Salvador Castro Research Paper

Salvador Castro was born on October 25, 1933 in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles and was a social studies teacher who played a major role in the 1960s Chicano walkouts. He was the only son of two hardworking Mexican immigrant workers. As a child, his father who was undocumented was deported back to his home country. Castro’s parents eventually divorced due to them being far apart. Castro attended segregated a school and encountered racism. Castro would later be transferred by his mother to a Catholic School. In 1952, Salvador Castro graduated from Cathedral High School and would go on to be drafted into the United Sates Army. Castro was away for a couple of months, but eventually returned to Los Angeles. Upon his return to Los Angeles he enrolled at Los Angeles City College. In 1961, Castro

Some students dropped out of school as they felt unwanted and the conditions were not great. Sal Castro fought against such conditions and encouraged more students to enroll in college prep classes. Castro would teach his students that they themselves were not the problem. As the time advanced the students at Lincoln High School became aware and addressed their concerns to the Los Angeles School Board. The School Board of course did not pay much attention to them. Castro then advised the students to organize a strike to get the School Board’s attention. On February 28, 1968, students from Garfield High School walked out of their school due the horrible school conditions. Word go out that other schools in the area were also organizing strikes. In March, 1968, Chicano students from East Los Angeles organized what may have one of the largest strikes in American history. Roughly about fifteen thousand students from five different schools including a middle school were involved in this strike. Without the motivation and inspiration of Sal Castro it is uncertain that the blowouts would have