Student-Led Walkouts and the Chicano Movement in Texas
Student-led walkouts changed Texas more than 50 years ago. Diana Serna Aguilera, 70, was part of the pivotal moment in the Chicano movement in Texas about 56 years ago in Crystal City when thousands of students demanded changes from school and local leaders, who were white, and an end to racist and discriminatory treatment of Mexican American students.
She shared her experience with Dallas residents Tuesday and encouraged the audience to participate in politics during the Chicano Civil Rights: Remembering the Crystal City Walkout event at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum.
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The Crystal City Walkout
Serna Aguilera was a teenager on Dec. 9, 1969, when Mexican American students walked out of Crystal City High School in South Texas. What began as a student-led demonstration grew to include more participants and left a lasting mark on civil rights in Texas.
At the time, Crystal City’s population was overwhelmingly Mexican American, but leadership roles in the school system and government were held nearly exclusively by white people.
“They would call us names — animals, vegetables,” Serna Aguilera said. “They’d also taunt students by saying, ‘I can’t wait for you to go to Vietnam.’”
Activist Diana Serna Aguilera (right) speaks alongside Latricia Davis, director of education, during a discussion about the Crystal City walkout at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, Tuesday, July 22, 2025, in Dallas. In 1969, after the school board refused students’ demands for fair representation, students organized a historic walkout in protest.(Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer)
Spanish was banned in classrooms, Mexican food was forbidden in cafeterias and physical punishment was used against those caught speaking Spanish.
The cheerleading squad, historically restricted to having as few as one Mexican American member, became a flashpoint when Spanish‑speaking students were explicitly excluded despite vacancies on the team. Frustrations over a lack of Hispanic teachers, counselors and culturally relevant curricula, paired with overt discrimination, galvanized students to act.
Causes of the Walkout
The school board refused to engage directly with students. Serna Aguilera remembers how her dad, after a board meeting ended and everyone was crying because they had been ignored, said, “They might rule inside, but we rule outside.”
“Walk out,” he said.
The next day, the students did so. What began with about 500 participants quickly swelled as younger students and community members joined, turning it into one of the largest and most sustained student-led protests in Texas history.
Student Walkout Impact
Led by teenage organizers Severita Lara, Mario Treviño and Serna Aguilera, students compiled a list of demands: bilingual-bicultural education, increased Mexican American representation among faculty and on the school board, fair and free elections for student government and zero retaliation against protesters.
In response, then-U.S. Sen. Ralph Yarborough summoned the leaders to Washington, D.C., where they met with then-U.S. Rep. George H.W. Bush, then-Sen. Edward Kennedy and others. The politicians reported the situation to the Departments of Justice and Health, Education, and Welfare.
Federal negotiators intervened and supported the students’ demands for no reprisals, a multicultural advisory board, bilingual education and the incorporation of Mexican American history and culture into the curriculum.
After nearly two weeks of demonstrations, the district leadership agreed.
“We won,” Serna Aguilera said.
Aftermath of the Walkout
Following the walkout, Mexican American leaders ran for — and won — a majority of seats on the Crystal City school board and City Council in 1970.
Crystal City emerged as a cradle of Chicano political empowerment and the birthplace of La Raza Unida Party, co-founded by José Ángel Gutiérrez, which campaigned for Chicano representation throughout Texas in the 1970s.
“My father became sheriff, first Mexican American sheriff in 1972,” Serna Aguilera said. “My mom became the first woman mayor in Crystal City.”
Political Engagement
Serna Aguilera worked for the Dallas Independent School District for 27 years as a legal researcher with the school attorney’s office and as an advocate promoting awareness of intercultural relations and sexual harassment.
She said voting and community organizing are crucial for bringing about change. She spoke about the parallels between past and present treatment of immigrants and asked everyone to get involved in politics and help people register to vote.
“Education and representation are interconnected,” Serna Aguilera said. “By challenging discriminatory school policies, we opened pathways for better educational opportunities and cultural respect.”
Accompanied by his parents, 23-year-old Diego Rentería was thrilled to hear Serna Aguilera speak in person. After the event, he stayed to chat with the speaker and take photos.
“Hearing from someone who fought for our rights and elevated the Chicano movement in Texas is so inspiring,” said Rentería, who majored in Chicano studies at the University of New Mexico and lives in Dallas.
Debbie Rentería, Diego’s mother, who is 60 years old and currently works for the Richardson Independent School District, was sworn in as the district’s first Hispanic trustee in 2020.
“Even though this took place more than 50 years ago, our school districts still face challenges in serving our Latino students,” Debbie Rentería said. “Although Diana Serna Aguilera paved the way for better conditions, there is still a lot of work to be done.”
The original photographs taken by Serna Aguilera and the letter signed by former President George H.W. Bush are part of The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum archive.
Visit the museum website for more information.
Conclusion
The Crystal City walkout was a pivotal moment in the Chicano movement in Texas, led by students who demanded changes from school and local leaders. The walkout resulted in significant changes, including bilingual-bicultural education, increased Mexican American representation, and the incorporation of
