Before

The civil rights movement and the feminist movements were making gains as minority groups in the United States struggled for equality. The Chicano movement, was an important struggle for equality among Mexicans and other Latina/o Americans in the United States. It was largely a struggle for political and cultural recognition and encompassed many challenges to imperialism. During the Great Depression (1930s) many Mexican American faced deportation, even if they were born in the U.S. This was known as repatriation The Bracero Program was adopted in 1942. This allowed Mexican citizens to work temporarily in the United States in the agricultural industry. U.S. growers supported the program because it meant low-cost labor. The program welcomed millions of Mexican workers into the U.S. until it ends in 1964. As many as 1.3 million immigrants would be rounded up in the United States under the program launched by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1954 (Same year as Brown v. Board). They were loaded onto trains, buses and planes and deposited deep in Mexico's interior to prevent them from returning. Other Latino immigrants came from Puerto Rico and Cuba. Most Puerto Ricans would settle in the Northeast such as New York City while Cuban refugees settled in Florida due to the Cuban Revolution.

Court Cases

Mendez vs. Westminster- 1945 In the neighborhood where the Mendez family lived, there was only one other Mexican-American family. The other neighbors were all Anglos, and all of their children attended Westminster Main School. However, Mendez was told his children would have to attend the Hoover School, which was located in a different school district, and furthermore, all of the students there were Mexican or Mexican-American. Similar to Brown vs. BOE, Mendez won a lawsuit that challenged school segregation in California. Delgado vs. Bastrop ISD- 1948 Until the late 1940s the public education system in Texas for Mexican Americans offered segregated campuses with often minimal facilities and a curriculum frequently limited to vocational training. 1948, LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens), filed suit against the Bastrop Independent School District and three other districts. Representing Minerva Delgado and twenty other Mexican-American parents, the suit charged segregation of Mexican children from other white races without specific state law and in violation of the attorney general's opinion. Using the decision in California, desegregation of schools in Texas was forced. Hernandez vs. Texas- Pete Hernandez, an agricultural worker, was accused and tried GUILTY of the murder of Joe Espinoza by an all white grand jury in Jackson County, Texas. Claiming that Mexican-Americans were banned from the jury, Hernandez' attorneys tried to over turn the ruling. Similar to Norris vs. Alabama, this ended the exclusion of Mexican Americans from juries in Texas.

Latino Organizations

In 1929, Mexican Americans came together to create the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Their purpose was to fight discrimination and encouraged assimilation into American society. Dr. Hector P. Garcia founded the G.I Forum to protect rights of Mexican American veterans. Many Latino veterans were denied veterans benefits such as medical services. In Texas, La Raza Unida, a new political party, was formed to address Hispanics rights, mobilize Latino voters, and enforce equality in both work and educational settings. One issue pushed for by Hispanics was bilingualism, which taught immigrant students in their own language. Some opponents of the program say that total immersion in English is the soundest approach.

Important Activists

Mexican-American farm worker, labor leader and civil rights activist César Chávez brought about better conditions for agricultural workers. Born on his family’s farm near Yuma, Arizona, Chávez witnessed the harsh conditions farm laborers endured. He, along with Delores Huerta, lead efforts for farm workers to unionize. This led to the creation of the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers. Through marches, strikes and boycotts, Chávez forced employers to pay adequate wages and provide other benefits, and was responsible for legislation enacting the first Bill of Rights for agricultural workers. He helped organize a grape boycott to help workers get better pay. The farm workers refused to work the grape fields and there was a national campaign to not buy grapes. Diego Garcia and Jose Orozco were artist that depicted the lives of the Mexican American culture in murals. They were often painted on the side of buildings in the barrios of the people. This style of murals became known as the Chicano Mural Movement Sonia Sotomayor was the first Latina and Hispanic Supreme Court Justice appointed in history. She was appointed in 2009 by President Obama. She is also the oldest child born to Puerto Rican parent immigrants.

Before Court Cases

Latino Organizations Important Activists