Origins of the Chicano Movement

In the late 1960s, after being displaced from West Oakland to Fruitvale, the Latino/a community faced mounting challenges, such as inadequate schools, services and housing, as well as police brutality. Triggered by the police murder of 23-year-old Charles (Pinky) Debaca in 1968, local activism surged, coinciding with the Chicano Movement in Southern California. Inspired by young Mexican Americans striving for civil rights, Latino/a and Chicano/a residents started their version of the movement. Newly formed groups like the Chicano Revolutionary Party, with help from the Black Panthers, started a free breakfast program and community patrol.

Fruitvale emerged as a focal point for Chicano/a activism, organizing protests against the Vietnam War and calling for improved healthcare and education. One example was establishing La Clínica de la Raza, a free health clinic still operating today.

The terms “Chicano" and “Latino” are closely related yet distinct. “Chicano” was originally used as a slur against “less cultured” Mexican Americans and recent immigrants. Those engaged in civil rights advocacy reclaimed the word and now use it to express cultural solidarity, Indigenous pride and resistance to oppression. “Latino” refers specifically to ancestry from Central and South America, otherwise known as Latin America.