Walkout

Tom's Recommended Film of the Week

Walkout

We don't get HBO with our satellite package, but this week I hand the opportunity to watch an HBO original filmtitled Walkout. Keep an eye open and you'll notice that many HBO filmsare availalble on DVD at Walmart, Target, Best Buyand such, as well as through your local public library. The copy I watched came from the Outagamie Waupaca Library System, from whom I get many of the DVD's I watch each week.

Walkout is based on a true story of protest in the East Los AngelesHigh School system in 1968. At that time the student population for the five East LAschools was primarily Mexican-American, while most of the administration and teachers were Anglo-American. Prejudice was a big problem and bad educational standards were the norm.

One Mexican-Americanteacher, Sal Castroand several students and activists, including a very brave Paula Crisostomo, helped energize and organize a walkout to bring pressure to the School Board to right the situation.

It's an excellent story, with good acting from Alexa Vega, Michael Pena, Efren Ramirezand Bodie Olmosin key roles.

I'm always interested in learning more about that watermark year in American history - 1968 - where much of what we are as a nation began it's fermentation. Walkout sheds some light on an issue I had formerly known little about. Good to know that so many people, coast to coast were fighting for the rights and respect we all need to continue to hold dear to this day.