COMITÉ DE MUJERES PATRICIA MARÍN COMMEMORATE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

La Verdad Publications, San Diego, México Ocupado- On Saturday march 5^th, the Comité de Mujeres Patricia Marín (CMPM) held a community forum to discuss the role of women in the struggle for “Social Justice and Raza Liberation” in commemoration of International Women’s Day (IWD). The forum took place at the Lincoln High School Center for Social Justice, located in the southeastern community of San Diego, a traditionally working class barrio of African and Mexicans.

The objective of the forum was to present the struggle for social justice from the perspective of working class mujeres from a wide array of sectors from within our community. Speaking at the forum to talk on this topic were: Karen Barragán on behalf of Unión del Barrio; Karen Salazar, member of the Association of Raza Educators (ARE) in Los Angeles; Cathy Espitia, Coordinator of the Chicano Mexicano Prison Project (CMPP); Jenny Astudillo, on behalf of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano/a de Aztlán (MEChA) de Lincoln High School; Adriana Jasso, Coordinator of the Raza Rights Coalition (RRC); Helena Rodriguez, on behalf of the Comité de Mujeres Patricia Marín (CMPM).

Each speaker came from a distinct perspective and spoke to the specific conditions from which mujeres must struggle to build a society which recognizes their fundamental rights to social, political and economic justice; all of this in the context of a capitalist system which systematically denigrates women, especially women from working class backgrounds and their contributions to society.

Karen Barragan- an undergraduate student at UCSD- provided a welcoming statement on behalf of Unión del Barrio, where she explained the historic struggles of women in the last part of the 19^th and early 20^th century where they ferociously fought against brutal capitalist exploitation eventually winning the fight for an 8 hour work day, the right to vote and the right to unionize, all of which is under attack today. She explained that the role of women is to join an organized response to these attacks and build a movement for self-determination.

Following this historic overview of IWD, the CMPM presented a slideshow of the work of the Comité over the last decade. Benjamin Prado, member of the Central Committee of Unión del Barrio then provided a general overview of the context in which the event was taking place; during a time when capitalism has launched an offensive against workers not only within the political borders of the US as demonstrated in the attack on organized labor in Wisconsin and other states, the criminalization of Raza workers with increased immigration raids and audits; but also the US capitalist system has launched an all out offensive throughout the world. Benjamin highlighted how capitalism in crisis has transferred enormous amounts of wealth from the working poor through taxes and home foreclosures to bail out the large banks and their owners from bankruptcy; socializing the losses and privatizing the profits. At the same time that transfer of wealth is taking place, the US is building up its military war machine while cutting funding to healthcare and education. Not only is the US expanding the war in Irak and Afghanistan, but has now prepared the conditions to use NATO to invade oil rich Libya in order to impose regimes friendly to world finance capital, both throughout the Arab world and throughout Africa in a time of mass popular uprisings.

The event then recognized Cecilia Ubilla and Irene Mena, two women who have given their life’s work to serve the interest of the oppressed both within the political borders of the United States and throughout the world. Cecilia Ubilla, a University Professor and Director of a writing program where she tutors young people to be critical thinkers, was recognized for her unyielding and tireless work in sharing her knowledge and skills to the preparation of our membership. It is important to highlight that Cecilia was a survivor of the brutal, US-backed, Augusto Pinochet military coup, which overthrew the democratically elected Chilean government of Salvador Allende on September 11, 1973.

Additionally, Irene Mena, a combative woman who took on the police in many instances to take over Chicano Park, the establishment of Community Clinics and Cultural Centers, has served as an example to our movement and our youth of what a true revolutionary must struggle to become. Isabell Peña and Judy de los Santos on behalf of the Comité de Mujeres, presented both Cecilia and Irene with a recognition certificate, which read: This certificate of recognition is presented by the Comité de Mujeres Patricia Marín, on this 6^th Day of March, 2011 on the occasion of International [Working] Women’s Day for your dedication and life long sacrifice to the struggle for Social Justice, Raza Self-Determination & Liberation of all Oppressed People’s throughout Nuestra América and the world. ¡Viva La Mujer Revolucionaria!

