The first issue is educational curriculum. We demand that Chicana/o Studies, which teaches about the history of Mexicana/os and their social, cultural, political and economic experiences in the United States, be given full institutional status in every college campus.

Chicana/o Studies needs to be included in the social studies curriculum of grades K-12. We plan to focus on curriculum development in the present school system, targeting a few schools in the East Los Angeles area, and mobilizing students around these issues.

The second issue was building more schools. The state of California needs to use public funds to build more schools rather than more jails, especially in densely populated areas, to eliminate the overcrowded classrooms.

The schools we have are in bad condition. There needs to be a clean up of all school campuses (especially the student rest rooms), along with more money for repairs, for safety and to modernize the public school campuses.

The third issue was bilingual education. The demands are to put more pressure on the L.A. District School Board to inform parents of their rights to request a Bilingual Waiver. A waiver is a parent's request form to receive bilingual education classes for their child. We demand equal education for all students on all “track systems.” Some track systems have “honors” curriculum and others have “regular” curriculum. This type of tracking only causes more academic inequality among students. Standardized testing, like the SAT 9, which discriminates on the basis of language, class and race must be stopped.

The last demand is to repeal Proposition 227. This state proposition abolished bilingual education in the California public school system.

Liberation requires a real education. The current policies of the L.A. school district are discriminatory and under-educate our kids. Research documents that holding students back in first grade increases the chances that a student will drop out by 50%, and that holding students back in second grade increases the chances of dropout by 90%. The Harvard Civil Rights Project found that L.A. county schools in communities of color are 12 times more likely to lack basic materials than schools in white communities, and are six times as likely to have less experienced teachers.

For further information contact

NEW RAZA LEFT

511 ECHANDIA

LOS ANGELES, CA 90003

(323) 221-4000

#LosAngelesCA #LosAngeles #ImmigrantRights #News #ChicanoLatino #NewRazaLeft #Proposition227 #LAUSD

Similar to previous ballot initiatives that eliminated bilingual education and affirmative action, this proposed law will harm people of color and the working class the hardest.

National statistics show a 20.8 percent decrease in juvenile crime offenses in the last decade. Education, not incarceration is a more effective way of reducing the teenage crime rate. Prevention programs have lowered arrest rates by 70 percent when applied with incentives, and the proper parental training programs.

As in the previous cases, the law will affect people of color more than white youth. People of color are detained at a higher rate, they receive stricter sentences, and are more likely to be incarcerated in adult prisons.

While youth of color only make up one third of the national population, according to national statistics, they make up two thirds of the youth in public detention centers. This is another example of the intensification of national oppression against people of color like Blacks and Chicanos.

Some of the more fascist provisions included in the ballot measure allow for the removal of the “confidentiality” rule which restricts access to juvenile records by the public at large, schools and employers for review; the wiretapping of suspected gang members; and the penalizing of individuals for knowing and associating with suspected gang members.

We encourage you to get involved by organizing our community to fight this racist attack against young people in our communities. The New Raza Left with other community and youth groups will be fighting to defeat this attack by educating and organizing various activities, including a November 6th conference in Los Angeles. The focus of the conference will be to defeat this racist anti-youth attack and to help unite and build a movement that will fight for justice and self determination.

We demand jobs, education and justice – not more jails! If you agree then join the New Raza Left. For more information call (323) 266-1408.

#LosAngelesCA #Commentary #ChicanoLatino #NewRazaLeft

First and foremost, we would like to thank the coordinators of today's event for providing this space to resist this so-called holiday (the Fourth of July) that is celebrated here in Aztlan.

We are proud to be here as representatives of the New Raza Left. We would like to share with you some thoughts on who we are and why we feel it is important to resist this disgraceful and shameless holiday.

Basically, our organization came to be as a result of a need for a collective of a diverse group of people which represents workers, students, organizers, artists, educators, critical thinkers that are radical/leftistas working towards revolution.

In our perspective, independence does not constitute the oppression of people, the incarceration of youth or the marginalization of people of color or the denial to higher education or the exploitation of the worker. So how can the U.S. today claim to be celebrating independence when we don't yet have it?

Today's holiday is a mere fabrication that is inconsistent with historical and social realities of people of color. It is a facade perpetuated by the educational system that indoctrinates this holiday and allegiance to this country into the minds of our children.

Therefore, as a New Raza Left, we hope to plant the idea of revolution in the hopes that it grows in all of us for the purpose of liberation, and that we not only question this lie, this so-called independence, but we mobilize to overthrow the systems of oppression. Our vision is to some day overthrow the capitalist system we live in. We will be working everyday of our lives towards a new society at peace with our environment, at peace with our spirit and ancestors, and at peace with the work we will leave behind for future generations to take on.

Our plan of action has been to work in solidarity with communities that are Spanish-speaking, that are “immigrants,” working class, woman, which are normally isolated from the movement, acknowledging issues that are important to them by serving as facilitators between bureaucracies set up to silence potential political allies. In the words of Paulo Freire, “The revolution is made neither by the people for the leaders, nor by the leaders for the people, but by both acting together in unshakable solidarity.”

In solidarity and struggle,

Compañeras en lu lucha,

NRL, Califas, Aztlan

#LosAngelesCA #Commentary #ChicanoLatino #NewRazaLeft

Some topics of discussion included the criminal injustice system, education rights, and environmental issues. Youth attended workshops and planning sessions throughout the day.

