Language & Civil Rights Publications

Explore Sailee Charlu’s writing and projects on civil rights, bilingual education policy, and educational justice. This collection examines the 1968 East Los Angeles Walkouts, California’s language education requirements, Peter Chacon’s legislative legacy, and student-led advocacy.

Home / Research / Language & Civil Rights Publications

Civil Rights Publications

Select a publication below to read the full text or explore the accompanying podcast.

The Power of Protest

Fear, Courage, and Change in the Chicano Movement. Published April 18, 2026, Critical Debates HS GJ

Examines the 1968 East LA Walkouts as a turning point in the Chicano Movement, analyzing how fear of expulsion, legal retaliation, and government surveillance suppressed student mobilization — yet failed to stop the rise of strategic, nonviolent activism. Traces the movement’s roots in legal precedents like Mendez v. Westminster, its debt to civil rights leaders like MLK and Cesar Chavez, and its legacy in the Bilingual Education Act and ethnic studies requirements.

State vs. Federal Responsibility

Evaluating California’s Minimal Foreign Language Requirement

Analyzes California’s two-year foreign language graduation requirement as a case study in state-federal tension over education policy. Argues that minimal FL mandates, declining teacher pipelines, and shifting federal priorities (including threats to dismantle the Department of Education) have weakened cultural competence, exacerbated inequities, and undermined national security and diplomatic capacity.

Peter Chacon

Conviction Without Silence

John F Kennedy Profiles in Courage Essay, Multilingual Educator Magazine- California Association of Bilingual Education Organization (CABE).

A political courage profile of Peter Chacon, the California assemblyman who authored the Chacon-Moscone Bilingual-Bicultural Education Act. Traces his upset 1969 election in a district that was only 8% Latino, his authorship of the first state funding for English Language Learners, and his refusal to retreat from bilingual education advocacy despite two decades of political backlash.

Refusing to Stay Silent

Chicano Youth and the Making of Educational Justice

Journal of Research High School (JRHS)

A reframed version of the Chicano Movement paper, restructured for JRHS with the same core argument — student agency and moral courage overcoming institutional fear and repression — now foregrounding youth voice and the movement’s lasting impact on educational justice policy.

National History Day Podcast Champion

1968 East Los Angeles Walkouts

Sailee’s National History Day podcast examines the 1968 East LA Walkouts as a pivotal moment of student-led resistance in the Chicano Movement, tracing how youth organizing against educational discrimination sparked lasting policy reform.