Honoring Nativo Vigil Lopez on the 4th Year of Transcending our Earth ‘Parque Nativo Lopez’

By Miguel Lopez | MAY 19, 2023 | Photo by Glenn Koenig for LAist/89.3FM

On this 4th year of loss, we join the Los Angeles City Council District 1 and our community in honoring Nativo Vigil Lopez, leader extraordinaire of our social movement since the 1960’s, with the recent opening of “Parque Nativo Lopez” on Hoover St. near downtown L.A.

Born Larry Ike Lopez (Nativo Vigil Lopez), October 3, 1951, at General Hospital in Boyle Heights from Beatrice Marian Vigil & Robert Paul Lopez, and who later settled in Norwalk, California in a large Mexican/Chicano family. The Vigil side of the family created a foundation with the support, mentorship, and protection of two uncles, Dr. James Diego Vigil and Richard “(Mangas Coloradas” Vigil, particularly during the 1960’s political hurricanes of the Chicano Movement.

As a young teen he accompanied his uncle “Mangas” at political protest, and was exposed to the news of the military draft. It was during this period that he discovered his uncles’ role in MAAC (Mexican American Action Committee), the Van de Kamp & TIME magazine protests, El Rancho school walk outs, and later the 1968 E.L.A. Blowouts. In 1969, he co-founded UMAS (United Mexican American Students) in high school, threatened to walk out, and from the Plan de Santa Barbara changed to MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanos de Aztlan). This led to a connection with all the L.A. & Long Beach activist, the Chicano Moratorium committee, and publishing a MEChA newsletter. In March of 1969 he was expelled from school, denied the opportunity to graduate with his class, and was mailed a diploma in an act of district retaliation.

Parque Nativo Lopez - 1827 S Hoover St, Los Angeles, CA 90006

This was the moment in 1969 when he became “All out Nativo”, in protest to the refusal by U.S. schools to recognize the needs of Mexican/Chicanos, and, to identify with his native Mexican heritage based on the principle of self-determination. He became subject to the draft, began working as a Teamster dock worker, and began to plot the organizing efforts for the next phase of protest.

The Nativo Lopez of 1970 to 1972 followed the popular agenda of radical activism, which included organizing and supporting the 1970 walk outs at Excelsior High School, helping form UPAN (United Parents Association of Norwalk), Chicano Studies at Cerritos College, joining the Brown Berets, opening El Centro Aztlan de Norwalk, and founding the La Raza Unida Party in Norwalk. Nativo led a campaign to build a Norwalk Social Service Center & Library on Alondra Blvd. in the Norwalk barrio and One-Ways, with a community advisory committee.

The brain child for the service center came from an encounter in 1968-69 with Humberto “Bert” Corona, during the fight on anti-Mexican and anti-immigrant legislative proposals by the U.S. Congress. By 1972 he made a transition to join C.A.S.A.– HGT (Centro de Accion Social Autonoma – Hermandad General de Trabajadores) under the leadership of Bert Corona and Soledad “Chole” Alatorre, the two elders that became life-long mentors and collaborators in the fight against racist immigration policies of the U.S. government. The CASA agenda included an effort to join forces in support of political prisoners in the U.S., in particular the Los Tres del Barrio case in Boyle Heights, where the effort to stop the sale of dangerous drugs in the barrios was underway. He collaborated on the founding of the political newspaper “Sin Fronteras”, as one of the editorial board leaders, formed as a publication of C.A.S.A. to educate and advocate for social economic change, and defend the interests of the working class.

Upon the demise of C.A.S.A., Nativo joined forces with La Hermandad Mexicana, under the mentorship of Bert Corona, and was asked to step out of the comfort of Los Angeles and transition to Orange County, the land of the racist Republican cabal.

The founding of La Hermandad Mexicana in Santa Ana became the thorn in the side of the Republican Party, and the change that the Mexican people of Orange County wanted in the world. La Hermandad trained hundreds of citizens to vote and change the face of congressional representation. These working militants upset the politics in 1996 by removing a long time Republican congressman, electing a younger Latina/Chicana, and flipped the order of operations in “Republican land”. There was an immediate reaction, accusations of fraud/illegal voting, a demand for a recount, and investigations to reverse the democratic decision of the people. La Hermandad prevailed!

For over three decades the Hermandad Mexicana in Santa Ana, led by Nativo, defended, represented, advocated, and supported every agenda that has brought a voice to the poor working class in Orange County. At a most popular moment in the cycle of political struggle, Nativo was elected to the Santa Ana School Board for the continued advocacy of the rights of students and their families. The board on Nativo’s motion, named a school after the parents of Sylvia Mendez, the young Mexican girl that was refused the right to attend an all-white school, and was successful in 1947 in the case Mendez vs. Westminister.

Nativo initiated bilingual education in Santa Ana schools, an ethnic studies program, including the first Chicano studies class, and recognition for immigrant students to advance to college.

Nativo became the target of O.C. business/political machinery, with a 2003 recall from the Santa Ana School Board, efforts to denigrate his work, and opposition to La Hermandad’s support of immigrant families against anti-immigrant laws. The most significant being the 2013 success in providing drivers licenses to the undocumented, a law that has been achieved in many other states.

In 2019, Nativo co-founded the 50th Chicano Moratorium Committee, designed to educate and commemorate August 29, 1970 and the Chicano civil rights movement. His efforts to provide humanitarian defense to all people led to an appointment by L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti to the L.A. City Human Rights Commission, which was withdrawn due to his untimely passing on May 19, 2019. The L.A. City Council & the office of Gil Cedillo - District 1 respectfully honored his passing by naming “Parque Nativo Lopez” in recognition of a life in struggle & stewardship.