On the corner of North Calle Cesar Chavez and East Montecito streets, a large building with no signs or lights stands alone. The plain white walls and barred windows of La Casa de la Raza hide a community most passersby would miss. However, behind the old wooden doors are full-wall murals and paintings, ranging from traditional Native American art to modern street art.
Tables — full of revolutionary pamphlets and posters from every political inclination — are set up. There’s a free anarchist bookstore in the corner with works from radicals like Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, and Malcolm X. It’s early on a rainy Saturday morning, and over 50 people from around the county have showed up for a presentation and workshop, “What is Ethnic Studies?”
“We’re a small, grassroots community coalition,” said event coordinator Fabiola Gonzalez. She describes ethnic studies as a way for kids to “be taught who they are and where they come from.”