Austin, TX – Over 70 people attended a speakers panel and social to commemorate the 56th Chicano Moratorium on August 29. La Frontera Unida (LFU) hosted the event featuring local Chicana musicians and vendors. This marks the first time Austin observed the Chicano Moratorium and was met with enthusiasm by the community.

LFU member Jessie Valdelamar highlighted the importance of the commemorating the Chicano Moratorium this year, amidst the wave of racist attacks against immigrants by Trump, saying, “We need to build up to and go beyond what the generation before us achieved in the 1970s. La Raza is strengthened by immigration, and deportations that rip our families apart and attack our cousins from El Salvador, weaken our people.”

When asked about the goals of the Chicano movement, Sofie Gomez of the FRSO said, “We must unite all who can be united. We aren’t alone in this fight; we need to merge our fight with the liberation of the Black nation and the labor movement. Our problem is capitalism, and only a revolution that brings together these forces can bring us to the next step.”

The speaker panel was followed by a social, with many participants mingling while sipping their “La Causa Cooler” and dancing to the flurry of norteño, cumbia, salsa and country music played by local musicians.

LFU member Jake Holtzman said, “The event was a great success due our frequent barrio walks in the past few months. Our outreach efforts attracted community members to the event. We were offered a free venue and help with fundraising and developed contacts with local artists and musicians.”

The panel featured speakers from LFU, Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).

#AustinTX #TX #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino #ChicanoMoratorium #LFU

Tucson, AZ – On Saturday, August 29, a dozen people attended a brief presentation and documentary screening of Chicano! A Quest for Homeland to commemorate the 56th Chicano Moratorium. Hosted by Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), the event was held at Southside Presbyterian Church, known as the birthplace of the Sanctuary Movement of the 1980s. The Church served as a home for volunteers who provided aid and shelter for thousands of Central American immigrants. The Church continues to be an important pillar in the immigrant rights movement.

The presentation highlighted the political program of the FRSO and the National Question in the U.S. and how Chicanos in the Southwest constitute a nation, oppressed by U.S. imperialism, with the right to self-determination. The crowd heard about the conditions of Chicanos in the 1960s that fueled the rise of the Chicano National Movement.

The presentation also reviewed the role that the U.S. war on Vietnam had on Chicanos. The disproportionately high casualty rate among Chicanos sparked three large anti-war rallies. The largest, with 30,000 people marching in Los Angeles, California on August 29, 1970, was the biggest rally by any single ethnicity at the time. The documentary showed footage of the brutal repression from LA County Sheriffs and LAPD that led to the deaths of journalist Ruben Salazar, and Brown Beret members Lyn Ward and Angel Diaz.

Arlee Thwing of FRSO said, “We believe all nations have a right to self-determination and liberation up to and including secession, and that includes Aztlán. Our strategy is clear: we need a revolution, led by us, the working class, with the strategic alliance of the multinational working class and oppressed nationalities at its core.”

FRSO member Jessica Moreno shared her own experience growing up as a Chicana in Tucson in the 1990s, saying, “No soy de aqui, ni de alla – a famous quote that represents the sentiment of not feeling like we belong, but the reality is that we do belong, and this is our land.”

This is the first Chicano Moratorium event in Tucson since FRSO hosted Chicano Revolutionary and Brown Beret cofounder Carlos Montes in 2017. Participants also learned about local organizations that were tabling, including Tucson Anti-War Committee, Veterans for Peace, and Common Defense.

#TusconAZ #AZ #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoMoratorium #Chicano

Aurora, CO – On Saturday, August 29, 70 community members and activists gathered at Del Mar Park in Aurora, Colorado for the anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium and to oppose deportations. The event commemorated the anniversary of the original Chicano Moratorium in 1970. This anniversary, observed yearly by communities across the country, is also known as Chicano Liberation Day.

On August 29, 1970, 30,000 Chicanos mobilized in East Los Angeles to protest the Vietnam War and the disproportionate rate at which Chicanos were being drafted by the U.S. military and killed. The Moratorium was the culmination of a year’s worth of marches and rallies building up to the mobilization. Led by a broad movement of Chicano anti-war activists organized in the National Chicano Moratorium Committee, the organizers of the march included the Brown Berets and student activists.

The day of the Moratorium, the LAPD arrested hundreds of activists and murdered three people. Police murdered two Brown Berets, Lynn Ward and Angel Díaz. Police also murdered LA Times journalist Ruben Salazar, who was known for his fearless reporting on civil rights and police brutality.

Now, 56 years later, community members gathered at Del Mar Park to demand “Legalization for all!” and an end to deportations. About a half dozen vendors set up canopies and tables displaying apparel and artwork. The crowd watched as Kalpulli Yohualli Ehecatl, a local indigenous dance group, performed Danza Mexika. Many participated by facing the four cardinal directions in turn with the dancers, and many children joined in. Several organizations tabled, including FRSO, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), and Denver Aurora Community Action Committee (DACAC).

Gizell Garcia Palacio from SDS spoke to the crowd, “the U.S. government only wants Chicanos here when it becomes convenient for them.” Palacio asserted that the U.S. is now scared because “they know that we have power.”

Another speaker, Alex Riedle from Aurora Unidos CSO demanded that, “all individuals are allowed to live our lives without fear of political repression and persecution regardless of our citizenship status.”

The Chicano Moratorium at Del Mar Park was the first in the Denver metro area to be hosted in Aurora, which has a sizable Chicano and immigrant population. Immigrants make up over 20% of the population of Aurora.

Organizers with Aurora Unidos CSO foresee this year’s Moratorium as the first of many. They envision the Chicano Moratorium contributing to organizing the Chicano community in the city.

#AuroraCO #CO #OppressedNationalities #Chicano #ChicanoMoratorium #AuroraUnidosCSO

San José, CA – On Saturday, August 29, around 200 attendees and vendors came out to commemorate the 56th Chicano Moratorium in San José.

The 56th Chicano Moratorium was held in Backesto Park, where a new mural that featured local San José activists had been put up by Alfonso Salazar, after a long fight for Chicano representation in the park. Activists say it was important to hold it at Backesto Park to continue the Chicano struggle in San José.

The Chicano Moratorium was a historic anti-war march organized by Chicanos in East Los Angeles, where 30,000 people demanded an end to Chicano enlistment in the Vietnam War due to disproportionate deaths and a stop on police brutality in the United States.

Samantha Rojas of Defensoras Patient Organizing Committee and Ana Cortez of CSO SJ kicked off the event, chanting, “Raza si, Migra no!” Cortez and Rojas highlighted the importance of the 1970 August 29th Chicano Moratorium and its influence on the Chicano movement, saying, “Chicanos were also facing oppression in many forms here at home, from police brutality to exclusion from higher education.” Cortez and Rojas spoke about the discrimination that Chicanos faced and the brutality that protesters faced from the Los Angeles Sheriffs and Police Department, resulting in the deaths of prominent Mexican-American journalist Rubén Salazar, and Brown Berets Lynn Ward and Angel Díaz.

Patricio González Roa of CSO SJ chanted, “ICE out the Bay! ICE out of Gilroy!” highlighting the federal government's plans to build a detention center in Gilroy, California. Rob Bonta, attorney general of California, sued the federal government for legal violations and improper procedures, which resulted in construction of the site being paused. Roa emphasized the connection of the Chicano movement and struggle for equal rights to the attacks of ICE against South Bay Chicano residents.

