Principles of Unity
In January of l995 Unión del Barrio held a plenary (a meeting of all leading forces of the organization) with the objective of preparing its membership for its transformation into a vanguard - type organization. Our decision to move from a regional progressive organization to a highly disciplined national revolutionary formation, which was unanimously decided on May 15, 1993, was summed-up in an article entitled "Unión del Barrio Moves Towards Becoming A Vanguard National Formation" (¡LA VERDAD!, July-Sept. 1993). In this article we wrote:
"Within the struggle for Chicano Mexicano liberation, Unión del Barrio has a 12-year history of going through dialectical change based on the real conditions facing the organization and our movement (dialectical change is a process of change and development that comes form interaction and dealings with contradictions). Historically, Unión del Barrio has been among the few Raza liberation organizations who have adapted to the ever-changing local, national, and world conditions as they relate to our gente. Though we have evolved and adapted to changing conditions, we have always remained committed to the fundamental principle and objective of winning the total and complete liberation of Mexicanos in the occupied territories of México, and from this objective has come the strategic and uncompromising support of all Raza, from Chile to Alaska - and support of the struggles of all the world's oppressed nations and peoples.
"A vanguard formation, as defined by Unión del Barrio, is an organization of committed, disciplined, and honest camaradas, who are armed with the science, strategy, and organizational structure that will enable it to win the liberation of our gente. As we have stated in the past, no organization convenes one day and decides it is a vanguard organization or the vanguard of any movement. An organization becomes a vanguard through the most difficult of struggles and only when the majority of the people ourselves recognize it as their vanguard. It is only this type of organization that can unite the workers, students, barrio youth, and the pinto/as, into one united and strong movement. It is only through this type of movement that we can defeat our oppressors, the gringo capitalist-colonialists, and win the liberation of all Mexicanos."
I. SOMOS MEXICANOS
We hold that Raza in Aztlán/México Ocupado are Mexicanos. However, we also recognize that the colonial experiences of many of our gente in occupied Aztlán/México Ocupado has impacted, over time, the social, political, and economic character of La Raza. We understand that the oppression, isolation, alienation, and dehumanizing conditions imposed by colonization, and the need to struggle against them through whatever means necessary, has led to the emergence of our gente using different terms to identify ourselves: Raza, Chicanos, Mexican Americans, Latinos, etc..
Some of these terms have progressive connotations and definitions, and were widely used during the "Chicano Power Period" of our struggle; terms such as "La Raza" and "Chicanos." We understand that even today these terms are still used by many in a positive or political fashion. We recognize the historical and political significance of these terms and will ourselves use these terms when appropriate or necessary (for historical and political references, when speaking with progressive gente who still uphold the term, etc.). Nevertheless, as an organization we believe that "Mexicano" best describes the historical, geographical, and cultural realities of our nationality.
II. AZTLAN/MEXICO OCUPADO AND MEXICO IS THE HOMELAND OF MEXICANOS
California, Colorado, Arizona, Texas, Utah, Nuevo México, and Nevada, constitute Aztlán/México Ocupado. It is a geographical and political territory belonging to the Mexicano people. These lands were taken through armed force by the U.S. settler colonial-imperialist government, during the U.S. war of aggression of 1848. Therefore, we do not recognize the border imposed upon the Mexican Nation by U.S./European (white) colonialism.
Strategically, the role of Mexicanos in the occupied territories is to create the conditions that will bring about the de-colonization and self-determination of the Mexicano people. This role recognizes the need for the support, unity, and involvement of our organizations in efforts to de-colonize and democratize México, therefore creating the conditions that will bring about the inevitable reunification of our Nation. In other words, the politics of Raza living in the occupied territories, is to concentrate our organizing and struggle in winning victory inside the belly of the beast, while uniting with progressive forces in the southern part of our nation (México).
As indigenous people, we recognize and uphold the right to self-determination of all indigenous nations of the Americas. We (Mexicanos and other indigenous people) are collectively the survivors of the genocidal onslaught of European colonization. We are bound by a common history, culture, struggle, and destiny. Central to our struggle is the principled unification of our forces as indigenous people to end all manifestations of colonization, create a true unity of all indigenous nations and peoples, and return the land to its rightful owners. We understand that liberation of Mexicanos must, and will, be tied to the liberation of all indigenous people.
