Raza Press Association | 12.01.2003 19:11

Guerrilleros De La Pluma:
Conference On Raza Press, Media, And Popular Expression

Guerrilleros De La Pluma:
Conference On Raza Press, Media, And Popular Expression

The Raza Press Association Has Its Roots In The Chicano Movement Of The Late 1960’s And Early 1970’s
During the Chicano Power Movement (1965-1975), a network of over 20 Raza publications (La Raza Magazine, La Verdad, El Grito de Norte, Regeneración, La Causa, El Gallo, etc.) existed under the banner of the Chicano Press Association (CPA). The CPA publicized the activities of the various movement organizations active in the working-class communities, barrios, and colonias throughout Occupied Mexico (Aztlán). But by 1975, like most of the movement organizations (La Raza Unida Party, Brown Berets, etc.) of that period, the CPA became another victim of the U.S. Government's campaign (COINTELPRO) to neutralize or destroy organizations involved in progressive or revolutionary social change.
In 1989, faced with the absence of a voice for the issues and concerns of the Mexicano community, the staff of ¡La Verdad! (political newspaper of Unión del Barrio) called for a summit with the objective of re-establishing the CPA. On April 21, 1990, close to ten publications (i.e. Voz Fronteriza, El Popo, Voz Mestiza, El Sembrador) attended the meeting and unanimously agreed to the re-establishing of the CPA.
During the next decade the CPA organized dozens of meetings, workshops, conferences, and produced newsletters, books, and pamphlets. These juntas and publications were instrumental in informing the Mexicano-Raza community and its allies (progressive forces from other nationalities) on the nature of our oppression and what movement organizations were doing to win our liberation.

New Period Of Struggle: Raza Press Association
After critically studying and actual participation in the last decade of activism, CPA members came to the conclusion that our movement had now enter a new period of struggle in. This new period of struggle arose from the current fascist atmosphere that currently permeates throughout the United States (and much of the world), which the capitalist media legitimizes as a “war against terror” and the government utilizes as a “cover” to increase the oppression of Mexicanos, Africans, and other oppressed peoples and nations. It is a period which calls for liberation fighters to be more active in creating unity among progressive Raza forces and struggle more aggressively against the colonial-global capitalists who are not only oppressing the world’s peoples, but destroying planet earth.
Taking into consideration this new national and international situation in which we exist, the CPA decided that it was important to be more creative in our efforts to include diverse progressive forces within our ranks. The CPA felt that in order to effectively challenge the conditions of this new period required that we change the name of CPA to a more inclusive identity. Therefore at a meeting held on May 11, 2002, in San Diego, Califas, it was decided to change the name of our organization to the Raza Press Association (RPA). With a clear understanding that Raza, in our definition, included all Latin Americans and Indigenous people of what is known today as the “Americas”.

Organizing The National Conference On Raza Press, Media, And Popular Expression
As part of our work to build a press and media that will be able to address the new situation facing our people and our struggle, the RPA decided to organize a broad based national and media conference of progressive and revolutionary forces. After several meetings, in which we provided an open invitation to all progressive Raza media activists to participate and have input, that RPA decided upon holding this particular conference in Oxnard, Califas, in September 14, 2002. During the meetings previous to the conference, the RPA decided upon the theme of “The National Conference On Raza Press, Media, And Popular Expression: Its Use As A Tool For Liberation” and the following conference objectives:

(1) To Break The Mainstream Media Blackout Of Our Movement
(2) To Expose Colonialism, Imperialism, And Capitalism As The Real Enemies Of The People And Basis For Our Oppression
(3) To Raise The Consciousness Of The Community To The Conditions And Key Issues Facing Our People
(4) To Establish And Promote An Accountable And Collective Raza Alternative Media Network
(5) To Promote And Expand The Raza Media News Wire Service
(6) To Establish And Archive/Collection Of Raza Alternative Media

National Conference On Raza Press, Media, And Popular Expression: Its Use As A Tool For Liberation
On September 14, 2002, the National Conference On Raza Press, Media, And Popular Expression brought the issue of the press and media to the forefront of our struggle for Raza Self-Determination. Over 100 activists from throughout Califas and other parts of Occupied America attended the day-long the conference. The conference exposed the participants to a wide range of organizations and individuals and their views and activities in regard to the question of Raza press and media.
The conference brought together three important keynote speakers: Elizabeth “Betita” Martinez (professor, activist, and author of 500 Years of Chicano History), Cecilia Ubilla (former Chilean radio commentator imprisoned by the Pinochet dictatorship, and currently with the Committee for World Democracy) and Rodolfo Acuña (activist, author of Occupied America and professor of Chicano Studies at California State University, Northridge). These long-time fighters for social justice shared their views on how they saw the past, present and future of the progressive and revolutionary media.
Along with the keynote speakers, an informational and solidarity presentation was given by Wali Rahman, representing the Burning Spear newspaper. The Spear, political organ of the African People’s Socialist Party, is one of the oldest and most consist revolutionary newspapers published in Occupied America (United States). Yet another important aspect of the conference, was also the large display of past and present movement newspapers, posters, books, and other literature.
The following are the workshop titles and the panelist who spoke at the conference:

• Workshop I - The History Of Raza Press, Media And Popular Expression: The panelists were Jose Moreno (Committee On Raza Rights and Community Caucus Chair, National Association of Chicana Chicano Studies), Ernesto Bustillos (author of Chicano Journalism: Its History and Its Use As Weapon For Liberation and member Unión del Barrio), Juan Gomez Quiñones (author of Sembradores, Ricardo Flores Magon and the PLM and professor of History at University Of California, Los Angeles), and Elizabeth “Betita” Martinez.

