Chicano Communists and the Struggle for Social Justice

This is a lively history of radical activists in the last half of the twentieth century. The focus is on the life of Ralph Cuarón who, with his wife, Sylvia, was involved in many labor and civil rights struggles central to Mexican American communities in southern California. Cuarón joined Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and the merchant marine during World War II, where he became involved in the National Maritime Union learning to organize. The zoot suit riots in Los Angeles in 1943 convinced Cuarón to join the Communist party, since it was committed to equality for all and opposed the exploitation of workers. Enrique M. Buelna follows Cuarón's life through the anticommunist crusades of the 1950s, the progressive struggles against police brutality in the case of Augustin Salcido, and the founding of civil rights groups such as the Civil Rights Congress in Los Angeles. As a Communist, Cuarón worked to convince the party to recognize the importance of what was called “the Mexican Question

Civil rights · Communism · Economic Justice · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Spanish Civil War · Wife · Latin American and Latino Studies · Law