Keynote speaker Dr. Ramon J Martinez, Secretary of the La Raza Historical Society and a participant in the original 1970 Chicano Moratorium, gave an oral history of the landmark event. “On that day, thousands of Chicano said ‘I’m not supporting the military,’” Dr. Martinez stated, emphasizing the role Chicanos faced in the United States military, where enlistment was viewed as a means of escaping poverty. “As an oppressed people, the military is one of the few ways that, one, you can have a little bit of Spanish and be accepted in this culture,” Dr. Martinez explained.

“The fact is that Chicanos have always been oppressed, we have always been oppressed since 1848 when the border crossed us,” Megan Sweet of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated. Sweet continued, “We must come together, as Chicanos, as people with morals to fight against a common enemy: U.S. imperialism.”

The event was organized by the Tonatiuh Brown Berets, Mujeres de Aztlan and Community Service organization San José (CSO San José) in coalition with endorsers and with food provided by Lighthouse Food and Rescue and Distribution.

The event featured cultural performances by Folclórico Colibri, an LGBTQ Mexican folklorico dance ensemble whose mission is to preserve Mexican customs and culture. Student poets from Mission College highlighted the importance of improving resources available to Chicano and undocumented students through poetry. The event closed off with performances by Chicano artists who uplifted strong community values amongst Chicanos.

#SanJoseCA #CA #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino #ChicanoMoratorium #ImmigrantRights #BrownBerets #CSOSanJose #CSO

MIRAC member Mira Altobell-Resendez introduced the film, saying, “The reason the Chicano people were particularly angry about the U.S. waging war against Vietnam was because even though we made up 10% of the American population, we made up 20% of American casualties.”

These shocking statistics, along with discrimination in housing, education and employment, created conditions for Chicanos to fill the streets in the tens of thousands. They were demanding the reallocation of U.S. resources and full racial equality. During the peaceful protest in 1970, LAPD officers started attacking the crowd with batons, tear gas and rubber bullets, ultimately killing three people. Police murdered two Brown Beret members, Lyn Ward and Angel Diaz. Police also murdered well-known and respected LA Times journalist Ruben Salazar.

20 Years, ¿Y Qué? was produced by the National Chicano Moratorium Committee in 1990. Only 28 minutes, it covers the Chicano struggle for self-determination through interviews with organizers and others who participated in the commemorative Chicano Moratorium march. Taking the same march route, youth and elders of the movement called for solidarity with all oppressed people and justice for the victims of police violence.

After the documentary, members of the audience reflected on the state of the movement for the rights of Chicanos, Black people and other nationalities facing oppression within the U.S.. One Chicano elder expressed gratitude for events that keep the radical roots of the Chicano identity alive decades after the beginning of the movement.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino #MIRAC #ChicanoMoratorium

Los Angeles, CA – On August 29, 250 community members gathered at Mariachi Plaza to commemorate the 56th Chicano Moratorium. Over 30 organizations and small businesses joined the celebration, which included a folklorico dance, rap performance, speakers and free food. Carlos Montes, longtime Chicano revolutionary, was the keynote speaker.

The Chicano Moratorium was the largest anti-war protest of Chicano people. It took to the streets of East Los Angeles in 1970. Fifty-six years later, it is now celebrated as Chicano Liberation Day.

Speaking on the demand of Chicano self-determination, Marisol Marquez of FRSO said, “We need to have a revolution in this country. Led by us. We need to take by force what is ours and use it in a way that is best for our Raza.”

“We deserve to have direct democratic control over who polices our communities and how,” said Derek Mejia, Centro CSO's Police Accountability Committee chair.

Speaking to the demand of “Legalization for all,” Verita Topete stated, “Fifty-six years later, we carry that struggle forward. Because our liberation cannot stop at the border, and our solidarity cannot stop at citizenship. If we are serious about Chicano self-determination, then we have to fight alongside the immigrant working class.”

Chaeho of NODUTDOL closed the program, saying, “As anti-imperialist Koreans, it is our duty to stand in firm solidarity with our Chicano comrades against U.S. imperialist war and aggression and for the liberation of all oppressed peoples of the world. We honor the martyrs Rubén Salazar, Lyn Ward and Angel Díaz. May our movements and all working people of the world stand together to demand an end to U.S. imperialism here and everywhere.”

Nodutdol is a Korean organization based in the U.S. and Canada, organizing against U.S. military bases, and for Korea’s reunification and national liberation.

The Chicano Moratorium was planned and organized by a united front of Chicano grass roots organizations and labor unions. For more photos and videos check out “Chicano.Moratorium” on Instagram.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino #ChicanoMoratorium #CentroCSO #Feature

Colorado Springs, CO – On August 29, community members gathered with signs outside of an unmarked immigrant holding facility for the 56th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium, and its second annual commemoration in Colorado Springs.

Members of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), About Face, and the wider community held up signs reading “No ICE! Stop the deportations!” and “Killer ICE off our streets!” Angry chants rang through the air as the crowd pointed a megaphone at the holding facility, joined by supportive honks from drivers passing by.

The Chicano Moratorium is recognized as a key moment in the movement for Chicano liberation.

Chicanos today face many problems, such as racist police violence and ICE terror. On July 9, members of the Colorado Springs community watched as ICE agents led their family members out of the backdoor of an unassuming office building in shackles. The agents loaded the detainees into a GEO transport van to take them to the detention center in Aurora, Colorado. The office building, in reality a holding facility hidden from the public, became the target for this year’s Moratorium.

At the action, FRSO member Mel Medina spoke about who profits from Chicano oppression, saying, “The monopoly capitalists are constantly stealing the resources of Aztlán. They are depriving us of land that was once ours and using it for their own gain.” Medina connected this to ICE, noting that “they hire our people and use ICE as a tool to exploit workers; as soon as workers demand better pay and benefits, the monopoly capitalists threaten to call ICE.”

Veteran and About Face member Matt Mitchell spoke about the need to resist imperialism everywhere, saying, “We don’t want to see war abroad, and we don’t want to see a militarized ICE force acting against our Black and brown population here.”

FRSO member Brandon Rincon concluded the protest with a call for international solidarity, saying “We need to unite across national and color lines. We need to unite the many to defeat the few!”

#ColoradoSpringsCO #CO #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoMoratorium #ImmigrantRights #ICE

Santa Ana, CA – On Saturday, August 29, approximately 80 people gathered at El Centro Cultural de Mexico to commemorate the 56th Chicano Moratorium. As the event kicked off, the crowd chanted, “Chicano power!”

Griselda Ruiz, a member of Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) started, “This event is held every year to commemorate the Chicano Moratorium of the 1970s in East LA. On August 29, 1970, over 20,000 Chicanos and Chicanas marched peacefully to protest the Vietnam War and the large number of Chicanos dying in it. The protest turned violent when sheriff's deputies attacked, causing chaos, several injuries, and three deaths, including journalist Ruben Salazar, who was killed by a tear gas canister fired by police. So, we are united here and throughout the Southwest to honor all the past Chicanos and Chicanas who have fought for our rights.”

Diana Terreros from CSO OC’s immigration committee stated that since Trump took office, “Undocumented immigrants are living with the daily fear of raids, deportation, family separation, and even death at the hands of an ICE agent. Immigrants that have some sort of legal status such as TPS or DACA face that status either being terminated or delayed, both throwing people into uncertainty and financial instability.”

Terreros added, “Along with the attacks from the federal government, here in Santa Ana we have seen that corporations are taking advantage of the fear that immigrants are facing.” She was referencing Kingsley Management, a multi-million dollar corporation based in Utah, that is harassing and stealing homes from mobile home residents.

