Read About the 1968 East Los Angeles Walkouts

The East Los Angeles high school walkouts, also known as the “Chicano Blowouts,” were a series of important student-led protests. They became a key moment in the broader Chicano Movement, which pushed for equal rights, social justice, better education, and respect for Mexican American communities in the United States. They were also one of the largest student protests to have ever been organized in US history.

Students from five high schools organized walkouts for greater educational equity. They demanded an end to unfair conditions in schools that were overcrowded, underfunded, and offered limited academic support and few college-preparatory classes, and protested the lack of cultural and community representation in their schools. The curriculum often excluded the history and culture of Mexican Americans. Additionally, Mexican American students were often punished more harshly than other students for minor infractions such as dress code violations, tardiness, or speaking Spanish while at school. Mexican American students were often tracked into vocational programs instead of being encouraged to go to college, based on low expectations shaped by discrimination and white supremacy. English-only policies also made it difficult for many Spanish-speaking students to fully participate and succeed. These conditions reflected a larger imbalance of power in the Los Angeles Unified School District, where Mexican American students had little voice in decisions affecting their education despite making up a majority of the student population in East Los Angeles schools.

In response to these injustices, students conducted surveys in their high schools, collecting data on Mexican American students’ perceptions of their school culture and learning conditions. They then presented the survey results to the Los Angeles School Board, asking for change. But the Board dismissed their concerns.

The lack of response from the LA School Board led the high school students to ramp up their organizing, which they did in secret. They established Young Citizens for Community Action, which later became the Brown Berets. They held meetings in homes, parks, and community spaces to plan a coordinated protest. Teachers like Sal Castro supported the students and encouraged them to stand up for their rights. They also built a coalition with students from nearby schools and universities to support the protests.

On March 1, 1968, students at several East LA high schools—including Roosevelt, Lincoln, Wilson, Garfield, and Belmont—began walking out of class in organized protest. Over the following days, thousands of students joined the protests. They marched peacefully, carrying signs and demanding better schools, more Mexican American teachers, counselors, and administrators, and equal opportunities for college preparation.

The walkouts showed strong unity, but they also came with real risks. Many students faced suspensions, police confrontation, and even arrest. Some families worried about the consequences, but students continued because they believed change was necessary.

Their actions had both immediate and long-term impacts. In the short term, the students succeeded in bringing national attention to the conditions in East LA schools. In the long term, they helped inspire educational reforms, including increased community involvement in schools and the development of Chicano Studies programs in universities. The events also strengthened pride and identity within Mexican American communities and set the groundwork for future educational and political leadership and activism.

Photographers, including George Rodriguez, were critical in documenting this history. Rodriguez’s images of the Chicano Movement captured both the determination of student protesters and the broader energy of communities demanding justice. These photographs remain an important visual record of how young people used their voices—and their presence in the streets—to push for meaningful change.

Explore More Photographs of the Walkouts Taken by George Rodriguez

Questions

Write or discuss your responses.

• What are some examples of the injustices that Mexican American students were experiencing in their schools in the 1960s?
• List at least three different approaches that students used during the time of the East Los Angeles Walkouts to organize for change.
• What were some of the successes of the Walkouts?
• Can you think of any injustices that may exist in your school today?
• What strategies might students use to challenge injustices and create change today?

Taking action to improve communities and society or to challenge injustice and inequality through activities such as organizing, protesting, educating others, or advocating for change.

A cultural and political identity that emerged from the Mexican American civil rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Some Mexican Americans use this term to describe themselves, but not all.

The Chicano Movement was a civil rights movement during the 1960s and 1970s in which Mexican Americans fought for equal rights, better education, fair labor conditions, political representation, and pride in their cultural heritage. The movement sought to end discrimination and expand opportunities for Mexican American communities across the United States.

Actions stemming from conscious or unconscious prejudice, which favor and empower one group over others based on differences of race, gender, economic class, sexual orientation, physical ability, religion, language, age, national identity, and other categories.

In different contexts, “justice” refers to both moral correctness and fairness, and also the rule of law. By contrast, “injustice” usually describes unfairness.

The fair and meaningful inclusion of diverse people and communities in decision-making, leadership, media, and other public spaces so their voices and experiences are recognized and valued.

The belief that white people are a superior race and should dominate society. White supremacists target other racial and ethnic groups, such as African Americans and Jews, who they view as inferior.