Thread: mecha

http://www.panam.edu/orgs/MEChA/nat.html

History
HISTORICAL FOUNDATION
The fundamental principles that led to the founding of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán are found in El Plan de Santa Barbara (EPDSB). The Manifesto of EPDSB sees self-determination for the Chicana and Chicano Chicano and Chicana Movement in El Plan Espiritual de Aztlán (EPEDA). A synopsis of El Plan stipulates: 1) We are Chicanos and Chicanas of Aztlán reclaiming the land of out birth (Chicano and Chicana Nation); 2) Aztlán belongs to indigenous people, who are sovereign and not subject to a foreign culture; 3) We are a union of free pueblos forming a bronze nation; 4) Chicano and Chicana nationalism, as the key in mobilization and organization, is the common denominator to bring consensus to the Chicano and Chicana Movement; 5) Cultural values strengthen our identity as La Familia de La Raza; and 6) EPEDA, as a basic plan of Chicano and Chicana liberation, sought the formation of am independent national political party that would represent the sentiments of the Chicano and Chicana community.
Both EPDSB and EPEDA served as the historical foundation for the establishment of a viable Chicano and Chicana Movimiento, and are therefore, fundamental to the M.E.Ch.A. philosophy.

M.E.Ch.A.'S PHILOSOPHY

The Chicano and Chicana student movement has been plagued by opportunists that have sought to rechannel the energies of our people and divert us from our struggle for self-determination. The educational plight of Chicana and Chicano students continues to be ignored by insensitive administrators. Overall, Chicano and Chicana junior high, high school and college push-out rates have risen since 1969, forcing many Chicanos and Chicanas to a life of poverty. These factors along with a growing right wing trend in the nation are combing to work greater hardships on Chicanos and Chicanas. New repressive and racist immigration laws are continuously directed at our Gente. The Federal government is campaigning to pacify and assimilate our Gente by labeling us "Hispanic." The term "Hispanic" seeks to anglicize and deny our indigenous heritage by ignoring our unique socioeconomic and historical aspect of our Gente. These factors have made it necessary for Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán to affirm our philosophy of liberation (i.e. educational, socioeconomic, and political empowerment) for our Chicano and Chicana nation.
Joining with other community-based Chicano and Chicana nationalist organizations, M.E.Ch.A. is committed to ending the cultural tyranny suffered at the hands of institutional and systematic discrimination that holds our Gente captive. We seek an end to oppression and exploitation of the Chicano and Chicana Community


{Stanford University MEChA}
For more information, search the following Webpages.
MEChA Links
Chicano Homepage

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What is a Chicano/Chicana?
Chicano/Chicana:
A relatively recent term that has been appropriated by many Mexican descendants as unique and therefore reflective of their unique culture, though its first usage seems to have been discriminatory. The most likely source of the word is traced to the 1930 and 40s period, when poor, rural Mexicans, often native Americans, were imported to the US to provide cheap field labor, under an agreement of the governments of both countries. The term seems to have come into first use in the fields of California in derision of the inability of native Nahuatl speakers from Morelos state to refer to themselves as "Mexicanos," and instead spoke of themselves as "Mesheecanos," in accordance with the pronunciation rules of their language . An equivocal factor is that in vulgar Spanish it is common for Mexicans to use the "CH" conjunction in place of certain consonants in order to create a term of endearment. Whatever its origin, it was at first insulting to be identified by this name. The term was appropriated by Mexican-American activists who took part in the Brown Power movement of the 60s and 70s in the US southwest, and has now come into widespread usage. Among more "assimilated" Mexican-Americans, the term still retains an unsavory connotation, particularly because it is preferred by political activists and by those who seek to create a new and fresh identity for their culture rather than to subsume it blandly under the guise of any mainstream culture.

