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We just saw an infomercial on the news about Dolores Huerta and how she’s a prideful part of our Chicano history. The ad went on to talk about the United Farm-Worker union she set up with other Chicanos like Chavez. My parents have had various jobs since they took the dangerous journey into the U.S. But they’ve always stayed partly or full-time employed as farm-workers. An aunt of mine had lived in Washington State for a few years, and I can still remember when she and her family came to visit us in the Deep South. We were living in South Carolina at the time and she showed up saying, “You have no rights here as laborers, it’s time we take you to the union side of the country!” And off we went. This was the first time I’d ever seen snow, (I was four) but I’ll never forget what all my aunt’s family kept saying: “You’re gonna love Washington State.” One of the first memories of Washington State (other than the really large amounts of snow) was going to KDNA - a radio station that proudly and appropriately donned the title of being “The voice of the farm-worker.” We’d visit the radio station weekly to be trained on pesticides, how to report injuries without the fear of my parents being deported, and they always gave us hot chocolate, pan dulce, food, and warm clothing. In the fields, my parents would bring a portable radio (as did many others) and we’d blast Radio KDNA - since they would also give farm-workers a legit and verified head’s up on La Migra raiding and terrorizing certain farms. For the longest time, I thought KDNA was the same thing as the UFW. It isn’t until right now that I’m reading historical accounts on the immense history that the makers of KDNA even did for Chicanos, Mexicanos, and all farm-workers throughout the country! After becoming the first all-Spanish speaking radio station in the history of Washington State, word of their groundbreaking work caught the ear of the UFW. Cesar Chavez visited them and the rest is history! “According to KDNA station manager Ricardo García, Chávez not only publicly applauded the small Yakima station but his visit inspired the UFW to craft their own community-based radio stations along California’s agricultural heartlands.” I’m so proud to have learned about worker’s rights as a small child, experiencing my first strike and labor victories with my parents and family, but most of all realizing that I was very lucky to be born into a family of luchadores. /rant

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Remy LeBeau, Gambit (49/x)

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Coach The Dog and Me!

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Your blog is a godsend. Thank you for all this history 🙏🏼

I have so much more. I just haven't posted it.

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“NO MORE STOLEN SISTERS”

by La Morena

In the U.S. Native American women suffer violence at more than double the rate of any other group and one in three is sexually assaulted during her life—perpetrated predominantly by other races and ethnicities. In Canada the rate is even higher and a 2014 report also found that more than 1,000 indigenous women had been murdered over the previous three decades. Lucinda Hinojos, aka La Morena, says she finds inspiration for her work in issues of oppression and the loss of rights affecting her community, family, and friends. In early 2019 the Arizona artist of Xicana, Pima, Apache, and Yaqui descent learned more of the plight of the #MMIW in the days leading up to “National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.” La Morena’s finished wall featuring 15-year-old BellaRose is behind @TheChurchillPHX in the Phoenix alley off of Garfield St, behind 901 N First St.

@lamorena_art/

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Ed Delci, a key figure in Arizona’s Chicano movement, was a catalyst and instrumental in getting Cesar Chavez an honorary Ph.D from Arizona State University. Delci has championed for issues in Arizona, significant to the  Latino / Hispanic / Chicano, mainly students.

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An Evening with Eduardo Delci

I met this young man in 2002 but lost contact and communication with him after 2006. For the last 9 years I have been looking to reconnect and chat him. So I searched and searched. Finally I connected with him again this past summer. On September 5, 2021 we sat down, talked, and we listened. To me is was honor and privilege.

Eduardo Delci , a key figure in Arizona’s Chicano movement, he was the catalyst and instrumental in getting Cesar Chavez an honorary Ph.D from Arizona State University. Delci championed for issues in Arizona, significant to the  Latinos / Chicanos, mainly students. A long-time grass roots organizer who worked behind the scenes and along the way he mentored hundreds of leaders who today serve as role models for generations to come.

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Luis "Junior" Martínez: Martyr of the Chicano Movement (March 17, 1973)

Luis “Junior” Martínez was born on August 21, 1952 to Luis and Anne Martínez. Luis was one of the younger activists who gave hope to the older activists for his commitment to the movement.

Luis was a founding member of Denver’s Northside Black Berets in 1969. A Chicano revolutionary nationalist, Junior was also a member of the Crusade for Justice. Junior was an accomplished dancer and was a leading member of the Ballet Folklorico de Aztlán.

On March 17, 1973, at the age of 20, Luis was assassinated by the Denver police. The Denver police with assistance from federal law-enforcement agencies had the Crusade for Justice under intense surveillance.

As a result, the Denver police raided and attacked members of the Crusade for Justice at the group’s Downing Street headquarters in what is known as the “March 17th Confrontation” or the “Saint Patrick’s Day Incident." 

In the ensuing police assault, several Chicanos were shot and wounded. Over 60 people were arrested and many were also beaten.

Meanwhile, the building of the Crusade for Justice was destroyed by a bomb explosion. It is believed that the Denver police set-off an explosive device into the apartment’s second-floor window.