Abe Quintana, a member of CSO OC’s police accountability committee, spoke on the families impacted by police violence that they work with. “What we want to say about these cases is that racist police killings and brutality against Chicanos are features of national oppression. They are based on the oppression of the Chicano nation Aztlan.” Quintana added, “The objectives of our campaigns are designed to put more power into the hands of those directly impacted by police misconduct and violence.”

Francis Co. and the Lusitanos then performed some songs “from Santa Ana, for Santa Ana.” His songs included lyrics like “Show me the warrant, show me your badge, I want my lawyer. And ICE can kiss my ass!” and “They don’t take the farmer, just the workers on the farm. And what do we tell their children when their parents can’t be found?”

During the event, attendees visited tables from different organizations, enjoyed Oaxacan food, and enjoyed activities set out for children.

This was followed by a speech by Rain Mendoza of Freedom Road Socialist Organization. After speaking about Chicanos facing police and ICE killings all while living under poverty, she stated, “None of this is by accident. The oppression we face here is the national oppression of Chicanos. We are a nation carved from the theft of Mexican territory and the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.”

Mendoza ended with a solution: “As a communist I understand that the horrors we are up against cannot be reformed or voted out. To achieve change and liberation for our people we must overthrow the ruling class and fight for socialism.”

A member of the International League of People’s Struggle told the crowd, “Today we see the same vicious war machine intensifying, waging war and aggression on countries who stood against U.S. political control and plunder of their resources – war on Iran, murdering thousands of people, aggression against Venezuela and Cuba, and genocide in Palestine.”

This was followed by a statement by Vinny Mansoor of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network being read, “It means asking, every time we are told that another war is necessary: necessary for whom? Paid for by whom? And who gets buried when it’s over? Palestinians know this intimately. We know what it means when somebody else’s geopolitical ambition is paid for with our blood.”

The crowd then marched to the Ronald Reagan Federal Building. The protesters filled the streets with chants of “Raza si! Migra no!” “Jail killer cops!” “No boots on the ground, no bombs in the air! U.S. out of everywhere!” and more.

When they arrived at the federal building, Terreros stated, “This is where our sister Nadia Topete, a Chicana immigrant rights organizer, was summoned for a grand jury just last month. The feds targeted her for being an activist in our sister CSO chapter in Boyle Heights and she bravely resisted this grand jury as CSO members and community members rallied for her outside where we are standing here today.” The crowd then chanted “Hands off Nadia Topete!” and “Fuck Trump!” while flipping off the building.

The event was organized by CSO OC and included endorsers such as MEChA from Cal State Fullerton, United Domestic Workers, and more.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #OrangeCounty #ChicanoMoratorium #OppressedNationalities #Chicano #CSO #ImmigrantRights

Santa Ana, CA – On Saturday, August 30, approximately 70 community members gathered at El Centro Cultural de Mexico to commemorate the Chicano Moratorium. People chanted, “Chicana! Power! Chicano! Power!” as the event kicked off.

Emcee Diana Terreros of Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) stated, “Especially today as Trump’s attacks on Raza have started and will continue throughout his term, we are here to demand ICE out of Santa Ana, justice for Noe Rodriguez, community control of the police, legalization for all, ending U.S. aid to Israel, and more!”

Santa Ana music artist Francis Co. and the Lusitanos then performed a song titled ICE out of Santa Ana about ICE’s presence in our communities and knowing your rights.

David Pulido of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) told the crowd, “Our enemy has always been the capitalist system because it needs the oppression of Aztlán to survive.” He stated that each new generation of Chicanos inherits the task “to liberate Aztlán, not only for Chicanos but for all oppressed nationalities and indigenous peoples in the U.S. We owe it to the people of Palestine and the Philippines, and to all who suffer from U.S. imperialism abroad.”

Attendees then heard from families impacted by police brutality and ICE arrests.

Erika Armenta is fighting for justice for her husband Noe Rodriguez, who was killed by Santa Ana Police Department Officers Luis Casillas and Isaac Ibarra. The officers fired almost 30 bullets at him, leaving his two daughters to grow up without a father.

Armenta stated that the officers continue to patrol the streets while under investigation by the California Department of Justice. She added that Casillas was recently involved in other violent incidents, stating “these officers are a danger to our communities, because they do not act professionally and they do not have the ability to de-escalate situations.” Armenta continues to demand that the officers be fired and jailed.

Ashley Avellaneda demanded justice for Imanol Gonzalez via a statement read on her behalf by Caro Munoz, CSO OC Police Accountability Committee (PAC) member. Gonzalez was a 19-year-old Santa Ana resident who was killed in Tustin by Los Angeles police Officer Carlos Coronel in February of 2025. “While he was off duty, Coronel egoistically decided to drive knowing he was drunk. He ran over Imanol and left the scene. He didn’t call for help, he didn’t stop to see if he was okay. Carlos Coronel is only facing six years and eight months in prison as his maximum sentence.” She stated that this is unfair and that the family is struggling for no preferential treatment and a stronger sentence through a campaign with CSO OC PAC. “I didn’t know where to start or how, but by coming to the PAC meetings, and joining city council sessions, I have learned so much and especially learned that we all have a voice.”

Terreros then shared a statement from a Santa Ana resident who wished to remain anonymous, reading, “I recently had to attend a court hearing, which was a nightmare. The journey to the courthouse was fraught with anxiety, not knowing if I’d be stopped or detained on the way...This is why I believe that implementing universal remote hearings is crucial. Imagine being able to attend your hearing from a safe location, without the fear of being snatched.”

CSO OC is carrying out a campaign to implement virtual immigration hearings at the Santa Ana immigration court, a practice used during COVID. ICE has been arresting people on site since May, and this would prevent further arrests at the court.

The crowd then marched to the ICE field office, holding banners that stated “Fuck ICE,” “Community control of the police, and “Chicano self-determination.” Chants of “Raza si! Migra no!” echoed down Santa Ana Boulevard.

Jocelyn Pacheco, a member of CSO OC PAC, chanted “Down with the cover ups! Down with the lies!” She spoke about their 24/48 Campaign, which is pushing for a policy change on transparency after police killings to require the police department to publish the names of officers in 24 hours and body camera footage within 48 hours.

These demands are important to help families in their struggles for justice. Pacheco reminded the crowd, “They lied about what Noe was doing before they shot him and they lied about how many times they shot him and if it weren’t for CSO obtaining the extended body camera footage then who knows what other stories they would have come up with.”

Speaking for CSO OC’s Immigration Committee, Clara Delgado shared her experience as a Chicana born and raised in Santa Ana. “I grew up watching the people I love such as landscapers, food truck workers, hotel staff, and kitchen staff labor day and night while battling racism, loneliness and exploitation.” She went on to talk about CSO OC’s campaign for virtual immigration hearings and their barrio walks, where CSO members hand out know your rights information. She ended with, “I promise you this: CSO OC will not stop fighting until justice is served for our people.”

The event included a rap performance by Kozmik Force, spoken word by Santa Ana poets Iuri Lara and Gustavo Hernandez, a baile folklórico group, and local vendors.

The event was put together by CSO OC and was endorsed by multiple organizations, including FRSO Orange County, the Orange County Rapid Response Network, Chicanxs Unidxs, Pueblo Unido, Santa Ana Active Streets, Democratic Socialists of America, and more.

#SantaAnaCA #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoMoratorium #ChicanoLatino #CSOOC #DSA #FRSOOC

Tampa, FL – August 31 was the first celebration of Chicano Liberation Day in Tampa history. Tampa Immigrants’ Rights Committee marked the 55th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium with a showing of the HBO film Walkout, starring Alexa PenaVega and Michael Peña, directed by Chicano actor and East Los Angeles native Edward James Olmos.

