PART THREE of THREE Social Media Woketivism Is A Representation Of Political Culture, Not The Real Thing A significant number of social media-centric raza activists, including MEChistas, have embraced a tendency that privileges individual identities over collective expressions of political struggle and political power. This tendency appears within forms of neoliberal performative politics sometimes referred […]
Barrio Youth News & Events
Fascist Proud Boys Attempt To Disrupt May Day Rally In Chicano Park, San Diego
At approximately 5:45 pm on Wednesday May 1, 2019 at least six fascists from the so-called “Proud Boys” organization attempted to enter the kiosko stage area in the center of Chicano Park, 30 mins before the SD May Day Marcha was set to arrive in the park after having marched from downtown. The “Proud Boys” […]
PART 2: Unión del Barrio’s Report & Analysis On The 2019 MEChA National Conference
PART TWO of THREE We Disagree With The Decision To Change What M.E.Ch.A. Stands For – Both In Name And In Principle Unión del Barrio respects the organizational autonomy of MEChA, though we always retain the right of independent criticism and political analysis. What took place at the 2019 National MEChA Conference in Los Angeles […]
Originally Published In 2009: 40 YEARS OF STRUGGLE: EL PLAN DE SANTA BARBARA, MEChA & CHICANO STUDIES
Exactly 10 years ago Unión del Barrio published this article in the March-May 2009 edition of our newspaper ¡LA VERDAD!. Though we are currently developing an organizational statement to address the March 31, 2019 name change of MEChA, we felt there was clear value in re-publishing this article from 2009 to help inform our communities about […]
Los Angeles 2019: When LA Educators Go On Strike, They Teach Us What It Takes To Bring About Change
Unión del Barrio stands in solidarity with Los Angeles teachers! Los Angeles teachers are showing District Superintendent Austin Beutner that when it comes down to defending public education, they are not afraid to go on strike. During the past 20 months the LA teacher’s union (UTLA) has been in negotiations with the LA Unified, struggling […]
Everything Points to the Intensification of Political Struggle in 2019
To the general membership of Unión del Barrio, to our supporters and friends: The Comité Central of Unión del Barrio wishes each of our members, supporters and friends an excellent 2019. Whether your goals are political, family related, or personal, we hope that they all materialize for you during this coming year, 2019. 2018 ends […]
TOUCH ONE, TOUCH ALL: Community Level Self-Defense Beyond DACA!
Unión del Barrio on the elimination of DACA: The most aggressive base of trumpista fascism is anti-immigrant in general and anti-Mexican in particular. The white nationalists that hold power in this country see our people as a threat; not a political threat, but because they know they must contain our demographic growth. This is what […]
Today We Were United In The Defense Of Chicano Park & Our Community
Today, September 3, 2017, a broadly unified raza-led front of elders, high school and college students, barrio youth, political radicals, muralists, artists, cultural workers, academics, activists, native people of the Kumeyaay nation, labor organizers, religious people, etc. unconditionally joined forces with at least 500 local community people to defend Barrio Logan’s historic Chicano Park. Click […]
First Hand Testimony From Herman Baca: “The Chicano Moratorium of August 29, 1970 Still Remembered – The Day Police Rioted!”
“LEST WE FORGET!” Committee on Chicano Rights (Reprinted & Updated from UCSD Herman Baca Archives) I still vividly remember what happened to me personally and politically in Los Angeles, California on August 29, 1970. Thirty thousand Chicanos from throughout the U.S. marched in the streets to protest and call for an end to the war in […]
The Never-Ending Ballad of Esequiel Hernández Jr.
The tiny border town of Redford Texas is located about four hours southeast from El Paso. On May 20, 1997 an 18-year old U.S. citizen of Mexicano heritage named Esequiel Hernández Jr. was shot dead by a group of Marines who had been deployed to intervene in the drug trafficking that was reportedly taking place […]
During February of 2017, Trumpistas Sent Our Communities A Clear Message Of What They Have In Mind For Us
The real question is, what are we going to do about it? Among the generalized political division and increasing hatred that Trump has fomented during his first weeks as president, it takes a little work to discern what is now clearly a pattern of white nationalist aggression that has been unleashed against our communities. Indeed, […]
Trumpism 2016: The Unmasking Of An Empire In Crisis
Don’t Let Yourself Be Overcome With Fear, Nor Should You Lament The Trumpista Crisis Of Imperialism! Compañeras y compañeros, don’t run and hide from this absurd turn of events. To begin, don’t forget that Hillary Rodham Clinton (HRC) was never our champion, and the oval office is not the center of our political power. Instead, think […]
Ramon “Chunky” Sanchez – ¡PRESENTE!
Ramon “Chunky” Sanchez was a central figure of the Chicana/o Movement across numerous generations. He was a leader of political culture and song, an icon of Chicano Park, and a representative San Diego-based raza struggle. Throughout the years he also left his mark on Unión del Barrio, especially our history that is rooted in the […]
Chicano Park Leaders Urge State Officials To Act Immediately To Ensure The Integrity Of National Treasure
For Immediate Release Press Conference: Thursday, October 20 at 1 PM at Chicano Park SAN DIEGO – Barrio Logan residents and Chicano Park leaders continue to grieve over the horrific accident that claimed the lives of four people and seriously injured 8 others, when a truck driven by a drunk driver flew off of an […]
Police Terror & the Murder of Alfred Okwera Olango in El Cajon, California
Unión del Barrio stands shoulder to shoulder with our African sisters and brothers, and together we denounce the brutal police terror that has been unleashed against Black communities across the United States. This wave of police killings, of which the murder of Alfred Okwera Olango is only the most recent, can only be challenged through the […]
August 29, 1970: Why the Chicano Moratorium Is Still Relevant Today
August 29, 1970: A Day Every Chicana & Chicano Must Remember August 29th marks the anniversary of the largest raza-led mobilization against the U.S. imperialist war in Vietnam, and against the conditions of oppression and exploitation of our historically indigenous people by this colonial settler society on our own land. The August 29, 1970 Chicano Moratorium […]
The Militarization of Logan Heights
San Diego “Noches De Conciencia” On Friday May 27th, presidential candidate Donald J. Trump held a fascist rally at the San Diego Convention Center. People from all over San Diego joined multiple protests to reject his politics. A well organized march called by Unión del Barrio rejecting Trump’s colonialism (racism) and hateful campaign descended from […]
SOMEONE IS PAINTING ELECTRIC BOXES IN SOUTH CENTRAL LOS ANGELES AND THEY LOOK AMAZING!
There is a group of young organizers in LA that work with Escuelita Aztlan, a youth project of Unión Del Barrio. Escuelita Aztlan (EAZ) is Unión del Barrio’s independent freedom school that fuses cultural learning, political activism, and community organizing. EAZ recruits straight from the barrios of Los Angeles to bring together the most spirited […]
A DECADE OF STRUGGLE: UNION DEL BARRIO REACHES ITS 10TH YEAR OF STRUGGLE IN LOS ANGELES
Unión del Barrio (UdB) was formed in 1981 by a half-dozen activists as a San Diego barrio-based organization, and has over time transformed itself into a Raza Internationalist formation with Bases of community work in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Davis California, as well as members in other locations. Over time UdB participated in many actions, conferences, […]
Hindsight 2008: “What Does The Election Of Barack Obama To The Presidency Of The Empire Mean For La Raza?”
Real Change Will Only Come From Those Who Struggle For Dignity, Justice & Self-Determination Editor’s Note: A version of this essay was originally published the day after the U.S. presidential elections on November 5, 2008. Responding to multiple requests, we decided to repost an updated version edited for readability and enriched with links from numerous outside […]