Zoot Suit Week celebrates highs and lows of an era

On Feb. 24, Casa Zapata will kick off Zoot Suit Week with a dinner and screening of Luis Valdez's film Zoot Suit at 5:30 p.m. in its lounge.

The Chicano/Latino ethnic theme house hosts this annual series of events to celebrate the African American and Latino youth culture of the 1940s that came to be identified with the stylish oversized suits. Zoot Suit Week also aims to educate the public about the police harassment of zoot suiters during the 1942 Sleepy Lagoon murder trial and the violence that erupted during 1943 and became known as the Zoot Suit Riots.

This year's highlight will be a screening of the recently aired PBS documentary Zoot Suit Riots, hosted by the film's director, Joseph Tovares, at 7 p.m. Feb. 28 in Kresge Auditorium. In the Casa Zapata Lounge, a pachuca/o style workshop will take place on Feb. 25 at 5:30 p.m., a swing and salsa dance workshop on Feb. 26 at 8 p.m. and a panel discussion relating the zoot suit era to the present at 6 p.m. on Feb. 27. The week will conclude with two events in the Casa Zapata Dining Hall: a student staging of Zoot Suit at 9 p.m. on March 1 and a dance featuring the music of Dr. Loco's Rockin' Jalapeño Band at 10 p.m. on March 2. All events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Misti Rodriguez at 497-5621.