The celebration was held at a local bar, La Cantina. The film depicts the events of Spring 1968 East Los Angeles high school walkouts, or Chicano Blowout, where students walked out of five East LA schools to demand better conditions, like allowing Spanish to be spoken and an end to corporal punishment. People who attended the showing learned about both the walkouts and the history of Chicano Liberation Day.

The history of Chicano Liberation Day begins in 1970, when, as moderator Val Beron of TIRC explained, “over 20,000 Chicanos marched in Los Angeles to protest the Vietnam War, specifically the fact that Chicanos made up 29% of casualties despite being 5% of the total U.S. population. Chicanos felt that the true struggle wasn’t in the jungles of Vietnam, but the barrios at home.” This march, called the Chicano Moratorium, demanded an end to U.S. involvement in Vietnam, and an end to oppression at home, such as police violence.

As Florida and the nation experience a wave of anti-immigrant and anti-Chicano repression from the reactionary Trump and DeSantis administrations, the film and the Chicano Moratorium also resonate today. However, just as in the film, when the people organize and fight back, they win – as the concentration camp for immigrants in the Everglades was just shut down this past month due to legal efforts of the Miccosukee Tribe and political pressure from the people holding constant protests.

The Tampa Immigrants’ Rights Committee will be holding a know your rights training in the near future in an effort to further develop a rapid response network to ICE terror in the Bay area. They can be found on Instagram and Facebook at TampaIRC.

#TampaFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #ChicanoMoratorium #Chicanos #OppressedNationalities #TIRC

Los Angeles, CA – On Saturday, August 30, hundreds of Chicano activists and community members gathered in East Los Angeles to commemorate the 55th Chicano Moratorium. Organized by Centro CSO along with a coalition of activist organizations, the day’s march and rally centered the fight for Chicano self-determination, an end to Trump’s ICE attacks, and solidarity with Palestine.

The Chicano Moratorium is known as the Chicano Liberation Day, honoring August 29, 1970 when 30,000 Chicanos marched in East LA to protest the Vietnam War, the high casualty rate of Chicanos in that war, and racist conditions. The rally was attacked by the Los Angeles Police Department and LA Sheriff’s Department whose officers swung batons and teargassed the entire community. Hundreds were arrested and three killed, including Ruben Salazar, a well-known journalist who had become critical of police and immigration abuses. Many believe he was targeted for assassination.

The police attack caused the community to rebel and fight back against the police and many police went down. This historic day is part of the longtime struggle of Chicanos for self-determination. Since the Mexican-American War, Chicanos in the Southwest have faced fierce oppression, but have always resisted. That march and rally brought in a new generation of fighters for Chicano Liberation.

55 years later, the demands of Chicano activists are similar. For this 55th annual Chicano Moratorium, organizers hung a banner on the lead truck of the march. The banner listed the current demands: Self-determination for the Chicano Nation, solidarity with Palestine, ICE out of LA, community control over the police, defend public education, and no to U.S. wars!

The day’s activities started with a rally at the Sound of Music, formerly the Silver Dollar Bar where Salazar was murdered. Carlos Montes, member of the Central Committee of Freedom Road Socialist Organization and a long-time veteran of the Chicano Movement, kicked off the rally with a speech about how the struggle of the Vietnamese people against the U.S. military radicalized a generation of Chicanos to oppose U.S. imperialism. Other speakers at the first rally included Beña Martinez, representing About Face: Veterans Against the War, who talked about resisting wars, military recruitment, and the presence of troops in U.S. cities, and Ernesto Ayala, chair of el Partido La Raza Unida, who noted the long history of Chicano resistance.

Derek Mejia, a leader of CSO’s Police Accountability Committee, introduced a block of speakers against police crimes. Stating, “Much like the IDF, LAPD and LASD are instrumental in the United States’ attacks and continued suppression of the right toward self-determination of the oppressed Chicano people of Aztlan.”

Mejia’s speech also focused on how Centro CSO has taken up a campaign to win justice for Jeremy Flores who was killed by LAPD’s Hollenbeck Division in June. Cindy Nuñez, a member of United Families for Justice and the sister of Francisco Nuñez, shared about the fight to expose LASD brutality while Arienne Duncan demanded justice for Jimmy Lopez, who was beaten to death by the Hemet Police Department.

Angelica Reyes, a member of Union del Barrio and a LAUSD teacher, gave a speech about fighting for her students and families against the brutal ICE raids. Liza Peña from La Mesa Brown Berets closed the rally with a speech about how the Brown Berets continue the fight for Chicano power.

After the kickoff rally, over 500 people began marching down the historic Whittier Boulevard with energetic chants like “Chicano power!” “Fuera la Migra!” “Viva, viva Palestina!” and “Aqui estamos y no nos vamos.” The public responded with yells, raising fists and honking horns. 90-plus degree weather did not stop the loud, energetic political chanting, denouncing Trump’s racist attacks.

As the marchers arrived at Salazar Park, they were met with cheers as they joined the crowd. The main rally began with a speech by Sol Marquez of FRSO LA, who said, “We named our nation Aztlan in 1969, and we will continue to organize with the multi-national working class to overthrow Trump!”

Then Art and Terry Navarrete followed by sharing about Centro CSO’s immigration work, which includes barrio walks and the victory of having the charges dropped on Alejandro Orellana. Sabrina Medina talked about getting raided by the ICE and FBI, which included having the Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Dr. Phil in her home. “They have been terrorizing my family! Don’t let the FBI and ICE agents harass your family or our neighborhood,” said Medina. Her mother Lisa Medina, a street vendor activist, was arrested and deported.

Dr. Rocio Rivas, LAUSD board member, spoke about the importance of education and defending students and families, stating, “Solo el pueblo salva al pueblo, adelante mi gente!” Longtime UFW/SEIU organizer Eliseo Medina said, “When people stand up and fight, they will always win!”

Sergio Flores, brother of Jeremy Flores, stated, “They get to go home and continue on with their everyday activities, while we get to never see my brother again, love him again, laugh with him again. And that’s not right!” Sergio gave his speech with his mother and sisters standing beside him. Black Lives Matter-LA Grassroots leader Baba Akili gave an energetic speech about uniting Black and Chicano people to fight Trump’s attacks.

United Teachers Los Angeles Vice President Gloria Martinez spoke about the struggle to defend public education. Juan Parrino of Los Rucos talked about the original Chicano Moratorium issues and how we are fighting similar struggles today. Lupe Carrasco Cardona of the Association of Raza Educators talked about promoting and defending ethnic studies and how the association is part of the community defense against ICE raids.

Sammy Carrera, a member of Centro CSO and a Teamster Local 396, stated, “ICE agents are kidnapping and terrorizing the working class while the monopoly capitalists are getting rich off the prison industrial complex.” He also said Chicanos know how to fight back and will do so against ICE attacks.

The 55th Chicano Moratorium reinforced the fight for self-determination for the Chicano nation, solidarity with Palestine and the ongoing fight against ICE attacks. It also stressed the importance of fighting against police killing with the demand of community control of police and the key fights to defend and promote public education against privatization.

Vera Topete, a Centro CSO member and emcee concluded the rally by encouraging people to join Centro CSO.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #ChicanoMoratorium #OppressedNationalities #ImmigrantRights #CSO

Tacoma, WA – Immigrant justice advocates and organized labor united on August 29 to celebrate Chicano liberation at our local Teamsters Union Hall. After a presentation of Chicano history, a short march was held to unveil a banner with the bilingual message “Stop the deportations!/Alto a las deportaciones!” over Interstate 5.

