WEBVTT

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Imagine being alive
in the year 1900.

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The Industrial Revolution
has changed everything,

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and a new kind of entertainment,

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motion pictures,
is taking the world by storm.

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The horse is being outrun
by the first cars,

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and in Kitty Hawk,

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a pair of brothers
make the first manned flight.

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It\'s an exciting time,
but not everyone is benefiting.

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Because after hundreds of years
of colonization,

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Latinos are still facing
discrimination and racism.

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We have been
absolutely part and parcel

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of the foundations
of this country,

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of the development
of this country,

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of this prosperity
of this country, on our backs.

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[Speaking in Spanish]

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On the battlefield,
we saw our Latino patriots

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overcome discrimination
to become heroes.

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During World War II,

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Silvestre Herrera would be
awarded the Medal of Honor.

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Couple of soldiers told me,

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\"Hey, what are you doing
in this army?

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You\'re a Mexican\".

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But here\'s the thing:

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The more you push our people
down, the more we rise up.

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And in the 20th century,
young Latino activists fought

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for their civil liberties.

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Come on out, brothers,
we are waiting for you!

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Leguizamo:
Much the way African Americans

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were fighting against
the same racial injustice

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long perpetrated
on people of color.

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In the classrooms,

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Latino students
fought for equal education.

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We said we\'ve had enough
of racism and abuse.

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Leguizamo: We didn\'t fight
for just our rights,

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but for the rights of all.

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And Latinas
often led that charge.

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Fernández:
When people fight and begin

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to win, that changes
consciousness.

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We\'re going to talk
to historians, activists,

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and even some of the people
that lived through this history.

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Huerta:
I had this anger inside of me,

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that I never knew
what to do with it,

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until I learned how to organize.

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[Speaking in Spanish]

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And it all comes down
to one word: Resistencia.

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Resistance.

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When you watch the news today,

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you see young activists
like Malala or Greta Thunberg

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risking their lives
for causes they believe in.

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Or think about Rosa Parks
bravely sitting

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at the front of the bus.

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But you know who else led civil
rights and labor movements

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throughout the 20th century?

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Young Latinas.

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And, of course,
what can\'t they do?

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In 1917, there were
typhus outbreaks in Mexico.

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Any Mexican hailing from Mexico

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was seen as a disease carrier.

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This meant that white Americans
could go into Mexico,

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and when they came back

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they didn\'t need
to undergo inspection.

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But Mexicans regularly needed
to undergo inspection

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at the U.S.-Mexico border,

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and that inspection
was invasive and dangerous.

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It involved
stripping your clothes

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so that you were naked,

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and that they bathed you
in a kerosene solution.

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Hundreds of dirty, lousy,
destitute Mexicans arriving

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in El Paso daily

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will undoubtedly
bring and spread typhus,

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unless a quarantine
is placed at once.

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Molina:
There were rumors that women

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were being photographed
when they were naked.

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And one of these laborers
was Carmelita Torres,

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who was 17 years old
and a housekeeper.

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Carmelita Torres refused
to undergo the inspection.

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She convinced the 30 other women

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on the trolley
with her to protest.

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Woman: Carmelita Torres
leads riots

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when refused permission
to enter El Paso.

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Without complying
with the regulations,

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the women collected
in an angry crowd

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at the center of the bridge.

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Led by Carmelita Torres,

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an auburn-haired
young woman of 17,

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they kept up continuous volley
of language aimed

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at the immigration
and health officers.

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Molina: Within an hour,
there were 200 other people

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there protesting along with her.

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What now we know
as the 1917 Bath Riots.

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Thousands of people joined in.

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Carmelita was arrested,

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and she went missing.

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And to this day, we do not know
what happened to her.

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Leguizamo: But we do know
that the Bath Riots

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did spark another even darker
historical moment.

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Because U.S. officials
didn\'t just use kerosene

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to disinfect Mexican laborers.

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No, they used
another poisonous chemical:

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the deadly pesticide Zyklon B.

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And, sadly, others were inspired
by the U.S. Border Patrol\'s

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use of Zyklon B:

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The Nazis,
in their concentration camps.

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There are events,
like the Bath Riots,

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that are essential
to American history,

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but that we don\'t learn about
in school.

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Then, there are events
everyone\'s heard of,

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like the Stock Market Crash
of 1929.

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But what we rarely learn
are how those well-known events

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shaped the Latino experience
in this country.

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October 29, 1929,
was a day like no other.

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With the devastating
stock market crash known

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as \"Black Tuesday,\"
the economy collapsed

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and we entered
the Great Depression.

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So, looking to avoid blame,

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President Hoover stoked
his base\'s racial fears,

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and kicked out
Mexican American citizens

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using one neat campaign slogan:

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\"American jobs
for real Americans.\"

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And we all know what he meant
by \"real Americans.\"

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The Repatriation Programs

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were government-sponsored
programs

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where Mexicans
and Mexican Americans

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were forcibly removed
from their homes

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and deported to Mexico.

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Vélez-Ibáñez: Almost
at every economic downturn,

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the Mexican population
has always been targeted.

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The terrible contradiction,
of course, is that many

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of those who were deported
were also American citizens,

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because they were children
of the persons being deported.

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Leguizamo: An estimated
2 million Mexican Americans

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were deported during this time.

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I had no idea that Repatriation
went all across America.

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I just thought it was
in the Southwest,

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I didn\'t even know it was
in California.

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But it\'s not even there,
it\'s in Seattle, Portland.

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It\'s in Milwaukee.
It\'s in Chicago.

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It\'s in St. Louis, Oklahoma.

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At a time where nobody
had resources,

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Mexicans and Mexican Americans
were seen as economic drains.

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Anytime you went
to the government for care

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was considered charity.

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Many of these Mexican parents
weren\'t seeking charity

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on behalf of themselves,

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they were seeking it
when their children became sick,

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or if they passed away.

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And therefore the parents
were basically deported

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for seeking services

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for their American citizen
children.

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I know we weren\'t the only
immigrants here at the time.

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And a vast majority
of other immigrants

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were demonized as well:
Greeks, Italians, and Jews.

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But nobody
was deported like we were.

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Today we examine a tragic part
of American history

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where we betrayed
the justice part.

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Almost 2 million individuals

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were deported from
the United States in the 1930s.

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Some estimate that almost 60%
of those that were deported

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were United States citizens.

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And they were deported
for but one reason:

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they just happened to be
of Mexican descent.

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Leguizamo: In 2005,
after 80 years,

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the state of California
finally passed the Apology Act,

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acknowledging the illegal
and unlawful activities

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of the Repatriation Program.

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Latinos who managed to stay
in the United States experienced

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extreme levels of racism

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and exploitation
in the workplace.

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But many wouldn\'t stand for it,

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including labor leader
Emma Tenayuca.

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Fernández: Emma Tenayuca was
an incredibly inspiring woman.

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She was born and raised

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in San Antonio
in a poor neighborhood.

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But at age 16,

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she joined
a picket line for workers

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at a cigar factory.

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Emma: The workers had
a right to organize

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and it was under that concept
that the cigar workers

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went out on strike here.

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It\'s peculiar, it\'s the women
were among the first,

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it\'s the women who have led.

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From a very young age,
she started organizing

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with different workers,
and she is most well known

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for her leadership in the 1938
Pecan Shellers\' Strike

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of 12,000 workers,
and she was only 21.

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Leguizamo:
I\'m incredibly honored to meet

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Emma\'s niece, Sharyll.

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Nice to meet you,
Sharyll.

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What a pleasure.

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Pleasure to meet
you, John.

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Can\'t wait to learn
all about your aunt,

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Emma Tenayuca.

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I didn\'t know
that Latin people

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had participated
in unionizing America,

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for all Americans.

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Sharyll: She was
a very bright

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and interested
and aware child.

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She knew what
was going on

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in her community.

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Emma: By that time,
the Depression

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had really struck
every city, every place.

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In San Antonio, only 16 or 12%

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had running water
inside their homes.

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Only 9% had
inside sanitary toilets.

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The pecan
shelling industry

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at that time
in San Antonio

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was the leading
industry,

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making record profits.

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Business owners
just felt like

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they could get away

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wit paying them as
little as possible.

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Pecan shellers were
only making $2 a week.

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And if that wasn\'t
onerous enough,

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their wages were actually
reduced even more.

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The justification
that the company gave

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for those low wages was said,

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\"Well, we\'re feeding you,

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you can have
as many pecans as you want.\"

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It wasn\'t just about the wages,

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but it was also
about their working conditions.

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Women and children
were working in conditions

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that were deplorable,

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where the ventilation
was terrible.

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The dust from shelling pecans
was very dangerous

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to inhale
and could lead to death.

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She had the gift
of her voice

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and she was
able to instruct

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people that
to effect change,

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they could not do
anything alone.

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Emma: Any effort of the Mexican
workers to organize

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was met with brutal force

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from the very beginning.

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So when you went out
to meet those powers,

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then you had to have guts.

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Leguizamo: People aren\'t
aware how dangerous it is

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and how much courage
it takes to be an activist.

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Voices like Emma Tenayuca\'s

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starts a fire in America.

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I believe
the Ku Klux Klan

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was very upset.

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She said, \"There
were many times

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when I thought
I might be lynched.\"

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She was afraid
not so much

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for her own safety,

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but for that
of her family.

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In my family,
women are very strong.

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They are activists,
my mom is an activist.

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What do you think it is
about Latin women

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that makes them so
strong, so fierce?\"

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Maybe it\'s part
of our culture.

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Her personality
was very strong,

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but she also had
a tenderness about her.

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Emma: I just have a feeling,
a very strong feeling,

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that if ever
this world is civilized,

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it\'d be more
of the work of women.

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Ultimately they were successful.

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They did win their demands
for better wages

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and for better working
conditions.

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Activists like Emma
and Carmelita led by example.

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And they weren\'t the only ones,
powerful Latinas

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like Puerto Rican
Luisa Capetillo

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and Guatemalan Luisa Moreno

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were also on the frontline,

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igniting change
for the rights of workers.

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Remember how
during the Depression,

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the U.S. deported
Mexican American citizens

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to protect American jobs?

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Well, flash forward
to World War II,

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and guess who needs soldiers
in the battlefields?

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That\'s right,
the United States.

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Nearly 500,000 Latinos served
in World War II.

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Yet, we hear very little
from their stories.

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Silvestre Herrera
was 27 years old

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when he received
his draft notice.

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Well, his father
sat him down and told him,

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\"Look, you don\'t have
any obligation

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to go into the U.S. forces,

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because you were not born
in the U.S.,

00:13:48.580 --> 00:13:51.474
you were born in Mexico,\"

00:13:51.498 --> 00:13:55.688
And that his parents had died
when he was very young.

00:13:55.712 --> 00:13:57.313
When Silvestre
was 18 months old,

00:13:57.337 --> 00:14:00.483
his uncle brought him
over to El Paso, Texas,

00:14:00.508 --> 00:14:02.318
and raised him as his own.

