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You are here: Home / Literature / LATINOPIA GUEST BLOG / LATINOPIA GUEST BLOG 9.10.22. FIFTY YEARS OF RAZA UNIDA

LATINOPIA GUEST BLOG 9.10.22. FIFTY YEARS OF RAZA UNIDA

September 10, 2022 by wpengine

It seems like just yesterday. But it was fifty years ago that the La Raza Unida political party held its first national convention in El Paso, Texas. (Chicano activists are celebrating the event this week, September 15-17, at the downtown campus of the University of Texas at San Antonio.)

I still recall the excitement, the fervor in the air, the frenzy of people coming and going in the lobby of the Paso del Norte Hotel in El Paso, Texas. We were all embarking on an adventure, the first national convention of the La Raza Unida political party. A political party made up of Mexican Americans and other Latinos. This was a first for our community and we were rightfully euphoric.

As the media coordinator for the convention it was my job to secure as much mainstream press and media for the convention as possible. This was to be our convention and we wanted to make sure the media covered our issues, our concerns and not those of partisan Republican and Democratic candidates.

Early on I proposed to José Angel Gutiérrez and to Corky Gonzalez, leaders of the two largest state delegations, that we leak to the press that the convention would likely endorse either Richard Nixon or George McGovern for the Presidency of the United States.

Of course the idea was rejected out of hand by both José Angel and Corky. They were adamant that ours was to be a party independent of the Democrats and the Republicans. “I know that and you know that, “ I reasoned with them, “but the mass media doesn’t know that. If you want national coverage for our convention, let’s let them think we’re going to support one of the candidates they’re familiar with. What we do at the convention will be a different matter. Once they’re at the convention, they’ll have to cover or story, not theirs.”

And so I sent out a carefully worded press release to more than 500 news outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times as well as many other national papers. And, of course, it worked. On the first day of the convention we had full national print and television coverage for our convention.

Fifty years a later, we know of the early successes of La Raza Unida in Crystal City, Texas, and later the demise of the La Raza Unida party.

We also know that, seen from a historical perspective, La Raza Unida was unsustainable as a third political party. But it did give rise to voter registration campaigns throughout the country led by Southwest Voter Registration Drive. It also empowered a generation of political activists, working with groups like the Mexican American Legal and Education Fund, to take on gerrymandering and other obstacles to the Latino vote. Within a decade this resulted in hundreds of Latino elected officials throughout the country.

And so here we are. Fifty years a later. Many of us celebrating the fifty years since we put that crucial idea into action. The idea that Chicanos could control their own destiny, that we could be masters of our own lives.

Today there is a new generation of activists, many calling themselves Latinx. While many may point to all the work that remains to be done, I think it’s okay to take a moment now and reflect on what we did right.

Our generation changed our world for the better.

Let’s hope future generations carry on the struggle.

 

Jesús Salvador Treviño

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: LATINOPIA GUEST BLOG, Literature Tagged With: Jesús Salvador Treviño, La Raza Unida Fifty Years Later

POLITICAL SALSA Y MÁS 03.17.23 “IRISH VS KKK: THE IRISH WON “

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Irish vs. the KKK: the Irish won… St. Patrick’s Day is nigh upon us. For many, St. Patrick’s Day is a fun day, a time to wear green, drink green beer, and eat corned beef and cabbage. But it’s actually a serious holiday. St. Patrick’s Day celebrates Ireland’s patron saint and national apostle, St. Patrick, […]

RICARDO ROMO’S TEJANO REPORT 03.17.23 THE CHEECH

March 17, 2023 By wpengine

Texas Chicanos Shine in New Cheech Marin Museum in Riverside, California As you enter the new Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture—be prepared. The two story glass sculpture by the de la Torre brothers will take your breath away. The glass and plastic installation, homage to an Aztec deity Coatlicue, silently greets visitors. […]

RICARDO ROMO’S TEJANO REPORT 03.08.23

March 10, 2023 By wpengine

Gini Garcia attained international status with several significant glass works: a commission work for the Vatican;  a one thousand pound chandelier for the Lingner Castle in  Dresden, Germany valued at $250,000, and  a prodigious glass wall for a Marriott in Aruba.  She has completed 50 site artworks worldwide, including 150 pieces for the Harry Potter […]

RICARDO ROMO’S TEJANO REPORT 2.17.23 – JESSE TREVIÑO, AN ENORMOUS LOSS

February 17, 2023 By wpengine

Jesse Treviño: The Latino Art Community Suffers an Enormous Loss By Dr. Ricardo Romo Jesse Treviño, one of America’s premier Latino artists, passed away on February 13, 2023 in San Antonio, Texas. He was 76 years old. Treviño had been ill for the past year following a surgery for cancer. His monumental tile mosaic sculptures […]

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