The event was held by Pierce County Immigration Alliance/La Alianza de Imigracion Condado de Pierce, in collaboration with Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Founded in March 2025, Pierce County Immigration Alliance was created in response to increased attacks on immigrants by ICE in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidential re-election in November 2024.

“I feel as though that the greatest thing that we can do for Chicanos in our community and for immigrants is standing shoulder to shoulder with them and hearing migrant perspectives on what's going on,” said Treveon Parish, an attending community member. “You know, really just going to your local community and safeguarding your community and standing arm in arm with them.”

55 years ago, on August 29, 1970, 30,000 demonstrators marched in East Los Angeles to protest the Vietnam War. The presentation held in celebration of the Chicano Moratorium educated the audience about this event, and talked about the land seizures, Chicano workers’ strikes in the decades leading up to the moratorium, as well as the accomplishments and struggles of Chicano people post-1970.

Armed with knowledge, the crowd then took to the streets with chants such as “Stand up and shut it down! This is a sanctuary town!” “Say it loud and say it clear! Immigrants are welcome here!” and “Power to the people! No one is illegal!” Attendees marched uphill through blackberry bushes to deliver their message to drivers coming home on Interstate 5.

After the event, attendees came away with new knowledge and vigor for fighting against the latest administration’s attacks on immigrants, Chicanos and other groups.

“If you see an ICE agent, make noise. If you see your neighbors taken, don’t let them be taken,” said Moon Gosserand, a general member with Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “These are your neighbors, this is your family. This is your community.”

#TacomaWA #WA #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoMoratorium #Chicanos #ImmigrantRights #PICA

Los Angeles, CA – On August 30, at 3 p.m., Chicanos, impacted families of police brutality, people raided by ICE and the FBI, along with supporters will in East Los Angeles, for a march, marking the 55th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium.

The march will begin at Sounds of Music record store, the site of what was once the Silver Dollar; a bar where many including LA Times reporter Ruben Salazar took refuge after LAPD and Los Angeles sheriffs mercilessly beat and attempted to disperse participants in the August 29, 1970 Chicano Moratorium. Salazar was killed by LA sheriffs. The moratorium’s demands were ending the Vietnam occupation and equality for Chicanos.

Tomorrow, a large coalition will be commemorating the 55th anniversary of this event and uplifting current demands such as stand with Palestine, ICE out of LA, Chicano self-determination, community control of police, and defend public education.

The coalition is made up of Centro CSO, Union del Barrio, Black Lives Matter: Los Angeles, Jewish Voice for Peace, About Face LA, UTLA, Teamsters, SEIU, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), and United Families for Justice, which consists of police killing impacted families of Jeremy Flores, Francisco Núñez and Hugo Cachua.

“I believe it is important to commemorate the 55th Chicano Moratorium, because we once again find ourselves, as a people, in a crucial moment, where staying silent is complicity,” says Centro CSO member and security lead Derek Mejia, “People should be out in the streets on Saturday August 30, standing up against the ICE raids and with Palestine! It is important that we continue and maintain the long history of the Chicano struggle.”

The 55th commemoration will begin at 3 p.m. at the Sounds of Music record store, where attendees will begin marching, and ending at Salazar Park for a rally and entertainment starting at 4:30 p.m. That part of the event will take place at the Whittier Boulevard/Alma Avenue side of the park. The family-friendly event will have free food, water and entertainment.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #Chicano #ChicanoMoratorium #ImmigrantRights #OppressedNationalities #CentroCSO #UniondelBarrio #BlackLivesMatter #JVP #AboutFace #SEIU #Teamsters #UTLA

As the Trump administration intensifies attacks on Chicano communities and immigrants while the U.S. funds war abroad and genocide in Gaza, the lessons from the Chicano Moratorium are more crucial than ever. On Thursday August 28, join FRSO for an online event to mark this turning point in the history of the Chicano liberation movement, and to fan the flames of struggle.

On August 29, 1970, 30,000 Chicanos marched through East Los Angeles in a powerful stand against the Vietnam War and the devastating number of Chicano casualties. The rally at Laguna Park was a declaration of Chicano identity and a fist raised against U.S. imperialism. The protesters faced brutal police violence, and the LA Sheriff’s Department teargassed and attacked the crowd, killing three: Lyn Ward, Angel Díaz, and Rubén Salazar, a journalist targeted for his reporting on police brutality.

This legacy of resistance and the fight against repression is not a closed chapter. We face the same enemy in a new era today.

The discussion will feature legendary organizers and heavy-hitters from the movement. You’ll hear from Carlos Montes, FRSO central committee member and co-founder of the Brown Berets, and an original organizer of the Moratorium. He’ll be joined by Sol Marquez, a Chicana leader and FRSO district organizer in Los Angeles, and Omar Flores, a longtime immigrant rights activist in Chicago. Their talk will discuss how the principles and posture of the Chicano Moratorium can fuel today’s struggles for liberation and self-determination, from defending our communities and neighborhoods at home to opposing imperialist wars abroad.

Hosted by Orange County activist Diana Terreros, this is a call to all who are ready to learn from the past and fight for the future. Join us to hear how we are carrying the torch forward.

FRSO Online Event: The Chicano Moratorium and the Struggle for Chicano Liberation

Date: Thursday, August 28

Time: 5 p.m. Pacific / 8 p.m. Eastern

Register Here Today: tinyurl.com/frso825

#OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino #ChicanoMoratorium #FRSO #Feature

San José, CA – On August 31, Silicon Valley Immigration Committee held San José’s 54th Chicano Moratorium commemoration at the San José Peace and Justice Center.

Around 50 people heard speakers on the August 29, 1970 Chicano Moratorium and other issues related to the Chicano liberation and anti-war movements. The keynote speaker was Carlos Montes, co-founder of the Brown Berets, Freedom Road Socialist Organization Central Committee member, and co-chair of the FRSO Chicano, Latino and Other Oppressed Nationalities Commission.

Uriel Magdaleno, a member of Silicon Valley Immigration Committee, stated, “On this 54th Chicano Moratorium, we're all here to center the anti-war principles that the Chicano movement united on and demand a free Palestine and an end to the genocide.” The Chicano community, while facing disproportionate deaths in the Vietnam war, also faced police brutality in their communities. The Chicano Moratorium protest led to the deaths at the hands of law enforcement of three Chicanos – a journalist and two Brown Berets, Ruben Salazar, Lyn Ward and Angel Diaz.

Magdaleno ended the program's introduction with a chant, “Presente Ruben Salazar, Presente Shireen Abu Akleh! Viva la moratoria, Viva Palestina!” calling back to Shireen Abu Akleh, who was a Palestinian-American journalist murdered by Israeli forces in the West bank.

The program began with Drusie Kazanova, a member of the San José district of Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “The basis for the Chicano Moratorium was national oppression on two fronts – national oppression against Chicanos in the U.S., and national oppression of Vietnam by U.S. imperialism.” The United States witnessed a wave of anti-war protests during the Vietnam War, many connected to national liberation movements.

Kazanova continued, “Today we are witnessing another heroic struggle for national liberation against U.S. imperialism: the liberation of Palestine.” She ended her speech by spotlighting San José Against War’s local divestment campaign, demanding that the San José City Council divest from Israel.

Nadine Mansour, a leading member of San José’s Palestinian community, then gave a presentation on her recent humanitarian visit to the West Bank. Mansour had traveled to Masafer Yatta, a Palestinian village located south of the West Bank that has been facing, the words of Mansour, “the largest forced expulsions since 1967 and a serious spike in settler violence and harassment in recent months.”

