Chicano/Latinx Civil Rights Movement
The Chicano Civil Rights Movement, which gained momentum in the 1960s and 1970s, focused on the empowerment of Mexican Americans and other Latinx communities in the United States. Inspired by the broader Civil Rights Movement, the Chicano movement fought for equal rights in education, labor, political representation, and cultural recognition. Key figures like César Chávez, Dolores Huerta, and Reies López Tijerina led efforts such as the United Farm Workers’ grape boycott and the Chicano student walkouts in East Los Angeles. The movement also pushed for the recognition of Chicano identity, the restoration of land grants, and political independence. The Chicano movement’s legacy continues to inspire activism around immigration, education, and Latinx rights.
General History & Overview
Chicano Civil Rights Movement history and significance
Timeline of the Chicano Movement in the US
Key events in the Chicano Civil Rights Movement
Mexican American activism and civil rights
Chicano identity and cultural nationalism
Major Events
Walkouts 1968 East LA student protests
Chicano Moratorium 1970 Vietnam War protest
Grape boycott 1965-1970 and farmworker rights
Land grant movement and Reies López Tijerina
Brown Berets activism in Chicano communities
Mendez v. Westminster 1947 school desegregation case
Key Figures & Activists
César Chávez and the United Farm Workers (UFW)
Dolores Huerta labor rights and Chicano activism
Reies López Tijerina land rights activism
Rodolfo ‘Corky’ Gonzales and the Crusade for Justice
Sal Castro and the Chicano student movement
Organizations & Grassroots Movements
United Farm Workers (UFW) labor movement
Brown Berets and Chicano activism
Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO) civil rights work
La Raza Unida Party and political activism
MEChA Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán history
Legal & Policy Impact
Chicano voting rights and political representation
Mendez v. Westminster and Latino school desegregation
Education reform and bilingual education in Chicano history
Bracero Program and labor rights struggles
Chicano Civil Rights Movement impact on US policy
Intersectionality & Current Issues
Chicano Movement and Black Civil Rights Movement connections
Immigration rights and Chicano activism today
Chicano identity in contemporary politics and culture
Latino student activism and education rights
Police brutality and racial justice in Chicano history
Primary Sources for El Movimiento | Chicano and Latino History Project: Contain primary sources related to El Movimiento.
Chicano/a Movement in Washington State | Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project : Links lead to oral histories, several photographic collections, rare documents, important essays, and an archive of digitized newspaper articles, nearly 300 in number.
Chicano por Mi Raza : Collective that digitizes historical documents and conducts oral histories from notable Chicanas, Latinas and allies.
Chicano Newspapers & Periodicals 1966-1979 | University of Washington
A Latinx Resource Guide: Civil Rights Cases and Events in the U.S. | The Library of Congress
Latino Civil Rights Timeline, 1903-2006 | Learning for Justice
1947 Mendez v. Westminste | U.S. Courts : In his decision Judge McCormick wrote: "'[t]he equal protection of the laws pertaining to the public school system in California is not provided by furnishing in separate schools the same technical facilities, textbooks and courses of instruction to children of Mexican ancestry that are available to the other public school children regardless of their ancestry. A paramount requisite in the American system of public education is social equality. It must be open to all children by unified school association regardless of lineage."
United Farm Workers History and Research : Images, audio/video, timelines, narratives and more about the UFW and Cesar Chavez.