00:14:02.342 --> 00:14:07.323
He tells his uncle
that he\'s going to go ahead

00:14:07.347 --> 00:14:12.996
and join because he doesn\'t want
anyone to die in his place.

00:14:13.020 --> 00:14:14.831
Silvestre Herrera was assigned

00:14:14.855 --> 00:14:18.001
to the 36th Infantry Division.

00:14:18.025 --> 00:14:22.464
He was sent to fight
against Hitler\'s Nazi forces

00:14:22.488 --> 00:14:24.717
on the European mainland.

00:14:24.741 --> 00:14:26.217
In May of 1945,

00:14:26.241 --> 00:14:30.681
the 36th Division was fighting
near Mertzwiller, France.

00:14:30.705 --> 00:14:33.850
They came across
heavy German machine gun fire.

00:14:33.874 --> 00:14:38.354
Silvestre was able to capture
8 German soldiers.

00:14:38.378 --> 00:14:40.982
That same day,
they continued to move forward

00:14:41.006 --> 00:14:45.361
and were hit again
by two German machine guns.

00:14:45.385 --> 00:14:47.864
Silvestre charged
the machine gun nests,

00:14:47.888 --> 00:14:52.202
and stepped on a landmine
that blew off one of his feet.

00:14:52.226 --> 00:14:55.706
He continued
to crawl and fire at the enemy,

00:14:55.730 --> 00:14:57.666
when he stepped on another mine

00:14:57.690 --> 00:14:59.375
that blew off his other foot.

00:14:59.399 --> 00:15:02.879
Silvestre got to his knees,
continued to fire

00:15:02.903 --> 00:15:07.282
so that his unit could outflank
the German machine gun nest.

00:15:10.035 --> 00:15:10.513
For his actions.

00:15:10.537 --> 00:15:14.307
Silvestre Herrera would be
awarded the Medal of Honor,

00:15:14.331 --> 00:15:19.062
the highest award that can be
bestowed on a soldier

00:15:19.086 --> 00:15:21.589
for actions on the battlefield.

00:15:24.676 --> 00:15:27.445
Harry Truman presented
Silvestre Herrera

00:15:27.469 --> 00:15:29.573
the Medal of Honor.

00:15:29.597 --> 00:15:31.074
The president told Silvestre,

00:15:31.098 --> 00:15:35.203
\"I would rather get one of these
than be the President

00:15:35.227 --> 00:15:37.689
of the United States.\"

00:15:40.859 --> 00:15:44.087
This site is dedicated
to the Latino American heroes

00:15:44.111 --> 00:15:46.590
who received the Congressional
Medal of Honor,

00:15:46.614 --> 00:15:48.759
our nation\'s highest award
for bravery.

00:15:48.783 --> 00:15:51.846
For the love of country
they performed above and beyond

00:15:51.870 --> 00:15:53.848
the call of duty.

00:15:53.872 --> 00:15:57.433
We\'re the most awarded
ethnic minority

00:15:57.457 --> 00:15:58.769
in each and every single war

00:15:58.793 --> 00:16:01.605
is a huge contribution
to this country.

00:16:01.629 --> 00:16:05.734
And you have Guy Gabaldon,
an 18-year-old East L.A. kid

00:16:05.758 --> 00:16:10.029
who captured 1,300
enemy soldiers by himself

00:16:10.053 --> 00:16:11.931
in World War II.

00:16:14.266 --> 00:16:18.288
Castillo: Guy Gabaldon was born
and raised in Los Angeles.

00:16:18.312 --> 00:16:21.124
He grew up
with a Japanese family,

00:16:21.148 --> 00:16:24.795
so he spoke
fluent street Japanese.

00:16:24.819 --> 00:16:27.590
He enlisted in the Marine Corps,

00:16:27.614 --> 00:16:29.800
and when he arrived in Saipan,

00:16:29.824 --> 00:16:33.011
that night,
when they\'re huddled there,

00:16:33.035 --> 00:16:35.806
he starts hearing
something familiar.

00:16:35.830 --> 00:16:37.473
He starts hearing Japanese,

00:16:37.497 --> 00:16:40.310
and then he realizes
it\'s the enemy.

00:16:40.334 --> 00:16:43.939
On his own,
he leaves his position

00:16:43.963 --> 00:16:46.107
and goes
and, before anybody knows it,

00:16:46.131 --> 00:16:50.278
he comes back
with Japanese prisoners.

00:16:50.302 --> 00:16:51.864
He had gone over there

00:16:51.888 --> 00:16:54.157
and talked to them
in Japanese.

00:16:54.181 --> 00:16:58.369
And so, as a result,
he got them to surrender.

00:16:58.393 --> 00:17:00.371
And when the commanding officer
saw that,

00:17:00.395 --> 00:17:02.541
he threatened
to have him court martialed,

00:17:02.565 --> 00:17:05.753
and he warns him,
\"Don\'t ever do that again.\"

00:17:05.777 --> 00:17:08.756
Well, that same night,
he goes back again,

00:17:08.780 --> 00:17:11.842
and he brings
even more prisoners.

00:17:11.866 --> 00:17:14.469
And eventually
the commanding officer says,

00:17:14.493 --> 00:17:17.388
\"Go ahead,
do whatever you want.\"

00:17:17.412 --> 00:17:19.975
Guy Gabaldon captured by himself

00:17:19.999 --> 00:17:24.187
between 1,300 and 1,500
enemy soldiers.

00:17:24.211 --> 00:17:28.358
With respect
to the portrayal of Latinos,

00:17:28.382 --> 00:17:31.236
in movies and television,

00:17:31.260 --> 00:17:33.238
a lot of it gets distorted

00:17:33.262 --> 00:17:36.951
and a lot of it gets
misinterpreted,

00:17:36.975 --> 00:17:38.535
and sometimes appropriated.

00:17:38.559 --> 00:17:43.248
Guy Gabaldon\'s story was told
in an American movie...

00:17:43.272 --> 00:17:44.875
Announcer: \"Hell to Eternity.\"

00:17:44.899 --> 00:17:48.253
The amazing true story
of Guy Gabaldon,

00:17:48.277 --> 00:17:52.215
the marine who captured
more than 1,000 enemy prisoners,

00:17:52.239 --> 00:17:53.341
single-handed.

00:17:53.365 --> 00:17:55.468
Starring Jeffrey Hunter.

00:17:55.492 --> 00:17:58.054
Castillo:
He is portrayed not by a Latino,

00:17:58.078 --> 00:18:01.517
but an Anglo by the name
of Jeffrey Hunter.

00:18:01.541 --> 00:18:02.977
Guy was five-foot-three,

00:18:03.001 --> 00:18:06.312
and Jeffrey Hunter is
six-foot-two with blue eyes.

00:18:06.336 --> 00:18:11.109
They never really mentioned
the fact that he was a Chicano,

00:18:11.133 --> 00:18:13.529
Mexican American.

00:18:13.553 --> 00:18:16.281
I would like
more historical records

00:18:16.305 --> 00:18:21.244
to reflect publicly
that Guy Gabaldon was

00:18:21.268 --> 00:18:23.914
a very patriotic American,

00:18:23.938 --> 00:18:26.207
that sacrificed for his country,

00:18:26.231 --> 00:18:28.084
and that he should be awarded

00:18:28.108 --> 00:18:30.295
the Medal of Honor
for his exploits.

00:18:30.319 --> 00:18:35.133
But he\'s not really given
that kind of credit.

00:18:35.157 --> 00:18:38.512
Leguizamo: It\'s very important
for America to know

00:18:38.536 --> 00:18:39.847
how much we\'ve sacrificed.

00:18:39.871 --> 00:18:42.473
Because we deserve
our stories to be told,

00:18:42.497 --> 00:18:44.059
we deserve our stories to be

00:18:44.083 --> 00:18:46.144
in history textbooks.

00:18:46.168 --> 00:18:49.815
And you have the story
of the men of Company E,

00:18:49.839 --> 00:18:52.442
the only
all-Mexican American unit

00:18:52.466 --> 00:18:53.484
in World War II.

00:18:53.509 --> 00:18:59.074
Company E, in the 141st Infantry
of the 36th Division,

00:18:59.098 --> 00:19:01.200
was originally
a National Guard unit

00:19:01.224 --> 00:19:03.787
out of El Paso, Texas.

00:19:03.811 --> 00:19:06.289
Company E and the 36th Division

00:19:06.313 --> 00:19:08.291
spearheaded the Allied landing

00:19:08.315 --> 00:19:10.251
at Salerno, Italy,

00:19:10.275 --> 00:19:13.129
to fight
against Hitler\'s Nazi forces,

00:19:13.153 --> 00:19:16.908
becoming part
of the first D-Day.

00:19:19.827 --> 00:19:21.722
Leguizamo:
And many other Latino groups

00:19:21.746 --> 00:19:24.390
contributed significantly
in World War II.

00:19:24.414 --> 00:19:27.143
There were Cuban Americans,
Dominican Americans,

00:19:27.167 --> 00:19:30.146
and let\'s not forget
the Borinqueneers,

00:19:30.170 --> 00:19:33.191
an all-Puerto Rican outfit.

00:19:33.215 --> 00:19:35.234
The 65th Infantry was
also known,

00:19:35.258 --> 00:19:37.071
and is still known
in Puerto Rico,

00:19:37.095 --> 00:19:37.988
as the Borinqueneers.

00:19:38.012 --> 00:19:40.657
And so this name stems
out of the Taíno name

00:19:40.681 --> 00:19:44.452
for Puerto Rico,
which is Borinquen or Boriquén.

00:19:44.476 --> 00:19:46.580
They saw conflict
in World War II,

00:19:46.604 --> 00:19:49.666
and, particularly,
their history is very important

00:19:49.690 --> 00:19:51.001
to the Korean War.

00:19:51.025 --> 00:19:53.504
They were proud
of being Puerto Rican,

00:19:53.528 --> 00:19:56.006
but at the same time
they needed to navigate

00:19:56.030 --> 00:19:59.217
a very hierarchical
military institution

00:19:59.241 --> 00:20:00.803
that sought to demean them.

00:20:00.827 --> 00:20:04.305
They were always carrying
their flags around

00:20:04.329 --> 00:20:05.766
everywhere they went,

00:20:05.790 --> 00:20:10.062
and that was the thing
that was attacked by generals.

00:20:10.086 --> 00:20:11.814
So, one of the things
that they did

00:20:11.838 --> 00:20:14.440
was they made them shave
their mustache.

00:20:14.464 --> 00:20:16.527
And this is important
because, for them,

00:20:16.551 --> 00:20:17.736
it was a sense of pride.

00:20:17.760 --> 00:20:21.197
It was a sense of their manhood.

00:20:21.221 --> 00:20:23.534
It\'s interesting,
when we see the record

00:20:23.558 --> 00:20:27.286
of Puerto Rican soldiers
of the 65th Infantry

00:20:27.310 --> 00:20:28.539
in the Korean War,

00:20:28.563 --> 00:20:30.415
they brought with them
their guitars,

00:20:30.439 --> 00:20:33.292
and although they were fighting,
in the middle of the war

00:20:33.316 --> 00:20:37.714
they would sing their songs
in order to feel at home.