Immediately, Denver city-officials declared the damaged building structure dangerous, and sent a wrecking crew to demolish it making it difficult to determine the cause of the explosion.

In The Crusade for Justice: Chicano Militancy and the Government’s War on Dissent by Ernesto Vigil has theorized from the acquisition of FBI files obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that the Denver police assault was coordinated by the FBI and was sparked by the Crusade for Justice’s support for the American Indian Movement’s occupation of Wounded Knee February of 1973.

Luis "Junior” Martínez is forever remembered for his commitment to the Chicano revolutionary struggle for self-determination and is one of the martyrs of the Chicano Movement. 

Luis “Junior” Martínez (August 21, 1952-March 17, 1973) - photo by Dino Castro

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I want to take the time to publicly thank Manuel 'Rocky' Hernandez, who took the time to sit down and allow me to briefly interview him on some of his memories and recollections of how he became involved in the Chicano Movement. 'Rocky' took 'Black Beret Philosophy' upon meeting Daniel Arroyo in Berkley California back to Denver and Established the 1st Black Beret Chapter in Colorado. Later on he was suspended for being a 'Black Beret' at high school, which sparked students protests that are well detailed in several books. Also, a BIG Thank you to Daniel Arroyo for facilitating a space and for the introduction for this to happen. 

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Interviewing Danny Arroyo [An Outlaw Motorcycle Club and Baltazar Martinez]

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We just saw an infomercial on the news about Dolores Huerta and how she’s a prideful part of our Chicano history. The ad went on to talk about the United Farm-Worker union she set up with other Chicanos like Chavez. My parents have had various jobs since they took the dangerous journey into the U.S. But they’ve always stayed partly or full-time employed as farm-workers. An aunt of mine had lived in Washington State for a few years, and I can still remember when she and her family came to visit us in the Deep South. We were living in South Carolina at the time and she showed up saying, “You have no rights here as laborers, it’s time we take you to the union side of the country!” And off we went. This was the first time I’d ever seen snow, (I was four) but I’ll never forget what all my aunt’s family kept saying: “You’re gonna love Washington State.” One of the first memories of Washington State (other than the really large amounts of snow) was going to KDNA - a radio station that proudly and appropriately donned the title of being “The voice of the farm-worker.” We’d visit the radio station weekly to be trained on pesticides, how to report injuries without the fear of my parents being deported, and they always gave us hot chocolate, pan dulce, food, and warm clothing. In the fields, my parents would bring a portable radio (as did many others) and we’d blast Radio KDNA - since they would also give farm-workers a legit and verified head’s up on La Migra raiding and terrorizing certain farms. For the longest time, I thought KDNA was the same thing as the UFW. It isn’t until right now that I’m reading historical accounts on the immense history that the makers of KDNA even did for Chicanos, Mexicanos, and all farm-workers throughout the country! After becoming the first all-Spanish speaking radio station in the history of Washington State, word of their groundbreaking work caught the ear of the UFW. Cesar Chavez visited them and the rest is history! “According to KDNA station manager Ricardo García, Chávez not only publicly applauded the small Yakima station but his visit inspired the UFW to craft their own community-based radio stations along California’s agricultural heartlands.” I’m so proud to have learned about worker’s rights as a small child, experiencing my first strike and labor victories with my parents and family, but most of all realizing that I was very lucky to be born into a family of luchadores. /rant

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[Video 5 - Danny Treviño, an Outlaw MC, and Baltazar Martinez] Interview with Daniel Arroyo

📺Subscribe To Channel: 📺 https://www.youtube.com/c/GabrielCruz85301?sub_confirmation=1 

Please read the entire description. #BlackBeretsporLaJusticia #ChicanoStudies #SanJose #Chicano #HellsAngels #FarmworkersConference #BaltazarMartinez #ReiesLopezTijerina #ReiesTijerina #BlackBerets 

Daniel Arroyo, an ELDER of the Black Berets por La Justicia (Since 1968) talks about his recollection on Danny Treviño, an Outlaw motorcycle club at the Cochella Farmworkers Conference, Black Berets training Women in Self Defense and Baltazar Martinez. This is the 5th video of an overall interview, that took place on May 28, 2020 in Phoenix Arizona and was interviewed by Gabriel Ramiro Cruz with the assistance of Kelly Gallagher Blacksmith. To read more of the "Black Berets" please download of Arturo's Villarreal's Master Thesis "Black Berets of Justice" at - https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1170&context=etd_theses 

 You will find information on Danny Trevino: Pages 45, 127-129, 135 Aztlan (page 61-68, 126) Baltazar Martinez (68) 

 You can read more about Baltazar Martinez in: 

1.) New Mexico Stories: Truths, Tales and Mysteries Along the Rio Grande by David Roybal. (https://www.amazon.com/New-Mexico-Stories-Truths-Mysteries/dp/1632932679)

 2.) The Crusade for Justice: Chicano Militancy and the Government's War on Dissent By Ernesto B. Vigil (https://www.amazon.com/Crusade-Justice-Chicano-Militancy-Governments/dp/0299162249)

 3.) Troublemakers: Students’ Rights and Racial Justice in the Long 1960s By Kathryn Schumaker (https://www.amazon.com/Troublemakers-Students-Rights-Racial-Justice/dp/1479875139/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Troublemakers%3A+Students%E2%80%99+Rights+and+Racial+Justice+in+the+Long+1960s+Kathryn+Schumaker&qid=1594447646&s=books&sr=1-1) 

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[Video #4 - Huelga in Salinas Valley, Family, & Cesar Chavez] Interviewing Daniel Arroyo

Daniel Arroyo, an ELDER of the Black Berets por La Justicia (Since 1968) talks about his recollection of the "Huelga" in the Salinas Valley, encountering hostile ranchers, different opinions within his family and providing security for Cesar Chavez's body and funeral. 

