Sponsored by the Chicano Studies Research Center, Charles E. Young Research Library Department of Special Collections, and Fowler Museum of Cultural History, the symposium commemorated, examined, and evaluated the Sleepy Lagoon case and reflected upon parallels with current events. The program began on Friday, May 20th at the Chicano Studies Research Center with scholarly presentations regarding zoot suit culture, followed by a screening of the film Zoot Suit at the Fowler Museum of Cultural History. On Saturday, May 21st, scholars, lawyers, civil rights advocates and witnesses to the events surrounding the Sleepy Lagoon case came together in a series of presentations and panel discussions with the following goals:

• to inform the public about the Mexican American youth who were denied their constitutional rights;
• to highlight how people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds have worked together to make the United States truly democratic;
• to honor those whose efforts freed the defendants and to hear their stories;
• to encourage dialogue about the case and its relevance for Chicana/o studies;
• to call attention to similar instances of racial profiling and the denial of constitutional rights occurring today.

Full symposium details and a list of participants are available at: http://www.library.ucla.edu/special/scweb/sleepylagoon.htm

To accompany the symposium, the Department of Special Collections launched an exhibit culled from its extensive holdings of primary source material relating to the Sleepy Lagoon Case. The exhibition may be viewed online at: http://www.library.ucla.edu/special/scweb/slexhibit.htm