00:20:37.738 --> 00:20:40.884
They saw themselves
as Puerto Ricans first,

00:20:40.908 --> 00:20:42.678
and then as U.S. soldiers.

00:20:42.702 --> 00:20:45.889
So they died and they fought
protecting the United States,

00:20:45.913 --> 00:20:50.393
but they never lost sight
of their Puerto Ricanidad.

00:20:55.548 --> 00:20:59.653
Latino contributions
to the U.S. military

00:20:59.677 --> 00:21:02.573
are significant.

00:21:02.597 --> 00:21:05.033
Many of them gave
their very lives

00:21:05.057 --> 00:21:07.911
for the very freedoms
we enjoy today.

00:21:07.935 --> 00:21:12.583
They served
with distinction and pride,

00:21:12.607 --> 00:21:15.752
Not only because they
were Latinos,

00:21:15.776 --> 00:21:19.590
but because they were
American patriots.

00:21:19.614 --> 00:21:22.634
Trujillo: My dad was
a World War II veteran,

00:21:22.658 --> 00:21:26.597
my uncles fought
in World War II, in Korea.

00:21:26.621 --> 00:21:29.600
So, it was
like a family tradition.

00:21:29.624 --> 00:21:32.144
I volunteered to go to Vietnam.

00:21:32.168 --> 00:21:33.436
A couple of soldiers told me,

00:21:33.460 --> 00:21:36.982
\"Hey, what are you doing
in this American army?

00:21:37.006 --> 00:21:38.525
You\'re a Mexican.\"

00:21:38.549 --> 00:21:39.568
It made me think.

00:21:39.592 --> 00:21:41.653
\"I said, Yeah,
what am I doing here?

00:21:41.677 --> 00:21:45.782
When I get back home,
I\'ll just be another Mexican.\"

00:21:45.806 --> 00:21:48.035
People have
a hard time realizing

00:21:48.059 --> 00:21:51.121
that we have sacrificed
our bodies, our spirits,

00:21:51.145 --> 00:21:55.083
and our souls in defense
of the United States.

00:21:55.107 --> 00:21:56.835
We are part of history.

00:21:56.859 --> 00:21:58.795
We are part of this society.

00:21:58.819 --> 00:22:02.465
We have contributed
to the United States,

00:22:02.489 --> 00:22:07.428
but not just in the wars,
but as a working people.

00:22:07.452 --> 00:22:09.640
On the battlefield,
they were heroes.

00:22:09.664 --> 00:22:11.808
But imagine fighting
for your country,

00:22:11.832 --> 00:22:13.769
risking your life,
and returning home

00:22:13.793 --> 00:22:17.396
to face state-sanctioned racism
and discrimination.

00:22:17.420 --> 00:22:20.150
Even in the fields,
Latino farmworkers suffered

00:22:20.174 --> 00:22:21.652
inhumane working conditions,

00:22:21.676 --> 00:22:25.739
and were persecuted because
of their language and heritage.

00:22:25.763 --> 00:22:30.160
Now, these terrible conditions
inspired many to take action

00:22:30.184 --> 00:22:32.370
to fight for the rights
of these workers,

00:22:32.394 --> 00:22:35.498
including the labor union
United Farm Workers,

00:22:35.523 --> 00:22:39.193
led by Dolores Huerta
and Cesar Chavez.

00:22:44.156 --> 00:22:45.926
♪ We shall not ♪

00:22:45.950 --> 00:22:47.135
♪ We shall not moved ♪

00:22:47.159 --> 00:22:48.637
♪ Just like a tree ♪

00:22:48.661 --> 00:22:52.099
♪ That\'s planted by the water ♪

00:22:52.123 --> 00:22:54.309
The rise
of the United Farm Workers

00:22:54.333 --> 00:22:57.688
is the single most important
event in Latinx history.

00:22:57.712 --> 00:23:00.774
Come on out brothers,
we are waiting for you!

00:23:00.798 --> 00:23:04.528
Ortiz: Dolores Huerta is
central to the rise

00:23:04.552 --> 00:23:05.654
of the farm worker movement,

00:23:05.678 --> 00:23:08.198
\'cause remember,
there have been generations

00:23:08.222 --> 00:23:09.783
of agricultural workers

00:23:09.807 --> 00:23:14.204
African, Latinos, Asian,
etc., etc.

00:23:14.228 --> 00:23:15.539
who had tried to organize

00:23:15.563 --> 00:23:17.373
and were defeated
time and time again.

00:23:17.397 --> 00:23:19.209
Leguizamo: I\'m out here
in Southern California

00:23:19.233 --> 00:23:23.880
to meet with labor leader
and activist Dolores Huerta.

00:23:23.904 --> 00:23:26.216
As a young girl,
you were experiencing

00:23:26.240 --> 00:23:28.552
segregation,
discrimination,

00:23:28.576 --> 00:23:30.554
can you describe
what that was like?\"

00:23:30.578 --> 00:23:31.972
Huerta: Well,
I think it was mostly

00:23:31.996 --> 00:23:33.515
the kind
of discrimination

00:23:33.539 --> 00:23:35.058
that you felt
from your teachers.

00:23:35.082 --> 00:23:35.851
And from police,

00:23:35.875 --> 00:23:36.935
where they were
always harassing us,

00:23:36.959 --> 00:23:39.062
even though we weren\'t
doing anything wrong,

00:23:39.086 --> 00:23:39.938
you know?

00:23:39.962 --> 00:23:40.856
And it was constant.

00:23:40.880 --> 00:23:42.941
One of my girlfriends
wanted to be a nurse.

00:23:42.965 --> 00:23:45.193
And they told her, \"No,
you can\'t be a nurse.

00:23:45.217 --> 00:23:46.903
You have to study
domestic work,

00:23:46.927 --> 00:23:49.323
how to clean houses.\"

00:23:49.347 --> 00:23:52.576
When Dolores was in school,

00:23:52.600 --> 00:23:54.410
she was a very devoted student.

00:23:54.434 --> 00:23:56.747
And she had
this one favorite teacher

00:23:56.771 --> 00:24:00.542
who broke her heart
because one day she said to her,

00:24:00.566 --> 00:24:03.378
\"I don\'t believe
you wrote this essay.

00:24:03.402 --> 00:24:05.339
It\'s too well written.\"

00:24:05.363 --> 00:24:07.591
By the time I graduated
from high school,

00:24:07.615 --> 00:24:09.676
most of my Black
and brown friends,

00:24:09.700 --> 00:24:12.054
and Filipinos,
they had dropped out,

00:24:12.078 --> 00:24:13.847
not finishing high school.

00:24:13.871 --> 00:24:15.390
But we call it \"push out\"

00:24:15.414 --> 00:24:17.559
Yeah, because they have
an unwelcome climate,

00:24:17.583 --> 00:24:19.186
the way that you\'re
treated in schools,

00:24:19.210 --> 00:24:21.730
and the kids
don\'t feel welcome.

00:24:21.754 --> 00:24:24.191
And I had this anger
inside of me.

00:24:24.215 --> 00:24:25.901
But I never knew
what to do with it,

00:24:25.925 --> 00:24:28.570
until I learned
how to organize.

00:24:28.594 --> 00:24:30.113
When you
became an activist,

00:24:30.137 --> 00:24:31.615
did you have
role models?

00:24:31.639 --> 00:24:32.407
How did you figure out

00:24:32.431 --> 00:24:34.910
how to become such
a great organizer?

00:24:34.934 --> 00:24:36.036
I think once I learned

00:24:36.060 --> 00:24:37.453
that you can get
people together,

00:24:37.477 --> 00:24:39.706
and that you can put pressure
on the politicians,

00:24:39.730 --> 00:24:42.959
you know, be it city council
or school board members

00:24:42.983 --> 00:24:45.420
and that you can register
people to vote

00:24:45.444 --> 00:24:46.421
get them to vote

00:24:46.445 --> 00:24:48.423
and elect good people
to office

00:24:48.447 --> 00:24:49.966
then that was willpower.

00:24:49.990 --> 00:24:52.803
Leguizamo:
In 1965, Cesar Chavez left

00:24:52.827 --> 00:24:55.013
the Community Service
Organization

00:24:55.037 --> 00:24:56.682
and with Dolores Huerta formed

00:24:56.706 --> 00:24:59.685
the United Farm Workers
Association.

00:24:59.709 --> 00:25:02.312
They united with the Filipino
grape pickers,

00:25:02.336 --> 00:25:03.939
who were also on strike

00:25:03.963 --> 00:25:06.191
for better pay
and working conditions.

00:25:06.215 --> 00:25:06.858
In solidarity,

00:25:06.882 --> 00:25:09.319
they not only refused
to pick the grapes,

00:25:09.343 --> 00:25:11.988
but they also boycotted
the purchase

00:25:12.012 --> 00:25:13.657
of the grapes in stores

00:25:13.681 --> 00:25:16.076
and markets
all over the country.

00:25:16.100 --> 00:25:18.870
Chavez: I think
that all of us are looking

00:25:18.894 --> 00:25:21.039
for a place under the sun.

00:25:21.063 --> 00:25:22.207
By that I mean for a union

00:25:22.231 --> 00:25:23.499
that we can belong
as farm workers,

00:25:23.524 --> 00:25:25.502
which\'s going to be built
by farm workers,

00:25:25.526 --> 00:25:27.087
and it\'s going to be
for farm workers.

00:25:27.111 --> 00:25:28.964
Huerta: With the strike
and with the boycott,

00:25:28.988 --> 00:25:33.135
we were trying to get farm
workers basic human rights:

00:25:33.159 --> 00:25:35.095
toilets in the field,

00:25:35.119 --> 00:25:36.513
cold drinking water,

00:25:36.537 --> 00:25:38.348
hand washing facilities,

00:25:38.372 --> 00:25:39.391
rest periods,

00:25:39.415 --> 00:25:40.976
the right to have a union,

00:25:41.000 --> 00:25:42.436
and also unemployment
insurance,

00:25:42.460 --> 00:25:44.604
which farm workers
did not have.

00:25:44.628 --> 00:25:46.106
Just basic human rights.

00:25:46.130 --> 00:25:47.733
Reporter: The decision,
the outcome,

00:25:47.757 --> 00:25:49.359
is really
in the hands of aliens,

00:25:49.383 --> 00:25:51.570
people who are not
citizens.

00:25:51.594 --> 00:25:52.112
They\'re people!

00:25:52.136 --> 00:25:55.240
People who are right now
planting and picking the crops

00:25:55.264 --> 00:25:57.367
that are feeding
the whole country.

00:25:57.391 --> 00:25:59.995
Leguizamo: Was it easy
to organize farm workers?

00:26:00.019 --> 00:26:01.079
It was not easy,

00:26:01.103 --> 00:26:02.873
because it was
so much fear

00:26:02.897 --> 00:26:04.332
among the farm workers.

