http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Aztlannet_News/message/23623
Domingo: RE: [Aztlannet_News] Valid Question:: Has the Immigration movement lost all momentum & focus?
Orale Companero Eugene ~ One question leads to an answer, then, more and more questions and answers. Yep... I confess... I admit it... I was a die-hard in the Chicano Movement, was in MAYA at Sacra High from where I graduated in '69, worked with the UFW Grape Boycott, was Minister of Eucation for the Brown Berets, help lead MECHA at Sac State in the early 70's etc. etc.
Nowadays I see have a global overview where Chicanos are going to have to be a key element in far larger global spectrum. We are in the 'brain of the beast'.
The La Raza Unida Party never got off the ground good here in Sacramento, though I remember the thrill I felt when gente 'woke up' in Crystal City.
In Sacra up there is the Chicano Consortium with Efren Gutierrez and there has been some good work done in relaton to the Immigrant Marches, but a lot of good on-site voter education and registration work is yet to be done.
I myself was a Green Party Member until this last Election Cycle and support Peter Camejo. I remember when he worked with the Young Socialist Alliance and the Confernce in Hayward long ago with Corky but that's another story.
Now I am a Registered Democrat in the radical lunatic fringe, though, I consider myself a Centralist, not Left or Right. Recall: the whole Left Wing and RIght Wing labels came out of France in the 19th Century. .
The term originates from the French Revolution, when liberal deputies from the Third Estate generally sat to the left of the president's chair, a habit which began in the Estates General of 1789. The nobility, members of the Second Estate, generally sat to the right. It is still the tradition in the French Assemblée Nationale for the representatives to be seated left-to-right (relative to the Assemblée president) according to their political alignment.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-wing_politics#History_of_the_term
The great eagle needs both wings to fly high!
Venceremos! ~Peta
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzapata
EUGENE Hernandez
BEAUTIFUL BROTHER, WELL SAID, AS I READ IN ONE OF YOUR PREVIOUS E-MAILS, WE ARE APPROXIMATELY THE SAME AGE (54) AND DIE-HARDS IN THECHICANO MOVIMENTIO, I TOO WAS AN ORGANIZER, OFFICERS AND LEADER IN LA RAZA UNIDA PARTY IN SAN FERNANDO AND LOS ANGELES, IT IS THEREFORE WITH MUCH REGRET THAT I SEE THE DISSIPIATION OF ENERGY OF THE IMMIGRANT MOVEMENT, MANY OF THE NEW COMERS DID NOT START WITH THE GENESIS OF THE MOVEMENT, AS THE PARTIDO DID IN 1971, FIGHT DIXON ARNET AND OTHER PREVIOUS LEGISLATIONS. I HAVE SINCE MOVED ON TO THE GREEN PARTY WHICH I BELIEVE HOLDS MUCH MORE PROMISE THAN THE PARTIDO RIGHT NOW. WE ARE ENGAGED IN A STRUGGLE FOR THE 28TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, CURRENTLY HEADED BY HOWARD BERMAN, A ZIONIST WAR MONGERER, I AM THE LATINO OUTREACH COORDINATOR, WHICH YOU CAN SEE IN BYRON DE LEAR WEBPAGE, OUR GREEN CANDIDATE AND YOU CAN SEE HIS AND THE GREEN'S POSITION ON IMMIGRATION. YOU ARE CORRECT IN STATING THAT WE MUST HAVE ULTIMATE FAITH IN THE PEOPLE, BUT I FEAR THE PEOPLE WILL EVENTUALLY BE MISLEAD BY OUR OWN VENDIDO LEADERS , LIKE VILLARAIGOSA TO EMBRACE A COMPROMISE IMMIGRATION BILL PROPOSED BY THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN GREAT TO REGISTER THE MILLIONS OF MARCHERS INTO AN ALTERNATIVE POLITICAL SOLUTION LIKE THE GREENS, BUT WE KEEP ON STRUGGLING.
Eugene Hernandez
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From: "Peter S. Lopez de Aztlan"
Reply-To: Aztlannet_News@yahoogroups.com
To: Aztlannet_News@yahoogroups.com, Group
CC: chicanostudent@hotmail.com, Felicia Martinez
Subject: [Aztlannet_News] Valid Question:: Has the Immigration movement lost all momentum & focus?
Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2006 11:35:05 -0700 (PDT)
Sabado, 8-19-2006 11:21 AM
Gracias for your response Companero Eugene ~
Valid Question:: Has the Immigration movement lost all momentum & focus?
Answer: We have not lost ALL the momentum as social movements have their ebb and flow, sometimes coming closer to our calculations, sometimes receding further away, but also in a state of flux and constant action.
We must see the movimiento' in a global international context not limited by racial, national or other such divisors and grasp firmly the concept of 'concentration on the coordination of coordinations'. Hell, we can't even get our Movimiento gente who enjoy the luxury of being online on the same damn web page, let alone get more than two of us to make a pot of menudo together!
We still do not have the required social movement-vanguard party infrastructure in place, but we should ALWAYS have faith in the people, faith in vanguard elements and faith in ourselves!
To paraphrase an old Chinese Comrade: If there is to be true liberation, there must be vanguard liberation party. We can try to revive the La Raza Unida Party, but in the long-run we require a global overview for mass mobilization.
After the strategy is fully understood by the intelligent commander the tactics that are applicable to his or her situation are a 'product of the imagination alone'!
Connected reality has a way of sticking around. Power is the dual phenomena to accirately define connected reality, then, change it in a projected manner. We should strive to balance our lives in general, learn from others and explore different forms of communications, including media, such as, TV, radio and podcasting,
Be bold, brave and keep your own momentum going.
Remember faint hearts never win decisive battles. ~ Venceremos! Peta de Aztlan
P.S. Below are a few thoughts I wrote around mid-June:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Immigrant-Rights-Agenda/message/418
Sunday, June 18, 2006
On the Role of Humane Beings in the Immigrant Rights Movement: 6-18-06
http://liberation-now.blogspot.com/2006/06/on-role-of-humane-beings-in-immigrant.html
Shared by Peter S. Lopez ~aka Peta de Aztlan
MaIn Entry: mo·men·tum
Pronunciation: mO-'men-t&m, m&-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural mo·men·ta /-'men-t&/; or momentums
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, movement
1 : a property of a moving body that the body has by virtue of its mass and motion and that is equal to the product of the body's mass and velocity; broadly : a property of a moving body that determines the length of time required to bring it to rest when under the action of a constant force or moment
2 : strength or force gained by motion or through the development of events : IMPETUS
++++++++++++++++++++++++
In recent months time-centered on Monday, May 1st, 2006, there has been a strong revival of the immigrant rights movement inside the United States exhibited by mass street marches, community rallies and public demonstrations that happened all across the American landscape for immigrant rights in general and in support of humane immigration legislation by the U.S. Congress.
It is an extension, continuation and intensification of the early Civil Rights/Black Power Movement and Chicano/Farmworkers Movement of the late 60’s and early 70’s. Many deep social forces are always moving underground. It should not be seen as social phenomena restricted to the United States. At heart it is a part of the whole worldwide movement for basic humane rights in general and a strong response to the growing regional wars fomented by the lawless Amerikan Empire.
Naturally, immigrant rights are a key part of the general agenda of humane rights. We have vital common survival interests with all people on the basis of our human rights and our basic human needs of food, clothing, shelter, medical care and quality education.
The immigrant rights movement should be supported, developed and further expanded in order to maintain the momentum and not slip back into the dark fearful shadows of White racist Amerika.
The recent mass gatherings for the recognition of immigrant rights were applauded in the hearts of many millions of people worldwide, especially Latino-Indigenous peoples in Mexico, Central America and South America who heard about them. Plus, many humane activists and their supporters who have long been advocating and working for humane rights have been excited, inspired and galvanized by these great marches, yet, the march must go forward!
The whole world is going through the largest migratory movement in history due to regional wars, Third World poverty and bonding family ties after migration. Today there are over 191 million immigrants worldwide, over 12 (twelve) million undocumented immigrants inside the U.S.A. and over twenty (20) million refugees worldwide. We must find fair, humane and rational ways of coping with the worldwide immigration and refugee crisis and always see the Amerikan Empire as the main culprit, not its victims.
The evil anti-immigrants and anti-amnesty positions held by many reactionary right-wing elements veiled in the name of fighting terrorism and protecting the Amerikan borders come from global economic insecurity, subconscious racism and xenophobia (fear of foreigners) primarily targeted against Mexican immigrants.
