Raul Ruiz (journalist)

Raul Ruíz (11 July 1940 – 13 June 2019[1][2]) was an American journalist, professor, and political activist for Chicano civil rights during the Chicano movement and for the Peace movement of the 1960s and '70s.

Ruíz in 1983

Biography edit

Ruiz was born in El Paso, Texas but moved to Los Angeles in his teen years. He attended California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) where he earned both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree.[1] As a reporter, and editor of La Raza, Ruíz covered the Chicano Moratorium.[3][4] He notably photographed the police aiming tear gas launchers at the Silver Dollar Café, where Ruben Salazar was killed.[5] Ruiz's photo, considered an essential historical image of the Chicano movement, ran on the cover of the L.A. Times and was reproduced around the world.

Ruiz was a candidate for La Raza Unida Party, a Chicano political party. He ran for the 48th Assembly district seat in Los Angeles in 1971, gaining 8 percent of the vote. In 1972 he ran for the 40th Assembly district seat, covering East L.A., under the La Raza Unida ticket, gaining 13 percent of the vote.[6]

Ruiz taught for many years in the department of Chicano Studies at California State University, Northridge.[1][7] He died in Los Angeles on June 13, 2019.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d Arellano, Gustavo (2019-06-15). "Raul Ruiz, journalist and activist for the Chicano movement in L.A., dies at 78". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
  2. ^ "Obituary". Mission Hills Mortuary : Mission Hills, California (CA). Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  3. ^ Remembering Raul Ruiz, A Hero Of LA's Chicano Movement, Lita Martinez, Laist, 2019-06-14.
  4. ^ Jao, Carren (April 5, 2018). "Narrated Photo Essay: Raul Ruiz and the Rights of the Chicano". KCET. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  5. ^ Unearthing the photos of La Raza, unsung chronicler of Chicano stories in LA, Shaya Tayefe Mohajer, 2017-10-02
  6. ^ Garcia, Ignacio M. (1989). United We Win: The Rise and Fall of La Raza Unida. Tucson: Mexican American Studies & Research Center, University of Arizona. ISBN 0939363011.
  7. ^ Garcia, Mario (2015). The Chicano Generation: Testimonios of the Movement. Oakland, CA: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0520286023.