• Workshop II - Building A Raza Media, Press, And Popular Expression Network: The panelists were Francisco Romero (community activist and coordinator of Mexica Tiahui Publications), Guillermo Bejarano (artist, former editor/founder of ChismeArte and AztlanNet.com), Armando Vasquez (artist and co-founder of Dr. Rodolfo Acuña Art Gallery and Cultural Center-Cafe on A St.), Luis Rodriguez (poet, journalist, author of Always Running, La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A. and founder of Tia Chucha's Café Cultural), and Harry Simon (teacher, member of Unión del Barrio, and coordinator of La Verdad Publications).

• Workshop III - Using Raza Media, Press, And Popular Expression In The Struggle For Liberation: The panelists were Pablo Aceves (author of Stolen Revolution and member of Unión del Barrio), Luis Moreno (webmaster and coordinator of Mexica Tiahui Productions), Jose Montoya (artist, musician, and one of the founder of the Royal Chicano Air Force), Catalina Espitia (staff of Las Calles y La Torcida and coordinator of the Chicano Mexicano Prison Project), and Quetza Ortiz (from Voz del Barrio Aztlán and co-founder of the Barrio Defense Committee).

• Workshop IV - Working In The Mainstream Media And Academia: Its Limitations And Possibilities: The panelist were Antonia Darder (author of Culture and Power in the Classroom: A Critical Foundation for Bicultural Education and professor of Education and Cultural Studies at Claremont Graduate University), Sonny Espinoza (professor of Chicano Studies/Independent Media/Film at Loyola Marymount University), Charley Trujillo (author of Soldados: Chicano Soldiers in Vietnam and Chusma House Publications), and Humberto Garza (independent scholar and author of Joaquin Murietta - A Quest for Justice!), and Rodolfo Acuña.

Conference Participants Unite Around General Principles And Objectives Of The Raza Press Association
At the end of the conference, Francisco Romero, one of the facilitators, presented to those in attendance a proposal from the conference organizing committee. The proposal called for the acceptance of three basic-general criteria:

(1) That those in attendance unite with the RPA under its Objectives, Principles of Unity, Membership Criteria, and Structure (please find them in this issue of Guerrilleros de la Pluma)
(2) That those in attendance work to make Guerrilleros de la Pluma the official national publication of Raza media and press activists
(3) And that a “working meeting” be set up in 2003 to work out a more detail and inclusive Organizational Structure for the RPA.

The proposal, as presented by Francisco Romero, was accepted with a standing movimiento applause by those in attendance.

Critical Evaluation Of The Conference Proceeding
It is very important for movement activists to always critically evaluate what we do so that we may learned from our work and thus struggle more effectively in the future. Therefore, the conference organizing committee met in November of 2002 to critically sum-up the conference and to discuss ways by which the conference proposals could be made into a reality. As with every event, there were positives as well as areas which need improvement in regard to how the conference materialized.
One of the areas that the organizing committee identified as needing improvement was the necessity to set a limit on the number panels. The committee found that there were way too many panel discussions and information disseminated to effectively be absorbed in one day conference. It also concluded that the conference facilitators must improve in their efforts in directing panels to keep to the topic of the workshop and time limits for the individual panel presentations. There was too much duplication of information and many panelists did not concentrate their comments on the topic assigned. Finally, and of utmost importance, there was very little feedback and dialogue between the panelists and the conference audience. There was virtually no questions or comments at the end of each panel presentation. The committee understands that audience participation is extremely important if we are all to learn from each other's experiences – conference proceedings lacked this fundamental aspect.
As far as positive conference outcomes and developments, everyone recognized its historical significance. With limited resources (economic, time, number of volunteers, etc.) the key organizers of the conference (Jose Moreno, Luis Moreno, Francicso Romero, and Virginia Sanchez - all members of the Committee On Raza Rights, Oxnard, Califas), were able to make this event a success. The organizers and the RPA were able to bring together – in what was probably the first time in the history of our movement – in one single location, the largest number of progressive and revolutionary professors, authors, artists, community/barrio-based activists, and organizations, working in the area of media. Many of the speakers and those in attendance recognized and commended the organizing team for putting the conference together.
The conference proceedings were recorded onto audio and video tapes in order to document the historic event, and also to mass produce the contents and distribute to organizers as a tool in relaying the conference objectives to others. And, without a doubt, the conference contributed greatly to the formation of a liberation, anti-colonial based, and independent Raza press and media.

The Raza Press Association Continues With Its Work
The RPA is in the process inviting panelists, organizations, participants, and other forces working in the area of press and media, to a conference follow-up meeting to be held in early 2003. The RPA clearly recognizes that as we move into a new period of struggle against oppression and colonialism, an organized, united, and independent national Raza Press Association must be formed and consolidated. Only this kind of unity and organization can prepare our gente for the struggle against the brutal and unjust war (i.e. fascist laws, police-mirga brutality, militarization of our community, etc.) being waged by capitalism-imperialism on our communities and the world.
Through this article, the RPA would like to thank all of the endorsers, panelists, and participants who took part in September 14th conference. The RPA will continue to organize local and national events, forums, and conferences, in our effort to outreach and unite with other progressive individuals and organizations working in the area of media.

¡Un Pueblo Sin Fronteras!
Raza Press Association

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