{Azteca Web Page}



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Documents
The following documents are essential to the philosophy of MEChA. Every MEChista should be familiar with them.
MEChA National Constitution
El Plan de Santa Barbara
El Plan Espiritual de Aztlan / El Plan de Action
MEChA Position Papers

{El Sexto Sol de MEChA; UT-Pan American}



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Regions
MEChA is separated to nine different regions. Each Region has a communication center in which information is distributed to the corresponding campuses. According to the MEChA National Constitution, each chapter must be recognized by its region in order to have any voting rights at the National Conference.
SouthEast Tejaztlan | Calpulli Montañas del Norte | Centro Aztlan | Midwest |

Este Aztlan | Northern California | Centro California | Southern California |

Pacific Northwest


{El Sexto Sol de MEChA; UT-Pan American}



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MEChA Guestbook
Login in the MEChA Guestbook | View the MEChA Guestbook



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The MEChA National WebPages were developed so that anyone interested in El Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA) can find information on our student organization. Every chapter is encouraged to submit information to the MEChA National WebPages and to orientate every member with this site.

"Cultural Tyranny"????

Now I've heard it all.

The United States is a Nation of Americans.

The Culture is American Culture. No other culture.

MECHA.....if you don't like our culture, American Culture, then go somewhere where they have a culture you like.

Americans have no obligation to listen to or underwrite some made up Chicano Culture.

If Chicano means Mexican American, then you have the same rights as I do a an Irish American or someone from Germany who is a German American.

You can have a festival; worship your ancestors; cry over losses; celebrate victories....but you can not create a sub-culture in the United States whose mission is to retake the Southwest Territory of the United States that never belonged to your organization or its members or the "Chicano Culture" to begin with nor work towards any goal that results in the dissolution of the United States in whole or in part except by:

Acts of Treason involving a criminal illegal immigration ploy to overwhelm the United States with foreign agents which means you are Traitors to the United States.

You are now on Notice!

Clean it up, get with the program; enjoy this great land as we all do; work everyday for its preservation and you will have the life you seek and deserve like every American Citizen.

Betray the United States......and you will have what you deserve....nothing!

I have but one word.............

RICO

This organization has led Latin students in the west for 4 decades now.

You won't find a fast track young Latin politico or businessman who's been to college that isn't connected one way or another.

RICK,
we need their "constitution" and other docs. Can you get them?

That "constitution" could be very enlightening!!

nevermind, LOL.............found them

RICK
can you translate this?
http://www.panam.edu/orgs/MEChA/aztlan.html

I'm not rick, but this might help:

The Spiritual Plan of Aztlán

In the spirit of to new people that is conscious not only of its proud historical heritage but also of the brutal "gringo" invasion of our territories, we, the Chicano inhabitants and civilizers of the northern land of Aztlán from whence came our forefathers, reclaiming the land of to their birth and consecrating the determination of our people of the sun, declares that the call of our blood is our to power, our responsibility, and our inevitable destiny.

We plows free and sovereign to determines those tasks which plows justly called for by our house, our land, the sweat of our brows, and by our hearts. Aztlán belongs to those who plant the seeds, to water the fields, and to gather the crops and not to the foreign Europeans. We do not recognize capricious frontiers on the bronze continent

Brotherhood unites U.S., and love for our brothers makes U.S. to people whose Time you have eats and who struggles against the to foreigner "gabacho" who exploits our riches and destroys our culture. Soil With our heart in our hands and our hands in the, we declares the independence of our racially mixed nation. We plows to bronze people with to bronze culture. Before the world, before all of North America, before all our brothers in the bronze continent, we plows to nation, we plows to union of free towns, we plows Aztlán.

By the Race all. Outside the Race nothing.

Program
The Spiritual Plan of Aztlán sets the theme that the Chicanos (the Race of Bronze) must uses to their nationalism ace the key or common denominator for mass mobilization and organization. Eleven we plows committed to the idea and philosophy of the Plan of Aztlán, we dog only conclude that social, economic, cultural, and political independence is the only road to total liberation from oppression, exploitation, and racism. Our struggle then must be for the control of our districts, fields, towns, lands, our economy, our culture, and our political life. The Plan commits all levels of Chicano society - the district, the field, the mess orderly, the to writer, the to teacher, the to worker, the professional - to the Cause.

