Huelga, "strike" or "freedom" schools were alternative schools set up in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

in order to continue the education of boycotting

Mexican-American Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...

students between 1970 and 1972. The schools were coordinated by Sister

Gloria Gallardo Gloria Graciela Gallardo (October 16, 1938 - February 14, 2012) was a Chicana activist and former religious sister. She is best known for her involvement in the 1970 student boycotts in Houston, coordinating the huelga schools and for co-founding ...

and Tina Reyes.

Curriculum In education, a curriculum (; : curricula or curriculums) is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view ...

for the schools was developed by committee with professor Edward Gonzáles acting as the head. Students learned basic skills such as reading and writing as well as history and culture.

Background

The Houston Independent School District (HISD) in the late 1960s and early 1970s refused to consider Chicano students as a minority for the purposes of desegregating schools. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) opened a case against HISD, alleging that the district was illegally segregating black and Chicano students from white students. In addition, a group called the Mexican American Education Council (MAEC) was formed to coordinate efforts to protest school segregation. Some people were critical of the actions taken by huelga schools and felt that the issue was motivated by

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

against

African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

. When school started in 1970, around 3,500 Chicano students boycotted schools run by HISD and instead attended huelga schools. Some of the students protested outside of their schools.

About

Huelga schools were staffed by teachers who volunteered their time. The schools served all ages of students and were located in churches and community centers. Members of the Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO) also volunteered to teach history and culture. Sister

coordinated the schools. Tina Reyes ensured that the schools had enough resources to function.

was planned by a committee headed by Edward Gonzáles, a professor at the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

. In September 1970, there were around 14 huelga schools available to Chicano students. Around 2,000 students were registered to attend the schools. The number of schools rose to sixteen by September 10. The huelga schools were disbanded in October 1970 when HISD agreed to a busing plan to integrate the schools. This lasted until early in 1971. The huelga schools opened again early in 1971 when segregation once again became an issue. The schools were poorly funded until April 1971 when the Department of Health, Education and Welfare provided a $65,000 grant to fund them through the summer. Attendance waned at the huelga schools between 1971 and 1972. The boycott continued on and off until the end of the 1972 school year.

References

Citations

Sources

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External links

El Mesias Methodist Church Huelga School flier

Bilingual Education and the Huelga School Movement
(2016 video)
Students studying in a huelga school
{{DEFAULTSORT:huelga schools Alternative schools in the United States Schools in Houston