We must comprehend connected reality. The present Fuhrer-Puppet Bush and his Oval Office Cabal is an illegitimate rogue regime; the U.S. Congress is controlled by rabid right-wing racists who refuse to pass humane immigration legislation; both the Democratic Party and Republican Party are reactionary and incapable of providing true leadership; there is no strong alternative Vanguard Party; the silence of the corrupt established Churches has been criminal; and the scattered White-dominated Liberal-Left Wing Movement inside the United States is more preoccupied with foreign affairs and other ’issues in question’ than concerned about on-going attacks upon native immigrants in our own backyards!
Recall: ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) deports some 150,000 migrants a year and deported 881,478 people through 2005, figures that do not include, for example, the 1.2 million people who were arrested at the U.S.-Mexican border itself last year.
All humane beings who uphold sublime respect for humane rights must embrace all our human family members who are undocumented immigrants inside the United States. When called to do so as our humane consciousness dictates we should give refuge to the refugees, safe sanctuary to immigrants and help them any way we can within our powers. We are ultimately one family of human beings upon one Mother Earth!
We must link up with the Immigrant Solidarity Network for immigrant Rights, overcome petty internal divisions, build up working coalitions and form strong alliances with all progressive organizations, activist groups and natural allies to build up our native resistance!
American-Latinos, especially the ’lost tribe’ of Chicanos who are of Mestizo-indigenous ancestry, have a Special Role to fulfill in keeping the Movimiento going. We need to help create central-city communes, community education programs (including English-Spanish literacy classes), and be prepared for all external attacks as we expect more backlashes in the name of fascist-inspired ‘law and order‘ to come, especially in order to distract public opinion away from the on-going evils of the Amerikan Occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Naturally, our individual perspectives are limited by direct personal experiences, geographical locations and subjective analyses. If there is ever to be a meaningful resurgence of the Chicano Movement then now is the time for old guard Chicanos to stand up, get involved and seize the time!
All of us need to examine ourselves, do daily inventory and eradiate any remnants of sick racism, divisive cultural nationalism and backward useless tradition still dwelling within us and keeping us divided along shallow superficial lines.
Using Internet Power, other forms of mass communication and student-type exchange programs, we must communicate and reach out to all peoples with whom we share common concerns, and especially other immigrant rights groups across the country and in other countries.
Those of us here now inside the United States are in a unique position with a unique responsibility. What we think, say and do HERE NOW can have a worldwide impact due to the interconnections of connected reality. We are not isolated alone and millions of people all over the world are with us. All along the way immigrant rights activists and all humane beings should unite with all socialist democracies of Latin America and study the principles of scientific socialism as a logical economic alternative to corporate capitalism. It is the Amerikan Empire that must be toppled!
The People’s Liberation Movement is a dynamic social process that develops in stages, goes through changes, overcomes all challenges and must constantly be open to better and better scientific refinement. Liberation includes all lines, all angles, all methods and all tactics. Whatever works, works.
Flexible improvisation will give us new tactics and once the general strategy is understood the tactics applicable to our situation are a product of our creative imagination. We must be honest, open and willing to change with the times because the times are definitely changing!
Venceremos Unidos! United We Will Win!
Peter S. Lopez ~aka Peta
Sacramento, California, USA
Email: sacranative@yahoo.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Humane-Rights-Agenda/
http://humane-rights-agenda.blogspot.com/
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Immigrant Solidarity Network
Webpage: http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org
Email: info@ImmigrantSolidarity.org
U.N. Refugee Agency
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home
The Border War Comes Home: Our Lives are on the Line= May 18, 2006
http://www.counterpunch.org/santos05182006.html
By JUAN SANTOS
Email: JuanSantos@Mexica.net
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
# posted by Peta de Aztlan : Sunday, June 18, 2006
Comments: Post a Comment
<<> wrote:
I thnik that the Immigration movement has lost all momentum and its focus, they will probably endosre whatever the Democratic party proposed. The vast marches should have been immediately followup with voter registrations and recrutiment into neighborhood groups.
Eugene Hernandez
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Peter S. Lopez de Aztlan"
Reply-To: Aztlannet_News@yahoogroups.com
To: Group
CC: aztlannet@yahoo.com, artxchange@yahoo.com, zdproductions@yahoo.com, oct29@deliberate.com, zapa@zsc.org
Subject: [Aztlannet_News] MoRe: Mercedes Report Back on National Immigrant Rights Strategy
Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2006 23:26:02 -0700 (PDT)
8-18-06 @11:18 PM Gracias Dorinda y Mercdes~
I took the liberty of re-formatting your earlier 'mensaje' for better reading. We should all know Companera Mercedes works with:
NLLSA · National Latina/o Law Students Assoc.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NLLSA/
Related Link: http://www.nllsa.org
Post message: NLLSA@yahoogroups.com
Subscribe: NLLSA-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
List owner: NLLSA-owner@yahoogroups.com
It is a great group and as time goes by we will need more lawyers, para-legals and law students.
