This year, research on racism and discrimination carried out in both the United States and Mexico have caused a stir. A U.S. survey many by finding that people of all races reported having suffered racial discrimination.

Decades before the current fight in Standing Rock to protect the waters of the Missouri River from oil contamination, there was the less known battle of the Chemehuevi Tribe to protect the Colorado River from toxic waste. At the center of that epic battle was veteran local activist Alfredo Figueroa.

“San José’s Eastside in general has historically been a hub for political activism, which went hand in hand with artistic creativity that gave birth to outstanding artists and art groups such as Rudy Madrid, Flor del Pueblo, and the world renowned Los Tigres del Norte.