Local Chapters of National Chicano Advocacy Groups: The San José Chapter of La Confederación de La Raza Unida

Title

Local Chapters of National Chicano Advocacy Groups: The San José Chapter of La Confederación de La Raza Unida

Description

La Confederación de La Raza Unida [Confederation of the United Latino People] (CRU), founded in 1969, was a coalition of 67 nationwide Chicano organizations that succeeded in pressing government officials on redevelopment and gentrification issues during the 1970s. The establishment of CRU was a direct result of a violent confrontation between police and protestors at the Fiesta de Las Rosas (FDLR) celebration in San José on June 1, 1969.

The FDLR was a floral parade during the late 1920s that celebrated the city and

county’s mythical Spanish heritage with floats and people in costume. The event had not been held since 1933 due to the Great Depression, and the idea was revived in 1966 as an event that would help revitalize a declining downtown San José. While some members of the ethnic Mexican community supported the event, others asked them to boycott the event, explaining that it ignored the fact that many ethnic Mexican neighborhoods still lacked adequate housing or public services. An estimated 75,000 people attended the event, including 100 protestors, representing some 35 San Francisco Bay Area Chicano organizations. Police charged the protestors as they assembled to join the parade, claiming that the protestors attacked, forcing the police to use riot tactics. As portrayed in the media, the confrontation reinforced stereotypes of ethnic Mexicans as criminals and trouble makers.

After their encounter with the police, the protestors gathered at Guadalupe Church on the Eastside to discuss the event and decided that a coalition group was needed to deal with the interrelated issues they faced. Within a year the CRU had opened an office in downtown San José, representing a majority of organizations in Santa Clara County working with the Spanish-speaking community. By 1971 the CRU represented over 200,000 ethnic Mexicans in Santa Clara County, with members from various political, civic, religious, and educational backgrounds.

Additional Online Information

Confederacion de la Raza Unida v. City of Morgan Hill, 324 F. Supp. 895 | Casetext Search + Citator

Confederacion De La Raza Unida v. Brown, 345 F. Supp. 909 (N.D. Cal. 1972)

La Raza Historical Society of Santa Clara Valley - Ernestina Garcia. Do you know the name? You should if you live in the greater San Jose, California region. She was one of the pioneers who built the Chicano Movement for civil rights and equal justice here. Attached is an article we received from her daughter, Doreen Garcia Nevel. A reprint from the East Side Sun, it appeared in El Excentrico Magazine

“Hearings Before the Subcommittee To Investigate the Administration of the Internal Security Act and Other Internal Security Laws” Part 22, 1971, Statement of Jack Ibarra, President of Confederation de La Raza Unida, San Jose, California:

Identifier

B4SV Exhibit Topic Six: Slide 008