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{{For|the fictional robot|Mecha}}
{{For|the fictional robot|Mecha}}
[[Image:MEChA_Logo.png|348px|right|thumb|One common feature of logos used by MEChA chapters, an Eagle holding a lit stick of dynamite and a [[maquahuitl]].]]
[[Image:MEChA_Logo.png|348px|right|thumb|One common feature of logos used by MEChA chapters, an Eagle holding a lit stick of dynamite and a [[maquahuitl]].]]
'''MEChA''' ('''Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán''' or ''[[Chicano]] Student Movement of [[Aztlán]]''), according to its constitution is an organization that seeks to promote an awareness of
'''MEChA''' ('''Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán''' or ''[[Chicano]] Student Movement of [[Aztlán]]''), is a organization that seeks to promote an awareness of Chicano history and to empower Chicanos through education and political action. In [[Spanish language|Spanish]], the word ''mecha'' means ''fuse''. The motto of MEChA is ''La Unión Hace La Fuerza'', or "Unity Creates Strength".
Chicano history and to empower Chicanos through education and political action. In [[Spanish language|Spanish]], the word ''mecha'' means ''fuse'' (like a "fuse in a bomb"). The motto of
MEChA is ''La Unión Hace La Fuerza'', or "Unity Creates Strength". The emblem of MEChA is an eagle with a stick of dynamite and a fuse (hence mecha).




==Origins in the 1960s==
==Origins in the 1960s==
MEChA was formed in 1969 as an attempt to unify a wide variety of nationalist Chicano student organizations that had been active throughout the 1960s.
MEChA was formed in 1969 as an attempt to unify a wide variety of Chicano-rights student organizations that had been active throughout the 1960s.


The group coalesced out of several organizations which had formed during that turbulent decade.
The group coalesced out of several organizations which had formed during that turbulent decade.


The [[Denver, Colorado]]-based Crusade for Justice, a self-proclaimed civil rights and educational organization founded in the mid-60s, concerned itself with the
The [[Denver, Colorado]]-based Crusade for Justice, a civil rights and educational organization founded in the mid-60s, concerned itself with the problem's of the city's Chicano youth.
problem's of the city's Chicano youth.


The [[Mexican American Youth Organization]] was founded in [[San Antonio, Texas|San Antonio]], [[Texas]], in 1967, and employed the tactics of the [[Student
The [[Mexican American Youth Organization]] was founded in [[San Antonio, Texas|San Antonio]], [[Texas]], in 1967, and employed the tactics of the [[Student
Nonviolent Coordinating Committee]] and later spurred the creation of the controversial [[Raza Unida Party]] (Party of United Race).
Nonviolent Coordinating Committee]] and later spurred the creation of the controversial [[Raza Unida Party]] (Party of United Race).


The [[Brown Berets]] were a militant youth organization that used the alleged [[police brutality]] in [[East Los Angeles (region)|East Los Angeles]] as an excuse for
The [[Brown Berets]] were a youth organization that militated against [[police brutality]] in [[East Los Angeles (region)|East Los Angeles]]. In 1968, they helped the United Mexican American Students (UMAS), [[Sal Castro]], and other youth who met at the Piranya Cafe organize the [[East L.A. walkouts]], called the Blowouts, a series of protests against unfair conditions in Los Angeles schools.
their controversial para-military activities. In 1968, they co-organized with the United Mexican American Students (UMAS), [[Sal Castro]], and other young Chicano
nationalists who met at the Piranya Cafe organize the [[East L.A. walkouts]], called the Blowouts, a series of riots against what they called "unfair conditions" in Los
Angeles schools.


Following the Blowouts, a group of students, school administrators, and teachers formed the Chicano Coordinating Committee on Higher Education (CCCHE), a
Following the Blowouts, a group of students, school administrators, and teachers formed the Chicano Coordinating Committee on Higher Education (CCCHE), a network to pressure the adoption and expansion of equal opportunity programs in California's colleges.
network to pressure the adoption and expansion of equal opportunity programs in California's colleges (now most of them illegal as a result of Proposition 209 that
amended California Constitution and banned race and ethnicity-based preferences in public institutions). This pressure resulted in creation of [[Chicano Studies]]
departments in public and private universities across the United States that became major training camps for future revolutionaries that are supposed to "reclaim"
the American Southwest on behalf of Mexico.


Rene Nuñez, an activist from [[San Diego, California|San Diego]], conceived a conference to unify the student groups under the auspices of the CCCHE.
Rene Nuñez, an activist from [[San Diego, California|San Diego]], conceived a conference to unify the student groups under the auspices of the CCCHE.


In April 1969, Chicano college students held a nationwide conference at the [[University of California, Santa Barbara]]. Many of the attendees were present at the
In April 1969, Chicano college students held a nationwide conference at the [[University of California, Santa Barbara]]. Many of the attendees were present at the First National Chicano Youth Liberation Conference hosted by [[Rodolfo Gonzales|Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales]]'s Crusade for Justice a month prior, and the Santa Barbara conference represented the extension of the Chicano Youth Movement into the realm of higher education.
First National Chicano Youth Liberation Conference hosted by [[Rodolfo Gonzales|Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales]]'s Crusade for Justice a month prior, and the Santa
Barbara conference represented the extension of the Chicano Youth Movement into the realm of higher education.