Within the presentation, Mansour played videos that she had recorded of multiple instances of Israeli violence and harassment. As Mansour stated, the main purpose of the humanitarian visit was to “minimize Israeli settler violence by having international foreign presence.” The main ask of the village had been for an international foreign presence at night, when Israeli violence would often occur. Mansour stated that they “mostly slept at night with the Palestinian families” in order to deter Israelis from harassing the families while they were asleep.

After Mansour, Teresa Alcaraz from the Brown Berets spoke about Lyn Ward and Angel Diaz, the two former Brown Berets who were killed at the Chicano Moratorium due to the Los Angeles Police Department’s brutality, and offered a moment of silence for the two. Teresa stated that the Brown Beret's mission statement is to “observe the conditions in our barrios and to organize for appropriate actions to address such conditions, to protect the rights of our people against any intrusions upon their rights.”

The final speaker was Carlos Montes, who introduced himself as “a kid from Juarez who got thrown into LA and the nightmare of U.S. racism.” Montes continued by thanking Nadine Mansour for her presentation and emphasized the importance of “organizing within our communities for working class power, for Chicano power and to be in solidarity with the struggle in Palestine.”

Montes mentioned growing up in East LA and how army recruitment would target young Chicanos into the Green Berets, which would be the basis for the disproportionate deaths of Chicanos in the Vietnam War. “Vietnam radicalized us Chicanos as Brown Berets,” Montes recalled. “We started learning about Ho Chi Minh and we said, ‘all they want is to free their own country.’” Montes emphasized that the Chicano Moratorium movement would turn into a movement opposing U.S. imperialism due to the Vietnam War.

Afterwards, Montes also spoke about the FBI raids that targeted him in 2011. He recounted how the FBI’s attempt to politically repress Montes by accusing him of domestic terrorism fell short within the community due to his reputation as a community organizer, as community members stated, “Carlos isn't a terrorist, he's an activist.”

Relating the topic of Palestine to the oppression of Chicanos and Latinos, Montes described Eagle Pass, Texas as “a community under military occupation by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.” The Texas governor has placed the Texas National Guard on the border and razor buoys along the Rio Grande as a part of Operation Lone Star, leading to at least 853 immigrant deaths.

“I went there to denounce the human rights violations of the governor of Texas,” stated Montes. “Can you imagine living under military occupation?” Montes asked, shortly before going over the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ceded the Southwest to the U.S. and guaranteed citizenship, land, equality of language and education to Mexicans citizens.

Despite these guarantees, Montes emphasized that the U.S. did not uphold them and continued to nationally oppress Chicanos, citing as an example the corporal punishment of Spanish speakers in school.

Later in the event, Montes went over his experience at the August March on DNC and proclaimed the “main point of struggle is to free Palestine and to support Palestine.” He pointed out the large Palestinian community in Chicago and the U.S. Palestinian Community Network's role at the forefront of the March on DNC protests, highlighting the issue of the current Biden-Harris administration’s financial and military support of the Israeli regime.

Montes, going back to the FBI trial, stated, “I beat the charges and all I was doing was solidarity with Palestine; there's nothing wrong with solidarity.” After his speech, Montes held a Q&A, engaging participation from young Chicanes present.

The program ended with a chant, “¡Ruben Salazar, presente!” memorializing the late Los Angeles Times journalist and the Chicano liberation movement.

#SanJoseCA #CA #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino #ChicanoMoratorium #FRSO #SVIC

East Los Angeles, CA – On Saturday, August 24, around 200 Chicano activists and community members came out to Rúben Salazar Park to commemorate the 54th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium.

The coalition united under the demands of Chicano self-determination, free Palestine, no U.S./NATO wars, community control of the police, and no to charter schools. The organizations involved had been working together all summer using public planning meetings and broad outreach to unite and bring the community out for these demands.

At the original Chicano Moratorium on August 29, 1970, tens of thousands of Chicanos marched through the streets of East LA to protest the Vietnam War and the disproportionally high rate of Chicano deaths during the war. When the protesters arrived at Laguna Park (now Salazar Park), the East LA Sheriffs and other law enforcement tear gassed and brutally attacked them. They killed Lyn Ward, Angel Díaz and Rúben Salazar, a civil rights activist and Los Angeles Times journalist who covered the Chicano movement and reported on police crimes.

Saturday’s event was led by Centro CSO with the support of Union del Barrio, Los Rucos, La Raza Unida Party, and other allied organizations. Food Not Bombs supplied free food to the event and vendors sold Chicano books, art, and merchandise.

One attendee, Michael Zarni, is a 73-year-old veteran and resident of Boyle Heights who was sent to Vietnam to fight from 1969 to 1973. Zarni reflected on how his 19-year-old brother was killed in the war, “My brother paid the highest price for going to the war – his life. He lost his life for nothing.”

“Our fight is not just about the past but about the present and for a better future for liberation,” said Karina Lopez, one of the lead organizers from Centro CSO and co-emcee of the event. “The struggle for Chicanx self-determination continues.”

Emily Ordaz, whose father was killed by the East LA Sheriffs in 2021 while he was experiencing a mental health crisis, connected past and present struggles for Chicanos in her speech. “The Chicano Moratorium, particularly the strength and unrelenting fight against the oppression Chicanos were facing in East LA remains,” said Ordaz, co-chair of Centro CSO’s police accountability committee. “We must highlight the sheer similarity of the violence, harassment and intimidation that was faced then, continuing through today.”

Diana Terreros from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) summarized what it means to be Chicana: “We have our own culture, a shared economy, and language distinct from that of Mexico and the rest of the United States, making us our own nation.”

A central theme of the protest was the ongoing U.S.-funded genocide in Palestine, which has killed over 40,000 Palestinians since October. Kareem Youssef from the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) drew the connections between reporters in Palestine being killed and Rúben Salazar being killed. Youssef said, “Ruben Salazar was a journalist who called for government and police accountability, and they say he was not intentionally targeted. With full impunity and material support from the U.S., Israel has killed at last 160 journalists and media workers in the last ten months, the largest number in history. And it is intentional – to suppress the truth, to kill our journalists, our activists, our medics, and anyone with a vision of uniting against injustice.”

Lopez emphasized that, “From Aztlán to Palestine, we are fighting a common enemy which is U.S. imperialism. We are in solidarity with Palestinians fighting to live freely from oppression as we fight our own oppressors at home, like the sheriffs and LAPD.”

Carlos Montes, co-chair of Centro CSO’s education committee and a founding member of the Brown Berets, spoke about the struggles against the privatization of public education in East LA. A participant in the original Moratoriums, Montes highlighted how the 1968 East LA Walkouts helped inspire more Chicano activism.

Other speakers at the 54th Chicano Moratorium included Desiree Gaytan and Adriana Jasso of Union del Barrio, Ernesto Ayala and Vanessa Bustamente from La Raza Unida Party, and Rafael Avitia of La Mesa Brown Berets, who spoke on different aspects of Chicano identity and political movements. Lupe Carrasco of the Association of Raza Educators gave a speech about how Zionists are attacking Chicano teachers for their solidarity with Palestine.

After these speeches, two Chicano hip hop groups – Kozmik Force and Los Magos – performed a series of songs that highlighted the struggles of Chicanos today and called for solidarity with Palestine.

The event then ended with chants for Chicano, Chicana and Chicanx power and “Not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crimes!”

