Acclaimed artist Robert Vargas unveiled “Lessons in Humanity” a mural of the late historian, Professor Rudy Acuña PhD. Located across from Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights is a meaningful location, said son Frank Acuña (right) who attended the unveiling with his sister Angela (center) and brother Walter (left). “My father was most proud of being a teacher, so to be back in Boyle Heights where he was born, across from Roosevelt would have meant a great deal to him.” Professor Acuña, a scholar and the author of scores of books including Occupied America credited for “righting history” was one of the pioneers of Chicano Studies who built the largest department in the nation at CSUN.
“To see my Daddy up there wearing his Ray Bans on is a good feeling.” The mural was unveiled on the 56th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium. “The message that I hope these students get is that they are enough, and being from Boyle Heights, being Chicano is a superpower,” said Vargas. “I hope this mural instills pride in the community, and as they pass by the mural, they ask who was Rudy Acuña.