This Hispanic heritage month we
recognize major gains made by the
Hispanic community, the 1968 walkouts
forever changed school funding.
Audrey Castoreno explains how
the protests exposed prejudice
against Hispanics in this week.
Together, we rise it's a series where
we explore complex issues and solutions
to help us all get Better Together. In
1968, Mexican American students across the
country walked out of their classrooms,
protesting discrimination and inequities
on school campuses.
So the 68 walkouts where dramatic
expression of the unrest in the
videos throughout the southwest,
it was a vocal and and spectacular
response to generations of racism,
poverty, illiteracy and.
And hunger the
movement reaching Texas and San Antonio.
On May 16th, Edgewood High School students
organized and walked out of school,
'cause I never will forget.
These alumni. Then juniors and seniors
exercising the very lessons that they
were learning in their classrooms.
We had been talking about.
Inequality and hearing
over and over and over.
This is what I recall how
Angel was the poorest school
district in the state of Texas.
That was my intent and why I walked
out a lack of basic resources in
their classrooms and the yearly
dismissal of their requests for
better pushing these kids to action.
We were upset that our bathrooms
were always not well kept.
They weren't clean,
we didn't even have toilet
paper when we needed it.
We saw a lot of things.
That other schools had that
we didn't have at Edgewood
and when they started to do
their homework, that group of students
started to do their homework.
They're the ones that discovered that
many of our teachers were not certified.
We're not degreed.
They were still educators.
Their heart was still there,
but they were not degreed.
They were not certified,
so we were still lacking in the
quality of education that we were
receiving. Well, let's do something about
this. This group of seniors,
small movement reaching classmates.
And leading to hundreds of students
walking out of Edgewood High School.
The thing about it is Mexicanos,
Chicanos, whatever you want to call us.
We were taught. Through
our parents to be accepting,
this is what you have.
What are you going to do?
Learn with what you have and and
then then don't know complaining
at that particular decade.
The the America was on fire so
there was what example do you have?
Did you have?
Do we have but to protest
and to March and you know?
And that's basically what we did.
And So what happens in 68 is really
the students themselves taking the
mantle for activism in their own hands.
Calling out school administrators
for their racist practices.
Calling out the curriculum for its
neglect and denial of the Mexican
experience in the United States,
their grievances not going
unnoticed by the community.
Then the parents came around.
We had parents who supported us,
and some of the parents were
willing to put this case into play.
Yeah, and so I mean that that
was an accomplishment that we.
Originally had no idea that
that was going to occur.
The court case
going all the way to the United
States Supreme Court and changing
Texas education funding there.
What's widely known today as the Robin Hood
plan where money is taken from wealthier
districts and disperse to pour wants.
But it's a case that's still not been one and
many people's eyes.
I think it's important that
people do recognize that the
struggles that went into creating
equity in the educational realm.
It was those were actions of regular people.
That's really the history.
That's the power of the history.
There, right?
Is that these are?
These are communities that are
moving together to create some
kind of change. A change in
schools still being fought today.
And what now is being
called the digital divide.
Well, as Audrey said, the issue of
equal school funding is still being
challenged today for more together.
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