Latinos Step up Drive to Preserve Heritage, Want More Historic Sites by Associated Press, Adapted by Newsela Staff on 10.23.18 Word Count 970 Level 1020L

Latinos step up drive to preserve heritage, want more historic sites By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff on 10.23.18 Word Count 970 Level 1020L

Image 1: A makeshift memorial to Hispanic Civil War Union soldiers who fought in the Battle of Glorieta Pass in northern New Mexico outside Santa Fe. Photo: Russell Contreras/AP Photo

GLORIETA PASS, New Mexico — In northern New Mexico, a memorial for Hispanic Civil War Union soldiers lies forgotten.

Across the U.S, many sites historically connected to key moments in Latino civil rights are not protected. Some are in danger of quietly disappearing. Scholars and advocates say a lack of preservation, resistance to recognition and even natural disasters make it hard for sites to gain attention among the general public.

For example, the birthplace of the famous farmworkers union leader Cesar Chavez sits abandoned in Yuma, Arizona. Chavez fought for the rights of farmworkers in the 1960s. The Corpus Christi, Texas, office of Dr. Hector P. Garcia is gone. Dr. Garcia's office was located where the Mexican- American civil rights movement was sparked. There are also no markers for the sites where George I. Sanchez captured images for his groundbreaking book "Forgotten People" about Latino New Mexicans in 1940.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. "People need to see history, they need to touch it, they need to feel it, they need to experience it," said Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez. She is a journalism professor at the University of Texas who has worked to preserve Latino historical sites. "When something is preserved, it's a daily reminder of our history."

Many states have historical markers and sites dedicated to Latino history. However, they usually center on the Spanish exploration era, colonial era and Old West settlement periods, scholars and advocates say. Those are "safe" sites, according to Luis Sandoval. They downplay the racism and segregation that Latinos had to overcome. Sandoval works with nonprofits in Yuma. He is pushing for the region to honor Chavez's life and work.

National Park Service More Responsive Now

In recent years, local tourism groups and the National Park Service have tried to respond to a growing Latino population.

In 2012, the National Park Foundation's American Latino Heritage Fund launched a campaign to improve the representation of Hispanics in national parks. The National Park Service brought together an "American Latino Scholars Expert Panel." The group was made up of members like Rivas-Rodriguez and Yale history professor Stephen J. Pitti.

Under President Barack Obama, Sally Jewell worked as U.S. Secretary of the Interior and oversaw the use of government land. Before she left office, Jewell announced four Latino national landmarks. One of the sites was Chicano Park, a collection of murals under a San Diego, California, highway. In the 1970s, the area became a gathering place for activists. They started the Chicano movement, pushing for Mexican- American civil rights.

Ralph Arellanes Sr. is an Albuquerque, New Mexico- based activist. He believes that more needs to be done for Latino historical sites nationwide.

Honor Hispanic Union Soldiers

Take the memorial for Hispanic Union soldiers in northern New Mexico, for example. The site was built by a former government attorney named Alfonso Sanchez. It marks where Union soldiers beat back the advancing Confederate Army, ending the battle for the West during the Civil War. Hispanic soldiers played a key role in that fight.

"I'm glad it's there. But it looks like just a taco stand, without any tacos" said Arellanes. His great- great-grandparents served as trail guides for the Union soldiers.

Arellanes wants state lawmakers to dedicate around $5 million to redo the site. The Pecos National Historical Park officials give tours of the battlefield. Reservations, though, often have to

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. be made weeks in advance.

Arellanes also thinks New Mexico should preserve the birthplace of United Farm Worker union co-founder Dolores Huerta. Huerta helped Chavez organize migrant farmworkers to fight for better pay and safer working conditions. Migrant farmworkers were workers who moved from farm to farm for work. Huerta was born in the northern mining town of Dawson, which is now a closed-off ghost town.

Advocates fighting for Latin American memorials also face problems with local historical commissions, according to John Moran Gonzalez. Gonzalez runs the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas. Historical commissions decide whether markers will be built. They sometimes refuse to approve sites they do not want to see. For example, people are struggling to get permission to build a monument for the 1918 Porvenir Massacre. During the Porvenir Massacre, Texas Rangers killed 15 unarmed Mexican-Americans in a border village.

"A lot of these historical county commissions are all white with older members," Gonzalez said. "Remembering these important moments can be embarrassing to them."

Still, some advocates say progress is coming.

Hispanic History Stands Out In Texas City

In Austin, Texas, for example, a group of volunteers operates the Austin Tejano Trail. They give visitors guided tours of important churches, homes and plazas linked to the city's Mexican- American history.

After years of pressure, a Houston, Texas, building has been named a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Mexican-American civil rights leaders met in the building in 1963. They were planning President John Kennedy's historic visit the night before his assassination. The League of United Latino American Citizens, or LULAC, Council 60 clubhouse historical site also been given money to repair damage caused by Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

In Yuma, Sandoval said these are encouraging developments to build a memorial to Cesar Chavez. He said Yuma's powerful interest in farm businesses have resisted most efforts to honor the late farmworker union leader. Chavez's efforts to help farm workers often went against farm businesses, who were trying to pay workers low wages.

"But the Latino population is growing down here," Sandoval said. "They are going to be a powerful voice soon, too."

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Quiz

1 Read the sentences below from the article.

1. Across the U.S, many sites historically connected to key moments in Latino civil rights are not protected. 2. He believes that more needs to be done for Latino historical sites nationwide. 3. Huerta helped Chavez organize migrant farmworkers to fight for better pay and safer working conditions. 4. Chavez's efforts to help farm workers often went against farm businesses, who were trying to pay workers low wages.

Which two sentences reflect CENTRAL ideas of the article?

(A) 1 and 2

(B) 2 and 3

(D) 2 and 4

2 Which section of the article BEST explains some of the challenges faced by those who want to construct memorials dedicated to Latino history?

(A) Introduction [paragraphs 1-5]

(B) "National Park Service More Responsive Now"

(D) "Hispanic History Stands Out In Texas City"

3 Read the selection from the introduction [paragraphs 1-5].

Some are in danger of quietly disappearing. Scholars and advocates say a lack of preservation, resistance to recognition and even natural disasters make it hard for sites to gain attention among the general public.

Which conclusion is BEST supported by this selection?

(A) The main reason many sites connected to Latino civil rights history are unprotected is that they have disappeared.

(B) Scholars and advocates of Latino civil rights history are becoming more effective at protecting historical Latino sites.

(C) There are several reasons why the general public lacks knowledge of many sites connected to Latino civil rights history.

(D) Natural disasters have quickly brought the attention of the public to many sites connected to Latino civil rights history.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 4 Which statement would be MOST important to include in an objective summary of the article?

(A) The "Forgotten People" is a book by George I. Sanchez that was written in 1940, about Latino New Mexicans.

(B) Some states have historical markers dedicated to Latino history, but they usually center around Spanish exploration.

(C) One memorial for Hispanic soldiers who fought in the Civil War can be found in New Mexico, but it needs lots of improvement.

(D) Local historical commissions have the power to decide whether memorials to historical Latino events will be built.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.