Apostles of Change: Latino Radical Politics, Church Occupations, and the Fight to Save the Barrio (Historia USA)

2021 Finalist Raul Yzaguirre Best Political/Current Affairs Book, International Latino Book Awards Winner of the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education Inaugural Book Award In the late 1960s, the American city found itself in steep decline. An urban crisis fueled by federal policy wreaked destruction and displacement on poor and working-class families. The urban drama included religious institutions, themselves undergoing fundamental change, that debated whether to stay in the city or move to the suburbs. Against the backdrop of the Black and Brown Power movements, which challenged economic inequality and white supremacy, young Latino radicals began occupying churches and disrupting services to compel church communities to join their protests against urban renewal, poverty, police brutality, and racism. Apostles of Change tells the story of these occupations and establishes their context within the urban crisis; relates the tensions they created; and articulates the activists' bold, new vision for the church and the world. Through case studies from Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, and Houston, Felipe Hinojosa reveals how Latino freedom movements frequently crossed boundaries between faith and politics and argues that understanding the history of these radical politics is essential to understanding the dynamic changes in Latino religious groups from the late 1960s to the early 1980s.

2021 Finalist Raul Yzaguirre Best Political/CurrentAffairs Book, International Latino Book Awards

Winner of the Texas Association of Chicanos in HigherEducation Inaugural Book Award

Unraveling the intertwined histories of Latinoradicalism and religion in urban America, this book examines howLatino activists transformed churches into staging grounds forprotest against urban renewal and displacement. In thelate 1960s, the American city found itself in steep decline. Anurban crisis fueled by federal policy wreaked destruction anddisplacement on poor and working-class families. The urban dramaincluded religious institutions, themselves undergoing fundamentalchange, that debated whether to stay in the city or move to thesuburbs. Against the backdrop of the Black and Brown Powermovements, which challenged economic inequality and whitesupremacy, young Latino radicals began occupying churches anddisrupting services to compel church communities to join theirprotests against urban renewal, poverty, police brutality, andracism.

Apostles of Change tells the story of these occupationsand establishes their context within the urban crisis; relates thetensions they created; and articulates the activists' bold, newvision for the church and the world. Through case studies fromChicago, Los Angeles, New York City, and Houston, Felipe Hinojosareveals how Latino freedom movements frequently crossed boundariesbetween faith and politics and argues that understanding thehistory of these radical politics is essential to understanding thedynamic changes in Latino religious groups from the late 1960s tothe early 1980s.

In the late 1960s, the American city found itself in steep decline. An urban crisis fueled by federal policy wreaked destruction and displacement on poor and working-class families. The urban drama included religious institutions, themselves undergoing fundamental change, that debated whether to stay in the city or move to the suburbs. Against the backdrop of the Black and Brown Power movements, which challenged economic inequality and white supremacy, young Latino radicals began occupying churches and disrupting services to compel church communities to join their protests against urban renewal, poverty, police brutality, and racism. Apostles of Change tells the story of these occupations and establishes their context within the urban crisis; relates the tensions they created; and articulates the activists' bold, new vision for the church and the world. Through case studies from Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, and Houston, Felipe Hinojosa reveals how Latino freedom movements frequently crossed boundaries between faith and politics and argues that understanding the history of these radical politics is essential to understanding the dynamic changes in Latino religious groups from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. -- From dust jacket Preface 10 Acknowledgments 12 Abbreviations 16 Introduction. The People’s Church 20 1. Thunder in Chicago’s Lincoln Park 38 2. “People—Yes, Cathedrals—No!” in Los Angeles 75 3. The People’s Church in East Harlem 108 4. Magic in Houston’s Northside Barrio 139 Conclusion. When History Dreams 165 Notes 180 Bibliography 214 Index 226 "Unraveling the intertwined histories of Latino radicalism and religion in urban America, this book examines how Latino activists transformed churches into staging grounds for protest against urban renewal and displacement in the 1960s through the 1980s"