Brown Berets

The Brown Berets were the most prominent youth organization addressing issues in Chicano communities during the late 1960s and early 1970s. During their brief existence (1967 to 1972), the Brown Berets were involved in numerous protests and organized around aspects of Chicano life that would positively impact the lives of Chicano people. This entry reviews the development of the organization, the assorted activities of the organization, and its eventual dissolution.

As the population of Mexicans increased in the 1960s, a sense of cultural identity and a need to address inequitable treatment of this group fostered the development of several organizations. The Brown Berets, formed by David Sanchez in Los Angeles, was one such group. Sanchez's initial involvement with the Young Citizens for Community Action spurred the development of the Brown Berets to serve as an alert patrol, with defending the Chicano neighborhoods as their primary objective. The membership of the Brown Berets reached 5,000, with 90 chapters throughout the United States; it included neighborhood youth who were mostly from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Many members were formerly involved in gangs but came together to protect their barrios[Page 80](neighborhoods). The creation of this organization was part of the Chicano Youth Movement (CYM), which included students and neighborhood youth; however, the Brown Berets differed from other organizations being created during the Chicano movement because they were a paramilitary group composed primarily of neighborhood youth. While there were female members of the organization, all leadership positions were held by men.

The members of the organization were advocates of Chicanismo, the vehicle to express Chicano nationalism. Chicano nationalism encompassed the new realities, values, and meanings that come out of being Mexican in America and confronting the inequalities that resulted from this. The organization grew in popularity by challenging an inequitable situation in the public school system. Protesting the treatment of students in the public school system in east Los Angeles (L.A.), students, parents, and members of various organizations gathered to express their discontent. The east L.A. sheriffs chose to use force to end the boycotts and walkouts, but the Brown Berets intervened. They defended and protected the students by placing themselves between the students and officers, which often resulted in their arrests. As a result of these actions, the group gained favor within the Chicano communities, especially when several Brown Berets faced a possible 45 years in prison on charges of engaging in conspiracies to disrupt the public schools. After 2 years of litigation, the charges were dropped.

In addition to the east L.A. school walkouts, the Brown Berets protested and organized against involvement in the Vietnam War and were involved with some of the work in conjunction with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. They developed a free medical clinic in 1969, offering social, psychological, and medical services. Sustaining itself through donations, the clinic was open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and the only requirement for an entrance was a need to see a doctor. The organization also published their own newspaper, La Causa, and some members were instrumental in forging bonds among the Chicano, the Black Power, and American Indian movements.

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