Protest @ Utep Magoffin Auditorium.

   Protest Against Tax money wasted on border security, Workers and Students are upset that Obama's priority for the border has been Security and helping the Trasnational Corporations cross their products instead of investing in border economic development.   Low income women workers need jobs, we don't need more border patrolman.Border Security for whom?? We live in the secound safest city in the United States. We are asking the federal Goverment to invest in border economic development and the Creation of jobs for low income workers. This is the first portest of many more to come until some jobs and economic development start happening for low income workers on the border.                                   

 

Movimiento Del Pueblo Fronterizo takes action

  Movimiento del Pueblo Fronterizo, a coalition of El Paso organizations met  Saturdayy January 22 to discuss issues in the community.

Lorena Andrade and Guillermo Glenn

Lorena Andrade of Mercado Mayapan reported on the decision of la Mujer Obrera to begin to cut hours of the mercado and to concentrate on the community organizing and the use of the cultural space. Ms. Andrade explained that the efforts to keep the mercado open distracts from their ability to organize. The mercado will downsize beginning on February. The cultural space,artsan booths, safe space for youth and food court will remain open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays with Mujer obrera concentrating on organizing to bring or create jobs for women.

   Guillermo Glenn, labor organizer, commented that members of La Mujer will travel to Austin to lobby for the Governors Enterprise Fund. The organization believes that the funds should be used for small business and not to supplement big business in Texas and they intend to bring attention to the need of jobs and enterprise for our communities. Additionally there are plans to continue to petition HUD for funds for communities and not for the usual agencies that already have resources. Guillermo also noted that 280 Fortune 500 Companies do business in Juarez and are the beneficiaries of the so called border security. Tat funds are provided for high technology business while neglecting businesses and persons that work on businesses that don't employ high technology and essentially jobs are scarce for persons who do not persue higher education.



Carlos Marentes of the Farmworkers Union commented on the plight of the workers and the use of city funds for political purposes and the need to change their  laissez-faire attitude  for the economy of the city and commented on the need to insist on a working city council. 

Selfa Chew and Carlos Marentes

Selfa Chew Provided information on the Press Conference and protest of the abolition of Cesar Chavez holiday. The protest is set for Thursday January 27th at 10:00 am at leech Grove on the university canpus. Pete Duarte former head of La Fe Clinic and Thomason General Hospital and long time activist will be returning the UTEP Nugget award that he was given for his support of the University. It was suggested that all persons write about their displeasure of cancelation of the Cesar Chavez Holiday and that we shall never donate money to UTEP.  Ms. Chew also informed the organization that several teach ins on cesar Chavez are being planned for UTEP students who do not know about the organizers life and his importance to our History.                                

The next Foro Popular is being planned for February 12th concerning gender violence within the movimiento. Selfa Chew and Miguel Juarez are putting together the program.

Next meeting of the organization is set for February 26th

Carlos Marentes, Pete, T. Duarte, and Irma Camacho

 

UTEP M.E.Ch.A Letter to Dr.Natalicio

Dear Dr. Natalicio,

As proud Mexican American and Chican@ students we are concerned about the Faculty Senate's decision to not observe César Chávez Day.  UTEP stands not only in a unique geographical and cultural location, but also as the university proudly proclaims—UTEP stands as a model for other universities to follow.  Therefore, we students, faculty, and administration, should support this model by celebrating and promoting cultural awareness, and more importantly, multiculturalism, through remembrance of César Chávez Day. 

Although, the Chicano Studies Program is sponsoring several noteworthy events, such occasions are not wholly satisfactory when encompassing what César Chávez Day represents to our community and people of color, particularly when taking to account our university’s demographics and the active Farm Workers Center only a few blocks away from campus.

In taking away this holiday, the Faculty Senate has robbed students and community members of part of our hard fought history—be it Mexican American, Chicano@, farm worker, or human rights history—and of our social progress.  Furthermore, in seeing the movement against Mexican-origin people from Arizona to Washington D.C., we are afraid this xenophobic and unfounded hysteria is reaching our university.

We demand that the University not follow such racist and inhumane examples. Therefore, we demand the following:

            -We demand that the Faculty Senate’s minutes be posted online

            -We demand every holiday be re-evaluated not only César Chávez Day

            -We demand the university not commit to such votes in secret from the student                             population

            -We demand a one-on-one meeting with the Faculty Senate

            -We demand a one-on-one meeting with you

            -We demand a say in our university’s decisions which directly affect the students

            -We demand extensions in Ethnic Studies—be it African American, Chican@,

            Native American, Asian American, or White Studies

            -We demand that both the African American and Chicano Studies                                                  Programs become a Departments

            -We demand UTEP refute institutionalized racism by reinstating César Chávez                              Day

The attempt to cancel a holiday that is central to the Mexican American and Chican@ community and El Paso as a whole, leads us to believe that we are neither respected nor wanted in this institution. If our demands are not met, further actions will be taken.

Sincerely,

Sincerely,

UTEP M.E.Ch.A

Declaracion de Los Marginados

Those of us who inhabit these borderlands-the poor, the oppressed, the voiceless, the forgotten, the marginalized segment of society --find a need to come together to proclaim a

collective I y A BAST A!

            We live in two different worlds two distinct realities. In one we see prosperity and a secure El Paso. The other reflects a world where people are marginalized and excluded, are forced to endure poverty , hunger, homelessness, unemployment, neglect, and disdain. Exploitation is part of the system and currently the exploitation is increasing and creating more poverty .We bear the brunt of these social ills. Women and children especially face the challenges of urban survival within the context of an unsympathetic society dominated by oligarchs. Today we say that this condition cannot and must not be allowed to continue. We have come together to condemn the current policies imposed upon us by those in power. These policies have resulted in economic and social inequality for our people. For us, unemployment continues unabated and worsens. But for the callous political and economic elite that rule this city, 10% unemployment rate is an acceptable consequence of capitalism.

This must change and we will make that change happen. For us, the promise of redemption through education has not held true. Public schools have failed us. Our tax monies have

been squandered by self -serving educational leaders with misguided educational policies that have only served to advance careers and push out our youth from the schools. A college

education has become prohibitively expensive and out of reach. The schools belong to the people and they should serve the needs of the people.

As a people, we are despised and labeled as undesirables because we are seen as foreigners. Those in power ignore that we have been here since before the border was changed as an

outcome of war, and disregard the fact that this nation has been built with our blood, sweat, and, tears. We are a proud people with a long history of struggle and we will not sacrifice our dignity without a fight. We will use the rich history of organizing through the Chicano Movement as a model to show us the way to achieve victory through unity. Our common subjugation compels us -workers, students, activists, and community members --to come together in a Movimiento del Pueblo Fronterizo--to unite our collective struggles, to

work as one to improve the lives of nuestra gente.