Chicano Power

In "Chicano Power", Mario T. Garcia provides a rare look inside the Chicano civil rights struggle of the 1960s and 1970s as it unfolded in Los Angeles. Based on in-depth interviews conducted with three key activists over time, Garcia's testimonios illuminate the lives of Raul Ruiz, Maria Elena Gaitan, and Rosalio Munoz - their family histories and widely divergent backgrounds; the events surrounding their growing consciousness as Chicanos; the sexism encountered by Gaitan; and, the aftermath of their tumultuous political histories. In selecting these stories, Garcia animates the movement's major actions: the farm workers' battle led by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta; the 1969 East Los Angeles school walkouts; the Chicano anti-war movement; the establishment of La Raza Unida party; the movement to protect undocumented workers; and, the origins of Chicana feminism.