding signs at March Por La Justicia Rally at Belvedere Park | Patricia Borjon Lopez, La Raza photograph collection. Courtesy of UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center
12/16 Man with baby at Marcha Por La Justicia Rally at Belvedere Park | Oscar Castillo, La Raza photograph collection. Courtesy of UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center
13/16 Children at Marcha Por La Justicia Rally at Belvedere Park | Oscar Castillo, La Raza photograph collection. Courtesy of UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center
14/16 Women pushing stroller and carrying the Mexican flag at Fresno Moratorium | Daniel Zapata, La Raza photograph collection. Courtesy of UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center
15/16 People watch the National Chicano Moratorium march to Laguna Park | La Raza photograph collection. Courtesy of UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center
16/16 People watch the National Chicano Moratorium march to Laguna Park | La Raza photograph collection. Courtesy of UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center
Narrated Photo Essay: The Chicano Movement's Multi-generational Nature
Devra Weber
I'm Devra Weber, and in the late 60s and early 70s, I was passionate, excited about things, involved with things, curious and enthusiastic. One of the things that struck me then and still does is how much it was multigenerational, so that you had people who had been active in the issues for unions and civil rights in the 1930s — people who were parents, older siblings, cousins, and so those things mattered.
