OVERCOMING RACISM: Latinos
by Ruth Councell

1. The Mexican American War (1846-1848), in which a large portion of Mexican territory, now the states of California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, was ceded to the United States.
   
2. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the Mexican-American War. In it the United States made promises to Mexicans now living in America that were not kept.
   
3. Migrant farm workers harvesting crops in conditions little better than slavery. Though conditions have improved in recent years, there is still much change needed.
   
4. Substandard living conditions for migrant farm workers and their families.
   
5. Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador (1917-1980), advocate for the poor, martyred in 1980.
   
6. The Zoot Suit Riots of 1943. In an atmosphere of wartime prejudice and paranoia, racial discrimination was focused on the city’s Latino population. Fights broke out between Zoot Suiters and servicemen on leave, and the police and press sided with the servicemen.
   
7. César Chávez (1927-1993), a dedicated leader in the fight for the rights of Latinos, particularly of farm workers, a religious and spiritual figure; a community servant and social entrepreneur; a crusader for nonviolent social change; and an environmentalist and consumer advocate, founder of the United Farm Workers union.
   
8. A peaceful demonstration of organized farm workers and their supporters.
   
9. Dolores Huerta, activist who worked with César Chávez for farm workers’ rights.
   
10. The emblem of the United Farm Workers of America, an Aztec eagle.
    
11. Garment workers employed in a sweatshop.
    
12. Notable Latinos and Latinas: Michael Lopez-Alegria: astronaut, Isabel Allende: award winning author, Severo Ochoa: Winner of the 1959 Nobel Prize for Medicine, Roberto Clemente: Baseball player, and Tomás Rivera, author, educator, founder of the Tomás Rivera Policy Center at USC.
    

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