This is the 4th video of an overall interview, that took place on May 28, 2020 in Phoenix Arizona and was interviewed by Gabriel Ramiro Cruz with the assistance of Kelly Gallagher Blacksmith.

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[Video 3 - Fiesta de las Rosas] Interviewing Danny Arroyo, Fiesta de Las Rosas

On June 1, 1969, the "Fiesta de Las Rosas" occurred in San Jose.  The festival was seen as an insult to Mexican Americans and Native Americans viewed the festival as an insult to it's people. It was viewed as a celebration of conquistadors who vanquished and enslaved native people. It was also viewed as a waste of money. There were muddy roads that needed to be paved and community buildings that needed to be erected in San Jose's poor and neglected under served community. THAT DAY, A RIOT BROKE OUT THAT CHANGED A CITY FOREVER!! For a minority group that saw itself oppressed and ignored, it galvanized San Jose Chicanos and helped spread the Chicano political movement and the word "Chicano" across the country.  After the 1969, the festival was never put on again. 

 Daniel Arroyo, an ELDER of the Black Berets por La Justicia (Since 1968) talks about his recollection of "Fiesta de las Rosas" on June 1, 1969  This is the 3rd video of an overall interview, that took place on May 28, 2020 in Phoenix Arizona and was interviewed by Gabriel Ramiro Cruz with the assistance of Kelly Gallagher Blacksmith.

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[Video 2 - Denver and Corky Gonzales] Interviewing Danny Arroyo

Daniel Arroyo, an ELDER of the Black Berets por La Justicia (Since 1968) talks about his experiences in Denver, and Corky Gonzales ! This is the 2nd video of an overall interview, that took place on May 28, 2020 in Phoenix Arizona and was interviewed by Gabriel Ramiro Cruz with the assistance of Kelly Gallagher Blacksmith. 

You can read another account, by Gloria Arellanes about the women of the Brown berets not agreeing with the males of the Brown Berets in the Los Angeles area at: 

https://tropicsofmeta.com/2015/01/22/la-lucha-continua-gloria-arellanes-and-the-making-of-a-chicano-movement-in-el-monte-and-beyond/ 

 You can READ more about the Black Berets por La Justicia History at: https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1170&context=etd_theses

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[Video 1 - In the Beginning...] Interviewing Danny Arroyo, Black Beret por La Justicia (Since 1968) 

Note: The original posting of this video had 111 views and 6 likes under 24 hours before I took it down and re-edited some footage.  This is the 1st video of a larger overall interview that I had with Danny Arroyo, who is an ELDER of the Black Berets por La Justicia (Since 1968) ! This interview took place on May 28, 2020 in Phoenix Arizona and was interviewed by Gabriel Ramiro Cruz with the assistance of Kelly Gallagher Blacksmith 

Before the Black Panthers of Oakland, the Young Lords of Chicago, and the Brown Berets of East Los Angeles, there was the Black Berets Por La Justicia in San Jose. The group was founded in 1959 by Anselmo "Chemo" Candelaria, a charismatic leader from Sal Si Puedes ESSJ . The Black Berets were the answer to the years of discrimination they encountered in the educational system, as well as the heavily policed harassment of Raza in East Side San Jose. 

The group raised money to feed poor children in public schools, also learning martial arts and training in self defense to protect the neighborhoods from thugs, drug dealers, and racist police officers. 

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Before the Black Panthers of Oakland, The Young Lords of Chicago, or the Brown Berets of East Los Angeles, there was the Black Berets Por La Justicia in San Jose. The  group was founded in 1959 by Anselmo "Chemo" Candelaria, a charismatic leader from Sal Si Puedes ESSJ . The militant group was named in honor of revolutionary Che Guevara who famously wore a black beret. The Black Berets Por La Justicia were the answer to the years of discrimination they encountered in the educational system as well as the heavily policed harassment of raza in East Side San Jose.The group raised money to feed poor children in public schools, also protecting the neighborhoods from thugs, drug dealers, and racist police officers.  

I want to THANK Daniel Arroyo for taking the time, energy, and space for allowing me to record and documents his recollections and his contributions to the Black Berets Por La Justicia (since 1968) Words can not express the "ORGULLO" I have to be able to cross his path once again. Thank you for sharing with me a small piece of your life and your journey, I will always be agredecido. 

You can read a MASTER THESES done on the "Black Berets por La Justicia" at  https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1170&context=etd_theses