Remembering Manuel R. Delgado
November 27, 2024
Remembering Manuel R. Delgado
(December 28, 1940 – October 28, 2024)
The Delgado family is sad to announce the passing of Manuel R. Delgado on October 28, 2024, at age 83 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He attended UC Berkeley in the late 60’s and helped to establish the Ethnic Studies Department through his activism and leadership. The following biographical account was assisted by Lucha Corpi, poet and writer.
~Carole Delgado, Youngest Sister representing Manuel R. Delgado
Manuel Ruben Delgado, author of the award-winning memoir, The Last Chicano: A Mexican American Experience, was born and raised in San Bernardino, California, where both his parents and their families have lived for generations. At the end of the day, instead of lullabies and other stories for children, Manuel quietly sat and listened to family stories. Later he enjoyed the tall tales from his uncles on both sides of the family. He became aware of the social, economic and political inequities endured by Mexican Americans since California was annexed as a U.S. territory. A formal education beyond elementary or secondary school was not considered an attainable goal by Mexican American youth. Rebelling against the status quo that kept them from gaining access to the “American Dream,” his uncles became boxers, fighters, or pursued other kinds of physical work. Some of them preferred to dress in unique ways, as “Pachucos—Zootsuiters.” They earned a living in ways that were not quite socially acceptable, but that ensured the survival of their families and their communities.
Young Manuel wanted so much to be like them, to have access to that kind of personal strength and power. And, of course, to don the zoot-suit, which he did. But life had other plans for him. While working in construction with his father, he became quite ill with valley fever. Bedridden for months and with no other ways to pass the time, he rediscovered reading. His favorite books were sagas and true historical accounts. In time, his long-range plans changed. Attending a college or university became a more desirable and feasible goal. He applied and was accepted to the University of California at Berkeley (UCB).
At UC Berkeley, he joined the Mexican American Student Confederation—MASC, an organization that shared similar goals with other students of color groups on campus. His participation led to the formation of the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF), a coalition that fought to establish a Third World College at UC Berkeley. The TWLF consisted of four organizations: MASC, Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA), Afro-American Student Union (AASU), and Native American Student Union (NASU). Not only did Manuel play an instrumental role in forming the TWLF, he also contributed to the writing of the Third World College curriculum proposal which called for the establishment of four departments: African American Studies, Asian Studies, Chicano Studies and Native American Studies.
Negotiations with the university administration broke down, resulting in the 1969 TWLF student strike at UC Berkeley. The TWLF Strike at UC Berkeley, along with the TWLF Strike at SF State, were among the longest, most violent student insurrections in California history. Then Governor of California, Ronald Reagan, called for the National Guard and other city and county law enforcement agencies to occupy the campus and defeat the TWLF students’ movement for equality. The students’ demands were met with teargas, their bodies with the batons of the campus police, Berkeley city police and Alameda County sheriffs. Bay Area colleges, universities, and community groups, who could not join the strike, supported the students; efforts in a variety of ways—providing financial and legal aid to students and their families. Law students, together with attorneys in Oakland and Berkeley, volunteered to represent the TWLF students in court. Other community groups offered their financial and legal aid as well.
Manuel Ruben Delgado, with Agustin Gurza, and other Chicano students and community groups in Oakland and Berkeley, continued efforts to instruct and assist students on how to apply for financial assistance and other services. To that end, he established two organizations to help students succeed at UC Berkeley.
FRENTE DE LIBERACION DEL PUEBLO was an organization devoted to instructing students on the need for unity and continued political action pro-Raza in Berkeley and Oakland.
CASA JOAQUIN MURIETA** was established as an off-campus student residence. In addition, new students were helped to familiarize themselves with the campus and other off campus agencies. They also received pertinent information on the many free services on campus and how to apply for them. These included counseling at CASA.
For him, his work was done at Berkeley. Eventually, he moved back to Southern California and closer to his family. For him, the struggle for equal rights under the law continued.
He gathered all his experiences and what he had learned from them in his book, The Last Chicano: A Mexican American Experience!
Manuel Ruben Delgado, Presente!
**Joaquin Murieta** was considered “a bandit” by some historians. For Mexican Americans in general he was and still is a hero, the ultimate social and financial equalizer. He roamed the sierras in California’s Gold Country, seeking justice for those who couldn’t attain it by themselves. This particular interpretation eventually gave birth to the legend of “El Zorro.”
(11/25/2024)