00:26:04.356 --> 00:26:05.917
It took us
actually 3 years

00:26:05.941 --> 00:26:07.711
to organize
on the ground,

00:26:07.735 --> 00:26:09.421
meeting family
by family

00:26:09.445 --> 00:26:11.047
with them,
and telling them,

00:26:11.071 --> 00:26:11.965
\"You can change this.\"

00:26:11.989 --> 00:26:14.510
It\'s an injustice,
when you think about it.

00:26:14.534 --> 00:26:17.513
It\'s unbearable when you have
to live through it.

00:26:17.537 --> 00:26:19.556
That\'s why the union
was founded,

00:26:19.580 --> 00:26:22.058
this is what we want
to eliminate.

00:26:22.082 --> 00:26:23.310
Want to establish
some security

00:26:23.334 --> 00:26:27.564
and, and uh, some dignity
for ourselves,

00:26:27.588 --> 00:26:31.026
dignity based on dollars
and cents, I guess.

00:26:31.050 --> 00:26:33.403
Yeah, we need money.

00:26:33.427 --> 00:26:35.071
Money that we\'ve earned already.

00:26:35.095 --> 00:26:38.658
Dolores and Cesar knew
that they were up

00:26:38.682 --> 00:26:42.829
against a very difficult
struggle.

00:26:42.853 --> 00:26:44.498
What were the fears?

00:26:44.523 --> 00:26:45.541
Well, the fears,
number one,

00:26:45.565 --> 00:26:47.834
that you could get,
you could get blacklisted,

00:26:47.858 --> 00:26:49.461
that nobody would
ever give you a job.

00:26:49.485 --> 00:26:51.004
And not only you,
but your family

00:26:51.028 --> 00:26:52.255
would also get
blacklisted.

00:26:52.279 --> 00:26:54.424
Was there fear of violence
as well or, or just...?

00:26:54.448 --> 00:26:57.427
Oh, a lot of fear
of violence, yeah.

00:26:57.451 --> 00:26:59.679
Sometimes people
got beaten up,

00:26:59.703 --> 00:27:01.431
you know,
very, very, badly.

00:27:01.455 --> 00:27:03.767
Sometimes by the sheriffs.

00:27:03.791 --> 00:27:05.268
And then sometimes by who?\"

00:27:05.292 --> 00:27:08.438
And sometimes
by the growers.

00:27:08.462 --> 00:27:10.106
Reporter: What do you
think of the idea

00:27:10.130 --> 00:27:11.274
of a union
for farm workers?

00:27:11.298 --> 00:27:13.569
Well, I think
it\'s ridiculous.

00:27:13.593 --> 00:27:14.611
Do you think
without the union

00:27:14.635 --> 00:27:16.531
the farm workers can improve
their condition

00:27:16.555 --> 00:27:17.447
and, and create...?\"

00:27:17.471 --> 00:27:19.407
It has been done right here.

00:27:19.431 --> 00:27:21.076
Would you want
to live in this camp?\"

00:27:21.100 --> 00:27:21.910
I wouldn\'t live here.

00:27:21.934 --> 00:27:24.037
You know you\'re being
very impudent.

00:27:24.061 --> 00:27:25.789
\"Would I want to live here?\"

00:27:25.813 --> 00:27:28.208
This is what I call
an impudent question.

00:27:28.232 --> 00:27:29.000
Well, you run the camp.

00:27:29.024 --> 00:27:31.986
I won\'t answer any more
of your questions.

00:27:35.656 --> 00:27:37.843
Unfortunately,
we had 5 people

00:27:37.867 --> 00:27:41.514
that were killed
during the strikes.

00:27:41.538 --> 00:27:43.431
The first one was
a young Jewish girl

00:27:43.455 --> 00:27:45.976
from Boston,
named Nan Freeman.

00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:47.520
The second one
was a young man

00:27:47.544 --> 00:27:49.564
from Yemen,
Nagi Daifallah.

00:27:49.588 --> 00:27:51.940
And the third one
was a Mexican,

00:27:51.964 --> 00:27:53.149
Juan de la Cruz.

00:27:53.173 --> 00:27:55.068
Another one,
Rufino Contreras.

00:27:55.092 --> 00:27:57.195
And the last one
was a young man

00:27:57.219 --> 00:27:58.238
named Rene Lopez.

00:27:58.262 --> 00:27:59.489
So, we had
5 people killed,

00:27:59.514 --> 00:28:01.825
even though we,
as a union,

00:28:01.849 --> 00:28:02.993
and during the strikes

00:28:03.017 --> 00:28:05.853
and the boycotts,
were non-violent.

00:28:10.065 --> 00:28:13.003
Were you arrested?
Were you incarcerated?

00:28:13.027 --> 00:28:15.046
Yes, I was arrested
about 20 times.

00:28:15.070 --> 00:28:16.840
They would get
injunctions against us

00:28:16.864 --> 00:28:18.174
and take us to jail.

00:28:18.198 --> 00:28:20.511
And you kept going back.
Kept going back.

00:28:20.535 --> 00:28:22.161
That\'s incredible.

00:28:24.705 --> 00:28:26.266
If we quit, we lose.

00:28:26.290 --> 00:28:27.851
Think about
all those farm workers

00:28:27.875 --> 00:28:29.019
that were on strike,

00:28:29.043 --> 00:28:31.104
because the strike lasted
for 5 years.

00:28:31.128 --> 00:28:31.980
5 years! Wow.
5 years.

00:28:32.004 --> 00:28:33.649
That must have been
very difficult for you

00:28:33.673 --> 00:28:35.317
to stay motivated
for 5 years,

00:28:35.341 --> 00:28:36.276
especially people

00:28:36.300 --> 00:28:39.261
who were losing
their income.

00:28:39.845 --> 00:28:41.364
María Elena Fernández:
Dolores Huerta

00:28:41.388 --> 00:28:42.617
was one of the negotiators.

00:28:42.641 --> 00:28:45.661
Just the fact
that she was a woman

00:28:45.685 --> 00:28:46.579
and, you know,

00:28:46.603 --> 00:28:49.624
by definition only men
were businessmen, right?

00:28:49.648 --> 00:28:51.291
And so, there she is,
challenging them,

00:28:51.315 --> 00:28:54.252
and, of course,
they used slurs, right?

00:28:54.276 --> 00:28:55.462
To stereotype her.

00:28:55.486 --> 00:28:57.881
And they called her
the \"Dragon Lady.\"

00:28:57.905 --> 00:28:59.758
Huerta: At the end
of the boycott,

00:28:59.782 --> 00:29:02.218
we had 17 million Americans

00:29:02.242 --> 00:29:03.386
that did not eat grapes.

00:29:03.410 --> 00:29:05.221
I would have never
thought that America

00:29:05.245 --> 00:29:07.390
could be united
to help

00:29:07.414 --> 00:29:08.643
Latino farm workers

00:29:08.667 --> 00:29:10.603
fight against
the corporations

00:29:10.627 --> 00:29:12.103
or the farm owners.

00:29:12.127 --> 00:29:13.897
It\'s amazing
that they saw your cause

00:29:13.921 --> 00:29:15.315
as a noble cause.

00:29:15.339 --> 00:29:18.842
[Applause and cheering]

00:29:20.427 --> 00:29:22.657
Before I mention any names,

00:29:22.681 --> 00:29:25.033
to all those of you
who came here,

00:29:25.057 --> 00:29:27.202
contributed money,
and brought food,

00:29:27.226 --> 00:29:29.079
we thank you especially.

00:29:29.103 --> 00:29:30.830
During Obama\'s
campaign,

00:29:30.854 --> 00:29:32.415
he adopted
your slogan,

00:29:32.439 --> 00:29:35.126
[Speaking Spanish]
\"Yes, we can.\"

00:29:35.150 --> 00:29:36.920
How did that feel
for you?

00:29:36.944 --> 00:29:38.463
Well, when I met
that President Obama,

00:29:38.487 --> 00:29:40.799
he said to me,
\"I stole your slogan.\"

00:29:40.823 --> 00:29:42.801
And I said, \"Yes, you did.\"
[Laughs]

00:29:42.825 --> 00:29:44.469
\"Want to borrow it?
Yes, you can.\"

00:29:44.493 --> 00:29:45.929
Leguizamo:
The grape strike

00:29:45.953 --> 00:29:46.930
changed conditions

00:29:46.954 --> 00:29:49.099
for American farm workers
forever.

00:29:49.123 --> 00:29:50.809
10 major agricultural companies

00:29:50.833 --> 00:29:54.479
had recognized a union
and agreed to its terms,

00:29:54.504 --> 00:29:56.856
which included salary increases,

00:29:56.880 --> 00:29:58.609
unemployment insurance,

00:29:58.633 --> 00:30:00.110
one day off per week,

00:30:00.134 --> 00:30:02.613
and better working conditions.

00:30:02.637 --> 00:30:04.781
While Dolores Huerta and others
were fighting

00:30:04.805 --> 00:30:07.033
for civil liberties
in the fields,

00:30:07.057 --> 00:30:09.411
Latinos
continued to be subjected

00:30:09.435 --> 00:30:10.538
to Jim Crow laws,

00:30:10.562 --> 00:30:13.498
also known as \"Juan Crow\" laws.

00:30:13.523 --> 00:30:14.833
And these Jim Crow laws

00:30:14.857 --> 00:30:17.836
were statutes
that legalized segregation

00:30:17.860 --> 00:30:20.296
and made Latinos
second-class citizens

00:30:20.320 --> 00:30:22.406
in their own country.

00:30:27.161 --> 00:30:28.930
Molina: In the early
20th century,

00:30:28.954 --> 00:30:31.141
the Jim Crow laws were developed

00:30:31.165 --> 00:30:33.935
to separate Blacks from Whites.

00:30:33.959 --> 00:30:36.813
Latinos had their own system
of Jim Crow,

00:30:36.837 --> 00:30:39.441
which people now
refer to as \"Juan Crow.\"

00:30:39.465 --> 00:30:42.485
They couldn\'t live
in every neighborhood.

00:30:42.510 --> 00:30:45.488
They had to attend
segregated schools,

00:30:45.513 --> 00:30:47.724
segregated churches.

00:30:48.348 --> 00:30:52.203
Leguizamo: So here we have
the effects of Jim Crow laws

00:30:52.227 --> 00:30:52.912
in the Southwest,

00:30:52.936 --> 00:30:55.666
because we were in larger
populations in the Southwest.

00:30:55.690 --> 00:30:57.208
And as you can see,
the order is...

00:30:57.232 --> 00:31:01.337
It\'s intense:
\"No dogs, Negros or Mexicans.\"

00:31:01.361 --> 00:31:02.297
And if you\'re Mexican,

00:31:02.321 --> 00:31:06.092
you\'re at the bottom of it,
even lower than dogs.

00:31:06.116 --> 00:31:08.428
Segregation
has many implications

00:31:08.452 --> 00:31:11.056
and many consequences.