#LosAngelesCA #ChicanoLatino #ChicanoMoratorium #OppressedNationalities #CentroCSO #UniondelBarrio #LosRucos #LaRazaUnida #LaMesaBrownBerets #USPCN #FRSO

Tacoma, WA – On Friday, August 30, about 20 people gathered in person and online to celebrate the 54th anniversary of the historic Chicano Moratorium, at an event hosted by Freedom Road Socialist Organization. The commemoration was held in a community organizing space shared by the Black Panther Party of Washington, 350 Tacoma, La Resistencia and other local groups.

The event kicked off with a presentation by local organizer Jami Cortez. During the presentation, the history of the events that led up to the moratorium where highlighted.

Cortez stated, “By the late 1960s, the people’s movements were mobilizing in masses to stop the 1955-1975 U.S. war of aggression in socialist Vietnam. There was a common anti-war sentiment growing among the Mexican American community that was made evident by a multitude of demonstrators chanting, ‘Our struggle is not in Vietnam but in the movement for social justice at home,’ which was a key slogan of the movement.”

The Chicano Moratorium is celebrated every year on August 29 to commemorate 30,000 Chicanos taking to the streets to demand an end to the Vietnam War. Another presenter, Talison Crosby, said “The National Chicano Moratorium Committee demanded that the funds for the Vietnam war be directed to social services, especially because Chicanos were disproportionately represented in the military draft and military deaths.”

Throughout the presentation, speakers highlighted the similarities between the struggle that oppressed Chicanos faced due to the Vietnam War and the struggle people face due to the ongoing genocide in Palestine.

“The U.S. always invades for the same reason: profit and power,” said Gemini Gnull, a local organizer with Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “I'm Osage, and the U.S. stole and invaded our land for profit, just like they annexed Aztlan for profit, and how they enable Israel to steal Palestinian land for profit. Always the working people who live on and care for the land are thrown into the proverbial meat-grinder whether that be reservations, drafts, or outright carpet-bombing.”

Gnull was part of the March on the DNC, which happened earlier last month to protest the genocide in Gaza, among other things. “Just like the Chicanos took to the streets to demand their tax dollars be used to help them, not to murder them through needless war, we took to the streets to demand an end to US aid to Israel. These bogus wars don't serve us – Chicanos knew that in the 70s and we know that today too.”

The event was closed out by many people mingling, laughing and eating while making plans for future action in Tacoma around immigration justice and Chicano liberation.

“I feel so immensely proud and lucky that I get to introduce today’s event being a mixed race Mexican and African American person myself,” emcee Xanat Romo explained. Romo is a local student organizer, member of FRSO, and founder of School of the Arts (SOTA) Students for a Democratic Society chapter, at that high school. “It is my sincerest hope that by celebrating the Chicano Moratorium, we can preserve this important history both for the future generations ahead of us and for ourselves, so that we may continue to fight the good fight, carry on the work of activists from that time, and remember what it is and who it is we’re fighting for.”

#TacomaWA #WA #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino #ChicanoMoratorium

Santa Ana, CA – On August 10, nearly 40 people packed into the Studio of El Centro Cultural de México to hear five panelists speak on a wide range of topics affecting Chicanos. This event, commemorating the 54th Chicano Moratorium, was organized by Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC).

Before the panel began, Diana Terreros, a founding member of CSO OC, led a chant to honor and remember the name of Abigail Lopez, who was tragically murdered at the hands of Anaheim Police Department in 2023.

A special video presentation from Frank Chapman, executive director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR), kicked off the panel, where he went over the history of the struggle for community control of the police and how to build a mass movement to fight for it. As part of that struggle, he stressed the importance of working with impacted families by saying “most families victimized by police crimes aren’t calling for abolition. They want justice right now. We fight with the families to achieve that justice. They are demanding that the police are held accountable.”

The panelists covered topics ranging Chicano self-determination, community control of the police, the struggle for Palestinian liberation, the working-class and immigration struggles.

When the panel was asked “Why do some of us use ‘Chicano’ and not ‘Latino’ or ‘Mexican American’?” Rain Mendoza, a member of CSO OC, spoke on her personal experiences growing up with Mexican parents, stating that she did not “connect with Mexican culture in that way, I didn’t grow up there” and she uses the term Chicano as “it’s more political, there is a history of struggle there, a people’s struggle.” When asked about the demand for Chicano self-determination she stated, “As a people we are so very oppressed and historically have been so, culturally, economically and politically – we need self-determination and the political power to live our lives the way we want to live them.”

On the question of working-class struggles through history, Michelle Sanchez, former chair of MEChA de UCI, traced the rights of workers to their current status. She explains that workers had to “fight for the right to be considered human.”

When asked why most U.S. politicians continue to unwaveringly support Israel, Sylvia Hernandez of Nuestras Manos, a domestic workers’ rights advocacy group, emphasized, “War is and always has been a business; our communities gain nothing from this transaction.” It is crystal clear to workers that while the U.S. supports a genocide, we are the ones stuck with the bill.

This event was CSO OC’s first local Chicano Moratorium event and was composed of panelists from Nuestras Manos, MEChA de UCI, Centro CSO, CSO OC and Chicanxs Unidxs. CSO OC is looking forward to hosting more forums of public discussion to aid in the fight for Chicano self-determination and community control of the police. If you are interested in joining in these fights join CSO OC. Follow them on Instagram at cso.oc, Facebook at Orange County CSO, or email at orangecountycso@gmail.com.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino #ChicanoMoratorium #CentroCSO #CSOOC #NAARPR #feature

San Jose, CA – On August 29, the San Jose Freedom Road Socialist Organization and other groups held a commemoration for the 53rd anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium, with veteran activist Carlos Montes as a guest speaker.

The commemoration was held at the San Jose Peace and Justice Center, a hub for activism in San Jose since 1957. Other organizations in attendance included Students for a Democratic Society, the Brown Berets and the Silicon Valley Immigration Committee.

The Chicano Moratorium was a mass protest of Chicanos who organized against the Vietnam War. Their largest march was on August 29, 1970 in East Los Angeles. 30,000 Chicanos rallied against imperialism, oppression caused by the United States, and in support of national liberation for Vietnam. The Chicano Moratorium was not only an anti-Vietnam War march but an expression of national identity.

With around 70 people in attendance, the commemoration began with a statement from Sabrina del Ponte of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Del Ponte spoke of self-determination for the Chicano Nation and the local work that FRSO takes part in San Jose such as organizing with Teamsters during their practice pickets before their contract win, participating in the San Jose May Day Coalition to organize San Jose’s 2023 May Day march, leading protests against attacks on abortion rights, and their ongoing work with the Silicon Valley Immigration Committee in promoting California SB 22, which would start an unemployment benefits program for undocumented workers. Del Ponte ended with a call to resist monopoly capitalism, imperialism and national oppression, and encouraged attendees to join FRSO.

The next speaker was Dr. Arturo Villarreal, Evergreen Community College professor. Villarreal connected the Chicano Moratorium to San Jose in his speech by speaking about the San Jose Black Berets who attended the Chicano Moratorium. Inspired by revolutionary Che Guevara, Chicanos organized themselves in San Jose while wearing black berets. They resisted systemic racism in educational institutions and offered assistance to their communities.

The final speaker was Carlos M. Montes, nationally respected leader in the Chicano, immigrant rights and anti-war movements. Montes was a co-founder of the Brown Berets, a Chicano working-class organization. Montes would go on to help organize the Chicano Moratorium and the Chicano Blowouts, a series of high school walkouts in East Los Angeles against racism and inequality. Montes has been organizing with Centro CSO (Community Service Organization) with the Chicano community in Boyle Heights to resist privatization in education by charter schools and with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization as a Central Committee member and co-chair of the Chicano, Latino, and Other Oppressed Nationalities Commission.

