EAST LOS ANGELES — County Supervisor Gloria Molina and the Department of Parks and Recreation will hold a special ceremony in honor of journalist Ruben Salazar at 11 a.m. Friday at the East Los Angeles park named for him, 3864 Whittier Blvd., a Molina spokesperson said.
“Ruben Salazar's life and death became emblematic of the Chicano Rights movement of the 1970s,” Molina Said.
This year marked the 44th anniversary of the death of the passing of the KMEX and L.A. Times journalist, who was shot and killed at age 42 while covering the Chicano Moratorium anti-war protest.
The ceremony will include the unveiling of a plaque that will detail Salazar’s legacy and stand as a lasting tribute at the popular community-gathering place that has borne his name since it was renamed for Salazar in 1970, Molina said.
“Ruben Salazar was a gifted chronicler and advocate who dedicated his talents to sharing with the world what it meant to be Mexican-American in a transformative time and place. His contributions made him an icon in the community — and although his life was cut tragically short, his legacy lives on in the people influenced, inspired and touched by his work,” Molina said.
Immediately following the ceremony, the award-winning documentary “Ruben Salazar: Man in the Middle” will be shown inside the gymnasium at the park.
First aired on PBS in April, Phillip Rodriguez’s film chronicles Salazar’s life and career, then examines the mysterious circumstances surrounding his killing.
“Ruben Salazar Park holds a special place in the heart of the communities it serves, and a big part of that is the man for whom it is named,” said Department of Parks and Recreation Director Russ Guiney.
“We are honored by this opportunity to pay tribute to him, as well as raise new awareness about the history he documented, participated in and helped create.”
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