In June 1943, Los Angeles saw a series of riots known as the Zoot Suit Riots involving American sailors and young Mexican Americans. The riots were named after Zoot suits, which were loose-fitting clothing worn during World War II. Although clothing seems like an irrational point to start riots, during the war it was necessary to ration fabric, so excessive fabric was seen as unpatriotic to the war effort. The combination of this unpatriotic sentiment and the deeply ingrained racism against Mexican Americans gave white Americans the ammunition to attack them unfairly. In the midst of the riots, many young Mexican-Americans were beaten and stripped of their clothing with little to no consequences for the sailors/civilians. A year earlier, in the same city, Jose Diaz had been murdered during an altercation between feuding groups. The death of Jose Diaz became an example of the growing gang violence and gave white Americans the opportunity to push their alarmism into American society. Despite this, the Sleepy Lagoon murder investigation saw a unique situation where Latino men were convicted of the murder with little evidence to support it. Humiliation of this magnitude has created an exasperating environment fueled by racism and discrimination. A couple of decades later, the formation of the Chicano/a movement began to systematically fight for Latinx civil rights. Luis Valdez is one of the pioneering figures of the Chicano/a movement and through his literary work “Zoot Suits” brought attention to the injustices to which Latinxs were subjected. Valdez uses this play to educate audiences about the cultural importance of zoot suits, to bring to light police brutality against Mexican Americans, and to create a lasting message that Mexican Americans are a fighting people and are not willing to belittle the own identity despite racialization/Discrimination in the USA Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Valdez's work is based on the murder of Jose Diaz in Sleeper Lagoon and draws inspiration from the Zoot Suit Riots. The show centers on El Pachuco, also known as Henry Reyna, who embodies the idea of ​​young Mexican-Americans living in the turbulent and hostile atmosphere of the United States in the 1940s. Valdez titled his play Zoot Suits to bring to the forefront the cultural impact of costumes within the Mexican-American community and how they created a dialogue of discrimination and representation in American society. As previously mentioned, zoot suits were despised because they were considered excessive and unpatriotic. It is difficult to understand why an item of clothing posed such a threat, but we must see it in a social and historical context. The suits originated within the African-American jazz community. In Murder at the Sleepy Lagoon, Eduardo Pagan explains that the costumes “were part of a larger complex of ideas and practices that the white middle class of Los Angeles considered threatening to the social order…summarized in a single word: 'jazz.' ”. Jazz of the 1940s was promiscuous, provocative, and fundamentally different from the norm. White Americans attributed their discriminatory assumptions to the causes giving it a negative image. Additionally, the suit was the physical embodiment of being different and unique with its wide lapels, pegged pants, and overall wacky style, which was another reason to be seen as something bad. Despite this, Mexican Americans wore zoot suits becausetheir emotional value outweighed any bad perceptions they felt. An example of the importance of suits is seen at the beginning of the game. The actors establish a sense of togetherness through their banter and their comfortable nature with each other. In the opening scene, the Pachuco says "Wear a zoot suit, makes you feel like a real root, you look like a diamond, sparkling, shining." The Pachuco are demonstrating how they identify strongly with their zoo suits by singing about how the suits give them power. Valdez chooses to open the game with these words to give liveliness to the suits. For the Pachucos, wearing their clothes was a part of their identity that they were proud of. The time period is also important because the ongoing war has created a gray and gloomy environment. Clothes gave people the chance to be unique, confident and a space to explore themselves through fashion. However, in the words of Eduardo Pagan, “What educators, politicians, social workers, law enforcement – ​​and even members of their own community – failed to see when looking at these children through the lens of fairness social was that part of their failure to conform stemmed from a direct refusal to accept the racialized norm of segregated America.” With the show in mind, looking back to the 1940s, we can understand the fashion trends prevalent within the Mexican-American community and how they chose to express themselves. While the causes were largely considered defiant rebellion and synonymous with criminal behavior, for Mexican Americans it was a public exclamation of their latinidad in a country that strove to remain homogeneous. One of the key things Valdez teaches us is that Mexican Americans were victims of highly publicized police brutality and ostracism by the justice system. Valdez draws attention to police brutality and how people in the justice system have taken advantage