Symbols of Resistance Curriculum: Digitized Documents Symbols of Resistance looks at the history of the Chican@ Movement as it emerges in the 1970s, with a focus on events in Colorado and Northern New Mexico. The curriculum will highlight the relevance of the history documented in the film to present-day struggles for justice – for immigrant rights, and against the ongoing repression of ICE raids, detention, and mass deportations. To accompany this curriculum we have digitized a number of documents from our archives that relate to organizations, topics or events mentioned in Symbols of Resistance. List of Digitized Archival Documents (Organized in Binder and Individually in Database) MLN-M -> Towards Socialist Revolution 1 – 9 MLN-M -> Discussion Document Land Struggle 10 – 25 MLN-M -> Discussion Document #1 26 – 34 MLN-M -> Discussion Document #3 35 – 41 MLN-M -> La Patria Es Una 42 – 44 MLN-M -> To The People 45 – 46 MLN-M -> De Pie Y En Lucha: Fall 1980 47 – 74 MLN-M -> De Pie Y En Lucha: Long Live the Heroic Puerto Rican Prisoners of War! 75 – 89 MLN-M -> De Pie Y En Lucha : On Armed Struggle and Unity 90 – 94 MLN-M -> De Pie Y En Lucha: Revolution in Mexico 95 – 106 MLN-M -> De Pie Y En Lucha: Vol. 2 No. 1 107 – 118 Mexican Migration Not Immigration 119 – 155 Borderlands Education Committee: Conflict and Migration 156 – 171 Assorted Event Flyers – 1970s La Historia de UMAS (United Mexican American Students) TOWARDS SOCIALIST REUNIFICATION I Movimiento de Liberation Nacional Mexicano Commission TOWARDS SOCIALIST REUNIFICATION The major threat against imperialism is the ris- ing movements of national liberation. Led by a strategy of prolonged people's war, anti- imperialist anti-colonial revolutionaries are laying the foundations for a new world order. Colonial hegemony is being challenged in Azania, Namibia, Northern Ireland, Puerto Rico, Palestine and here in Occupied Mexico (currently known as the U.S. LUCHAR FOR UNA PATRIA Southwest). A major obstacle to these liberation REUNIFICADA Y SOCIALISTA movements is the bourgeios, settler and colonialist O MORIR FOR ELLA hegemony that has been accepted both interna- tionally and by some of the colonized people themselves. This, our second discussion document on the Mexicano National Question, further ad- vances our position of socialist reunifications History does not lie. Yet it takes on a different while challenging the U.S. settler colonialist view meaning with the significance we attach to a given of History. historical event. Particularly, in the occupied ter- We dedicate this discussion document as a ritory, many forces want our people to accept the tribute to the memory of two Mexicano revolu- historical fact of the treaty of guadalupe hidalgo tionaries who have influenced our organizational and the fact that we live within the current boun- development. Ricardo Flores Magon, deserves our daries of the U.S. to limit our struggle. This posi- honor, respect and continued struggle, for his tion stems from an acceptance of the settler col- leadership in the 1910 revolution. Magon was the onialist view of history and negates our historical first Mexicano revolutionary to openly and active- obligation. History, however, has taught us that ly organize Mexicans, north of the militarily- clarity requires an analysis of the developmental imposed border, as part of the revolution occurr- process and not just an acceptance of a historical ing in the southern 30 states. Magon was the first fact. An understanding of the developmental pro- Mexicano revolutionary to openly and actively cess that occurred in the occupied territory leads organize Mexicanos, north of the militarily- us to our historical obligation: the socialist imposed border, as part of the revolution occurr- reunification of Mexico. ing in the southern 30 states. Magon once stated; It is estimated that 20 million Mexicanos cur- '.'THERE IS NOTHING SADDER IN THE rently live in what is known as the "U.S. WORLD, THAN TO SEE A SATISFIED Southwest." Various projections state that by the SLAVE." year 2000, our people will constitute over 50% of The other Mexicano revolutionary was closer to the population in this geographical area. The ma- us both historically and politically. Florencio jority of our people are denied adequate housing, "Guero" Medrano was the leader of the United education, medical care, human and democratic Proletarian Party of the Americas in the late rights. We are constantly terrorized by the police 1970's. He was murdered by Mexican government and by the MIGRA (INS). Our people live in a col- forces in March of 1979. "Guero" recognized the onial relationship to the U.S. federal state. importance of the struggle of Mexicanos within However, as a result of an expansionist war, 50% the borders of the U.S. and how it is related to the of the Mexican National Territory was forcibly struggle south of the border. annexed to the U.S. federal state. It is these two facts that lay the foundation