Furthermore, we support and will struggle for the self-determination of all oppressed people and nations within and outside the current U.S. borders.
III. MEXICANOS IN AZTLAN/MEXICO OCUPADO ARE A COLONY OF THE U.S. ILLEGAL SETTLER NATION
It is fundamental to the understanding of our historical and present condition that we recognize that, we, the Mexicano people, as one of the original and indigenous occupants of this continent and of what is presently called the "southwest U.S.," constitute a colony of an illegal settler nation that is essentially an extension of foreign-European imperialism.
The U.S. funded and directed, anglo illegal alien "rebellion" in Texas in 1836, set the stage for the U.S. war of aggression of 1846-48 which resulted in the U.S. occupation of the northern half of our nation (México). Since then, Raza have been the victims of racist anglo settlers who exploit our labor, keep a disproportionate number of our people in prisons, stereotype us through the media, falsify our history, deny us a relevant/productive education, and militarize the border in order to keep out the very same people from which Aztlán (northern México) was stolen.
This, along with police and migra terrorism, and the ever increasing overt and violent expression of racism by the masses of the U.S. white population, are all characteristics and manifestations of colonialism. Unión del Barrio is also cognizant of current neocolonialist tactics of the oppressor, which include the use of our own people against us. These are puppet lackeys (appointed or self-appointed, financially backed by colonialism) whose primary role is to confuse the masses of our people into thinking that we are making progress, that we can actually achieve self-determination within the existing system, and that our interests as a people are being protected by them (the lackeys). This ploy is central to the classic colonizer tactic of divide and conquer which pits us against opportunists of our own kind, and oppressed nationalities struggling against each other for bones, petty concessions, and colonial positions.
IV. MEXICANOS IN AZTLAN/MEXICO OCUPADO MUST SELF-DETERMINE OUR OWN DESTINY
We are determined to decolonize our people. The means to this end is the advancement of Mexicano self-determination which can best be defined as collectively determining our history; economically controlling our destiny; controlling our social development by self-determining our culture, education and language; independently developing the content and direction of our political orientation; and controlling the political institutions that make the laws that govern us.
As Raza, we are overwhelmingly a working class people. Fundamental to our independence is the development of an economic and social order that will see the masses of our people as masters of the product of our labor and exercising collective control of the economy.
We demand and will accept nothing less than complete self-determination of the Mexicano people and the liberation of our homeland (Aztlán), and its reunification with a revolutionary Mexican Nation.
V. THE MEXICANO LIBERATION MOVEMENT MUST BE BASED ON REVOLUTIONARY NATIONALISM
Historically, nationalism has consistently emerged as the leading factor in unifying Raza to combat the source and symptoms of colonial oppression. Like all political movements, Mexicano nationalism has gone through a process of evolution and change in response to the conditions or our oppression. However, since the struggle for Mexicano liberation is a struggle first and foremost against national (national in the total meaning of the word) oppression and for complete national independence, nationalism best describes the political emphasis of our movement.
For the last 150 years of U.S. imperialism-colonialism, it has been the politics of nationalism which have pulled and held Mexicanos as one people (nation) in our struggle against terror, poverty, and all other forms of oppression. The basic elements and historical commonalities of a nation are what bind us together as a people: culture, economic realities, geography, oppression, and struggle.
We fully understand that nationalism can lead to reactionary positions and race politics, particularly the nationalism within an oppressor nation (i.e. nazism/fascism). We also understand, that nationalism within the oppressed nation is, generally speaking, a progressive development and an effective weapon in the struggle for liberation. Furthermore, it is the most progressive elements within nationalism that Unión del Barrio upholds.
We call this "Revolutionary Nationalism." A nationalism which calls for the establishment of a socialist society - the collective economic, social, and political development of the Mexicano people, based on our historical, cultural, and present conditions and realities - and opposes capitalism, which is a system where a small, rich ruling class controls all the wealth and power of a nation. This Revolutionary Nationalism demands fundamental change and a complete transformation of the social, economic, and political institutions that presently form the basis of our oppression. It is a Revolutionary Nationalism - which we define as a struggle for the total transformation of our lives; from a colonized and dependent people, to a life and future of a truly liberated and sovereign nation in the world community.