of their power. In the play, El Pachuco and his friends known as the Pachucos of 38th Street get into a fight with the Downey gang resulting in the death of a Chicano and the arrest of hundreds of young people. It becomes apparent that the police intend to blame Henry for the murder despite his innocence. Plaintively, Henry exclaims, “They'll do it again, ese! They will accuse me of false charges and keep me until they do something” indicating that he is not naive about how the police plot against people like him. El Pachuco follows with a quick response: “So, what's new?” further reinforcing the idea that they are used to being mistreated and feel trapped in a system built to be against them. Valdez sheds light on how the police did not hide from exploiting their privileges out in the open because there were no repercussions for their actions. When Henry is interrogated by Lieutenant Edwards and Sergeant Smith, the cops adopt a pretentious tone as a way to separate themselves from Henry and establish that they see him as inferior. They use scare tactics on Henry to force a confession out of him. Their language is derogatory, calling Henry and the Mexican Americans “malcontents…cheaters…screamers…animals…[wearing] monkey costumes” and so on. Their view of Mexican Americans is one of contempt and discomfort. Valdez plays on this to show that if the police were unable to get a conviction out of a Pachuco, they would use anti-Mexican hysteria to get his convictions. The show is a demonstration of how Mexican Americans were often brutally beaten both physically and mentally by policemen. I believe they have become scapegoats to alleviate the fear of violencegangs in the 1940s. With little to no Latino representation, the criminalization of the Latino community has been an easy target for police to take advantage of. Valdez also carries forward the sentiments of the Chicano/a movement by showing how the judge and jury convict the Pachucos of murder. In the closing statement the lawyers give a moving speech about how there are forces of racialization and totalitarian ideals working against criminalized youth. He accuses the prosecution of casting young people as "some kind of inhuman gangsters" when convicting them would be like condemning "all young Americans" and killing "the spirit of racial injustice in America." Shortly after his closing statement, the jury finds them guilty. They are incapable of going beyond their own judgment despite lawyers' attempts to make them reason with their humanity. Valdez is implying that it was actions like this wrongful conviction, which later led to the mobilization of the Mexican-American community to make changes in civil rights. The injustices created a feeling in the community that allowed them to unite behind the Chicano/a movement. Finally, Valdez leaves the reader with a message about what kind of people Mexican Americans are in the midst of adversity and racism. It shows the strength of a marginalized community and their relentless persistence to be seen/heard. Throughout the show, there is a dichotomous nature to the Mexican-American community that Valdez wants to talk about. On the one hand, they want to feel as if they rightfully belong to American society. On the other hand, they understand the harsh reality of being seen as inferior and even unworthy of being different, so they oppose everything and anything having to do with white American society. Henry shows this clearly when he reveals that he wishes to join the Navy and fight for his country. He believes that by joining the Army, he is solidifying his status as a true American. He is demonstrating his loyalty to his country in hopes of gaining equality for himself. El Pachuco tells him that America is not his country because Los Angeles “has declared total war on the Chicanos.” El Pachuco is painfully aware that there are people in America who don't want them to prosper. The lives of Mexican Americans described by El Pachuco are those of a war, bringing images of bloodshed, devastation, and murder. As readers, we know that Henry and El Pachuco are the same person. Valdez creates an internal dialogue that shows how a person can often be at odds with himself. During a conversation with Della, Henry says longingly, “Ever since I was a child, I've had this feeling like there's a big party going on somewhere, and I've been invited, but I don't know how to get there. And I want to get there so much that I would even risk my life to do it." The party he talks about is most likely the ideology of a party place where one does not have to suffer racism or injustice. It's a place where she can be happy, dance and sing about the joys of life. He complains about not knowing how to get there, showing how he is lost and doesn't have the tools to get to where he wants to be. He wants to get there so badly that he's willing to die for it. His reality is full of discrimination, so in turn he creates an ideal world in which he feels accepted. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Today, Valdez's Zoot Suits, is just as crucial and necessary as when it was first performed in the 1960s. It's about the mistreatment of a community, the imbalance of power, and the idealization of a better world. Valdez educates readers on issues that aren't talked about enough. We have to be.