Montes recalled being politically repressed as a Chicano youth activist and how the Chicano Moratorium “radicalized a generation of Chicanos to open [their] hearts and eyes to socialism.” On the Vietnam War, Montes recounted his initial reaction to the disproportionate casualty rates of Chicanos in combat compared to the population of Chicanos in the United States “We read that, as Brown Berets like, what the f***?” Montes called upon the audience to give a standing ovation to writer Charley Trujillo, present at the commemoration, whose works focus on the injustices towards Chicanos during the Vietnam War. Facing discrimination at home and overseas in war, “the Vietnam War, to us young Chicanos, radicalized us. To say, look. Who are the Vietnamese, who is Ho Chi Minh and what are they fighting for? Self-determination, socialism. Then we say, well it can’t be that bad. Especially after they kicked ass on the U.S., right?” recalled Montes.

Speaking about his youth, Carlos Montes also recalled when his activism in the Chicano movement crossed paths with the Black liberation movement and related it to FRSO’s “strategic alliance of the African American, Chicano Nation movement with the multinational working class.” As organizations became more revolutionary in the 60s, Montes recalled reading Foundations of Leninism by Joseph Stalin and how “all the questions and thoughts I had are more clear. Chicanos are oppressed as a nation and we have a right to self-determination. That U.S. imperialism is the enemy of the people of the world and we gotta defeat U.S. imperialism.” In closing, Montes stated, “The Chicano nation of Aztlan is not a mystic, romantic idea. There’s actual territory in the Southwest, we have a common culture, economy – so we have a right to self determination as Chicanos. Do you agree with me?” As community members cheered, Montes concluded, “Hell yeah, we’re gonna fight for it.”

The commemoration ended with a question and answers portion with Carlos Montes where community members got to ask questions regarding the Chicano Moratorium and the Chicano movement. Community members asked about the Chicano movement’s effect on education and systemic racism before and after and the improvements due to the efforts of the Chicano organizers. The commemoration brought together diverse members of the San Jose community to remember the historic successes of the Chicano movement and to carry that spirit forward as today’s generation of Chicano activists.

#SanJoseCA #ChicanoLatino #ChicanoMoratorium

East Los Angeles, CA – On Saturday, August 26, over 300 people, mostly Chicano, gathered at Salazar Park in East Los Angeles for the 53rd Chicano Moratorium. Led by Centro CSO and other allied organizations, speakers both commemorated the 53rd anniversary of the protest that took place at the same location on August 29, 1970 and highlighted the ongoing struggle for Chicano self-determination. Demands included legalization for all of the undocumented, community control of the sheriffs, no U.S./NATO wars, and protection of public education.

On August 29, 1970, 30,000 Chicanos from across the Southwest marched through the streets of East LA to protest the high levels of Chicano casualties during the Vietnam War. The East LA Sheriffs and other LA police forces attacked the protest once it arrived at Laguna Park, (now Salazar Park). On that day, police killed Lyn Ward, Angel Diaz, and Ruben Salazar, a leading Los Angeles Times journalist who covered the Chicano movement and was targeted for assassination by the sheriffs due to his reporting on police crimes.

Antonia Montes, co-chair of Centro CSO’s education committee, opened the Moratorium by remembering Dr. Roberto Cintli Rodriguez, who died on July 31. A victim of repression by the East LA sheriffs, Rodriguez became an author and professor who documented the killings of Chicanos and fought for Raza Studies in Arizona.

After the tribute to Dr. Rodriguez, Carlos Montes, a founder of the Brown Berets and today a leading member of Centro CSO and Freedom Road Socialist Organization, gave a kickoff speech that contextualized the Moratorium as a protest against U.S. imperialism and for Chicano self-determination. Estela Ayala of el Partido La Raza Unida then followed with a blessing and an acknowledgment of Salazar, Diaz, and Ward.

Luis Sifuentes, co-chair of Centro CSO’s Police Accountability Committee, spoke about how the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department has only grown more powerful since the killing of Salazar. The department’s budget has ballooned into the billions while deputy gangs, which officers join by provoking and even killing people as part of an initiation process, have spread throughout the county. He called on those in attendance to join Centro CSO’s struggle to expose the deputy gangs as part of a petition drive in East Los Angeles. Supporters can sign the petition at https://tinyurl.com/NoDeputyGangs.

Sifuentes, accompanied by the family of David Ordaz Jr., who was killed by LASD in 2021, said, “Centro CSO is campaigning for our right as working-class Chicanos to have power over these institutions. We need to have power over these institutions filled with criminals that run amok and unhinged. We need to have the power to jail killer cops when they murder innocent people.”

David Pulido of CSO Orange County explained how the Santa Ana Police Department has corrupted their city council, which allows the SAPD to continue “arresting, locking up and killing Chicanos.” Diana Terreros, a member of CSO OC as well as Freedom Road Socialist Organization, connected police crimes to the national oppression of Chicanos across Aztlán. Terreros said, “We need self-determination, the right to determine our own destinies. We can accomplish this by organizing, by taking power from the ruling class and putting it in the hands of the Chicano working class.”

Baba Akili, a leader in Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles, highlighted the solidarity between African Americans and Chicanos in the fight against police brutality in Los Angeles.

After a danzante performance from Xipe Totec and spoken word by Matt Sedillo and Cristal Haro, Sol Marquez, a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Centro CSO, gave a speech about how she’s a member of FRSO because it takes up the question of what it means to be Chicano and how to fight for liberation. Marquez rallied the crowd by saying, “Make some noise if you think the only way to win Chicano liberation is through revolution!”

Ernesto Ayala of el Partido La Raza Unida, and Vanessa Bustamante gave empowering speeches urging all in attendance to get more involved in Chicano movements. Fernando Ledezma of Los Rucos, and retired Eastman Avenue Elementary teacher spoke about growing up Chicano and the continued struggle for Chicano rights.

Alex Orellana, a Teamster at UPS and a Marine veteran, spoke about the need for Chicanos to join unions and fight the boss at their workplaces rather than enlist in the U.S. military. Victor Rodriguez, another Teamster at UPS and a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, explained how Teamsters in Los Angeles and across the U.S. won a massive contract campaign against UPS.

Next, Chicano Secret Service, a comedy troupe which uses humor to tackle political issues that Chicanos confront, performed a series of skits. One featured Vice President Kamala Harris visiting East LA while the other starred Elias Serna as Che Castro, a Chicano revolutionary who was “conceived at the Moratorium and born on Cinco de Mayo.”

After Chicano Secret Service’s performance, Antonieta Garcia of CSO’s education committee and Lucia Garcia of Eastside Padres Contra Privatizacion spoke about how charter corporations are proliferating on LA’s Eastside and destroying public education for Chicanos. Presenting her resolution to fight charter co-locations, Rocio Rivas, the Los Angeles Unified School District board member for District 2, said, “In LA. we’re fighting privatization because we have wonderful neighborhood public schools that have been here for generations.”

Other groups represented included the Brown Beret Organization and La Mesa Nacional de Los Brown Berets called for Chicano self-determination throughout Aztlán. LA MAS and the Peace and Freedom Party called for unity in the struggle against monopoly capitalism. Eden Enamorado spoke about experiencing first-hand police brutality from police in LA and his work defending street vendors.

Jordan Peña of CSO’s Immigration Rapid Response Team closed the rally by recognizing how more than 50 years after the original Moratorium, both veteranos and youth were united to fight for Chicano liberation. He led the crowd with the chant, “Chicano power, Chicana power, que viva Aztlan!”

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