VI. RAZA INTERNATIONALISM IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF OUR MOVEMENT AND UNITES WITH ALL STRUGGLES OF OPPRESSED PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
The term "La Raza" (the people) encompasses all of the people of Latin America and acknowledges the different cultures which have shaped its development. It unites the various nations into one large mass of people sharing a similar culture, history, and political reality. The term "Raza Internationalism" best describes our political relationship to the rest of the oppressed and colonized peoples of the world, and because of historical and present conditions, this holds especially true to Latin America.
In relationship to Latin America, our struggle is not one of mere "solidarity." We are one indigenous gente (Raza) from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, with externally imposed borders that are a result of European colonization. Therefore, we uphold the principle of emancipation and Raza internationalism as put forth by Simón Bolivar, Cuauhtemoc, Ricardo Flores Magón, Augusto C. Sandino, Celia Sanchez, Tupac Amaru, Ernesto Ché Guevara, Jose Martí, Magdalena Mora, Valentina Ramirez, and other Raza patriots. We will carry forth the struggle on all fronts to bring about a democratic and unified Indigenous-Raza America.
It is clear as well, that our history as Raza parallels the experience of what some people call the Third World (Africa, Asia, and Latin America): a history of intervention, conquest, exploitation, and a common struggle against colonization. It is our duty to recognize these ties and our common enemies, and support all peoples struggling for self-determination and against imperialism.
We caution those active in our movement, however, not to fall into the trap of opting for the safe, liberal and abstract struggle against imperialism elsewhere, while refusing to struggle against imperialism here in Aztlán. We fully recognize that our liberation is our priority, while we must still support and commit resources to aid those nations who are fighting for decolonization, against all forms of foreign aggression, and for the right of non-intervention. We must also recognize that the most powerful contribution we can make to the struggles of our sisters and brothers of the "Third World" is the creation of reunified revolutionary socialist México. Thus, Unión del Barrio recognizes the principle that Revolutionary Nationalism is the highest expression of internationalism.
VII. CONCIENTIZACION OF OUR GENTE IS CRITICAL TO OUR LIBERATION
Control of knowledge and information is one of the keys to maintaining effective control over a colonized people. Through the domination of all means of transmitting knowledge and ideas (schools, newspapers, television, radio, etc.), the colonial institutions have been able to dictate and manipulate our gente's way of thinking and acting. Without understanding our true history, culture, and identity as a people, self-determination is impossible. This is why the Unión del Barrio has put forth that the most pressing tasks confronting our Movement are to make our people aware of the basis of our oppression, to develop a national consciousness, and to concretize the revolutionary process to the masses.
Critical here, is the necessity to raise class contradictions to develop a correct understanding of our social, economic, and political realities in order to effectively combat narrow nationalism, sexism, and vendido hispanismo.
VIII. COLLECTIVISM, ORGANIZATION BUILDING, AND ACCOUNTABILITY ARE FUNDAMENTAL TO OUR STRUGGLE
For years, Mexicanos have been a majority population in many areas of Aztlán/México Ocupado. But even with these numbers, our colonial situation forces us to exist in a state of virtual powerlessness. As Mexicano activists and progressive Revolutionary Nationalists, if it is truly our intention and goal to free our people from terror and oppression, then we must involve every progressive element of our community in the struggle for self-determination. We must recognize the proven truth that only with a well organized, mobilized, and politicized gente will we develop the power necessary to achieve liberation.
A critical aspect of this point is the need to channel our people's energy and resources into accountable and disciplined organizations. In political struggle, individualism is a bourgeois, elitist, egotistical, and backward trait. We must raise the shortcomings and contradictions to those who profess being active in political work without accountability to an organization.
Central to this point is the combating of liberalism, which in our movement represents itself as unprincipled, irresponsible, opportunistic, and inconsistent struggle. Liberalism stems from selfishness and places personal interests above the interests of the Movement. It is negative and objectively has the effect of helping our enemy as it creates disunity, inconsistent work, and weakens organization.