The sentiment of the conference was best expressed by one of the student speakers, Ms. Simons, who stated, “You cannot fix prison, you cannot fix a juvenile hall institution. The only thing we can begin to do is to tear it down, screw by screw. Revolution!” Youth like Ms. Simons were eager and ready to plan a way to justice for their communities.

Youth in the state of California are under attack. With the backing of Democratic Governor Gray, the state recently passed Proposition 21. Prop 21 is intended to make it easier to punish youth as adults, and contains a host of measures that criminalize young people of color.

Some of the youth groups present at the conference included Third Eye Movement, Ollin, Youth Organizing Communities, New Raza Left, and Youth Force.

The conference agreed to continue the effort to create a statewide youth coalition. The first joint action by the statewide group is to protest at the Democratic National Convention, August 13, in Los Angeles. California's schools are a mess. Politicians want to build more jails for youth. The coalition will place demands on the Democratic Party for educational justice.

#OaklandCA #StudentMovement #News #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #NewRazaLeft #YouthOrganizingCommunities #ThirdEyeMovement #Ollin #YouthForce #Jails #Prisons

East Los Angeles, CA – The campaign to defeat Proposition 21, the war on youth ballot initiative, climaxed with a statewide week of rage, and protests led by young people. Thousands of L.A. youth protested by walking out of school, and marching through the middle of East Los Angeles, chanting, “Schools not Jails!”

The New Raza Left organized a spirited, disciplined, multinational protest march to the L.A. County Central Jail on February 26. The purpose was to educate and mobilize against Proposition 21 and other police attacks. To the beat of drums, chanting, “Educate Don't Incarcerate!” protestors held a rally right in front of the central jail.

Various youth speakers denounced the racist attacks against African American and Chicano/Latino youth. They called for continuing the effort to build a grassroots poor people's movement for justice and real freedom. Others spoke out against the poor conditions students and teachers suffer in the L.A. City schools, and the large amount of money spent to build more prisons and not schools. The march ended in downtown L.A. by blocking traffic.

Activists Sum-up Struggle

Proposition 21 passed due to the turnout of more conservative voters who came to vote for proposition 22 (anti-same-sex marriage) and for Proposition 21. Governor Davis, a moderate Democrat, gave his support to Proposition 21. The Chicano upper class was weak in its opposition to the measure, and some gave their outright backing – like Henry Cisneros, CEO of Univison, who did Public Service Announcements supporting 21.

In summing up this campaign, we saw that we cannot rely on liberal electoral politics and tactics. These were prioritized by groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and Southern Californians for Youth.

The New Raza Left and Youth Organizing Communities (YOC) relied on independent grassroots organizing, community outreach, and mass actions such as rallies and marches with a left perspective, critical of capitalist conditions.

We linked Proposition 21 to the other oppressive conditions people of color face the U.S. We know we must build our own militant movement uniting the community, youth and working-class poor people. We have no illusions of change within the current system. We are fighting for a fundamental change of this society, where the riches produced will be for the benefit of all people, not just the elite few rich who run this country and plunder the world's peoples and resources.

Road Ahead

In our summation of this campaign, we discussed taking up a campaign for educational justice, to fight for better resources for teachers and students, better conditions and wages, and the reinstatement of bi-lingual education. We also discussed fighting to expose the racist, brutal LAPD Ramparts Division, and its attacks against the Central American community in the Pico Union area.

We also want to continue to build honest, concrete relationships with organizations and people who work and struggle for justice, freedom, self-determination and revolutionary change.

Call (323) 266-1408 for more information.

Carlos Montes is a member of New Raza Left.

#EastLosAngelesCA #Commentary #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #Proposition21 #NewRazaLeft #YouthOrganizingCommunities

The kick-off conference was spirited and energetic. During lunch, La Paz rapped, and Yaotz from Aztlan Underground shared spoken word. In a moving speech, a veteran activist, who visits youth serving life terms, said these young people would never experience life or love.

Participants were students from high schools and colleges, teachers, and organizers from the East LA community. Everyone participated in group discussions led by the young people.

The main action plans coming out of the conference include: a mass march to unite the Black and Chicano community, a vigil at juvenile hall, youth teach-ins, and a cultural concert against Proposition 21. All this with the purpose of building a big mass movement to defeat the proposition.

The New Raza Left-LA co-sponsored the event with other groups that formed the ELA Coalition Against Proposition 21. The conference was one of the many events and actions taking place through out California to fight the racist attacks.

Proposition 21 is sponsored by California's former Republican Governor, Pete Wilson, and his racist gang. Youth of color are incarcerated at a higher rate than white youth. The Juvenile Crime Initiative will allow for the prosecution of teens, as young as 14 years old, to be tried in adult courts. It would remove the “confidentiality rule,” which restricts access to juvenile court records.

Proposition 21 is another attack against Black and Chicano people, specifically our youth. The high spirit, energy, and plans of the conference will help to organize and mobilize the thousands of people needed to defeat Proposition 21. We know that only by organizing our community, can we defeat the proposition. The unity of new young activists and our veteran fighters will assure the continuation of our fight for Self-Determination for the Chicano People in Aztlan!

#LosAngelesCA #ImmigrantRights #News #AfricanAmerican #ChicanoLatino #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #Proposition21 #AntiRacism #NewRazaLeft #Aztlan