Boulder County Chicano Civil Rights Movement Activity
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Boulder County Chicano Civil Rights Movement Activity FOR US HISTORY Lesson Standards Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.3: Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text; determine whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them. St. Vrain Valley School District Standards: 1.1.cConstruct and defend a written historical interpretations, recognizing that a historian’s narrative reflects his or her judgment about the significance of particular facts. 1.3.d - Analyze the origins of fundamental political debates and how conflict, compromise, and cooperation have shaped national unity and diversity. Topics to include but not limited to Civil Rights and the role of government. Lesson Purpose Students will address the political and social conflicts that occurred in the Colorado Front Range in the late 1960s-70s. Additionally, they will ◦ Demonstrate their understanding of primary and secondary sources by completing a graphic organizer analyzing multiple sources ◦ Demonstrate their ability to engage in civil action by developing a plan based on multiple variable analysis ◦ Defend their decisions in Socratic Discussion Chicano Movement – A Colorado Perspective Defined: A person of Mexican descent but born in the United States Also spelled as Xicano/Xicana/Xicanx (1) Movement started in the 1960s Began in New Mexico with Reies López Tijerina (1967) ◦ as a land grant movement Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales in Denver (1966-67) ◦ Started the Crusade for Justice, inspired by the United Farm Workers of California Defined the meaning of Chicano through his epic poem I am Joaquin ◦ Turned to the struggles of the urban youth ◦ Encouraged political awareness and participation with La Raza Unida Party. Sources: 1. “Chicano”. Wikipedia.org. Wikimedia Foundation. 7 June 2017. Web. 21 June 2017 2. “Chicano! History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement”. The Journal for MultiMedia History. Albany.edu. 2001. Web. 17, June 2017. Chicano Movement – Colorado Perspective (Optional – 30 min Group Discussion on Identity) “I Am Joaquin” – Corky Gonzalez, 1967 Discussion Items: 1.) What were the defining characteristics of the “Chicano identity” as articulated by Corky Gonzales and other Chicano Movement leaders? 2.) Why was developing a distinct identity so important for the Chicano Movement? What did this identity add to the movement? 3.) How did a legacy of colonialism and discrimination by the United States government and its Anglo citizens change the Chicano identity? 4.) How did this identity influence the objectives and methods of the Chicano Rights Movement? 5.) How did the machismo characterizations of Chicano activists exclude and put down certain groups within the Chicano community? ◦ Items can also be loaded into Schoology Stage 1: Station Activity Students will rotate through the self-guided stations (avg. time needed: 5 minutes per station; 30 minutes total) ◦ Students will be encouraged to complete all six (6) stations in detail Stations include… 1. Colorado Historical View of Latino Community 2. Challenging Racism, 1940s-1950s, Done Mainly by Veterans 3. Mexican Americans of Boulder County United (MABCU) 4. West High School (Denver) Riots 5. Los Sies de Boulder 6. In the Schools... Station 1- Colorado’s Historical View of Latino Community https://drive.google.com/a/svvsd.org/fil e/d/0B4V_r46CqaBecEtzVkpIMU9sMFU/ view?usp=sharing Video Clip: “La Raza de Colorado: Historia” rmpbs.org. Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 27 September 2010. Video Production Sugar Beet workers Governor Edwin C. Johnson Station 2 - Challenging Racism, 1940s-50s, Done Mainly by Veterans Interview with Mary Gonzales Tafoya of Longmont **Led by veterans returning from WW II and Korea. “White trade only” signs were removed in Longmont. Restaurants, bars, and stores integrated. We have no visual record of such signs in Longmont, but they are frequently mentioned in interviews. They were present from the late 1920s (Klan influence) into the late 1940s and early 1950s. Station 3 – Mexican Americans of Boulder Country United (MABCU) http://bocolatinohistory.colorado.edu/n ewspaper/mexican-american-group- formed-for-county-1971 Station 4 – West High School (Denver) Riots https://drive.google.com/a/svvsd.org/file/d/0B4V _r46CqaBeazhpQTdmelZjTlE/view?usp=sharing Video Clip: “La Raza de Colorado: Historia” rmpbs.org. Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 27 September 2010. Video Production Station 5 – UMAS & Los Sies de Boulder 1968 ◦ Started the United Mexican-American Students by 9 Latinx students on the University of Colorado Campus ◦ Educational Opportunities Program helped develop more programs for “minorities” 1970 ◦ University and City of Boulder start significant pushback ◦ Constant attacks and attempts to defund the program 1972 ◦ Richardo Falcon takes over, increases UMAS membership ◦ Falcon fired, expelled with three others and banned from campus ◦ Falcon continues organization off campus ◦ Aug. 30th - Falcon gunned down in a gas station in El Paso, TX, after being told he was “wasting water” by cooling his radiator Station 5 - UMAS &“Los Sies de Boulder” (the Boulder Six) http://news.kgnu.org/2015/05/forty-one- years-ago-bombings-shook-boulder/ Station 6 In the Schools Longmont History - Growing Hispanic Population The Hispanic population in Longmont city, Colorado grew from 12% in 1970 to 26% in 2015. The Census Bureau defines 'Hispanic or Latino' as someone who classified his or herself as Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican, or someone whose origins are from Spain, the Spanish-speaking countries of South or Central America, or the Dominican Republic. This classification is independent from the person's race. “Longmont History”. MooseRoots.com. Graphiqs, Inc. 2017. Web. 21 June 2017. Stage 2: The Incident that Could Change Everything Student are to read the following newspaper article from the Times- Call, “Two Longmont Men…”, August 15, 1980. ◦ Answer the reflection question on back top of the worksheet to guage local reaction Small Group Activity: working in teams of no more than four (4) ◦ Imagine you were advising the Mayor of Longmont on the government’s response to the August 15th incident, as well as those from Boulder and Denver. ◦ Develop a five (5) point plan to identify, address, and enforce solutions to Boulder Country’s social problems at the end of the 1970s. ◦ Student Groups will present their findings later in class ◦ Time: 30 Minutes Stage 3: Socratic Seminar (Planning Conference)* * this would be used as a Day 2 Activity to offer students a sense of discussion and closure. Student should already be familiar with Socratic Seminar Methodologies prior to this section of the lesson Structure: Three (3) groups of 4 or less students will speak at a time from the center ring Time: 60 Minutes, broken into three (3) “heats” of 20 minutes each team Step 1: Each team will be given three (3) minutes to their five points; 9 min. total Step 2: Students are allowed cross examine opposing groups’ plan Observation & Step 3 (optional): Non-participating students will be allowed to ask questions of the Discussion Ring Feedback Ring Arrangement: Classroom will be restructured to create a two (2) rings in the class Discussion Discussion Ring – 12 chairs allowing for three (3) groups Ring Observation/Feedback Ring – utilize online survey (Schoology, NearPod, etc.) and/or hard copy survey to track responses and offer each group feedback Conclusion: What Longmont Did… El Comite de Longmont.