Unión del Barrio upholds the importance of engaging in constructive criticism and self-criticism, as a way of identifying our weaknesses and shortcomings. In order to advance the struggle effectively, we must acknowledge and assume the responsibility for organizational errors and work with those who do not merely point fingers on the sidelines, but are actually involved in the day-to-day struggle for our empowerment.
Finally, we must adhere to the principle of collective decision-making within our organization and in our daily work. This is done through the adherence to previously agreed upon principles of unity, which is especially important within coalition work. Only through this process can we achieve organizational, practical, and ideological unity.
IX. A UNITED FRONT IS STRATEGICALLY IMPORTANT IN OUR STRUGGLE FOR NATIONAL LIBERATION
History has demonstrated that a liberation movement needs the participation of all progressive formations and tendencies in order to succeed. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that all Mexicano forces establish lines of communication and principled working relations. Without this type of networking and coalitions, we are wasting resources, duplicating work, and missing the opportunities to effectively address pressing issues in a collective fashion or from a position of strength. While Mexicano organizations have different strategies and tactics, it is essential that we display the political maturity to put aside the minor contradictions and work together, especially when the attacks are of such intensity that our failure to respond collectively means more victories for our enemies that result in heightening the oppression of our gente.
Since unity building does require compromises it is necessary for us, and other revolutionary forces, to approach any relationship with caution and with a clear, scientific understanding based on the facts that our fundamental goal is not for civil rights or mere reforms, but for an end to colonization and the advancement of Raza self-determination.
When it is necessary to work with organizations representing other nationalities, the resulting coalition work must be based on concrete objectives, mutual respect, principled association, and recognition of each other's autonomy and right to determine the character and content of its own struggle.
X. THE ABSOLUTE AND UNEQUIVOCAL LIBERATION OF RAZA WOMEN IS A FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENT OF OUR STRUGGLE FOR LIBERATION AS A PEOPLE
We recognize that the political, social, and economic exploitation of Raza women, is part of the over all oppression of our people by U.S. capitalism-colonialism. We understand that there exists a more intense type of oppression of Raza women; not only exploited by race and class, but also by gender. Therefore, we believe that liberation cannot take place until all sectors of a colonized people are free. We recognize that sexism and male chauvinism are bourgeois features imposed upon us by the European colonizers over 500 years ago. Therefore the main contradiction facing Raza women is colonialism, not sexism. If we take time to study and analyze how the colonial system functions, we can see clearly how it promotes the oppression of women and the division of the sexes.
We recognize that the oppression Mexicanas face in this colonial society is a part of our oppression as a people. We recognize that sexism is an integral part of the vicious system forced on our people and that it must be combated from both within our movement and throughout the community.
Fundamental to any revolutionary organization and pro-independence conscious movement is the absolute political, social, and economic equality between men and women. As part of developing a progressive consciousness among our gente, we must work to combat sexism in all its forms and manifestations. History provides us with lessons that explain that women's oppression can only be eliminated through national and class liberation. In order to insure that we move forward in this process, women must play a leading role in liberation struggles. In places where a national liberation movement has taken place or is strong, for example Cuba, Nicaragua, EL Salvador, and in certain regions of México, is where we find the most liberated women.
XI. DIALECTICAL/HISTORICAL MATERIALISM IS KEY TO FORMING STRATEGIES AND TACTICS FOR OUR LIBERATION
We base our strategies and tactics for liberation, as well as our ideology and the process of its formation, on the concrete historical basis of all things and situations, and the real material conditions our gente find ourselves.
At the same time, we understand that conditions in the world are in a constant state of change. That opposites and contradictions in society are constantly affecting and influencing each other, creating new situations and contradictions. We are therefore dialectical in our approach to political work, in that, like our conditions, we strive to constantly evolve our ideology and practice to meet the challenges posed to us by colonialism, capitalism, and imperialism.
¡HASTA LA VICTORIA - SIEMPRE!
¡QUE VIVA MEXICO, LIBRE Y REUNIFICADO!