Message sent to the Second National Meeting of the Resistance Movements, to the families of the Ayotzinapa students, and to the Popular Assembly of Ayotzinapa

We, Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlan (M.E.Ch.A), stand with the Ayotzinapa 43, their families, and their community. As the largest and oldest organization of Chican@ youth within the occupied indigenous land known as the United States of America, we refuse to follow suit of said government by remaining silent about the realities terrorizing our gente in Mexico.

The disappearance of the Ayotzinapa 43 on September 26, 2014 has further exposed the illegitimate and decaying regime of Enrique Peña Nieto (EPN) and the forces that brought him to power. The violent barbaric attack on the students points to the extent to which the EPN government fears the people. The normales, rural teachers’ colleges, are a historical victory from the Mexican Revolution of 1910. An attack on normalistas is an attack on the Revolution.

The disappearances of the Ayotzinapa 43 are only one facet of the ongoing dismantling of a sovereign Mexico by the EPN puppet regime, facilitated by a corrupt political system and a submissive oligarchy. US imperialism, at the forefront of these attacks and with the full support and complicity of the twin parties of US capitalism, the Democrats and the Republicans, has compelled the passage of counter-reforms to Mexico’s educational system, labor laws, and energy sector. These last reforms have meant the expropriation of communal landholdings to exploit gas, oil, and other natural resources. Together, these counter-reforms are effectively dismantling the material basis of national sovereignty, and the destruction of the rights of the working/oppressed masses in Mexico.

As these counter-reforms are pushed through, the narco wars continue to rage within Mexico. Thousands of kidnappings and murders have taken place within the last decade. The state military apparatus, inflated with US manufactured weapons and money to combat the narcos, is used as a means of repression against those deemed a threat to the State. Femicides and violence against women also continue. Women all over Mexico are now systematically targeted for torture and murder.

Despite the repression, Mexicans are fighting back. Autodefensas, that include many women, have risen up in parts of Mexico to protect and defend their communities. Students and parents have taken to the streets in defense of education. Labor unions have fought back against reforms, with the Mexican Union of Electrical Workers (SME) leading the fight against privatization.

The solution will not derive from the structures of the corrupt, country-selling politics inherent in the PRI-PAN-PRD political regime. Thus, the call that has emanated from sectors of the workers' movement for a National Sovereign Constituent Assembly is the most immediate step to break from the corrupt political machine and deepen the revolutionary struggle. Such a Constituent Assembly would bring together the genuine representatives of the workers', popular, student and peasant organizations and the growing number of local Popular Assemblies that have arisen in the aftermath of Ayotzinapa. It would establish a new government responsible to the Constituent Assembly -- a government that annuls the PRI regime’s “counter-reforms," ends all the violence, and establishes full national sovereignty and independence, putting forth first and foremost the interests of “los de abajo.” Only the workers and peasants through revolutionary struggle can overturn the rotten capitalist system.

We, as Raza, as people tied to the land within the belly of the beast, have the historical responsibility to stand next to our gente, in this struggle for liberation. Chican@ liberation is inextricably linked to the ongoing revolutionary processes that are currently under way in Mexico just as it is a key component of the revolutionary struggle in the belly of the imperialist beast. Our task is to be at the forefront of organizing raza communities in the US to rapidly respond to ongoing developments in Mexico and fight against imperialist policies in our own lands.
We have set out to build a movement on the campuses, community and labor unions to demand the repeal of NAFTA and all other “free trade” and neoliberal treaties that are dismantling the economic and social fabric of Mexico; and, an end to all US military aid to Mexico (in the name of the War on Drugs -- a failed policy aimed at debilitating resistance movements abroad and criminalizing working class people of color in the US). MEChA will establish concrete alliances with our compañer@s and communities in Mexico and exchange delegates to coordinate the resistance.

From Ayotzinapa to Ferguson to Oakland, El Sexto Sol has risen and with it the people are awakening.

We stand with the Ayotzinapa 43 and the demands of their community:

1. The presentation of the 43 student activists in Ayotzinapa!
2. Punishment of all those responsible for these and all other political murders!
3. The immediate and unconditional release of ALL political prisoners!
4. The repeal of all the counter-reform measures proposed by Peña Nieto!
5. The removal from office of Enrique Peña Nieto!

¡Vivos se los llevaron, Vivos los queremos!
Alive they were taken, Alive we want them back!

MEChA contact persons:

Patricia Pacheco
Alto Pacifico de Aztlán
Co-Chair [email protected]

Lalo Gonzalez
Alta Califas Norte
National Co-Chair
[email protected]

This year, the Nation selected "The Fifth Sunset, the Sixth Sunrise" to be our Conference Theme. MEChistAs from across the Nation will be coming down to San Diego, CA from Thursday, March 21st-Sunday, March 24th to participate in day long activities that are meant to empower, challenge, influence, spread knowledge, and grow as MEChistAs. We will be providing Speakers, Entertainment, Food, Art, Danza Azteca, Spoken Word, Giveaways, Caucuses, Discussions and Various breakout sessions.

