"La Semana de La Raza" in San Antonio, 1970-1972

In 1970s San Antonio, the nationwide Chicano movement was booming across the community of the Westside, seeping into the musical and artistic expressions of the Latino city's residents. El Movimiento called for social change in Chicano working-class communities across the United States, as well as a general trend of increased Chicanismo, or cultural nationalism. This movement spanned many goals, from farmworkers' rights -- led by Cesar Chavez -- to international solidarity with the Comite Europeo de Solidaridad con el Pueblo Chicano. In San Antonio, Mario Cantú was a restauranteur who become a Chicano community leader after being arrested for employing illegal immigrants and taking his case all the way to the Supreme Court. Before becoming the San Antonio representative of the Mexican Solidarity Committee from 1977 to 1981, and working with civil rights leaders such as Angela Davis, Cantú was a community stronghold for the city of San Antonio. In 1970, he launched a week-long festival called, "La Semana de La Raza." La Raza Unida was a Chicano political party that also began in 1970 which aimed to end ethnic voter suppression, growing inequality, and speak on dissatisfaction with the current Democratic party. La Raza was centered around grassroots organizing, and this festival in San Antonio was a family-friendly method to unite the Chicano community and raise awareness on issues affecting Chicano voters.