00:31:11.080 --> 00:31:12.015
In our particular case,

00:31:12.039 --> 00:31:15.935
the Spanish language
has been used as a racist trope,

00:31:15.959 --> 00:31:17.979
and for those of us
who were in school,

00:31:18.003 --> 00:31:19.690
we were forbidden
to speak Spanish,

00:31:19.714 --> 00:31:21.983
and for every word of Spanish
that you spoke,

00:31:22.007 --> 00:31:23.151
we were hit with a bat

00:31:23.175 --> 00:31:25.738
that had been shaved
with holes at the end.

00:31:25.762 --> 00:31:27.864
So you went home
and your mother might bathe you

00:31:27.888 --> 00:31:30.701
when you were 5 years old,
and she asked, well, you know,

00:31:30.725 --> 00:31:32.494
\"What are those marks
on your rear end?\"

00:31:32.519 --> 00:31:34.162
And I told her, I said,
\"I got spanked.\"

00:31:34.186 --> 00:31:37.248
\"Well, did you misbehave?\"
I said, \"I don\'t know.\"

00:31:37.272 --> 00:31:39.417
But I didn\'t know
why it was being spanked.

00:31:39.441 --> 00:31:43.379
What occurs is that the child
then learns to associate pain

00:31:43.403 --> 00:31:46.509
with the language
that the child is speaking.

00:31:46.533 --> 00:31:50.887
Now that language
is internalized very early on.

00:31:50.911 --> 00:31:54.600
The language that\'s spoken
by a mother to her child

00:31:54.624 --> 00:31:57.143
when she\'s cooing her child,

00:31:57.167 --> 00:32:00.980
[Speaking Spanish]

00:32:01.004 --> 00:32:03.526
has a deep implication
because you learn then

00:32:03.550 --> 00:32:05.820
that you\'ve got
to hate this language

00:32:05.844 --> 00:32:08.805
that your mother
raised you upon.

00:32:13.058 --> 00:32:15.788
Leguizamo: When most immigrants
come to the United States,

00:32:15.812 --> 00:32:18.541
within two to three generations
they assimilate,

00:32:18.565 --> 00:32:21.400
and many lose
their native language.

00:32:23.443 --> 00:32:25.922
How would you feel
if you were forced to write,

00:32:25.946 --> 00:32:27.633
\"I will not speak Spanish\"

00:32:27.657 --> 00:32:30.343
hundreds of times
on a piece of paper?

00:32:30.367 --> 00:32:31.386
Or imagine if your school

00:32:31.410 --> 00:32:33.930
had a mock burial
of \"Mr. Spanish.\"

00:32:33.954 --> 00:32:35.098
That\'s exactly what happened

00:32:35.122 --> 00:32:37.934
at some schools
in the United States.

00:32:37.958 --> 00:32:40.979
And in 1954,
school segregation was abolished

00:32:41.003 --> 00:32:45.609
by the landmark Brown
v. Board of Education case.

00:32:45.633 --> 00:32:46.610
But for decades before,

00:32:46.634 --> 00:32:49.320
Latino families
had been leading the charge

00:32:49.344 --> 00:32:50.781
against this horrible policy,

00:32:50.805 --> 00:32:55.184
including the historic case
of Méndez v. Westminster.

00:32:58.312 --> 00:33:02.877
In the Méndez
v. Westminster case, in 1946,

00:33:02.901 --> 00:33:07.631
you have Gonzalo Méndez,
who sends his sister

00:33:07.655 --> 00:33:12.343
to register his kids
and her kids in a school,

00:33:12.367 --> 00:33:15.639
and is told,
\"We\'ll register your kids,\"

00:33:15.663 --> 00:33:17.808
because her kids
were lighter skinned,

00:33:17.832 --> 00:33:20.059
\"but not your brother\'s kids.\"

00:33:20.083 --> 00:33:22.521
Sylvia was 8 years old.

00:33:22.545 --> 00:33:26.650
Gonzalo and Felicitas
looked at their daughter

00:33:26.674 --> 00:33:29.068
and said, you know,
\"This isn\'t right.

00:33:29.092 --> 00:33:31.572
This is discrimination.\"

00:33:31.596 --> 00:33:32.781
Because they understood
that it wasn\'t

00:33:32.805 --> 00:33:36.159
just a separate school,
it was an inferior school.

00:33:36.183 --> 00:33:38.787
It was one
in which the facility itself

00:33:38.811 --> 00:33:39.830
was inferior.

00:33:39.854 --> 00:33:42.917
And so there was no hope
for the future

00:33:42.941 --> 00:33:44.752
without a good education.

00:33:44.776 --> 00:33:46.670
They hire an attorney who says,

00:33:46.694 --> 00:33:49.506
\"Have you heard about this
happening with other families?\"

00:33:49.530 --> 00:33:51.842
And he says yes,
and he says, \"Get them together.

00:33:51.866 --> 00:33:55.011
We\'re going to do
a class action lawsuit.\"

00:33:55.035 --> 00:33:57.514
Cranston: Our greatest resource
is the skill

00:33:57.538 --> 00:34:00.559
and the vision
and wisdom of our people.

00:34:00.583 --> 00:34:02.937
If your education
falters or fails,

00:34:02.961 --> 00:34:06.815
everything else that we attempt
as a Nation will fail.

00:34:06.839 --> 00:34:10.151
If you succeed,
America will succeed.

00:34:10.175 --> 00:34:12.362
Over half
the Mexican-American children

00:34:12.386 --> 00:34:14.865
have less than 8 years
of school.

00:34:14.889 --> 00:34:17.367
How long can we pay that price?

00:34:17.391 --> 00:34:21.287
Molina: The Méndez
v. Westminster case was pivotal.

00:34:21.311 --> 00:34:26.752
It was foundational to establish
that separate is not equal.

00:34:26.776 --> 00:34:29.212
Leguizamo: After
a hard-fought legal battle,

00:34:29.236 --> 00:34:34.342
the Méndez, a Puerto Rican-
Mexican family, won.

00:34:34.366 --> 00:34:37.136
Molina: The Méndez
v. Westminster case

00:34:37.160 --> 00:34:39.264
is an example of triumph

00:34:39.288 --> 00:34:41.224
and victory in Latino history.

00:34:41.248 --> 00:34:44.895
But it\'s one
that\'s also made possible

00:34:44.919 --> 00:34:46.522
by shared alliances:

00:34:46.546 --> 00:34:49.733
by David Marcus,
the Jewish-American lawyer

00:34:49.757 --> 00:34:50.943
who took on the case.

00:34:50.967 --> 00:34:53.696
By Thurgood Marshall
and the NAACP,

00:34:53.720 --> 00:34:57.574
who said, you know,
\"We understand your struggle

00:34:57.598 --> 00:34:59.075
because it is ours.\"

00:34:59.099 --> 00:35:00.326
By Japanese Americans

00:35:00.350 --> 00:35:04.497
who had only recently
come back from internment camps

00:35:04.522 --> 00:35:07.375
and were really trying
not to ruffle any feathers,

00:35:07.399 --> 00:35:09.920
to show that they were
patriotic Americans,

00:35:09.944 --> 00:35:11.462
and yet said,
\"This is a struggle

00:35:11.486 --> 00:35:14.424
that\'s worth it
for us to speak out against.\"

00:35:14.448 --> 00:35:16.467
Leguizamo:
Méndez v. Westminster

00:35:16.491 --> 00:35:19.387
ended segregation
in schools in California.

00:35:19.411 --> 00:35:21.472
And it was crucial
in setting the precedent

00:35:21.496 --> 00:35:25.351
for the national case,
Brown v. Board of Education,

00:35:25.375 --> 00:35:26.436
in which the Supreme Court

00:35:26.460 --> 00:35:31.173
found segregation in schools
to be unconstitutional.

00:35:32.174 --> 00:35:34.485
The Méndez case
was a real victory

00:35:34.510 --> 00:35:35.946
for equal education,

00:35:35.970 --> 00:35:36.905
but the fight wasn\'t finished.

00:35:36.929 --> 00:35:41.326
Even after school desegregation
became the law of the land,

00:35:41.350 --> 00:35:42.536
majority-Latino schools

00:35:42.560 --> 00:35:45.539
still received
less funding and resources,

00:35:45.563 --> 00:35:48.083
putting their students
at a disadvantage.

00:35:48.107 --> 00:35:51.377
Pioneering teachers
like Bolivian Jaime Escalante

00:35:51.401 --> 00:35:55.758
continued to demand
real education equality.

00:35:55.782 --> 00:35:57.634
Olmos: Teaching is a blessing,

00:35:57.658 --> 00:35:59.135
because then the students
get everything out it,

00:35:59.159 --> 00:36:01.597
because they have someone
that is really sharing

00:36:01.621 --> 00:36:03.139
and giving of knowledge.

00:36:03.163 --> 00:36:05.308
And there\'s nothing
more powerful than that.

00:36:05.332 --> 00:36:09.855
So, to me, Jaime Escalante
became the vehicle

00:36:09.879 --> 00:36:10.438
that changed my life.

00:36:10.462 --> 00:36:13.067
Did you know that neither
the Greeks nor the Romans

00:36:13.091 --> 00:36:16.028
were capable of using
the concept of zero?

00:36:16.052 --> 00:36:18.488
It was your ancestors,
the Mayans,

00:36:18.513 --> 00:36:20.657
who first
contemplated the zero,

00:36:20.681 --> 00:36:22.659
the absence of value.

00:36:22.683 --> 00:36:23.660
True story.

00:36:23.684 --> 00:36:26.830
You burros
have math in your blood.

00:36:26.854 --> 00:36:29.750
Using all
that I had learned

00:36:29.774 --> 00:36:32.210
from doing Jaime

00:36:32.234 --> 00:36:35.506
and his understanding
that children will rise

00:36:35.530 --> 00:36:38.257
to the level
of expectation...

00:36:38.281 --> 00:36:40.426
Yes.
And Jaime Escalante

00:36:40.450 --> 00:36:42.513
changed the course
of the way

00:36:42.537 --> 00:36:44.515
that we understand
the teacher.

00:36:44.539 --> 00:36:46.391
The teacher is
the essence

00:36:46.415 --> 00:36:47.935
of understanding.
Mm.

00:36:47.959 --> 00:36:49.019
And, and bless it.

00:36:49.043 --> 00:36:51.229
I mean, so many of us
had great teachers.

00:36:51.253 --> 00:36:52.397
So, to me, mentors
are everything.

00:36:52.421 --> 00:36:54.900
I wouldn\'t be here
if it wasn\'t for teachers

00:36:54.924 --> 00:36:56.860
who really taught
so beautifully,

00:36:56.884 --> 00:36:59.780
loved the history
or loved literature,

00:36:59.804 --> 00:37:00.948
or acting teachers.

00:37:00.972 --> 00:37:02.407
Then you find
your path in life.

00:37:02.431 --> 00:37:04.200
That\'s right.
Eddie... I mean...

00:37:04.224 --> 00:37:05.536
You know,
you\'re a legend,

00:37:05.560 --> 00:37:07.621
you\'re an inspiration
to all of us.

