The struggle of Unión del Barrio is first and foremost against national oppression, for complete independence and freedom from oppressor nations – this best describes the political focus of our movement. Historically, nationalism has consistently emerged as a leading factor in unifying oppressed people 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 of our oppression.

For over 150 years of United States imperialism and colonialism, it has been the politics of nationalism that have united Mexicanas and Mexicanos as one nation in our struggle against terror, poverty, and 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 nationalism within an oppressor nation, examples being white nationalism, nazism, and 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” – an ideology that calls for the establishment of a socialist society – the collective social, economic, and political development of the Mexicano people, based on our historical, cultural, and present conditions and realities. A socialist society is in contradiction to capitalism, which is a system where a small, rich ruling class controls the wealth and power of a nation. Revolutionary Nationalism demands a complete transformation of the social, economic, and political institutions that presently form the basis of our oppression. It is Revolutionary Nationalism that 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.

We recognize that our struggle is intrinsically linked, through history and practice, to the movements of oppressed and colonized people throughout Nuestra América. We believe therefore, that the term “Raza Internationalism” best describes our political relationship to the rest of Nuestra América, and the world. Our obligation as we strive to build a revolutionary party is to recognize the right of all oppressed people to self- determination – to uphold the principle of continental emancipation as embodied in the Bolivarian Revolution, and put forth by Cuauhtémoc, Túpac Amaru, Simón Bolívar, Fidel Castro, Hugo Chávez, Jose Martí, Ricardo Flores Magón, Valentina Ramirez, Augusto Cesar Sandino, Farabundo Martí, Louisa Moreno, Celia Sánchez, Ernesto Ché Guevara, Magdalena Mora, and other raza patriots. We will carry forth the struggle on all fronts to bring about a democratic and socialist unified Indigenous – Raza América.

Our continent’s history parallels and intersects with the experiences of Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Our histories are burdened by our common experience suffering under conquest, slavery, exploitation, and military intervention, as well as a shared challenge to win freedom. It is our duty to recognize these ties and our common enemies, and support all peoples struggling for self-determination and against imperialism.
However, we caution those active in our movement not to fall into the trap of opting for the safe, liberal and abstract struggle against imperialism elsewhere, while refusing to unite against its manifestations here within Aztlan/México Ocupado. Although our liberation is prioritized, we must still support and commit resources to aid those nations who fight for decolonization, against all forms of foreign aggression, and for the right of non-intervention. The most powerful contribution we can make to the struggles of our sisters and brothers of Africa, Asia, and Oceania is the creation of reunified revolutionary socialist México and Nuestra América. Thus, Unión del Barrio upholds the principle of “Raza Internationalism” as a fundamental principle of our ideological unity.

GO TO WHO WE ARE, POINT IV: “Dialectical & Historical Materialism form the Basis of our Strategies & Tactics.“