The Original Brown Berets were a Hispanic nationalist activist grouping of Chicano men and women during the Civil Rights Movement. Because of their programmatic and practical similarties, they are often considered to have been the Chicano equivalent of the Black Panthers.In 1966, as part of the Annual Chicano Student Conference in Los Angeles County, a group of high school students discussed different issues affecting Chicano-Mexicanos in their barrios and schools. Among the students at the conference were Vickie Castro, Jorge Licón, John Ortiz, David Sanchez,
Rachel Ochoa, and Moctesuma Esparza. These high school students formed the Young Citizens for Community Action the same year, and worked together to support Dr. Julian Navas campaign as a Los Angeles school board member candidate in 1967. Sanchez and Esparza had trained with Father John B. Luces Social Action Training center at the Church of the Epiphany (Episcopal) in Lincoln Heights and the Community Service Organization. Other organizers were familiar with César Chávez and Reies Tijerina.The organizations name was then changed to Young Chicanos For Community Action or "YCCA". In 1967, the YCCA founded the Piranya Coffee House. In September 1967, Sal Castro, a Korean War veteran and teacher at a local highschool, met with the YCCA at the Piranya Coffee House. The group decided to wear brown berets as a symbol of unity and resistance against oppression. As a result of this, the organization took on the name "Brown Berets." The agenda of the Brown Berets was to fight police harassment, inadequate public schools and education, the lack of political representation and the Vietnam War.
TODAYS BROWN BERETSThis is the revival of the original brown berets and like our past fighters, we also strive for our rights and the rights of our minorities in the USA. We are currently located in Chula Vista, CA. If you want to join please email us at
[email protected]
