Latinx and Native Americans mobilized in the 1960s by organizing Civil Rights movements determined to end the oppressive capitalist regime, each for their own ethnic group. Meanwhile, the black protests became black riots. The uprising in the South was determined to end discrimination and segregation on racial grounds. They hoped that the upheavals would eventually break the white monopoly on political power. The riots were also motivated by impatience for liberal change, which erupted in hundreds of racial upheavals and 40 riots in various cities. In Newark, New Jersey, racial clashes led to the death of 27 people while more than 1100 others were injured. The violence marked a period of most intense and destructive violence in US history.
Black leaders were discontented with the results of the Civil Rights movement – they said that “liberalism’s response to racial inequality proved “too little, too late.” A prolific militant organization, the Black Panthers, led by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, was created to protect and exert full administrative control over certain black neighborhoods. Other less organized rioters believed that their uprisings were revolutionary acts aimed at overthrowing the racist American society. On the contrary, the major public was questioning why black people were getting more and more violent when the African-American population started reaping the fruits of New Deal Liberalism, gaining more rights and freedoms than ever before.
Another branch, the Native American activism in 1961, was motivated by claims of discrimination and the so-called war on poverty. Proclaiming themselves “Red Power,” Indian activists, too, organized militarized groups, demanding the government protection of their land, and clean water for the reservations, and protested the desecration of sacred sites. The tribes protested a number of environmental and Native issues – the reclaiming of Blue Lake sacred site, as well as strip-mining in the Southwest. The Indians felt like their people were a big part of the poverty problem, as well as lacking civil rights that were never addressed prior.
Among all the American groups, Latinos suffered the worst poverty rates, disease prevalence, poor education, and health coverage. In response, President Johnson established the national council opportunity in 1965 to address the issues faced by Latinos. The Latinos were the fastest-growing minority in the US. They faced many discrimination issues that made them feel like complete strangers in America. The issues they faced include income disparities, high poverty levels, and poor education levels – namely, their annual wage was comprised half the poverty level established by the state. Another example of the Latinx problem was the fact that illiteracy rates stood at 40% among Mexican-American adults in 1967. The Latino uprising helped them find a more charismatic leader in Cesar Estrada Chavez.
By the end of the decade, none of the ethnic pride groups, majorly active in the prime of it, were ever as relevant.
