News | Santa Maria Joint Union High School District

High school students are finding the words of U.S. Civil Rights leaders just as impressive now as they were decades ago.

This week, Ernest Righetti High School students plan to continue finding contemporary ties to social injustices in a series of recorded speeches and presentations by Civil Rights leaders.

ERHS Teacher, Alex Jauregui's, government class will explore "Viva La Causa", a human rights struggle involving the grape strike and boycott led by Cesar Chavez. Last week, students focused on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"I want them to think for themselves and to realize struggles others went through,'' Mr. Jauregui said. “It’s important for them to think critically about civil rights and how these struggles changed history.''

During recent discussions to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech, Advanced Placement classes examined the political protests of the 1960s and came up with some pretty fascinating parallels to everyday life. The students keyed on Jauregui's question from the Declaration of Independence: "Do all people deserve certain rights?"

The students had some pretty provocative responses and made some compelling comparisons. They found similarities in discrimination involving field worker treatment, racial profiling at airports and the Florida George Zimmerman case.

Senior Julio Prado and the other students say they are more than ready for another healthy dose of the Civil Rights.
"I am eager to see how Cesar Chavez got his point across through the same non-violent struggles used by Dr. King,'' Prado said.

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