December 31, 2014

Compañeras y Compañeros Militantes of Unión del Barrio, Supporters & Friends:

On behalf of the Central Committee we extend this end of year message in hopes that it finds you and your family happy and in good health. We also hope that you enjoy spending time with your loved ones as we transition out of 2014.

As we begin 2015 it is important to take the time to reflect on the challenges we face as well as the accomplishments of our organization within the context of the worldwide anti-imperialist struggle. We will better advance our struggle if we evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of our current practices and identify what is still needed to build the three strategic objectives identified at our last Congress. In 2015 we must continue building 1) dual and contending power, 2) the capacity for community-level self-defense, and 3) a more complete integration with the liberation struggle taking shape in the South  – “Retaguardia de Nuestra América.” As contradictions within the United States inevitably continue to sharpen, our organization must be an example of political work that is sustainable, will bring more people into organized struggle, and can consolidate our organizational vision.

2014 was marked by significant victories for our people throughout Nuestra América. The year began with the CELAC Summit declaring Nuestra América a zone of peace, and an agreement to trump any U.S. invasion or orchestrated coups that intend to block the growing trend towards an anti-imperialist and socialist oriented economic and political order. The re-election of Evo Morales in Bolivia, Cerén Sanchez in El Salvador, Dilma Rousseff in Brazil, and Tabaré Vázquez in Uruguay each represents a growing regional block of power that challenges U.S. economic and political hegemony in the region.

This trend towards a clearly progressive, leftist and socialist project is being constructed and consolidated and was best summarized by the 2014 gatherings and declarations of the ALBA-TCP, CARICOM, and UNASUR. This geopolitical shift also helped pave the way for the recent victory achieved by the Cuban revolution. The remaining heroes of the Cuban 5 were returned to their homeland, and Cuban diplomatic relations were opened with the U.S. This shift in U.S. political aggression demonstrates the power of Cuba’s moral standing in the world and should be celebrated as an example for us to learn from.

Unión del Barrio participated in this process in important ways. We were present for the founding Congress of the New Central Labor Union in Mexico (Nueva Central de Trabajadores), and we formed part of the coordinating process of the Encuentro Sindical Nuestra América and sent a delegation to its sixth gathering in La Habana.

2014 was also hard for us. We are well aware of the terrible violence in Mexico, along the border, and in our barrios. The putrid Mexican political class sealed the door to non-violent reform. Within the United States we see increasingly difficult challenges for our work as the North American political class continues to trend toward fascism. The neoliberal, inept and unprincipled Democratic Party spent 2014 reinforcing its image as a “moderate” version of the Republican Party – incapable of pushing back against wild-eyed tea party reactionaries. A newly elected congressional majority of Republican ultra-right officials will no doubt usher in another wave of legislative assaults against our communities and all working people within the U.S., but we should also expect increased aggression against our people south of militarily imposed border and increased interventionism around the world.

Nonetheless, during 2014 our communities made progress to win important victories. Throughout last year Unión del Barrio reinforced important links within Southern California labor unions, particularly in Los Angeles and San Diego. We won significant political spaces within local level Community Councils. We had great success in building independent educational spaces for our youth through Escuelita Aztlán. We opened new avenues of work within multiple school boards, and played a central role in the successful campaign to establish Ethnic Studies in Los Angeles public schools. We organized and participated in dozens of marchas and protests in defense of our communities. We launched a new website. All of these efforts were publicized and celebrated during 2014, and represent a list of victories that any organization with a full-time salaried staff would be proud to share with the public.

Yet, what is arguably most important about the last year of political struggle undertaken by Unión del Barrio was that throughout 2014 we continued our less-public, not often celebrated day-to-day work in barrios, schools, prisons, colleges and workplaces. Throughout Southern California, Unión del Barrio members sustained an impressive level of internal political work – we did the behind the scenes organizing required to make our “public” struggles successful. In 2014 militantes of UdB attended additional meetings: Bases, Secres, CLs, Commisions, and the CC. We participated in internal Conferencias and Political Education sessions. We paid dues. In San Diego we cleaned, maintained, and paid for our own Centro Aztlán Marco Anguiano for another year. Together, we made progress towards the consolidation of Democratic Centralism by reinforcing internal accountability and organizational discipline. And we did all this with a 100% volunteer membership. All told and without exaggeration, our organization can claim that every day throughout 2014 there was some form of Unión del Barrio political activity taking place.

For 33 years we have proven that consistent community work makes Unión del Barrio a people’s organization. In 2015 we will continue to uphold our vision of organized struggle. Of course we must be proud of the political efforts we have engaged in, but there is still much to do. Our task is to be creative and audacious enough to build and consolidate a revolutionary party as an alternative path to a better future. Working people are the only engine for human progress, and like the people of Nuestra América made historic gains in 2014, we too must work to change the conditions within the political borders of the U.S.

Thanks to your commitment and our collective day-to-day community struggle we will continue to make the words of Lucio Cabañas Barrientos a reality in the new year:

¡Ser Pueblo, Hacer Pueblo, Estar con el Pueblo!

The Central Committee of Unión del Barrio wishes you all the best in 2015. ¡Que tengan todas y todos un revolucionariamente feliz año nuevo – 2015!

¡Hasta la Victoria – Siempre! ¡Unidos Venceremos!