00:37:07.645 --> 00:37:10.707
When I saw
Jaime Escalante on film,

00:37:10.731 --> 00:37:12.417
all of a sudden
I felt like,

00:37:12.441 --> 00:37:15.045
\"Wow, if Edward Olmos
can do it,

00:37:15.069 --> 00:37:16.379
maybe I can
do it, too.\"

00:37:16.403 --> 00:37:18.632
It just...
It gives you hope.

00:37:18.656 --> 00:37:19.465
That\'s right.

00:37:19.489 --> 00:37:21.552
You also did
an incredible movie

00:37:21.576 --> 00:37:22.553
called the \"Walkouts,\"

00:37:22.577 --> 00:37:24.513
based on the original
walkouts

00:37:24.537 --> 00:37:25.889
that happened
here in L.A.

00:37:25.913 --> 00:37:28.517
as a protest
to bad public schools,

00:37:28.541 --> 00:37:31.627
and lack of supplies,
lack of funding.

00:37:32.587 --> 00:37:35.107
Chicano!
Power!

00:37:35.131 --> 00:37:37.734
Chicano!
Power!

00:37:37.758 --> 00:37:38.694
Chicano!

00:37:38.718 --> 00:37:41.905
In 1968,
students stood up

00:37:41.929 --> 00:37:43.740
and walked out
of the classroom,

00:37:43.764 --> 00:37:44.783
trying
to bring awareness

00:37:44.807 --> 00:37:46.367
to something
that they\'d been trying

00:37:46.391 --> 00:37:47.410
to push for years.

00:37:47.434 --> 00:37:50.188
And that was just
equality in teaching.

00:37:50.855 --> 00:37:53.750
Leguizamo: The 1968 walkouts

00:37:53.774 --> 00:37:55.586
were just one
in a series of movements

00:37:55.610 --> 00:37:59.882
to fight for civil rights
among Latino youth.

00:37:59.906 --> 00:38:03.051
Because young Americans
of Mexican descent

00:38:03.075 --> 00:38:03.927
had adopted \"Chicano\"

00:38:03.951 --> 00:38:06.805
as a term of cultural unity
and defiance.

00:38:06.829 --> 00:38:09.099
And fed up with racism
and police brutality

00:38:09.123 --> 00:38:10.642
in their community and schools,

00:38:10.666 --> 00:38:14.897
Latinos organized and fought
for justice and equality,

00:38:14.921 --> 00:38:17.232
demanding their voices be heard.

00:38:17.256 --> 00:38:19.735
And the Brown Berets
were one of the groups

00:38:19.759 --> 00:38:21.904
that led the way
in that struggle.

00:38:26.389 --> 00:38:29.036
Montes: The 1968
East L.A. walkouts

00:38:29.060 --> 00:38:31.163
was the first urban uprising

00:38:31.187 --> 00:38:32.539
of young Chicanos

00:38:32.563 --> 00:38:34.290
in the United States.

00:38:34.314 --> 00:38:37.794
The Brown Berets were a group
of young men and women

00:38:37.818 --> 00:38:39.796
who were angry about the racism

00:38:39.820 --> 00:38:43.032
and conditions we faced
in the barrio.

00:38:46.244 --> 00:38:48.805
We often think
about African Americans

00:38:48.829 --> 00:38:50.974
in the quest for civil rights,

00:38:50.998 --> 00:38:52.976
but Latinos were also fighting

00:38:53.000 --> 00:38:56.254
for their rights in every way.

00:38:57.420 --> 00:38:59.066
I attended Garfield High,

00:38:59.090 --> 00:39:01.317
and I was a 10th grader.

00:39:01.341 --> 00:39:03.654
And we took an adult role

00:39:03.678 --> 00:39:08.033
to protest for the right
for an education.

00:39:08.057 --> 00:39:10.326
Sal Castro
was the instructor,

00:39:10.350 --> 00:39:13.329
the teacher,
that allowed them

00:39:13.353 --> 00:39:15.498
to understand
the differences

00:39:15.523 --> 00:39:17.834
outside
of their school district.

00:39:17.858 --> 00:39:20.170
He led the walkouts.

00:39:20.194 --> 00:39:21.255
-Chicano!
-Power!

00:39:21.279 --> 00:39:23.339
There had to be changes
in education

00:39:23.363 --> 00:39:24.675
in order
for the Mexican to get

00:39:24.699 --> 00:39:26.134
a real
equal opportunity.

00:39:26.158 --> 00:39:30.180
Molina: They were protesting
all their inferior conditions,

00:39:30.204 --> 00:39:33.517
a system of inequity
in their schools.

00:39:33.541 --> 00:39:35.351
We\'re going to walk
until we get some action,

00:39:35.375 --> 00:39:37.187
because we\'re tired
of talking...

00:39:37.211 --> 00:39:38.313
[Cheering]

00:39:38.337 --> 00:39:40.232
Let the students
back into the library

00:39:40.256 --> 00:39:42.025
so maybe they can learn
how to read.

00:39:42.049 --> 00:39:44.319
The ways
in which they were tracked

00:39:44.343 --> 00:39:46.989
into shop or homemaking.

00:39:47.013 --> 00:39:49.365
The general messages
that they were receiving

00:39:49.389 --> 00:39:50.867
from their teachers saying,

00:39:50.891 --> 00:39:52.160
\"Why teach you these subjects

00:39:52.184 --> 00:39:53.787
when you aren\'t going
to go on to college?

00:39:53.811 --> 00:39:56.540
You\'re going to go on
to do manual labor.\"

00:39:56.564 --> 00:39:59.209
And so,
it was them pushing back.

00:39:59.233 --> 00:40:00.586
Cuaron: We created a survey

00:40:00.610 --> 00:40:04.965
by collecting the concerns
of other students

00:40:04.989 --> 00:40:08.051
and their ideas about
what\'s going on in the schools.

00:40:08.075 --> 00:40:11.179
We took the surveys
to the Board of Education

00:40:11.203 --> 00:40:12.180
and we waited.

00:40:12.204 --> 00:40:14.266
And we waited. And we waited.

00:40:14.290 --> 00:40:15.726
And there was no response.

00:40:15.750 --> 00:40:17.393
He is our principal
from our school,

00:40:17.417 --> 00:40:19.395
and he\'s not even there
sitting down.

00:40:19.419 --> 00:40:21.273
You know, we go...
We go talk to him

00:40:21.297 --> 00:40:22.691
and he walks out
of the office.

00:40:22.715 --> 00:40:25.694
We invited him here
to attend the meeting,

00:40:25.718 --> 00:40:27.237
and why isn\'t he here?

00:40:27.261 --> 00:40:30.282
And the role of the Brown Berets
was to go the high school,

00:40:30.306 --> 00:40:31.700
whether it\'s Garfield
High School,

00:40:31.724 --> 00:40:33.660
Lincoln High School,
Roosevelt...

00:40:33.684 --> 00:40:36.121
To talk to parents,
to talk to students,

00:40:36.145 --> 00:40:37.748
to start raising the demands.

00:40:37.772 --> 00:40:40.458
That we wanted
a quality education,

00:40:40.482 --> 00:40:42.294
we wanted bilingual education,

00:40:42.318 --> 00:40:44.963
we wanted ethnic studies.

00:40:44.987 --> 00:40:48.216
The 5th of March,
in the afternoon,

00:40:48.240 --> 00:40:49.718
the fire alarm went off.

00:40:49.742 --> 00:40:50.594
[Alarm rings]

00:40:50.618 --> 00:40:52.346
Montes: The students
had the signal

00:40:52.370 --> 00:40:54.890
that they were going
to stand up and walk out,

00:40:54.914 --> 00:40:55.891
and it started happening.

00:40:55.915 --> 00:40:59.102
So we all walked out
on the front lawn

00:40:59.126 --> 00:41:01.437
and the chant began:

00:41:01.461 --> 00:41:04.816
\"Walkout, walkout, walkout.\"

00:41:04.840 --> 00:41:08.236
Walkout! Walkout!
Walkout! Walkout!

00:41:08.260 --> 00:41:09.613
Molina: And it wasn\'t
just one school,

00:41:09.637 --> 00:41:14.284
it was the 5 high schools
in the East Los Angeles area.

00:41:14.308 --> 00:41:15.451
I was
right inside of this,

00:41:15.475 --> 00:41:17.913
I was 18 years old myself
at the time.

00:41:17.937 --> 00:41:20.999
When 5 schools walked out
at the same time,

00:41:21.023 --> 00:41:22.608
it was all over.

00:41:23.359 --> 00:41:25.545
12 students from UCLA

00:41:25.569 --> 00:41:27.714
and different
major universities,

00:41:27.738 --> 00:41:28.423
and Sal Castro,

00:41:28.447 --> 00:41:30.967
all of the leaders
of the walkouts...

00:41:30.991 --> 00:41:32.678
Threw them in jail...
Were arrested

00:41:32.702 --> 00:41:33.887
because they were
protesting.

00:41:33.911 --> 00:41:35.555
Yeah, exactly.
A peaceful protest,

00:41:35.579 --> 00:41:38.850
but they arrest
the leaders because...

00:41:38.874 --> 00:41:41.477
20,000 kids? John...
Wow.

00:41:41.502 --> 00:41:43.105
They were
not ready for it.

00:41:43.129 --> 00:41:45.440
...arrest
as of right now.

00:41:45.464 --> 00:41:49.653
Cuaron: The sheriffs
were formed in a long line,

00:41:49.677 --> 00:41:51.446
in their full outfits, ready,

00:41:51.470 --> 00:41:55.701
and they were proceeding
to come toward us.

00:41:55.725 --> 00:41:59.371
So the danger, the violence,

00:41:59.395 --> 00:42:01.522
was very apparent.

00:42:03.065 --> 00:42:04.793
Molina: When the students
walked out,

00:42:04.817 --> 00:42:06.962
they had signs
that really showed

00:42:06.986 --> 00:42:11.425
that throughline of oppression
that they had experienced,

00:42:11.449 --> 00:42:12.634
not just in their lives,

00:42:12.658 --> 00:42:14.678
but their parents\' generation

00:42:14.702 --> 00:42:16.012
and generations before.

00:42:16.036 --> 00:42:18.640
The parents of these kids
were scared.

00:42:18.664 --> 00:42:19.766
And I don\'t blame them.

00:42:19.790 --> 00:42:21.017
Wow. What did
the police do?

00:42:21.041 --> 00:42:22.185
What did...
They beat them.

00:42:22.209 --> 00:42:24.020
They beat them.
They beat the kids.

00:42:24.044 --> 00:42:25.939
Savagely.

00:42:25.963 --> 00:42:28.340
[Sirens blaring]

00:42:31.844 --> 00:42:33.572
I was accosted,

00:42:33.596 --> 00:42:35.157
I was attacked,

00:42:35.181 --> 00:42:36.199
I was questioned.

00:42:36.223 --> 00:42:40.704
They pulled no punches
to attack us physically,

00:42:40.728 --> 00:42:43.039
psychologically,
and on the campus,

00:42:43.063 --> 00:42:45.250
so that we had no protection.

00:42:45.274 --> 00:42:47.627
Absolutely no protection.

