The Los Angeles Zoot-Suit Riots and Its Effects

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Due to favorable immigration policies, the US is home to all ethnic groups in the world. For that reason, the US is home to Whites, Asians, Hispanics, and Africans.

Nonetheless, these groups have endured racism and ethnic stratification throughout history. In this regard, certain races are perceived to be superior or inferior to others.

Consequently, racism has been the greatest obstacle to the assimilation of certain ethnic groups in the US. The Zoot-Suit riots were, hence, a manifestation of a greater problem in the US.

According to Castillo, the Zoot-Suit riots exposed the racial hatred towards Latin Americans and other ethnic minorities.

Its publicity, thus, exposed the plight of ethnic minorities in California and the entire country. This essay explains the influence of the Los Angeles Zoot-Suit Riots on ethnicity, nationalism, and assimilation in the US.

The Zoot-Suit riots took place in June 1943. For two weeks, military personnel based at the Chavez Ravine Naval Reserve Training School in Los Angeles embarked on a string of attacks on young Mexicans wearing the zoot-suit (Watson).

This event was the largest civil disturbance involving Mexican-Americans in the US. Moreover, Chicanos were the main victims in this confrontation. Chicano, a term associated with politics and activism, refers to later generations of Mexican immigrants (Castillo).

Within the first ten days of the riot, White people joined the military and the police in pursuing the zoot-suiters (Watson).

Therefore, by pursuing Mexican zoot-suiters, the police and the military were fueling ethnic hatred towards them (Castillo). Subsequently, the zoot-suiters embarked on a series of retaliatory attacks — for instance, the angry youths ran-down policeman and stoned sailors (Watson).

The Zoot-Suit riots generated varied reaction and conclusions on the predicaments of ethnic minorities in California. For instance, the Latin American press used this incident as a confirmation of prejudices leveled against the Latinos in the US.

Therefore, the Zoot-Suit riots were seen as a product of hate directed towards Mexican-Americans. Also, many historians believe that the reactions from Mexican-Americans were mainly due to racial stereotypes and other forms of discrimination.

Furthermore, this disturbance reminded the Chicanos that they were descendants of Mexican immigrants. Accordingly, their nationalism was dented as they felt like second-class citizens in their country of birth.

Further analyses of the Zoot-Suit riots indicate that these happenings were part of a wider scheme to victimize California’s ethnic minorities (Watson). Consequently, organizations representing ethnic minorities united in a bid to expose the events behind this riot (Watson).

Racists believe that some ethnic groups are naturally inferior to others. Consequently, racism has been used to justify the different forms of prejudices in the US. Ethnic minorities are more prone to prejudice and discrimination than the majority of ethnic groups in the US.

This discrimination takes place in all states within the US. For that reason, California does not represent an exception to the rule when it comes to race, nationalism and assimilation issues. Ratio discrimination is a vice that has been practiced throughout history in most parts of the US.

Ross and Agiesta affirm that racial attitudes in the US are yet to improve. Many people thought that racism would be minimized after the US elected its first African American president. However, according to Ross and Ageist, racism has increased moderately since 2008.

Additionally, most racist attitudes are directed towards African Americans and the Hispanics. For instance, African Americans encounter prejudice from 51% of Americans (Ross and Agiesta). Therefore, economic and social inequalities related to ethnicity persist in the United States.

Additionally, there are serious disparities among Whites, Asian Americans, Hispanics, and African Americans. Hispanics and African Americans are positioned lower in the United States’ socio-economic hierarchy.

For that reason, most members of these ethnic groups have little or no education, live in poor neighborhoods and are marginalized politically.

The Zoot-Suit riots show that ethnic intolerance is not something new in the US. For that reason, ethnic hierarchies have persisted for a long in the US. In the US, ethnic groups are organized hierarchically by their socio-economic status.

However, there is no evidence that a particular ethnic group is special in any way. Therefore, all ethnic groups are equal.

Similarly, how we perceive others influences our actions towards them. People perceive other cultures based on what they hear from different sources. This leads to stereotyping other people’s way of life. As a result, the correct description of these people and their cultures is distorted.

For that reason, racism can be eradicated by appreciating diversity in the US. Also, all citizens must acknowledge that the US is a racist country. Racism derails the United State’s progress and ignores diversity.

For instance, structural discrimination and lack of opportunities lead to disruptive behaviors among African Americans and Hispanics. Some of these behaviors include prostitution and crime. Mexican-Americans were a nuisance to the Los Angeles police in 1940s due to these disparities.

Although their socio-economic status is improving, African Americans and the Hispanics sit at the bottom of the ethnic hierarchy in the US. Therefore, current and historical disparities in California follow historical precedents in other states.

Works Cited

Castillo, Richard Griswold. “The Los Angeles “Zoot Suit Riots” Revisited: Mexican and Latin American Perspectives.” Mexican Studies/ Estudios Mexicanos 16.2 (2000): 367-39. JSTOR. Web.

Ross, Sonya and Jennifer Agiesta. “Racism in America: Poll finds rise in prejudice since 2008.” 2012. Portland Press Herald. Web.

Watson, John. “Crossing the Color Lines in the City of Angels: The NAACP and the Zoot-Suit Riot of 1943.” University of Sussex Journal of Contemporary History. 4 (2002). Web.

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The Los Angeles Zoot-Suit Riots and Its Effects

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