‘Crystal City 1969’ raises awareness about discrimination against Chicanos

Written by Vidwan Raghava The University of Texas at Arlington Shorthorn staff

In 1969, Chicano students in Crystal City, Texas broke out in protest over their school historically denying them an equal chance to participate in school activities.

Today marks the 41st anniversary of Chicano civil rights protests in Crystal City, which began when a Chicano student was barred from becoming the homecoming queen.

Playwright Raul Trevino and producer and director David Lozano co-wrote Crystal City 1969, to illustrate the events of the 1969 walkouts.

The importance of the play lies in addressing issues that have been have downplayed by society, Lozano said. He said many people that lived through this era were seeing it dramatized for the first time.

“You will never find anything about Crystal City in any history books,” Lozano said.

Lozano was pained to find out that Mexican American students weren’t allowed to be homecoming queen or participate fully in sports.

Amongst other things, the school had a policy whereby only one Chicano girl could be a cheerleader, said associate history professor Roberto Trevino.

“In 1969, one student protested this but she was denied permission to be a cheerleader and that triggered a student boycott,” Trevino said.

The student, who was denied, was expelled which led to students protesting the policy.

Twenty-three at the time, Political science professor Jose Gutierrez arranged for a lawyer and got the student reinstated, which raised other students hopes that their protest for equal rights would bear fruit.

Supporting the protest was the Mexican American Youth Organization headed by Gutierrez.

The organization consisted of young adults, who were mostly college graduates and working professionals.

“I graduated from Crystal City,” he said. “I have first-hand experience of the discrimination faced by Chicanos,” Gutierrez said.

On Dec. 9, 1969 the students began their walkouts, which was marked with hundreds of students walking out of class, eventually leading to a shut down of the school.

In January the school board members capitulated and agreed on a compromise, but with clauses allowing them to renege, Gutierrez said.

On Jan. 10, following the compromise, Gutierrez and members of his youth organization started the Raza Unida party.

Raza Unida party members were elected to the Crystal City school board and this ensured the loopholes in the compromise were never used, Gutierrez said.

“There are these wounds, these wounds from being slapped for speaking Spanish, being kicked for being Mexican, being put in shop class in a remedial school just for being Hispanic,” Lozano said

The story is about any person who has felt discriminated against and not solely Hispanics, said actor Priscilla Rice who plays the role of Severita Lara in the play.

“I do this out of a love and respect for the activists and the sacrifices they made,” Rice said.

Gutierrez says he went to see the play last year and felt it did justice to the movement.

“It is historically accurate, but dramatizes certain events, which is fine because its primary purpose is to entertain, “ Gutierrez said.

Irving Arts Center
Dupree Theater 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving, TX 75062
8 p.m. Today all tickets are $25
8 p.m. Dec. 10 – 11 Students and seniors $10 and general admission $15

Latino Cultural Center, Dallas
2600 Live Oak St. Dallas, TX 75204
8 p.m. Dec. 16 General admission $10
8 p.m. Dec. 17 - 18 Students and Seniors $10 General admission $15

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