I humbly suggest we have one main Online Group in order to centralize and coordinate communications, especially in light of the ‘movidas’ coming up, such as:
Aztlannet_Action · Aztlan 0101_Action
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aztlannet_action/
Sometimes these various online groups remind me of the Tower of Babel and we should remember what happened to it.
Concentration of the coordination of communications is a key governing principle in a forward thrusting ‘Movimiento’. We can make this ‘menudo’ together if we humbly and honestly come together on a common agenda!
Venceremos Unidos! ~Peta
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzapata
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Aztlannet_News/message/23582
Original Subject Line: Re: FW: Report back on National Immigrant Rights Strategy Convention
mercedes castillo, a law student and organizer, has forwarded a report from the recent immigration conference held in chicago, this following her participation in venezuela at the global forum. at the conference, she headed up a 'mujer caucus' like the 'chicana caucuses of the 60-70's, that myself and other chicana activists did in order to balance the voices and representation of the one's 'who hold up half the sky'.
mercedes is president of her university's law student organization in sacramento and also recently headed a delegation of attorneys at the world forum. another example of her exemplary skills which are an incentive for more women taking on the challenges in dealing with the border issues and in utilizing their conflict resolution skills across the board in all issues confronting our gente.
as in the film 'salt of the earth', the 'women's question', as it was called then, became a central focus of the organization of labor and the focus of the film which documented the real life situation of a miners boycott in silver city, new mexico. this film is 50 plus years young, and a landmark film relevant today as in the 50's.
the 'mujeres caucus', reminiscent of the chicana caucuses of the 60-70's, necessary for the men to wake up and 'smell the coffee'. in celebration of mercedes' leadership, walking in the footsteps of virginia chacon, whose life the film is based on. virginia chacon still lives today and recently staged another demand for respecting the archive of 'salt' by the city fathers in the name of her deceased husband and partner ramon chacon... and, not that i wish promoting borders books, but it is a necessary acquisition having this film in every library and chicano activist household for all youths to see. especially important for the some men, who continually disregard the participation of women as equals today, as in the past... a lesson still needing being taught in ethnic studies programs.
'women hold up half the sky', 'the women's question,' 'when you educate a man you educate an individual, but when you educate a woman you educate the family'...
brava mercedes, virginia chacon, the women of the immigration caucus, and to the women who persist in bringing the 'salt of the earth', forward in all our works.
dorinda moreno
elder of 4 colors 4 directions
Mercedes V. Castillo wrote:
Hi Dorinda,
This is the message that I sent to my exec board and my group in Sacras...
Hope it is useful.
Mercedes.
------ Forwarded Message
From: "Mercedes V. Castillo"
Saludos desde Chicago!
I wanted to take time while my memory is fresh to report back on the Convention in Chicago...
More than 400 participants from all over the country attended the convention in Chicago, IL to talk about how to continue to mobilize, educate, and strategize within our communities.
The message: NO LAW is better than BAD LAW. We want nothing less than legalization for everyone. We want the deportations to stop.
-------
Reports were given back on Saturday on the different regions in the United States and some of the projects that they have been working on since the May 1 action...
Detroit, Michigan has been working with the African-American and Arab communities and developing connections with other communities.
Phoenix, Arizona has been dealing with the Minutemen, the laws dealing with law enforcement and their new roles as immigration officials.
New York City, New York has worked with the Filipino communities and is strengthening ties to the West Indian, South Asian, and Asian communities in the Bronx and Queens. They are organizing an activity against the Minutemen at the World Trade Center site for 9/11 this year.
New Jersey has worked to shut down ICE detention centers in New Jersey with the help of community members and prisoners.
San Francisco has been counter-demonstrating against the Minutemen and other white supremacist groups.
Rochester, New York continued to organize against the neonazi, kkk, and other racists groups in Rochester.
Minnesota, had over 40,000 march on May 1 and is planning another activity for September 4 of this year.