00:42:47.651 --> 00:42:50.571
[Sirens blaring]

00:42:54.283 --> 00:42:56.553
Olmos: Brutal. I mean...
Leguizamo: On kids, on kids.

00:42:56.577 --> 00:42:58.054
We\'re talking
about 13-year-olds,

00:42:58.078 --> 00:42:59.890
14-year-olds.
Using batons on, on...

00:42:59.914 --> 00:43:02.416
...on young kids, yeah.

00:43:03.417 --> 00:43:05.562
Montes: 13 of us were arrested

00:43:05.586 --> 00:43:08.857
for conspiracy
to disrupt the peace,

00:43:08.881 --> 00:43:10.841
disrupt the schools.

00:43:12.802 --> 00:43:15.906
But an appellate court
threw the case out

00:43:15.930 --> 00:43:17.282
because they concluded

00:43:17.306 --> 00:43:19.535
that it was our right
to protest:

00:43:19.559 --> 00:43:21.745
freedom of speech,
freedom of assembly.

00:43:21.769 --> 00:43:24.414
So, all those charges
were dropped.

00:43:24.438 --> 00:43:28.293
There were many positive results
that came out of the walkouts

00:43:28.317 --> 00:43:29.669
in terms of the school board

00:43:29.693 --> 00:43:32.339
finally adopting
some of the demands

00:43:32.363 --> 00:43:34.257
that they had been making.

00:43:34.281 --> 00:43:37.512
We got more Chicano teachers
hired, and administrators.

00:43:37.536 --> 00:43:39.221
We got bilingual education.

00:43:39.245 --> 00:43:44.267
We won some victories
and we made history.

00:43:44.291 --> 00:43:47.563
The whole situation bred

00:43:47.587 --> 00:43:50.065
a great feeling
of understanding

00:43:50.089 --> 00:43:50.941
of strength and power.

00:43:50.965 --> 00:43:52.943
If you want something done,
you have to raise your voice,

00:43:52.967 --> 00:43:54.945
you have to talk,
you have to get it out there

00:43:54.969 --> 00:43:56.446
and you have to start
speaking your mind.

00:43:56.470 --> 00:43:57.781
You have to start
writing about it,

00:43:57.805 --> 00:43:59.950
you have to start
doing movies about it,

00:43:59.974 --> 00:44:03.143
you got to start bringing it
into the art forms.

00:44:04.979 --> 00:44:06.373
So this is the dream footage

00:44:06.397 --> 00:44:08.458
that I\'ve always saw
in my imagination.

00:44:08.482 --> 00:44:12.254
Like, where were we
in the \'60s and \'70s

00:44:12.278 --> 00:44:13.797
when everybody was protesting

00:44:13.821 --> 00:44:16.633
and fighting against the war,

00:44:16.657 --> 00:44:17.843
for civil rights?

00:44:17.867 --> 00:44:18.426
And there we are,

00:44:18.450 --> 00:44:21.429
in huge numbers
all across the United States.

00:44:21.453 --> 00:44:24.391
And it motivates
and inspires you to keep going,

00:44:24.415 --> 00:44:26.083
to keep fighting.

00:44:27.001 --> 00:44:30.814
We had all this activism
that\'s just never talked about,

00:44:30.838 --> 00:44:33.024
never included
in any of the documentaries.

00:44:33.048 --> 00:44:34.985
And it does
a disservice to history

00:44:35.009 --> 00:44:36.862
because you\'re excluding

00:44:36.886 --> 00:44:38.822
a huge portion of the population

00:44:38.846 --> 00:44:41.324
that contributed
to your country.

00:44:47.897 --> 00:44:49.499
Leguizamo: Here we are
at the Museum

00:44:49.524 --> 00:44:51.001
of the City of New York.

00:44:51.025 --> 00:44:52.503
You know, every time
I look at footage

00:44:52.527 --> 00:44:55.213
about New York City
and activism,

00:44:55.237 --> 00:44:56.131
you never see Latin people.

00:44:56.155 --> 00:44:57.716
You just never see them
represented,

00:44:57.740 --> 00:45:00.010
you never see them included.

00:45:00.034 --> 00:45:01.052
And yet we were there.

00:45:01.076 --> 00:45:03.680
And we were actually
the big motivators.

00:45:03.704 --> 00:45:05.641
And especially here
in New York City,

00:45:05.665 --> 00:45:06.850
we had the Young Lords,

00:45:06.874 --> 00:45:09.311
this big, powerful organization

00:45:09.335 --> 00:45:10.646
of Puerto Rican intellectuals

00:45:10.670 --> 00:45:12.547
here in Spanish Harlem.

00:45:20.597 --> 00:45:22.115
Johanna Fernández:
So, here we are

00:45:22.139 --> 00:45:23.116
with the Young Lords,

00:45:23.140 --> 00:45:25.493
who are the Puerto Rican
counterpart

00:45:25.518 --> 00:45:27.037
of the Black Panther
Party.

00:45:27.061 --> 00:45:29.540
The organization
emerges in Chicago

00:45:29.564 --> 00:45:30.707
in 1968

00:45:30.731 --> 00:45:33.960
and it spreads
to New York in 1969

00:45:33.984 --> 00:45:34.878
And how old are they now?

00:45:34.902 --> 00:45:39.550
These are like 17-,
18-, 19-year-old kids

00:45:39.574 --> 00:45:41.343
who have been
transformed

00:45:41.367 --> 00:45:42.427
and radicalized

00:45:42.451 --> 00:45:45.013
by all the struggles
of the 1960s.

00:45:45.037 --> 00:45:47.223
And have become
revolutionaries.

00:45:47.247 --> 00:45:49.976
What we want is
the type of society

00:45:50.000 --> 00:45:52.228
where our people
can live decently,

00:45:52.252 --> 00:45:53.897
as opposed to how
they\'re living now.

00:45:53.921 --> 00:45:56.274
The Young Lords,
like the Black Panthers,

00:45:56.298 --> 00:45:57.652
upheld the power

00:45:57.676 --> 00:45:59.402
and needs
of the collective,

00:45:59.426 --> 00:46:01.988
and that people
at the bottom of society

00:46:02.012 --> 00:46:03.823
should organize
collectively

00:46:03.847 --> 00:46:06.619
to transform it
in their interest.

00:46:06.643 --> 00:46:07.578
Preach, preach.

00:46:07.602 --> 00:46:09.269
Listen...
[Laughs]

00:46:11.480 --> 00:46:13.668
The Young Lords
was the most significant

00:46:13.692 --> 00:46:15.794
cultural, political,
and social event

00:46:15.818 --> 00:46:16.795
of our generation.

00:46:16.819 --> 00:46:17.921
They forget
that it was Jesus

00:46:17.945 --> 00:46:20.716
who said, \"Feed the--
Feed the hungry

00:46:20.740 --> 00:46:21.424
and clothe the poor.\"

00:46:21.448 --> 00:46:22.677
Melendez: We were
the first generation

00:46:22.701 --> 00:46:24.803
born, raised,
and educated in this country.

00:46:24.827 --> 00:46:27.640
And we were not going
to take the same lies

00:46:27.664 --> 00:46:29.057
that were fed to our parents.

00:46:29.081 --> 00:46:32.477
We demonstrated how to provide
services to our community,

00:46:32.501 --> 00:46:34.437
whether it was health,
whether it was food,

00:46:34.461 --> 00:46:37.023
whether it was legal.

00:46:37.047 --> 00:46:40.026
It was time for people
to kind of disgorge themselves

00:46:40.050 --> 00:46:44.263
and find, you know,
another way of doing things.

00:46:47.016 --> 00:46:48.326
Johanna Fernández:
The television

00:46:48.350 --> 00:46:50.705
was the new media
of that period,

00:46:50.729 --> 00:46:52.414
and so they figured out

00:46:52.438 --> 00:46:55.626
how to amplify
their story,

00:46:55.650 --> 00:46:56.669
on television,

00:46:56.693 --> 00:46:59.170
through
dramatic actions.

00:46:59.194 --> 00:47:01.923
They also identify
health,

00:47:01.947 --> 00:47:03.634
education, housing

00:47:03.658 --> 00:47:07.971
as issues that they\'re
going to address.

00:47:07.995 --> 00:47:10.306
More power
to the people!

00:47:10.330 --> 00:47:12.183
And they\'re committed
to radical action

00:47:12.207 --> 00:47:14.520
in the streets.
So they take over

00:47:14.544 --> 00:47:16.479
buildings
and hospitals

00:47:16.504 --> 00:47:18.691
to shift
the conversation.

00:47:18.715 --> 00:47:23.111
[Protest chants]

00:47:23.135 --> 00:47:24.195
The Young Lords were negotiating

00:47:24.219 --> 00:47:25.321
with Lincoln Hospital
for months.

00:47:25.345 --> 00:47:27.991
And some of the things
that we had talked about,

00:47:28.015 --> 00:47:30.578
you know, had to do
with patient care, basically.

00:47:30.602 --> 00:47:33.246
There was blood splatters
on the walls,

00:47:33.270 --> 00:47:34.330
you would find cockroaches.

00:47:34.354 --> 00:47:36.207
I mean, it was just horrendous.

00:47:36.231 --> 00:47:40.612
[Speaking Spanish]

00:47:43.656 --> 00:47:46.342
Patients, particularly
Black and brown patients,

00:47:46.366 --> 00:47:49.555
were dying in the care
of doctors in this hospital.

00:47:49.579 --> 00:47:52.641
Reporter: Is your emergency
room service adequate?

00:47:52.665 --> 00:47:53.850
Absolutely not.

00:47:53.874 --> 00:47:56.604
It could not possibly
be adequate

00:47:56.628 --> 00:47:57.521
in the physical plant

00:47:57.545 --> 00:47:58.855
that we have
at Lincoln Hospital.

00:47:58.879 --> 00:48:02.358
The hospital was not up to code
to protect the communities

00:48:02.382 --> 00:48:03.943
that it was supposed
to be serving.

00:48:03.967 --> 00:48:07.906
And that is precisely
why the Young Lords came in

00:48:07.930 --> 00:48:10.534
and occupied the hospital.

00:48:10.558 --> 00:48:11.786
Meléndez: When we went
to the hospital,

00:48:11.810 --> 00:48:14.538
we took it over at 5 o\'clock
in the morning,

00:48:14.562 --> 00:48:16.873
and the media was there.

00:48:16.897 --> 00:48:18.333
There was a lot of support,

00:48:18.357 --> 00:48:20.001
basically
from the hospital staff,

00:48:20.025 --> 00:48:20.960
particularly from doctors

00:48:20.984 --> 00:48:23.880
that had to work
in these conditions.

00:48:23.904 --> 00:48:25.298
We went
into the nurses\' residence,

00:48:25.322 --> 00:48:27.050
because we didn\'t want
to interfere

00:48:27.074 --> 00:48:29.637
with patient care.

00:48:29.661 --> 00:48:30.887
And we emptied out the building

00:48:30.911 --> 00:48:34.015
and had complete control
of that building.

