Abstract

Abstract Essay

On March 20th, 1969, one of the most significant and violent student protests occurred in Denver, Colorado. The event is known as the "1969 West High Blowout" and portrays the direct effects of long-standing racism and inequality sustained by the Chicano community decades before the 1960s. Initially, as a means to obtain better educational opportunities and protest the discrimination that Chicano students endured at Denver West High School, this event, along with many other walkouts, would become an essential aspect of the broader Chicano Movement within Colorado and the rest of the Southwest region of the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. Although many student walkouts in the Southwest displayed minimal success, they are a vital sign of the Chicano community's emerging participation in civil rights activism and the political sphere of the United States. 

  In light of the Chicano Movement and social unrest that persisted during the mid-1960s, Chicano student protests served as a standing sign of resistance against discrimination within the United States education system, a system that has negatively impacted Mexican Americans and other minority groups, consistently placing these groups in a subordinate position and disadvantage when compared to their Anglo counterpart. 

In the realm of education, academics have often been acknowledged to be a beneficial and necessary tool for the advancement of individuals, whether that comes in the form of personal development or striving to adress social issues for the betterment of society. The same motives can be applied to ethnic minority groups in the United States during the 1960s, the peak of many civil rights movements, including the Chicano Movement. For movements such as this one, education was heavily viewed as a vehicle for the progression into society and dismantling the oppressive and subordinate ethnic caste system present in the United States. It is important to note that the nature of the education provided for Chicano students was substandard and inadequate to meet their diverse needs due to class bias, racial prejudice, insufficient resources, and their subordinate status in the larger society. Individuals of Mexican origin gained increased but inequitable access to segregated and unequal schools. While also receiving a subpar education and a subtractive curriculum. As a result, a historical pattern of uneven academic performance was established, characterized by a tradition of poor school achievement and minimal school success. For this reason, Chicano student walkouts such as the one in Denver West High help represent the Chicano's struggle and fight for civil rights and access to education for Chicano youth during the 1960s. Addressing their needs and efforts through the form of civil disobedience consisting of organized walkouts and boycotts. 

  As previously stated, Chicano students organized walkouts as a means to protest the adversity presented within their institutions, but more specifically, the motives of Chicano students can be expanded upon by examining the following key reasons: First, Chicano students organized walkouts as a means to build awareness of the discrimination present within their local public education system and demand for social justice. Secondly, Chicano students protested to obtain better education opportunities within their institutions. Lastly, Chicano students protested to establish a curriculum within their institution that better reflected their language, history, and culture. The following research paper will explore the discrimination against Chicano students, social and education inequality, motives behind Chicano student protests, and how they responded to institutional racism utilizing secondary sources from authors such as Margarita Berta-Avila and Kathryn Schumaker, who have done research on Chicano youth activism in the Southwest pertaining to the 1960s. In addition, primary sources directly from the Denver West High Schools Archive Collection will be used to further expand upon and support the claims stated in this paper and to provide a better understanding of Chicano student activism.