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- La Raza was a bilingual newspaper and magazine published by Chicano activists in East Los Angeles from 1967-1977. The paper played a seminal role in the Chicano Movement, providing activists a platform to document the abuses and inequalities faced by Mexican-Americans in Southern California. Taking a photojournalistic approach, the editors and contributors at La Raza were able to capture images of police brutality, segregation, and protests that rallied support to the Chicano cause. La Raza was founded in the basement of an East L.A. church with the objective of driving community organization for the Chicano movement, which was still on the rise, and improving awareness of the Mexican-American experience in Los Angeles, which the editors felt was neglected by the large media outlets. During its first three years, La Raza was published as an eight-page tabloid. The paper quickly grew in popularity, though, as the growth of the Chicano movement prompted the dispersal of copies of La Raza across the United States. In June 1970, the publication changed to a 20-page magazine format to gain more revenue and provide its readers with more content. As the newspaper's popularity grew, so did the scope of its coverage, and it began to go beyond Los Angeles to discuss national and international issues from a Chicano perspective. La Raza took an ardently anti-Vietnam War stance, joining in the surge in the underground press prompted by backlash to the war. The staff at La Raza, meanwhile, became increasingly active and even militant members of the Chicano movement, helping to organize marches and clashing with officials. By the time the magazine was shut down in 1977, an archive of 25,000 images capturing some of the most prominent events in the Chicano movement had been amassed. The archive is currently held at the Chicano Studies Research Center at UCLA. (en)
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