On this day, October 11, in 1972

A group of Chicano teachers, students, and community activists in Seattle Washington entered the abandoned Beacon Hill School building and announced their intention to stay until the city met their demands. The group peacefully occupied the school for 3 months in the middle of winter before they were finally granted the space to establish a Chicano community center. This action was triggered after the city abruptly cut funding for an Adult Basic Education and ESL program at the local community college, leaving its students ripped of their educational recourses. The community center, El Centro de la Raza, became one of the most effective Latino civil rights organizations in America. Now that’s community empowerment!