Zoot Suit Riots Essay
On July 21, 2015, I had the opportunity to take a trip down to “The Great Wall of Los Angeles”. I was amazed to see the creativity and the empowerment of the art. The wall is a mural designed by Judith Baca, and a group of community youth from diverse ethnical backgrounds.
The mural paints the history of California through different eras; it starts with colonialism and makes its way to the Chicano Movement of the 1960s. The Great Wall of Los Angeles places emphasis on the history of Native Americans and minorities groups along with their struggles. A particular piece of the mural that caught my eye was the “Zoot Suit Riot LA. 1943,” where a pair of black boots where over an individual, this image expressed so much about the hierarchy, dominance, and power of White people.
Zoot Suit Riots, Los Angeles 1943 represents some of the struggles Chicanos faced, while trying to represent themselves in a racist discriminatory society. High-waisted,
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As presented in the film “Zoot Suit Riot,” the young Zoot Suits disclosed a division between two youth groups: the gangs of African Americans, and Mexican youths who created a portion of the zoot-suit subculture, and the white sailors and Marine servicemen stationed along the Pacific coast. The riots had racial and social differences but the primary issue seems to have been patriotism and attitudes towards the war. Nonetheless, the white servicemen abused their power and through that riot, they shred light on racial discrimination and that what the art work at the Great Wall represents. The boots standing above the person of color demonstrates the power and authority of the law, it has the power to strip away the little that a person has, and cares less if they hurt or cause damage. The Zoot Suit just like the rest of the Chicanos were struggling to represent themselves in this racist society whether it was through fashion as a way of political
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343 Words | 2 PagesSignificant contributing factors that led up to the Zoot Suit Riots of 1943 include the Sleepy Lagoon Murder, false News, and the zoot suits themselves. The Sleepy Lagoon Murder took place in 1942 in rural Los Angeles, in what is now Bell, California. Hank Leyvas and his girlfriend Dora Barrios had been assaulted and severely beaten by an enemy neighborhood. The next day, Hank recruited reinforcement and headed over to the Williams ranch to seek revenge. There, Hank and his gang wreaked havoc on an ongoing birthday party, resulting in the death of an innocent boy named José Díaz.
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Why Do People Wear Zoot Suit Riots?
329 Words | 2 PagesThe Zoot Suit Riots reveal that the American society in Los Angeles during the WWII Era was racially discriminated against Mexicans/Mexican Descents because Mexicans/Mexican Descents were known to wear Zoot Suits while zoot suitors were perceived as criminals. During this time, the Zoot Suit Riots occurred causing the “Spanish-speaking community” to be in a hard situation of being excluded from society and their surroundings. Mexicans/Mexican Descents wore Zoot Suits as a trend with the thought that this would help them “fit in” with the American style. Instead, Zoot Suitors end up being viewed as a “bad” image. The sailors would go into the Mexican neighborhoods and harm any Mexican (and Zoot Suit wearers) in sight.
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1383 Words | 6 PagesRacial tensions in Los Angeles came into the public eye when a gang of sailors beat up a group of Mexican-Americans wearing “zoot suits” in June of 1943. This led to the mass incarceration of these individuals known as “pachucos”. This initial incident was followed by days of violence in which servicemen roamed the Los Angeles area and physically assaulted any Mexican American they found in zoot suit apparel. The following two nights, the attacks progressed and though a few sailors were arrested while others were warned not to proceed in further assaults, word of the rioting spread and more military personnel from other areas of the city joined in as well. These events were preceded by increased racial tension between Mexican-Americans and Anglo Saxons.
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The Propaganda Of The Zoot Suit Riots
823 Words | 4 PagesBy the 1940’s Mexicans lived in barrio which were entirely different from white suburban neighborhoods. Parents were worried that their kids ventured away from the barrios. Unlike their parents, who were okay with being excluded from their rights, this newer generation were more rebellious and wanted to challenge norms. The Mexican youth began to start wearing the zoot suit. The zoot suit consisted of big balloon pants, it was inspired by African Americans.
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Symbolism Of The Zoot Suits Riots
279 Words | 2 PagesZoot Suit Essay When the Constitution was made on September 17, 1787, the first amendment was created to give us freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition. The Constitution gave us the right to express ourselves. But, in 1943 the exact opposite happened. Youths in Los Angeles were wearing zoot suits.
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