Huelga Schools
Houston, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1970, federal courts mandated that the Houston Independent School District integrate its public schools. In order to bypass full integration, board members emphasized the white legal status of the growing Mexican-American population. This upset the Latino community because its status as white prevented the residents from having full representation in desegregation. The Houston Mexican-American community chose to boycott the board's decision by not attending the public schools. As a result, activists created temporary alternatives called huelga, or strike, schools. The first set of schools opened on August 21 with the purpose of continuing traditional courses such as math, reading, and writing while at the same time emphasizing a distinct Mexican-American identity. Many certified teachers and volunteers from the University of Houston offered their services for the huelga schools. This proved inadequate, however, because the number of students enrolled, approximately four thousand, was much higher than anticipated. In total, the activists established twenty-one schools during the boycott that officially ended September 16. The huelga schools illustrated the community's commitment to culture-oriented education while engaged in protest activity. The two-week-long boycott of the Houston Independent School District demonstrated the Mexican-American community's level of dedication to education. It also validated its struggle for legal recognition and equal treatment in local schools. Out of the experience emerged a new generation of leaders in education, the city council, and state and federal government. (2016) .
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When federal courts ordered Houston's schools to integrate in 1970, the district tried to sidestep real desegregation by counting its growing Mexican-American population as legally "white" — pairing them with Black students while leaving Anglo schools untouched. In protest, the Mexican-American community launched a two-week boycott and opened twenty-one "huelga" (strike) schools, staffed by certified teachers and University of Houston volunteers, that taught core subjects alongside a proud Mexican-American identity. Roughly four thousand students enrolled before the boycott ended on September 16.
Why it matters
The huelga schools were a landmark stand in the Mexican-American civil rights movement, forcing recognition of Latinos as a distinct community entitled to equal treatment in American education.
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Related events
- · Houston school boycott of 1970
Themes & tags
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