Providence, Rhode Island, 30,000 marched. Working against the intimidation of Salvadorean woman who have been threatened by ICE with the removal of their asylum status. They managed to defeat policy by the state police and forced them to stop asking for immigrants for ID.
Washington, DC. September 7 day of action at the Capitol.
Los Angeles, CA. March 25 Coalition activities have led to the establishment of a Black-Brown Coalition.
Chicago, IL has organized students, voter registration drives in South Side Chicago, organizing within the Muslim community, and organizing for a moratorium to deal with the deportations occurring all over the country.
Indianapolis, Indiana organizers managed to defeat legislation similar to Prop 187 in California.
----------
I attended the Strategy and Tactics session on Saturday afternoon where proposals were made by those in attendance on possible strategies for the organizations to continue work in these next months.
Some of the things mentioned were more boycotts, education campaigns, more marches, a targeted action in the most racist state, lobby day in DC, drafting our own legislation, etc. I will be getting a complete list soon from the organizers.
I brought up the issue of women in the organizing of this movement and stated that we needed to continue to put women in leadership positions in this movement and that we could not let the same mistakes that have happened in the past happen in this movement. Upon the ending of this session, a Women's Caucus meeting was held and I facilitated a meeting of the women so that we could discuss issues that were affecting us as organizers in this movement. Over 50 women from all over the country discussed and proposed solutions to address the issue of sexism in the movement.
From this meeting, five women were selected to represent the group and ask for immediate implementation of our demands which were: to have all panels include both men and women equally, to have women serve as moderators and to have both men and women working in the administrative office.
On a side issue, my statements at the conference were made because of my experiences organizing in Sacramento. However, I later was informed that MILLER had sponsored this conference and had sent over three scantily clad Latina women over to the conference at Friday's reception to encourage people to drink Miller. This raises two issues: responsible fundraising and the objectification of our women in this movement.
Interestingly enough both the women's and the student's strategy sessions were taken off the agenda for reasons we were never given.
Two other women assisted me in drafting a resolution from the Women's Caucus demanding that the immigrant rights movement take seriously some of the issues affecting women in the movement. I have a copy of this resolution if any of you wish to see it.
A list-serve has been created and we will be using this list to discuss some of the issues that women are facing, to distribute reading lists and other educational materials and to make available other documents that will help in the promotion of women leadership.
--------
On Saturday night the students in attendance at the conference held their own meeting to discuss the development of a Students Network on Immigrant Rights. At the meeting were student activists from all over the country who talked about some of the struggles they were facing in the organizing aspects of this new immigration movement. I was key in helping draft a Student's Resolution where as students we demanded that students be supported in this movement through mentorship, funding, resources, etc. Our second point was to demand support of legislation that was supportive of undocumented students such as the dream act, to support bilingual education and oppose english only laws. We also asked that we strongly advocate against the use of our schools as recruiting groups for the military.
I have a copy of the resolution that we drafted at the meeting if any of you wish to see it.
The 30 or so students that were present at this meeting will be having a conference call in September to discuss implementing some of the proposed actions that were discussed at the Saturday meeting. Please let me know if you are interested in joining this group as they need some awesome student activists from all over the country.
--------
On Sunday people's resolutions were presented and the National Council was established. People were asked to volunteer to be a part of this new temporary council that in three months would establish the actual council. Special attention was given to ensuring that this council was representative of both men and women and inclusive of all religions and nationalities.
I was asked to sign up by both the women's group and the student's group and so I will be participating until the actual formal council is designated.
--------
Nativo Lopez from MAPA in California, as well as Jorge Mujica from the March 10 Coalition here in Chicago were both very active in the organization of this conference. As you can imagine, there was a lot of political stuff going on at the conference... Lots of men who would get up and speak to hear their voices... Perhaps that would be one of my criticisms of the process that was chosen for the National Council. Anyone could add themselves to the list of the volunteer council. A lot of the people who were speaking at the conference were more concerned with personal agendas than with immigrant rights. These same people were pushing over and stepping over others to get their names on the national council list.
And of course, the main topic of conversation amongst all of the activists was the sponsorship of the conference by MILLER.
I guess now we wait and see what comes out of all of this. I will be reporting on more of the substantive stuff on the conference as soon as they send me the documents that I requested. A lot of the strategy sessions had people taking notes and these documents will be sent to those of us on the council.
Please let me know if you have any questions...
Gracias,
Mercedes.
------ End of Forwarded Message
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