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Blowout!: Sal Castro and the Chicano Struggle for Educational Justice
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About Blowout!: Sal Castro And The Chicano Struggle For
Product description 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 grievances public after school administrators and school board members failed to listen to them. The resulting blowouts sparked the beginning of the urban Chicano Movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s, the largest and most widespread civil rights protests by Mexican Americans in U.S. history. This fascinating testimonio, or oral history, transcribed and presented in Castro's voice by historian Mario T. Garcia, is a compelling, highly readable narrative of a young boy growing up in Los Angeles who made history by his leadership in the blowouts and in his career as a dedicated and committed teacher. Blowout! fills a major void in the history of the civil rights and Chicano movements of the 1960s, particularly the struggle for educational justice. Review A compelling story of individual courage and commitment personified by Sal Castro. . . . A masterful and inspirational life story that is brilliantly contextualized by the larger Chicano Movement.-- Journal of American Studies An excellent read for casual readers as well as serious students of the Chicano experience, education, the history of the 1960s, leadership development, and California history. It will make an excellent choice for undergraduate classroom use and reading lists.-- Western Historical Quarterly A worthy learning experience. Solidly researched, with extensive notes, photographs, and a valuable appendix of Chicano historiography. Highly recommended. All levels/libraries.-- Choice The book fills an important place in the history of the Chicano movement.-- The Latin American Review of Books An important perspective on a major event in the history of Los Angeles schools and the reform efforts, however controversial, that needed to be made on behalf of Chicano students.-- Los Angeles City Historical Society The influence of [Castro's] teaching methods and the walkouts resonate today, underscoring the importance of this publication in Chicano and U.S. History.-- 49th Parallel This book is a significant contribution to the literature of the Chicano/a movement.-- Journal of American History This book is an important contribution to Chicano history and the field of American education.-- The El Paso Times Review Garcia's oeuvre has mapped Mexican American history and allowed us to imagine a different kind of past--one filled with efforts to rectify social injustices. This book is no exception; it sheds much needed light on Sal Castro's struggles to expand educational and civil rights and in so doing prods us to follow in his footsteps and build a more emancipatory future.--Ernesto Chavez, University of Texas at El Paso Sal Castro is a force of nature, a man on a mission. His story, this book, is the history of the Chicano student movement. He has left an indelible mark on the lives of hundreds of young Chicanos aspiring to achieve their unique place in the American dream.--Carlos R. Moreno, Associate Justice, Supreme Court of California Empowering the powerless requires a movement inspired by leaders who transform the consciousness of those at the bottom. The Chicano blowouts in Los Angeles schools were such a movement, and Sal Castro helped empower the students. Too many of the terrible conditions they fought against still exist today, and the kind of leadership Castro showed in the 1960s is urgently needed in a society where more than a fifth of U.S. students are Latino.--Gary Orfield, co-director, Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles, UCLA Sal Castro inspired countless young people--including me at the time--to fight for change in the community, and not just in our youth but well into adulthood. The story of the school walkouts is, to a great extent, Sal Castro's story. And it is a powerful tale not only because he personified the Chicano Power Movement then, but because--to this day--he still motivates Latinos and people of conscience to fight for a better community.--Gloria Molina, Los Angeles County Supervisor, First District About the Author Mario T. Garcia is professor of Chicana/o studies and adjunct professor in history and religious studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the recipient of the 2016 Oral History Association Stetson Kennedy Vox Populi Award. Sal Castro (1933-2013) was an American educator and activist.
