(Photo credit: www.brownberets.info/history)
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The Brown Berets were a group of young Chicano/as fed up with—and eager to change—poor living conditions in their community. Tired of being ignored by the system and its incompetence to provide solutions to the problems faced everyday in the barrios and in the ghettos, young high school students came together in 1966 at the Annual Chicano Student Conference in Los Angeles County, later forming Young Chicanos For Community Action. This student group eventually adopted the brown beret as their earmark. The brown color symbolized cultural pride among "brown-colored" Chicano/as. The students printed the leftist newspaper La Causa, ran a free medical clinic and hosted free breakfast programs.
Although Brown Berets had an important role in organizing the “walk outs” in East L.A.—the largest and lengthiest in the history of California, in which thousands of students left their classrooms to join the protest for quality education—they always felt a strong commitment to the basic needs of the barrio. Community issues like unemployment, housing, food, and education were central to their agenda. Their strength and organization influenced many in the struggle for Chicano rights.
The government attacked the Berets utilizing programs such as COINTELPRO, which led to the incarceration and suppression of its leadership and members. The Los Angeles Police and Sheriff’s Departments harassed, intimidated, and persecuted the Brown Berets. The police used espionage strategies and infiltrators to foment internal conflict as well as subtly set up and frame members.
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