Former counselor’s Chicano Park children’s book teaches the past to see the future
Retired SC counselor Beatrice Zamora wrote “Spirit of Chicano Park” to educate children about the rich history of the revered park and to encourage younger generations to continue the progress of their forbearers.
By Anissa Durham
Birthing Chicano Park was an act of rebellion.
So was publishing a children’s book about the legendary tierra beneath the Coronado Bridge.
Like their real-life forbearers in 1970, Bettie and Bonky faced an epic struggle to find voice. Like the Logan Heights Chicanos of that fateful April, author Beatrice Zamora refused to give up. Her pen was as the picks, shovels and axes of 1970, scratching out something new in the soil of Aztlan.
A former Southwestern College counselor and long-time Aztec dancer, Zamora created a pair of kids named Bettie and Bonky as a vehicle to encourage children to explore the awe-inspiring murals of Chicano Park, and to delve into its rich and rowdy history.
Chicano Park is a microcosm of the story of abuse and marginalization of communities of color in the New World dating back to Columbus and the conquistadors. A once-stately shoreline community with successful, diverse residents in Tudor and adobe homes, Logan Heights was relentlessly degraded by World War II industrial buildup, the military, garbage dumps and pollution. The coup de grace was the construction of Interstate 5 in the 1960s, a stone dagger through la corazon of the community.
Then it got worse.
California decided to construct an ambitious, sweeping bridge from Coronado to the shores of the east side of the bay, blowing another enormous hole in the fragmented community. In an effort to salvage something hopeful from the carnage, residents of Barrio Logan negotiated with the City of San Diego for a park under the bridge. An agreement was struck.
Like so many other agreements with indigenous Americans, however, the city went back on its word. On the morning of April 22, 1970, Mario Solis, a student at San Diego City College, was walking through Barrio Logan below the bridge. What he saw jolted him into action. Bulldozers and construction crews had congregated to clear the land. Horrified residents learned that the city had given their park land over for a Highway Patrol station.
Incensed by the betrayal, defiant members of the community planted themselves in front of bulldozers in protest. Hundreds of Chicanos from around the region poured in, then thousands from across America. African-Americans, Filipino Americans and Anglos joined the siege in support of Loganistas. Using gardening tools from their own sheds, protesters began to scratch out a park by hand. Artists began to paint on the bridge supports.
After a tense 12-day standoff, the city relented and Chicano Park was born. Today is a National Heritage Site and the world’s largest collection of outdoor murals. It is a San Diego County treasure.
Zamora’s characters make the case that the work to revitalize Barrio Logan is not over. Illustrator Maira Meza does her part with bright primary colors reflective of the bold style of Chicano muralists and indigenous folk artists.
“What I am hoping (to accomplish is to) inspire children and families is to understand that land is very important, the land is to be respected and to be taken care of,” Zamora said.
Meza agreed.
“It’s important for the younger kids to know why we have this park, why it’s important to take care of it, and how they can be involved,” she said.
Mario Aguilar, Zamora’s husband and a Chichimeca dancer for more than 40 years, said the park symbolizes self-determination, resilience and community action.
“I think the biggest lesson of Chicano Park is that people have power when they take it,” he said. “It’s never given to you, you have to fight for it.”
Zamora said San Diego County was built on the backs of Black and Brown people who have been put at a disadvantage by White counterparts. Children in these underserved communities must find their voices and speak up.
Publishing a book about an underrepresented community was no easy feat, Zamora said. A vast majority of children’s book writers are white, she said, making it difficult to find children’s books authored by people of color when she was raising her own kids.
Little has changed, according to Zamora. Less than 10 percent of children’s books are written by Black, Latino and Native American authors — combined.
“I realized that (publishing) has traditionally been a very White world that has not been open to diverse voices,” she said.
Her work-around was the establishment of Tolteca Press, a publishing company focused on producing materials relevant to her community and empowering voices of color.
“Our children need to have local heroes, they need to know that their neighbors take to heart community service and seek to improve the environment for everyone,” Zamora said.
Meza concurred.
“It’s unsettling to think there hasn’t been a book for our children to read and learn about their culture,” she said. “(Latino children) are not taught about Chicano culture in school.
Bettie and Bonky are depicted with dark brown indio skin. Zamora and Meza said they wanted to show children that however dark their skin is, they should be proud. Aguilar said this message resonates in 2020.
“As Chicanos we need to be proud of who we are, never be ashamed of the color of our skin, our hair and our noses,” he said.
Education is the great equalizer, Zamora said, and something no one can ever take away.
Aguilar agreed.
“Our future relies on educating ourselves on Indigenous traditions and making sure our children get the best education possible so that they can take our place in this society,” he said.
Bettie comes to understand that young girls and women can empower themselves through higher education.
“Being a person of color, even if you don’t say one word, your presence changes the conversation,” said Zamora.
Aguilar and Zamora employ dance to contribute to the conversation.
“We use our culture not to entertain people, but to educate them,” Aguilar said. “When I put on my headdress and dance regalia, these are not costumes, I become another part of who I am.”
Aguilar said the Danza Azteca troupe is a gateway to Chicanos’ ancestral culture and pride.
People of color are still overlooked, Zamora said. Indigenous people are an afterthought. Columbus Day should be renamed Indigenous Peoples Day, she insisted.
“We are still here, we haven’t gone away, we didn’t all get killed, we didn’t all die,” she said. “Many of us survived. We are thriving and reviving our heritage.”
Revival powers “The Spirit of Chicano Park.”
“It’s about the spirit of the future, the spirit of our children armoring themselves with information and education (so they can) move forward as true cultural warriors,” said Zamora.
“The Spirit of Chicano Park” may be purchased on Amazon.com. A limited number of free copies are available at the Logan Heights Branch Library. Proceeds will be divided between the Chicano Park Steering Committee and the soon-to-open Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center.