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By: Elizabeth Guerrero
The Zoot Suit Riots were a series of violent attacks against Mexican American youth and other minorities. Amidst the stress of the Great Depression, many people turned to dance halls as a way to socialize and get away from the turmoil of daily life. Young BIPOC would wear baggy trousers, long jackets with padded shoulders, and all sorts of accessories including fedoras or sombreros. This attire soon became known as the “Zoot Suit”. It was an outfit donned by the minority youth of Los Angeles.
The idea of the zoot suit was quickly perverted into something it clearly wasn’t. Those wearing zoot suits were seen as thugs and gang members. Many US servicemen stationed in LA considered the suits a waste of resources during wartime and directed their rage at Mexican American youth. After the beating of a US sailor, 50 sailors stormed into downtown LA and began attacking anyone wearing a zoot suit. Despite the fact that many of their own were Mexican Americans, soldiers and Marines within LA continued their parade of violence.
Ignorant police officers would watch as Latinos were stripped of their suits and left wounded on the streets. More often than not, the victims of the attack would then be arrested by the same police officers. Other minorities such as African American and Filipino youth were also victims of the riots even without a zoot suit in sight.
Los Angeles was against the Mexican American community and minority communities as a whole. Servicemen were not discouraged to participate in the attacks and were even offered free taxi rides to the rioting areas. Officials were of no help and despite direct communication alerting President Roosevelt of the situation, no major action was taken.
How could fashion be the cause of such violence? The simple answer is that it wasn’t. Fashion was not the motivation of such horrid behavior. The violence carried out during the Zoot Suit Riots of 1943 was an act of pure racism. We should recognize the youth of color who advocated for their lives through the Zoot Suit Riots and use them as inspiration as we do the same.
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