Comité de Mujeres Patricia Marín :

On January 19, 1998 the Comité de Mujeres Patricia Marín (CMPM) held our first ever Mujer Conference entitled “Mujeres Revolucionarias Mexicanas En La Lucha Por La Liberación Nacional.” This conference was historic for Unión del Barrio and the Movimiento in general, because it was the first time that the movement addressed the issues facing Raza women under a Revolutionary Nationalist perspective; taking the question of women’s liberation out of the hands of the petty bourgeois feminists- found in most college campuses- and in the hands of community organizations struggling for the National Liberation of the Mexicano nation.

The objectives of this conference were: 1) to build a network of movement organizations that would address issues facing Mexicana women; and 2) build a liberation movement for Raza self-determination. Never before has there been a conference where Mexicana women were upholding the line of self- determination and Revolutionary Nationalism for our people, while struggling side by side with our compañeros in the struggle. Unión del Barrio and the Comité de Mujeres Patricia Marín believes that all oppression faced by the Mexicana can only be eliminated through national liberation, and that this struggle can only be successful if women take part in it. The conference was well attended with many organizations and community gente.

Among the conference participants were the Brown Berets de Aztlán, Chicano Park Steering Committee, Unión del Barrio, Raza Rights Coalition (San Diego Region of NCMC), TXMC (Tucson Chicano Mexicano Coalition, Tucson region of NCMC), FAC-MLN, La Raza Unida Party, CCM (Chicanos for Creative Medicine/UCSD), and the CMSA (Chicano Latino Medical Student Association). Keynote presentations were given by Elba Alvarez from Unión del Barrio, Judith Galarza (FAC-MLN), and Libertad Ayala (La Raza Unida Party).

The program included four workshop sessions which were: La Familia, Prison/Judicial Systems, National Liberation, Legislative Key Issues. The resolutions which came out of these workshops are as follows:

National Liberation - We understand that in order to win more women into the struggle for national liberation we must:

1. Work hard to raise the political consciousness of the Chicano Mexicano communities and win their hearts and minds over to the struggle for Raza self-determination.

2. At all times demonstrate- through concrete practice- that women are and must be organizers, leaders, and revolutionaries for our people’s struggle.

3. Build a movement that will address the issues, ideas and needs of women under the specific political context and character of Raza self-determination.

4. Oppose the falso feminism pushed forth by the vendido and liberal petty bourgeois.

5. Establish lines of communication and network with the Liberation struggles of other oppressed people’s (African, Asian, etc.).

6. Uphold and support the position that women must and will be our own liberators.

La Familia:

1. We must build coalitions within our Movimiento.

2. We must uphold the possibility of organizing our families into political activism.

3. We must recognize that we are a “dysfunctional community” due to the over 500 years of colonial oppression and violence, and that in order to change this condition we must organize and challenge the gringo capitalist colonialist system.

4. We must join organizations that will raise the political consciousness of our people’s true history. 5. We must educate our people on the material (real) conditions that exist in our community.

Judicial/Prison System:

1. We must build a National Prison Project.

2. We must develop a manual on organizing Raza women in prison.

3. We (as mujeres) must participate in an active way in the National Conference on Raza Prisoners and Colonialism on May 16, 1998 in San Diego Califas.

Legislative and Current Issues Facing Raza:

1. All organizations present agree to participate in a networking process with Chicano Latino Medical Student Association (CMSA) and Chicanos for Creative Medicine (CCM), in order to inform and support each other with our activities.

2. Chicanos for Creative Medicine CCM, CMSA and the Comité de Mujeres Patricia Marín will organize a forum that will inform the community about legislative and medical issues.

The resolutions which came out of this conference will be utilized by the Comité to work with those organizations who committed themselves to helping in finding solutions to the daily racism and oppression that we as a people face.

CMPM Holds Annual Retreat

On March 14, 1998 the CMPM held our third annual retreat where we reviewed our past years work and did some criticism, self-criticism. Although we were able to keep the project consistent in membership, fund raising and the building of our first conference, we are very critical of the fact that we were never able to give life to the preventive health campaign. We understand that this was a task that takes resources- including help from outside health practitioners- which made organizing this event extremely difficult. We are highly critical of this work because of our own lack of consistency and accountability. We are trying to reanalyze the campaign and are looking at the possibility of a forum and future health screenings with Chicanos/Latinos for Creative Medicine and Chicano/Latino Medical Student Association. As a way of accomplishing the resolutions that came our of our first Women’s Conference.

The CMPM will also be doing work around a political education program for the children of Unión del Barrio, which is part of the Child care Campaign we initiated at our last retreat. This program will incorporate the different age groups that cannot yet participate in Somos Raza, but who can comprehend basic concepts. Our children get a type of political education everyday both from the racist colonial schools and from television and advertisements. The objective of this campaign is to develop our children politically and to get them ready for Somos Raza and eventually Unión del Barrio. Again this follows the resolutions that came out of the Familia workshop of January’s Conference. We understand that it is the responsibility of Unión del Barrio to develop our youth into future cadres that will contribute in the struggle for self-determination. We will be initiating this campaign in May and are looking for any political/cultural materials, coloring books, games etc. that anyone is willing to donate.

If anyone is interested,we are looking for people to join the Comité de Mujeres Patricia Marín. Our membership is open and we are in need of more Mexicanas who want to work in building Raza self-determination. We can be reached at Comité de Mujeres Patricia Marín P.O. Box 620095, San Diego, CA 92162 (619) 696-9804

¡Que Viva La Mujer Revolucionaria!
¡Y Que Viva La Raza!