Benjamin Prado, in his role of MC for the event, then presented the first panelist; Cathy Espitia a single parent dockworker and Coordinator of the CMPP. Cathy spoke on the role that racist laws play in the mass imprisonment of Raza and other oppressed nationalities. She exposed the genocidal effect that these laws play in the decomposition of working class families and how the prisons are used to keep African and Mexican communities divided and pitting oppressed workers against each other. Cathy proposed the need to fight against the real enemy, which she identified as capitalism, and unite to build a socialist society, which she described as a society where the wealth of the nation is collectively owned and shared by workers.

The next panelist was Karen Salazar, an educator who was unjustly fired from a Los Angeles high school for teaching the Autobiography of Malcolm X to working class youth, and who has since, taken teaching revolution to overturn capitalism. Karen summed up how capitalist society has “gendered the teaching profession” and has created a popular image of white teachers saving the poor black and brown kids or the image of the Jaime Escalante, stand and deliver “no nonsense teacher” who tells the kids to leave their poverty, problems and social issues at the door. All these Hollywood style images of the “good educators” that don’t challenge the source of inequality- which is capitalism- but who promote the concept of individualism and meritocracy as the ideological foundation for the “successful” student to go on to higher education and leave the poverty stricken community from which they came.

Next was Jenny Astudillo, Lincoln MEChA member and student leader who has led numerous marches and demonstrations in defense of Raza rights and against migra terror. Jenny, who once captured on video the assault of a Raza worker by Border Patrol agents, spoke from the perspective of a student organizer who had the opportunity to have a social justice course in her school and how that course has transformed her understanding of the world to think collectively and in the interest of the poor and dispossessed. She shared her experiences in dealing with discrimination, and the injustices that her family has had to endure in order to survive. Jenny provided a powerful testimony of the transformative power of organization in her approach to organizing young people change her community, build revolutionary consciousness and defeat capitalism.

Adriana Jasso, Coordinator of the Raza Rights Coalition (RRC), and daughter of migrant farm workers, and who works at a local human rights office, summed up the struggle of working women in the context of an era of a heightened attack by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on the right of people to work. She explained that the historic character of International Women’s Day was to commemorate the class character of the struggle for socialism. She proposed to retake the class character of International Women’s Day and add workers to the title: International Working Women’s Day, and therefore deepening the understanding that the womens’ struggle for equality, justice and dignity will only come when both women and men defeat capitalism and build socialism.

The final panelist was Helena Rodriguez on behalf of the Comité de Mujeres Patricia Marín, a healthcare professional who daily provides women with information, diagnostics and preventive health care to women in the area of reproductive health and breast cancer detection at a local community clinic in San Diego. She explained the role women must assume in becoming part of an organized response to the attacks, persecution and discrimination we currently face. She explained how organization was able to open community clinics in years past that were suppose to serve the people, yet, because of discriminatory laws people who don’t have insurance or don’t have legal status, they are charged with really expensive bills that prevent people from seeking healthcare.

After the presentations there was a discussion/dialogue that covered the need to be in solidarity with people throughout the world against the oppressive capitalist system; since capitalism is a global system that displaces workers everywhere who are relegated to servitude and poverty, workers everywhere need to unite to end the relationship between oppressor and oppressed. The Association of Filipinas, Feminists Fighting Imperialism, Re-feudalization, & Marginalization (AF3IRM), a Filipina feminist organization made an invitation to participate at their candle light vigil at the entrance of Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego on march 8^th.

Other points of discussion were related to women and the role of childrearing, care and nurturing of future generations. In the same vein, the discussion focused on the separation of familes by immigration authorities and the terror that agency spreads through our communities. Finally, the African Revolutionary Student Organization (ARSO) at Lincoln provided a solidarity statement with the event and the struggle of unity between Africans and Mexicans. In that same trend, a white student recognized that she felt a responsibility to struggle against capitalist oppression and settler colonialism.

In conclusion, the event was able to unite a broad perspective from Unión del Barrio member from different sectors to discuss and advance our understanding on the struggle for the equality between women and men. There was a commitment to continue the discussion and those present were invited to participate. Comité de Mujeres Patricia Marín at their monthly meetings every 2^nd Wednesday of the month held at the AFSC office, 3275 Market Street, SD,92102.

¡Viva La Mujer Revolucionaria!