Podcast Summary: Letters from an American

Host: Heather Cox Richardson
Episode Date: August 28, 2025
Release Date: August 29, 2025

Main Theme

This episode explores the legacy of journalist Ruben Salazar and the rise of the Chicano Movement in 1960s and 1970s Los Angeles. Heather Cox Richardson delves into Salazar’s life and death within the context of the broader fight for Mexican American civil rights, the Vietnam War, systemic discrimination, and the enduring struggle for cultural recognition and political empowerment.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Death of Ruben Salazar (00:08 - 02:45)

• Incident Recap:
  Richardson recounts the events of August 29, 1970, when Ruben Salazar was killed by a sheriff’s deputy’s tear gas projectile during the National Chicano Moratorium March in Los Angeles, which protested the Vietnam War and drew over 20,000 participants.
• Aftermath:
  • Deputy Thomas Wilson claimed he fired due to a tip about armed men, which eyewitnesses denied.
  • A coroner’s inquest ruled the death accidental; Wilson resigned; Salazar’s family received a settlement from LA County.
• Legacy:
  At the time of his death, Salazar was the most prominent Latino journalist in the U.S.

Ruben Salazar’s Early Career and Activism (02:46 - 05:10)

• Background:
  • Born in Ciudad Juarez, Salazar served in the U.S. Army before becoming a journalist.
  • Investigative work in El Paso put him on the FBI’s radar.
  • By 1959, he was reporting for the LA Times, including coverage of the Vietnam War.
• Focus on Mexican American Issues:
  • From 1968, concentrated on issues within East Los Angeles’ Mexican American community, whom mainstream media largely ignored except to report on crime.

Context: The Chicano Movement (05:11 - 07:40)

• Origins:
  Historian Maro T. Garza describes a generational shift:
  • Older Mexican Americans focused on assimilation and breaking down barriers.
  • The next generation, calling themselves "Chicanos," sought recognition as natives, not outsiders, following U.S. annexation of their land in 1848.
  • The narrative: "They had not moved into the United States, but rather the United States border had moved over them."
• Colony Parallels:
  Chicanos saw their situation mirrored in global anti-colonial movements and worked for cultural autonomy.

Educational Disparities and Student Action (07:41 - 10:18)

• Critical Issues:
  • LA County had the U.S.’s largest Latino student population, yet schools expected Mexican Americans to be manual laborers, devalued their history, and discouraged college preparation.
  • Garfield High School had a 57.5% dropout rate; college graduation rates were "about 1/10 of 1%."
• Chicano Youth Leadership Conference:
  • Organized in 1963 to inspire activism and demand better education.
• Student "Blowouts/Walkouts":
  • In March 1968, over 15,000 students left school in protest.
  • Police responded with violence; demands included curriculum reforms and removal of biased teachers.
  • School board rejected demands; 13 organizers were arrested for “conspiracy to disturb the peace.”

The Role of the Press and Salazar’s Perspective (10:19 - 11:45)

• Media Portrayals:
  Filmmaker Moctezuma Esparza described how protesters were depicted as "un-American... outside agitators in our own community."
• Salazar’s Columns:
  • Defined a "Chicano" as "a Mexican American with a non-Anglo image of himself... Chicanos feel cheated. They want to effect change now. Chicanos... are merely fighting to become Americans, but with a Chicano outlook.” (Ruben Salazar, quoted at 11:31)
• Professional Transition:
  In April 1970, Salazar left the LA Times to lead news at KMEX, aiming to communicate directly with the community, in their language.

Police Relations, politics, and Vietnam, and the Chicano Moratorium (11:46 - 13:00)

• Escalating Tensions:
  • Police increasingly cracked down on Chicano activists and journalists.
  • Salazar documented abuse and governmental paranoia, writing: “The mood is not being helped by our political and law and order leaders who are trying to discredit militants in the barrios as subversive or criminal.”
• Vietnam War Disparities:
  • Because schools discouraged college, draft deferments were rare for Mexican Americans, causing disproportionate casualties.
• Chicano Moratorium:
  • Massive anti-war demonstration held on August 29, 1970; ended in violence by police.
  • Three deaths: Two activists and Salazar.

Aftermath and Continuing Legacy (13:01 - End)

• Shift to Political Mobilization:
  Organizers formed Raza Unida Party to pursue economic, social, and political empowerment.

• Salazar’s Interview on Revolution:
  When asked in May 1970 if the Vietnam War endangered the U.S. with revolution, Salazar responded:

  • Quote:
    “I think we are in a revolution. I think the United States is traditionally a revolutionary country.”
  • Further Clarification:
    “We are going to overthrow some of our institutions, but in the way that Americans have always done it, through the ballot, through public consensus. That's a revolution. That is a real revolution.” ([12:39])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Chicanos noted they had not moved into the United States, but rather the United States border had moved over them.” (06:21)
• Moctezuma Esparza:
  “This is 1967, while the Vietnam War is in full bore... and this was not lost on the kids in East LA. They were able to see what their own circumstances were and how they were being oppressed... And so it was not difficult to organize them. They wanted to be organized. They wanted to do something.” (08:50)
• Ruben Salazar on Chicano identity:
  “A Chicano is a Mexican American with a non-Anglo image of himself. He resents being told Columbus discovered America when the Chicano’s ancestors, the Mayans and the Aztecs, founded highly sophisticated civilizations centuries before Spain financed the Italian explorer’s trip to the New World.” (11:31)
• Salazar on revolution:
  “We are going to overthrow some of our institutions, but in the way that Americans have always done it, through the ballot, through public consensus. That's a revolution. That is a real revolution.” (12:39)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:08 — Death of Ruben Salazar at Chicano Moratorium
• 02:46 — Salazar’s early career and activism
• 05:11 — Context and roots of the Chicano Movement
• 07:41 — Discrimination in LA schools, student protests
• 10:19 — Role of the press and Salazar’s perspective
• 11:46 — Police crackdowns, Vietnam's impact, Moratorium March
• 12:39 — Salazar’s definition of revolution and closing reflections

Overall Tone

Richardson’s narration is informative, reflective, and empathetic, respecting the historical significance and emotional weight of both Salazar’s personal story and the wider Chicano struggle. The episode seamlessly connects past injustice to broader themes in American history and the continuing quest for justice and recognition.

For more, visit Heather Cox Richardson’s Substack.