Lessons from the Chicano Moratorium, 50 Years Later

FEATURING BILL GALLEGOS – August 29 of this year marked the 50th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium, an event that left an indelible impact on Los Angeles in particular where it was centered. Tens of thousands of Mexican Americans identifying themselves as “Chicano,” marched in opposition to the Vietnam War on August 29th, 1970.

The history of that movement is marked by the death of journalist Ruben Salazar, who was in the Silver Dollar bar in Whittier when a tear gas canister shot by a Sheriff’s deputy hit him in the head killing him. Salazar had been covering police brutality in the Mexican-American community on the Eastside when he was killed.

Bill Gallegos, long-time activist in the Chicano Liberation and environmental justice movements, and over the years has worked as a labor, community, and campus organizer. He is currently the Executive Director for Communities for a Better Environment.