Summer Of '63: Old Lessons For A New Movement : Code Switch : NPR

Summer Of '63: Old Lessons For A New Movement : Code Switch : NPR: All this summer, NPR is looking back to civil rights activism of 1963, marking the 50th anniversary of a number of events that changed our society. From the in Mississippi to the March on Washington; NPR is remembering the past and examining how our society has changed. The nonviolent struggle for civil rights has inspired many other movements, among them, the current campaign advocating for the DREAM Act and immigration reform.

I met Edna Monroy — a young, undocumented activist from Mexico — at her neighborhood park in South Los Angeles. It's a historically black part of LA that has seen a huge demographic shift over the past several years. It's now mostly Latino. Monroy is one of the newer arrivals.

She chose Jesse Owens Park for our interview because, she says, it's symbolic. "it's on the borderline," says Monroy. "Since we're talking about borders, this park is on the borderline between South Los Angeles and Inglewood." The park is named after an African-American Olympian, but most of the visitors on this day are Hispanic. And it's situated directly under the flight path for Los Angeles International Airport — LAX to most Angelenos — a place that plays a role in Monroy's journey from Guerrero, Mexico, to South LA.