Walkout

QUE VIVA LA RAZA! 'Iron Jawed Angels' With Salsa!
My introduction to the social activism of young Latinos during the Civil Rights Era came via a C-Span promotion of a book entitled "We Were There, Too", which features stories about real-life teenagers who helped shape the course of American History during various eras.
This HBO film, which is 2006's answer to "Iron Jawed Angels", fleshes out the characters involved, many of whom take part in the reenactment of their story.
It is early 1968 in East Los Angeles, California. Young Paula Crisostomo (a beauteous, effervescent, and charismatic Alexa Vega) and honor student at the predominantly Chicano Abraham Lincoln High School, observes the indignities imposed upon her fellow students by condescending White school authorities. Students are denied access to the school restrooms at certain times of the school day, but are punished for going to the bathroom behind the bushes of the campus or on grilles in the pavement. They receive corporal punishment for speaking Spanish in...

Inspiring and necessary!
With so many negative role models in the media and real life for minority children, this film exposes society to a truly inspiring idea--the disenfranchised CAN succeed in mainstream America! "Walkout" is an amazing piece of history that should be required viewing for everyone, from Congress trying to legislate immigration reform to impoverished high school students who have never thought of a way up and out in life. Thank you, HBO, for championing this project and giving our society this authentic and moving testament to the power of education.

Powerful lesson
I began showing this to my Spanish classes as soon as it came out. In fact, one of my Mexican-American students told me about it (gracias Ian!). I teach in an urban school with a diverse population. Social justice is a huge issue in our building and community. I have been amazed at how much this film has impacted my students. They connected deeply with the students in the film. There are so many discussion topics that came out of the film: inequality, poverty, heritage languages, student activism, cultural chasms, the connection to the civil rights movement, I could go on. I urge everyone to watch this film. I encourage my fellow teachers to incorporate this film into their curriculum. And you don't have to be from an urban area to feel the power of the inequalities in the film or be Latino to feel the pride of these students. It gives me chills everytime I hear a student call "Walkout!" or "Viva la Raza" or "Chicano Power!"

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