Introduction
During the heyday of the Chicano Movement (1962-1978), school walkouts were organized to disrupt what MAYO (Mexican American Youth Organization) activists called “the ongoing mis-education of Chicano students.” From Los Angeles, California to the Rio Grande Valley, in deep South Texas, public schools exploded with protest activity as students poured out of classes to call attention to the particularly poor classroom situations in which they found themselves.
Armando Navarro, in his book, Mexican American Youth Organization Avant-Garde of the Chicano Movement in Texas, states there were at least 39 school walkouts during the Chicano Movement. Some lasted one day, some lasted one week. In the case of Uvalde, Texas, where I was a student in 1970, the school walkout lasted six (6) weeks and was quite possibly the second longest school boycott in history. The longest school disruption took place in San Angelo, Texas where parents kept their children out of classes for almost four (4) years. The year? 1910. In almost every school blowout, the underlying issues had to do with the segregation and discrimination which students and their parents felt compelled to act upon.
Rationale for a Walkout
The idea behind a school walkout was to force a school district to address concerns and issues by reducing the revenue stream from the state which was derived from the average daily attendance figures. Basically, the more students that were out of classes, the less money the school district would receive. An attack on the financial health of an institution goes way back to the 1800s when tenants in Ireland took issue with the payment of rents due to absentee landlords. A collection agent by the name of Captain Charles Boycott, was the focus of their ire and thus the name.
Stepping Up for Mr. Josue “George” Garza
In Uvalde, the initial issue had to do with the contract non-renewal of a popular Mexican American teacher by the name of Josue “George” Garza. As the walkout became better organized, a list of 14 demands was presented to the school board. These demands included a call for more Mexican American teachers and courses in Chicano history. The all-Anglo school board refused to discuss the demands until all the students returned to school. The students, led by seniors Oscar Castro and Elvia Perez, (The rumor was that Elvia was going to be the valedictorian) held their ground and in a meeting before the school board on April 17th, 1970, told the trustees no – the walkout will continue!