Honoring Los Seis de Boulder
On May 27, 1974, Una Jaakola (ʲ⳦’73), Reyes Martínez (Law’73) and Neva Romero (A&S ex’75) were killed by a car bomb at Chautauqua Park. Forty-eight hours later, a second car bomb killed Florencio Granado (A&S ex’73), Heriberto Terán (A&S ex’73) and Francisco Dougherty at the corner of 28th Street and Canyon Boulevard.
These Chicano movement activists are known as Los Seis de Boulder.
They fought to achieve parity of racial representation within the student body — a need that persists today. This May marks the 50th anniversary of these tragedies, which remain unsolved.
In 2019, Jasmine Baetz (MFA’20) designed a sculpture in memory of the six killed. The university installed the Los Seis de Boulder sculpture by the Albert and Vera Ramírez Temporary Building Number 1 and Sewall Hall. It was added to the University Libraries’ Rare & Distinctive Collections in 2020.
Chancellor Philip DiStefano noted the sculpture’s place in the university archives “will help to provide current and future students, faculty and staff opportunities to learn more about an important chapter of Colorado and university history.”
Baetz, now a visiting professor in ceramics at Scripps College and Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California, told Boulder Today in 2020 that she hoped the community-created project would contribute to a climate in which the university can act with “honor, integrity and accountability toward BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) students, staff and faculty who were and are impacted by systemic racism at Boulder.”
When the sculpture was made part of the permanent collection three years ago, Baetz said, “It’s hard to accept that the killings of Los Seis have been silenced for so long. My hope is that the sculpture’s preservation will weaken our institution’s historical amnesia around civil rights struggles at Boulder.”
To recognize Los Seis and their fight for justice, Boulder is working to establish an endowed scholarship fund of $750,000 to award six $5,000 scholarships annually, each in the name of a member of Los Seis. Contributions to the fund support Boulder students who participate in organizations committed to increasing economic, racial or ethnic representation in Boulder’s student body.
The BUENO Center for Multicultural Education at Boulder administers the Los Seis Memorial Scholarship.
“The Los Seis Memorial Scholarship is about honoring the memory and fight for justice of Los Seis de Boulder, acknowledging the tragic events of the past and aiming to build a future where their courageous sacrifice inspires hope for future students to continue advocating for representation, educational equity and a just and inclusive society,” said Tania Hogan, BUENO Center executive director.
Donations to the Los Seis Memorial Scholarship Fund .
Photo by Glenn Asakawa