Zoot suit 8 - zoot suit play luis valdez PDF

Preview

Summary

zoot suit play luis valdez...

Description

The 38th Street Gang claimed a water reservoir located on the Williams Ranch in East Los Angeles known as Sleepy Lagoon (Sleepy Lagoon Trial :: Zoot Suit Discovery Guide). Sleepy Lagoon was a swimming area for Mexican youngsters who were banned from using the segregated public pools in their community (Sleepy Lagoon Trial :: Zoot Suit Discovery Guide). On one night in August 1942, zoot-suiters were entangled in a fight at a party near Sleepy Lagoon (Coroian, 2021). José Díaz was found dead the next morning (Coroian, 2021). This murder is recognized as the 1942 Sleepy Lagoon Murder. Former California Governor Culbert Olson had used Díaz’s death as the catalyst to arrest more than six hundred Mexican American youths, from the 38th Street Gang and the community, to make an example out of them (Coroian, 2021). The trial began when Henry Leyvas and the 38th Street Gang were identified as being at the scene of the murder (Sleepy Lagoon Trial :: Zoot Suit Discovery Guide). Many of the people who were taken into custody were later tried and convicted of murder in the following January (Coroian, 2021). People believed that city and the community were discriminating and racial profiling the 38th Street Gang because they were Mexican Americans (Sleepy Lagoon Trial :: Zoot Suit Discovery Guide). Years later, in October 1944, the murder convictions were later appealed and reversed for some Mexican Americans (Coroian, 2021). The 1943 Zoot Suit Riots began on June 3rd when a group of United States sailors claimed that they were attacked by zoot-suiters (History.com Editors, 2020). In search of revenge, the sailors began to attack people who were wearing a zoot suit that was highly popularized by young men of color, especially African American and Mexican American men (History.com Editors, 2020). A zoot suit outfit includes baggy wool pants, oversized coats, and porkpie hats (History.com Editors, 2020). These riots carried on for days. Fortunately, no one died during these rampages but many were injured (History.com Editors, 2020). An independent committee had investigated the riots and determined that racism was the leading cause which had worsened when the LAPD presented biased media coverage (History.com Editors, 2020). Both the 1942 Sleepy Lagoon Murder and the 1943 Zoot Suit Riots had one major similarity: both events had racially discriminated against Mexican Americans. On a side note, I think it’s unfair and foolish how people were banned from wearing zoot suits. Moreover, there was many commonalities between the play and the history of the murder and the riots. Luis Valdez did an accurate portrayal of those two events plot-wise and of course, like any other play, the fictional characters and their lines were kinda dramatic. The play consisted of many facts regarding the murder such as how they were racially profiled and convicted without any solid evidence and based the Henry Reyna character on Henry Leyvas. In my opinion, I think this play was created in the late 70’s due to the Chicano Movement also known as El Movimiento (Carrillo, 2020). To add on, by showing this play during this movement it brings out the struggles that people have faced. The Chicanos and other groups of Hispanic people can come together to reflect and contemplate what had happened in the past. As well as educating others on what they faced in order to hopefully change the world and make it a better place that welcomes everyone. Furthermore, I feel like the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom is pretty significant and relevant today especially with how people are unemployed due to Covid and the Black Lives Matter Movement is very prominent at the moment. A play based

or inspired by this march and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech would be rejuvenating (Norwood)....