00:48:34.039 --> 00:48:36.560
Now, the Young Lords
would carry rifles,

00:48:36.584 --> 00:48:37.728
they would carry guns.

00:48:37.752 --> 00:48:39.938
But this was not
a violent occupation.

00:48:39.962 --> 00:48:41.898
It was a symbolic action.

00:48:41.922 --> 00:48:42.899
And it only took a few hours.

00:48:42.923 --> 00:48:45.694
They occupied the building,
they send the message.

00:48:45.718 --> 00:48:48.279
Then they dressed as doctors
and left,

00:48:48.303 --> 00:48:51.098
no one knowing
how they went out.

00:48:53.852 --> 00:48:58.206
Although actions
may appear revolutionary,

00:48:58.230 --> 00:48:59.415
they were really reforms.

00:48:59.439 --> 00:49:02.127
It\'s okay to break the rules
for the greater good,

00:49:02.151 --> 00:49:04.087
understanding
what the consequences are.

00:49:04.111 --> 00:49:07.591
And we got up every morning
and understood that,

00:49:07.615 --> 00:49:10.785
and that\'s
how we served our community.

00:49:12.829 --> 00:49:14.557
The Young Lords
are important

00:49:14.581 --> 00:49:16.725
because they drafted
the first known

00:49:16.749 --> 00:49:18.101
Patient Bill of Rights,

00:49:18.125 --> 00:49:19.520
something that we take
for granted.

00:49:19.544 --> 00:49:21.020
Yeah, yeah!
And these were kids.

00:49:21.044 --> 00:49:22.648
I would\'ve never thought
of the Young Lords

00:49:22.672 --> 00:49:23.774
would have created this.
I know!

00:49:23.798 --> 00:49:25.108
How beautiful is that?
And these were kids.

00:49:25.132 --> 00:49:26.652
And this is started
by the Young Lords...

00:49:26.676 --> 00:49:28.111
This was started
by the Young Lords.

00:49:28.135 --> 00:49:30.113
Young people
who had a great heart,

00:49:30.137 --> 00:49:32.448
who had courage
and wanted to speak out.

00:49:32.472 --> 00:49:34.117
They established
the notion

00:49:34.141 --> 00:49:36.035
that if I\'m going
to see a doctor,

00:49:36.059 --> 00:49:37.954
the doctor
has to talk to me

00:49:37.978 --> 00:49:39.790
in a way
that I can understand.

00:49:39.814 --> 00:49:41.958
So I need a translator.
Right, right.

00:49:41.982 --> 00:49:44.335
Which happens
in all the hospitals,

00:49:44.359 --> 00:49:46.379
in all the languages.
Yeah.

00:49:46.403 --> 00:49:50.073
[Protest chants]

00:49:53.368 --> 00:49:56.347
Part of what
the Young Lords did

00:49:56.371 --> 00:49:59.727
was establish the sense
of togetherness

00:49:59.751 --> 00:50:01.144
and common cause.

00:50:01.168 --> 00:50:02.979
That kind of unity

00:50:03.003 --> 00:50:05.481
between
Black Americans,

00:50:05.506 --> 00:50:07.317
migrants
from Latin America,

00:50:07.341 --> 00:50:09.194
Puerto Ricans,
Mexicans,

00:50:09.218 --> 00:50:11.154
and poor Whites,
could challenge...

00:50:11.178 --> 00:50:13.489
Yeah.
...inequality

00:50:13.514 --> 00:50:16.367
in a very profound way,
in this country.

00:50:16.391 --> 00:50:17.953
You have to stand up
for the people,

00:50:17.977 --> 00:50:18.829
the Puerto Rican people,

00:50:18.853 --> 00:50:20.455
and say, \"That\'s enough.
That\'s enough.\"

00:50:20.479 --> 00:50:23.458
I just feel, like,
it\'s really important to me

00:50:23.482 --> 00:50:25.669
to get Latin history,

00:50:25.693 --> 00:50:27.253
our contributions
to America,

00:50:27.277 --> 00:50:29.088
our contributions
to the world,

00:50:29.112 --> 00:50:33.343
on film,
in books, in movies,

00:50:33.367 --> 00:50:36.805
because it\'s the only way
to authenticate

00:50:36.829 --> 00:50:38.306
our contributions
to America.

00:50:38.330 --> 00:50:39.767
And we still have
a language,

00:50:39.791 --> 00:50:41.184
and a culture,
and a bond,

00:50:41.208 --> 00:50:42.352
and a history
of oppression,

00:50:42.376 --> 00:50:44.312
and we come
from great empires,

00:50:44.336 --> 00:50:46.064
and that\'s who we are.

00:50:50.551 --> 00:50:53.530
It\'s essential
that we set the record straight

00:50:53.554 --> 00:50:57.952
about Latina, Latino,
Latinx history.

00:50:57.976 --> 00:51:00.955
It\'s important for people
to understand their origins,

00:51:00.979 --> 00:51:03.456
being exposed
to where other people come from.

00:51:03.480 --> 00:51:06.919
I think it develops a different
sense of citizenship.

00:51:06.943 --> 00:51:09.254
María Elena Fernández:
To learn our history is healing.

00:51:09.278 --> 00:51:12.215
And this whole country
needs to heal.

00:51:12.239 --> 00:51:14.677
The key to the advancement
of humanity

00:51:14.701 --> 00:51:16.679
is to allow us
to do our stories.

00:51:16.703 --> 00:51:18.263
But they should be
more inclusive,

00:51:18.287 --> 00:51:20.139
that\'s the word.
Right.

00:51:20.163 --> 00:51:22.058
María Elena Fernández:
We\'re actually connected

00:51:22.082 --> 00:51:23.059
to so many different people.

00:51:23.083 --> 00:51:25.562
Our African heritage,
our European heritage,

00:51:25.586 --> 00:51:29.190
our Indigenous heritage.
We are connected to everybody.

00:51:29.214 --> 00:51:32.277
That is the recipe for harmony.

00:51:32.301 --> 00:51:34.237
Molina: There\'s been Latinos
in this country

00:51:34.261 --> 00:51:35.405
for 500 years, you know,

00:51:35.429 --> 00:51:38.408
before it was even formed
as a country.

00:51:38.432 --> 00:51:40.536
Trujillo:
Where would this country be

00:51:40.560 --> 00:51:42.746
without the Mexican labor,

00:51:42.770 --> 00:51:46.124
without the Puerto Rican,
and Latinos as a whole?

00:51:46.148 --> 00:51:48.251
Huerta: People who are right now
picking the crops

00:51:48.275 --> 00:51:49.920
that are feeding
the whole country.

00:51:49.944 --> 00:51:51.880
Ortiz: We didn\'t know
that our people

00:51:51.904 --> 00:51:54.173
had a very powerful tradition

00:51:54.197 --> 00:51:57.761
of pro-Indigenous movements
or pro-labor movements.

00:51:57.785 --> 00:51:59.847
We weren\'t taught
any of those things.

00:51:59.871 --> 00:52:00.681
When I get in the classroom,

00:52:00.705 --> 00:52:05.644
I want my students to be able
to see our ancestors clearly,

00:52:05.668 --> 00:52:07.228
so we can see ourselves clearly.

00:52:07.252 --> 00:52:09.147
Let the students
back into the library,

00:52:09.171 --> 00:52:10.733
so maybe they can learn
how to read.

00:52:10.757 --> 00:52:11.942
Meléndez-Badillo:
To young people

00:52:11.966 --> 00:52:13.401
like my kid,
my daughter, you know,

00:52:13.425 --> 00:52:17.196
I want them to feel proud
of who they are,

00:52:17.220 --> 00:52:19.282
and to feel part
of this country.

00:52:19.306 --> 00:52:22.619
Children that grow up
in subsequent generations

00:52:22.643 --> 00:52:25.873
need to have
that sensation of belonging.

00:52:25.897 --> 00:52:26.790
[Speaking Spanish]

00:52:26.814 --> 00:52:29.084
Our history books
need to be changed.

00:52:29.108 --> 00:52:30.544
Our curriculums
in our schools

00:52:30.568 --> 00:52:31.461
need to be changed

00:52:31.485 --> 00:52:33.421
so that little kids
will understand,

00:52:33.445 --> 00:52:35.632
number one, that we have
only one human race

00:52:35.656 --> 00:52:38.301
and that we are all
one people.

00:52:38.325 --> 00:52:40.637
And that way
we can stop discrimination

00:52:40.661 --> 00:52:43.891
and stop domination
against other people

00:52:43.915 --> 00:52:45.141
and treat each other

00:52:45.165 --> 00:52:46.769
as brothers
and sisters

00:52:46.793 --> 00:52:47.811
and cousins.

00:52:47.835 --> 00:52:49.938
[Speaking Spanish]
[Laughs]

00:52:49.962 --> 00:52:52.297
Awesome, awesome!
Thank you!

00:52:54.133 --> 00:52:57.821
Leguizamo: My journey to uncover
the real history of Latinos

00:52:57.845 --> 00:52:59.698
began with these questions:

00:52:59.722 --> 00:53:02.325
What\'s the true story
of my people?

00:53:02.349 --> 00:53:05.328
What would we teach our kids
about our history

00:53:05.352 --> 00:53:07.539
if we hadn\'t been colonized?

00:53:07.563 --> 00:53:08.999
So I tugged at that thread

00:53:09.023 --> 00:53:11.627
and an amazing new world
opened up to me.

00:53:11.651 --> 00:53:14.170
I explored sacred tunnels
of Teotihuacán.

00:53:14.194 --> 00:53:18.509
I learned about Latino patriots
who birthed this this nation.

00:53:18.533 --> 00:53:22.261
I delved deep into the stories
of fierce Latina icons

00:53:22.285 --> 00:53:25.599
like Emma Tenayuca
and Dolores Huerta.

00:53:25.623 --> 00:53:27.183
And along the way, I learned

00:53:27.207 --> 00:53:30.771
that at every key moment
of our country\'s past,

00:53:30.795 --> 00:53:31.605
we were there.

00:53:31.629 --> 00:53:35.191
Latinos are not
just an asterisk in history.

00:53:35.215 --> 00:53:38.862
Our story is the history
of the United States.

00:53:38.886 --> 00:53:42.866
But the work of decolonizing
our history isn\'t complete,

00:53:42.890 --> 00:53:46.452
because we have to keep
uncovering and celebrating

00:53:46.476 --> 00:53:49.414
the stories of those
who came before us.

00:53:49.438 --> 00:53:50.874
And when you rescue
that history,

00:53:50.898 --> 00:53:52.876
you realize what a deep
and meaningful influence

00:53:52.900 --> 00:53:56.922
Latinos have had
on American history and culture.

00:53:56.946 --> 00:54:00.299
And one day soon,
every kid in America will know

00:54:00.323 --> 00:54:03.554
that Latino history
is American history.

00:54:03.578 --> 00:54:05.471
So thank you for taking
this journey with me.

00:54:05.495 --> 00:54:08.725
I\'ve been enlightened in a way
that I\'ve never imagined,

00:54:08.749 --> 00:54:11.895
and I hope it\'s done the same
for you.