The Origins of the "Zoot Suit" and Its Consequences
Description:
The Mexican American Experience, a radio program produced by the Longhorn Radio Network, includes interviews, music, and informational programs related to the Mexican American community and their concerns. Program summary: Using research from Carey McWilliam's book North From Mexico, host Richard Goodman explores the origins of Pachuquismo and discusses the Zoot Suit Riots of 1943. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, gangs increasingly appealed to young Chicanos in Los Angeles who faced severe discrimination and racism. Joining a gang provided its members with a sense of security and status. Chicano gang members, or Pachucos, were typically born in Los Angeles, bilingual and wore a zoot suit, a type of suit that facilitated dancing. The suit became a symbol of belonging, prestige and rebellion. Not all Chicanos wore zoot suits and not all zoot suiters were pachucos, but society and the media often confused the two. On June 3, 1943, a gang of Chicanos allegedly jumped several sailors in northern LA. The incident set of several days of violence, the Zoot Suit Riots, during which hundreds of military servicemen wandered the barrios of LA beating up any Chicano they found. Later the police would arrest the victims. The rioting lasted several days as the newspapers encouraged the servicemen to 'cleanse' the city and the police often cooperated with the servicemen. The violence only began to abate after the military declared central Los Angeles off limits to servicemen. In the wake of the riots, the city council made wearing a zoot suit a misdemeanor offense. Goodman concludes that this now forgotten incident is just one example of the many systematic injustices Mexican Americans have faced in the United States. Keywords: African Americans, Big Band, Carey McWilliams, Chavez Ravine, Chavez Ravine Naval Armory, Congreso de Pueblos de Habla Hispana, District Attorney Fred N. Hauser, Draft, Drapes, East Los Angeles, Gangs, Gangsters, Gender, Harlem, Jazz, Long Beach, Los Angeles Press, Los Angeles Times, Luisa Moreno, Mauricio Mazon, Mayor Fletcher Bowron, North from Mexico, Pachuca, Pachuco, Police-Community Interactions, Race riot, Radio, Repatriation, Sailors, Segregation, Sensational Journalism, Sleepy Lagoon Defense Committee, Style, Subculture, Teenagers, The Great Depression, U.S. Navy, World War II, Youth Culture, Youth Culture, Zoot Suit Riot, Zootsuiters. Broadcast date: 1976-12-21.
Creator/Contributor:
Longhorn Radio Network (creator) and Goodman, Richard (host)
Date Created/Date Issued:
12/21/1976
Owning Repository:
Benson Latin American Collection, LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections, The University of Texas at Austin