Native Americans Protest in Downtown LA!

On Tuesday October 11, 2022 a recording of the LA City Council President Nury Martinez made racist remarks. Cedillo, De León and Herrera responded and spoke of other topics. Nury Martinez already resigned but still hasn’t apoligized. In the audio recording of a conversation that took place in October 2021, former L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez refers to Oaxacans as “little short dark people”  a racist stereotype often used to demean Indigenous communities

On Saturday October 15,2022 hundreds of protesters marched through Downtown LA to City Hall they made sure everyone knew were they were from. Their signs boasted pueblos like San Bartolomé Zoogocho, Santa María Xochixtepec and Santiago Zoochila. Brass bands played ‘sones’ and ‘jarabes,’ representing the music tied to their identity. Their chants rang out through the streets: “Se ve, se siente, Oaxaca está presente.” “You see it, you feel it, Oaxaca is present. Los Angeles is home to one of the largest Oaxacan communities outside of Mexico. Some signs also stated there opinions about how they felt about the Audio or there thoughts about Europeans. Some stating that there proud being who they are.

One expert estimated that there are as many as 200,000 Zapotecs  the largest Indigenous group from Oaxaca  living in Los Angeles County. As early as the 1940s, Oaxacan immigrants came to the U.S. in search of better wages and jobs, working in agriculture through an established bracero program of seasonal migrant workers. Oaxaca is one of Mexico’s poorest states, but the people have deeply influenced U.S. culture and food and shaped Los Angeles over the years.

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