for our positon of socialist reunification of Mexico. I. NATIONAL FORMATION In 1821, Mexico attained its independence from Day 16 de Septiembre was already celebrated in Spain. For the previous 300 years, Mexico then the occupied territories. After Mexican in- known as Nuevo Espana, was a colony of Spain. dependence, men from California, Texas, Neuvo At this time, Mexico stretched from the northern Mexico served in the Mexican Congress. boundaries of California into Central America. Economic trade and development also was tied to Two years after gaining independence, the Central the economy of the southern states. Economically, American area separated from Mexico forming 5 politically and militarily the northern territories different nation-states. The remaining were an integral part of the Mexican nation. geographical area consolidated as the Mexican na- During these 300 years of colonization, a new tion. This developmental process was however, in- nationality was born. From the inter-mixing of terrupted by U.S. military intervention of 1836 Spainards, Indians, and African People the Mex- and again in 1846-48. Prior to the U.S. military in- ican nationality was born. Despite regional dif- tervention, despite the long distances between ferences between someone in Alta California, so- regional centers and Mexico City, this geographic meone in Nuevo Mexico, someone in Texas- area was recognized as the nation of Mexico. Also Coahuila and someone in Mexico City, the ma- significant in this regard is the/act that military jority of the people were Mexicans. There were personnel were assigned and dispatched from however, racial and class divisions which conicid- Mexico City. These decisions affected "social ed. At the top of the social ladder was the Espanol economic rights, town lay-out, land tenure, irriga- followed by the criollos, the remaining 80% of the tion, Indian relations, trade and military organiza- population was made up of the Indian and Mex- tion." As early as 1822, Mexican Independence ican peoples. 112° 104° 96° 42° f~*—International limit established in 1819 42" | and ratified in 1828 ' Texas separation (1835 1836) 34' -34° 26°- 26° From Atlas Porrua de la Republics Mexicana 112° 104° 96° History of the United States-Mexico Boundary Meanwhile, on the eastern coast of what was to A New "U.S." nationality was not born in the become the U.S., the original 13 colonies were federated U.S. The white Anglo-saxon and Anglo- winning their independence and consolidating as a Celtic immigrants did not "merge" with the federation. Even in 1776, when independence was Native American population, the Black popula- won from England, the 13 colonies did not con- tion nor with the Mexican population. The white stitute a nation in the historical definition of the immigrants, however, did merge with each other. word. Each colony as a result of its historical The resulting "white settler society" has grown development functioned independently. The first and prospered as a result of the near total elimina- attempt at unification were the articles of con- tion of the indigenous population, the colonial federation. This failed in favor of the stronger- subjugation and enslavement of Black people and worded constitution. This establishes that the U.S. the colonization annexation of the Mexicano peo- from its beginnings was a "federation" of states. ple. Native American, Black and Mexicano people That is, the states voluntarily agreed at least until have been treated as less than human beings. the U.S. Civil War, to function as a federal state. "White Supremacy", the ideology of the white The land base of this federation continued to ex- society has helped U.S. imperialism to grow at the pand first with the Louisiana purchase in 1803, the expense of Third World Nations and peoples. acquisition of the Floridas in 1819 and the forced annexation of over 50% of the Mexican National Territory between 1836 and 1853. II. U.S. INTERVENTION Since the first U.S. settler-colonists entered after independence in 1822, the Mexican govern- Mexico, the U.S. has distorted the historical ment granted permission to Stephen F. Austin to development of the Mexican nation. The first at- settle that area. The settlers were required to tempts in the 1820s to purchase Mexican land pro- become Mexican citizens and swear allegiance to ved fruitless. The first U.S. ambassador to Mex- the Mexican government. This allegiance only ico, Joel Poinsett, attempted in 1825 to buy Texas, lasted temporarily until the Anglo settlers felt con- California, Nuevo Mexico, and parts pf Sonora fident that their numbers could sustain a seces- and Coahuila. He repeated his offers in 1827 and sionist movement which culminated in 1836 with 1829 to buy Mexican territory. Because of his con- the independence of Texas. However, the Mexican tinuous interference in Mexican affairs, the Mex- government did not recognize the independence of ican government requested his recall.