Walkout (2006): The Rise of Chicanos on Film
If you attended public school in the Los Angeles area, chances are you’ve watched HBO’s 2006 Walkout at least once. Starring Alexa PenaVega, Michael Peña, and directed by Edward James Olmos, Walkout is inspired by the true events that occurred during the 1968 East L.A. Chicano blowouts and is arguably one of the best movies about L.A. to ever grace our screens. Sure movies like La La Land (2016), Once Upon A Time in Hollywood (2019), and the Fast & Furious franchise among others, utilize the city as a backdrop, but Hollywood hardly ever explores the city’s culture and people in an inclusive way. This movie does, celebrating the accomplishments of the East L.A. community while fueling Mexican-Americans with pure Chicano pride.
Set primarily in Lincoln High School, the movie follows a group of students and their teacher Sal Castro, as they attempt to eradicate the injustices done to Mexican-American students by the American education system. Their cause spreads amongst the Chicano youth which organize a series of walkouts that turn violent after the police become involved, leading to several arrests, a betrayal, and the eventual improvement of education for Mexican-American students in the city. We, the audience, are introduced to some of the issues that the real East L.A. students faced, such as Chicano contributions to American history being erased from textbooks, students with low test scores being discouraged from going to college, and corporal punishment being used on students who spoke Spanish in class—yet this is but the tip of the iceberg.
In March of 1968, over 22,000 students participated in these walkouts as they attempted to change the way the school board and society viewed Mexican-Americans. The media portrayed Chicanos as lazy drunks, too busy with gang-related activities to obtain a proper career. In some schools, staff would suggest utilizing the curriculum for students with mental disorders on Mexican-American students, simply because of their race. They would influence them into enrolling in vocational programs as opposed to applying to any other form of higher education. And according to the Library of Congress, the dropout rate for Mexican-American high school students in the 1950s-60s was around 60%, with those that did graduate managing to obtain an 8th-grade reading level. So, the walkouts were a revolution as the students took a stand, demanding the government treat them with respect and provide them with a proper education, one that did not white-wash their history or erase their identities in the process.
A reason why the movie works so well is that the creators worked with the people who organized the walkouts in real life. They understood the problems that led to this revolution because they spoke to those who had lived through it. During the end credits, you see these interviews play out. People like the real Sal Castro, Paula Crisostomo, Carlos Montes, Bobby Verdugo, and Victoria Castro among others speak about the radical change they helped spark and how it was to be fueled with absolute anger at such an early age, deciding to take action and demand the government help them get into college because they deserved to be there.
Even though the movie is now 15 years old, it still holds up. We get a cast and crew of mostly Latinx descent, as well as some amazing actors that give it their all. Alexa PenaVega, who plays Paula Crisostomo, portrays a complex protagonist that rivals several of the strong female leads in today’s movies. And Michael Peña does not disappoint, although that’s to be expected since his minor role as Luis in the Ant-Man franchise has become a fan favorite. I’ll admit that the big dramatic twist at the end can feel a little far-fetched (spoiler alert: the romantic interest betrays our hero). But rather than negatively affect the film, these moments kinda work, as we grow to care enough about the protagonists that we end up sympathizing and cheering them along.
As a Mexican-American, Los Angeles native, this movie feels like a love letter. Not only does it do justice to the true historical events it was based on, but it also manages to accurately represent Chicano culture. It’s nice to see these characters embrace their heritage. They speak Spanish unapologetically, the dialogue feels real, and the relationships are authentic. During the bonfire scene, when Michael Peña delivers Corky Gonzalez’s poem “I Am Joaquin,” and the students look up at him with determination, you feel the thrill amongst the crowd. You become a part of this revolution, fighting to be accepted and respected in America you helped create because Latinx people have been here since before the country began, despite what others may say.