Visit the MEChA de UCSD website for more conference information: http://mechadeucsd.org/annualevents/mechanationals/nationals/

We as National M.E.Ch.A. (Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlán), the largest organization of Raza Youth in the United States, took a firm stance against the military occupation and settlement of Palestine during the 19th National M.E.Ch.A. conference when the members endorsed the global call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) on Israel. Therefore M.E.Ch.A. stands in Solidarity with Students for Justice in Palestine to demand for the liberation of all Palestinians, whose current state of occupation and military attack is severely hindering their life, liberty, and their pursuit of happiness.

In recent days, Israeli military forces have violently attacked Palestine in Gaza, killing 80+ civilians, including small children, and injuring hundreds more. These oppressive measures have further divided the Israeli/Palestinian community and have served to reinforce and maintain Israeli occupation on Palestinian land. Although the United States government has decided to ally with Israel, and does not recognize Palestine as its own sovereign nation, We as National Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlán, stands united as a nation to condemn this senseless use of force.

We do not condone war, nor the violation of individuals' human rights. War is detrimental to all countries' financial resources that could be better spent on productive social programs, such as healthcare, education, and matters of that sort. War also serves to be costly in measures beyond the concept of currency. It is expensive in human life; lives that can never be replaced or revitalized after death.

One cannot seek to properly address any given issue without taking into account the history of that subject; the Israeli military occupation of Palestine is no exception. We cannot fully analyze the present, without taking into account past events that have led to people's present state. With that said, when reading this please keep in mind the way in which Israel came to be, people were forced out of their land to make room for another. We ask that you please inform yourself of this history before making quick judgements.

Our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls will not rest until the true meaning of justice is given to the Palestinian people and until the Israeli military attacks cease to reign over Gaza. National M.E.Ch.A. stands in solidarity with Palestine in its struggle for liberation; because we know that La union hace la fuerza (With unity there is strength). Thus, today as a nation we extend our support towards the people of Palestine, as they have been enduring their struggle since 1948. We ask high schools, community colleges and university chapters across the nation to stand in solidarity against the Israeli attacks on the people of Palestine.

With this stance, we (M.E.Ch.A.) as a nation are working with our communities to voice our opposition in regards to the Israel launched war on Gaza with the hopes of ending oppression. People are fighting an unnecessary war, in which lives from both countries are being lost in vain. This issue no longer stands to be solely a Palestine/Israel issue, but a humans rights issue, an environment issue, a global issue that must end now.

If you want to learn more of what is going on at Palestine you can do so through Here
As well as through Students for Justice in Palestine

C/S
In Solidarity & Struggle,

National M.E.Ch.A.

MEChA at San Diego State University and at University of California San Diego is pleased to announce the 2nd Annual National Encuentro, to be held from April 20-22, 2012 in San Diego, CA.

MEChA de SDSU's goal for our National Encuntro is to come together with MEChA chapters and MEChistAs from all over the nation and expose them to our philosophies and ideologies. The theme of this the National Encuentro is "Nepantler@s: Un Mundo Donde Quepan Muchos Mundos." With the National Encuentro, we hope to invoke a desire for MEChA as a national organization to further become politically conscious through community involvement and pride in who they are and where they come from. With Zapatismo as our main focus, we hope to promote the ideals and philosophies adopted by the Zapatista Communities.

In a joint press release by Students for Justice in Palestine (ASU Chapter) it was made known that at the 19th annual National MEChA Conference National MEChA voted to endorse the global call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) on Israel, due to its military occupation and settlement of Palestine.

Please register for the National Conference in Arizona State University March 22-25

asumechanationals.wordpress.com

Hey Y'all the M.E.Ch.A. Website is back online!! stay tuned for National Conference information.

OLYMPIA, Washington- As National Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlán (M.E.Ch.A.) we are endorsing The School of the America's Watch's campaign to permanently shut down the Western Hemisphere Institution for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), formerly The School of the Americas (SOA) located at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia.

MEDIA ADVISORY
For Immediate Release
Contact: Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/o de Aztlán de University of Washington, [email protected]

National Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA) to Protest Arizona’s HB 1070 and SB 2281 and the privatization of higher education at the University of Washington on May 28th 2010.

SEATTLE -- National Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA) and MEChA de UW will be having an action on May 28th, 2010 from 2-5pm at the University of Washington during the National MEChA Conference to demand an accessible education system that does not exploit students, immigrants, first generation college students, workers and our communidad!