"Education," said Cristostomo, "was tailored to the Lowed Common Denominator of students." Men were expected to be auto-mechanics and women were expected to be housewives, or at best, secretaries. But the high school students of Eastern LA knew that they were better than that. What they wanted was "education and equality for all students."
The problems that the Chicano students were protesting back in 1968 have not been addressed today. At that time, the dropout rate was over 50%, and there were serious problems with overcrowding, run-down buildings, a lack of books and supplies in the classrooms, and racist teachers. The students wanted "education and equality for all students." They were tired of being "conditioned not to have dreams and aspirations." They wanted teachers who believed in them, with schools that gace them a chance of success, a place where they would not be "patrionized, belittled, and ignored." They wanted access to an education that would push them to continue on to college.
It's amazing how little things have changed in East LA. Today, the dropout rate for African Americans is over fifty percent, and the dropout rate for Chicanos is over sixty percent. Worse than that, the overall dropout rate is sixty-eight percent. In addition, each High School in Los Angeles has a single college counselor to help the entire student body, which is sometimes as many as 5,000 students. It's no wonder students don't feel that they have access to college resources.
"Something drastic has to be done," Crisostomo lamented. So little has changed in LA, and throughout this country, since 1968. But this organization is trying.
Crisostomo gave advice to organizations trying to achieve social justice. The walkout was a "final step," she explained. Through organizations like the Chicano Youth Leadership Conference (an organization that is still in existence) and others, Crisostomo learned how to create a movement. She told the crowd that it took two years to organize the walk-outs, and that the key to a successful organization that is going against the mainstream is to reach out to anyone who will help you. In her quest for equality in Los Angelos, Crisostomo's organization looked for help to groups that ranged from the Black Panthers to Labor Unions.
So, to the students of Lilncoln, Wilson, Belmont, Garfield, and Roosevelt High Schools in Eastern Los Angelos, there is no reason that you should accept the abysmal education that you are subject to. There are other students around the nation who are prepared to help you and to stand with you.