Nationalism

Nationalism ace the key to organization transcends all religious, political, class, and economic factions or boundaries. Denominator Nationalism is the common that all members of the Race dog agree upon.

Organizational Goals

1. UNITY in the thinking of our people concerning the districts, the town, the field, the land, the poor, the middle class, the professional-all committed to the liberation of the Race.

2. ECONOMY: economic control of our lives and our communities dog only eats about by driving the to exploiter out of our communities, our towns, and our lands and by controlling and developing our own talents, sweat, and resources. Cultural background and values which ignores materialism and embrace humanism will contribute to the act of cooperative buying and the distribution of resources and production to sustain an economic bases for healthy growth and development for Lands rightfully ours will be fought and you defend. For Land and realty ownership will be acquired by the community the peoplés welfare. Economic ties of responsibility must be secured by nationalism and the defense Chicano units.

3. EDUCATION must be relative to our people, i.e., history, culture, bilingual education, contributions, etc. Community control of our schools, our teachers, our administrators, our counselors, and our programs.

4. For INSTITUTIONS shall serve our people by providing the service necessary to full life and to their welfare on the basis of restitution, not handouts or beggar's crumbs. For Restitution past economic slavery, political exploitation, ethnic and cultural denial psychological destruction and of civil and human rights. Institutions in our community which do not serve the people have does not please in the community. The institutions belong to the people.

5. SELF-DEFENSE of the community must rely on the combined strength of the people. Defense The front line will eats from the districts, the fields, the towns, and the ranchitos. Their involvement ace protectors of to their people will be given respect and dignity. They in turn to offer to their responsibility and to their lives for to their people. Those who pleases themselves in the front ranks for to their people do under out of love and carnalismo. Those institutions which plows fattened by our brothers to provide employment and political pork barrels for the foreign will do under only for ace acts of liberation and the Cause. For the very Young there will not to longer be acts of juvenile delinquency, but revolutionary acts.

6. CULTURAL values of our people strengthen our identity and the moral backbone of the movement. Our culture unites and educates the family of the Race towards liberation with one heart and one mind. We must insure that our writers, poets, musicians, and artists produces literature and art that is appealing to our people and you relate to our revolutionary culture. Cultural Our values of life, family, and home will serve foreign ace to powerful weapon to defeat the dollar value system and encourage the process of love and brotherhood.

7. POLITICAL LIBERATION dog only eats through indepen-dent action on our part, since the two-party system is the same animal with two heads that feed from the same trough. Where we plows to majority, we will control; where we plows to minority, we will represent to pressure group; nationally, we will represent one party: The Family of the Race!

Action

1. Awareness and distribution of the Spiritual Plan of Aztlán. Presented AT every meeting, demonstration, confrontation, courthouse, institution, administration, church, school, tree, building, to car, and every pleases of human existence.

2. September 16, on the birthdate of Mexican Independence, to national walk-out by all until Chicanos of all colleges and schools to be sustained the completes revision of the educational system: its policy makers, administration, its curriculum, and its personnel to meet the needs of our community.

3. Self-Defense against the occupying forces of the oppressors AT every school, every available man, woman, and child.

4. Community nationalization and organization of all Chicanos: The Spiritual Plan of Aztlán.

5. Economic program to drive the to exploiter out of our community and to welding to together of our peoplés combined resources to control to their own production through cooperative effort.

6. Local, regional Creation of an independent, and national political party.

To nation autonomous and free - culturally, socially, economically, and politically- will make its own decisions on the usage of our lands, the taxation of our goods, the utilization of our bodies for to war, the determination of justice (reward and punishment), and the profit of our sweat.

The Plan of Aztlán is the plan of liberation!

THANX so much JP