The name "Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán" that had already been in use and widely accepted was adopted by the conference because it was indicative
The name "Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán" was already in use by a few groups, and the name was adopted by the conference attendees because of the importance of each of the words and as a means of transcending the regional nature of the multiple campus-based groups. Conference attendees also set the national agenda and drafted the [[Plan de Santa Barbara]], a pedagogic [[manifesto]].
of the goals and objectives of the new organization. The use of Spanish language is a manifestation of their unwillingness to assimilate into mainstream American
society. The use of word [[Chicano]] reminds the members that they are of Mexican descent and owe Mexico their true loyalty. The use of word "[[Aztlán]]"
symbolizes the fact that members of that organization consider the Southwestern United States an occupied Mexican territory, and will strive for its "liberation".
Conference attendees also set the nationalistic agenda and drafted the [[Plan de Santa Barbara]], a [[manifesto]] that contained general plan of the "liberation" and
revision of the political status quo in the region.

⚫
MEChA chapters first took root on California college campuses and then expanded to high schools and schools in other states. It soon became one of the most
notorious [[Chicano]] organizations, organizing rallies and protests, training future Chicano leaders, and exercising political pressure on governments and public
institutions. Recently, due to growing controversy and public discontent with MEChA activities, many of them in ambiguous language and aggressive symbolic
encouraging force and intimidation as means with which to "liberate" "[[Aztlán]]", some campuses persuaded MEChA activists to keep low profile and not engage in
openly anti-American activities.


⚫
MEChA chapters first took root on California college campuses and then expanded to high schools and schools in other states. It soon became one of the primary Mexican-American organizations, hosting functions, developing community leaders, and politically pressuring educational institutions.
MEChA was fundamental in the adoption of [[Chicano Studies]] programs and departments in academia.
MEChA was fundamental in the adoption of [[Chicano Studies]] programs and departments in academia.


Line 60: Line 38:
* Raising Chicanos through higher education.
* Raising Chicanos through higher education.


In [[1999]] MEChA adopted a document entitled ''The Philosophy of MEChA'' at [[Phoenix College]] during the 1999 National Conference that was held there,
In [[1999]] MEChA adopted a document entitled ''The Philosophy of MEChA'' at [[Phoenix College]] during the 1999 National Conference that was held there, which affirmed the more moderate view that "all people are potential Chicanas and Chicanos", and that "Chicano identity is not a nationality but a philosophy".[http://soar.ucsc.edu/mecha/Philosophy.html] According to MEChA, no one is born "Chicano". Therefore, MEChA was no longer a Mexican-America based organization, but a student movement that worked to better the general [[La Raza|RAZA]] community. MEChistas (or members of MEChA) do not consider themselves Chicana or Chicano in terms of ethnicity, but in terms of a philosophy.
which affirmed the more moderate, albeit unsupported by evidence view that "all people are potential Chicanas and Chicanos", and that "Chicano identity is not a nationality but a philosophy".[http://soar.ucsc.edu/mecha/Philosophy.html]. According to MEChA, no one is born "Chicano", therefore, MEChA was no longer a Mexican-American based organization, but a student movement that worked to better the general [[La Raza|RAZA]] community. However, it remains unclear why would one use, in good faith, term "La Raza" (the race) to denote "community" or entire humanity (which is a species and not a race)?

According to MEChA advocates, MEChistas (or members of MEChA) do not consider
themselves Chicana or Chicano in terms of ethnicity, but in terms of a philosophy, but in reality, strong ethnic and national ties, and (mild) anti-Americanism is what holds the organization together. It appears that these declarations, as well as ostensibly educational objectives of MEChA, are but a cover-up of that organization's prevailing ethno-centric, political, and nationalistic character.


===Affiliated chapters and national structure===
===Affiliated chapters and national structure===


MEChA exists as over 400 loosely affiliated chapters within a national organization. Typical activities of a MEChA chapter include educational and social activities,
MEChA exists as over 400 loosely affiliated chapters within a national organization. Typical activities of a MEChA chapter include educational and social activities, such as academic tutoring, mentorship, social events, folklore and poetry recitals. Many chapters are also involved in political actions, such as lobbying high school and university administrators for expanded [[Bilingual Education#United States|Bilingual Education]] programs and Chicano-related curricula, the celebration of Mexican as well as other Latin American holidays (such as [[Mexican Independence Day]]), [[Columbus Day]] protests, sit-ins, hunger strikes and other political activism relating to [[civil rights]], [[affirmative action]] and [[immigration]]
such as academic tutoring, mentorship, social events, folklore and poetry recitals. Many chapters are also involved in political actions, such as lobbying high school and university administrators for expanded [[Bilingual Education#United States|Bilingual Education]] programs (largely responsible for low academic achievement of Spanish-speaking students and proliferation of Spanish language in the United States)) and Chicano-related curricula (mostly consisting of revisionist American history where an emphasis is placed in "illegality" of occupation of Southwest by the United States), the celebration of
Mexican holidays (such as [[Mexican Independence Day]]), disrupting celebrations of other ethnic holidays (like [[Columbus Day]] celebrated by Americans of Italian ancestry), sit-ins, hunger strikes and other forms of activism that promote organization's political agenda, including demands of ethnicity-based privileges and programs (for Chicanos) and unrestricted immigration from Mexico, and opposition to enforcement of the American-Mexican border and immigration laws.


==Criticism==
==Criticism==
MEChA is often criticized by various groups; most often by [[Right-wing politics|right]]-of-center publications and writers such as ''[[National Review]]''[http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/tgraham200310080847.asp] and [[Michelle Malkin]][http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/michellemalkin/2003/08/20/168155.html], which allege that it is a [[Hispanic nationalist]] organization tinged with [[Racism|racist]] and [[Separatism|separatist]] views. [[Nationalism|Nationalist]] groups such as [[Glenn Spencer| American Patrol]] (who themselves are labeled a [[hate group]] by the [[Southern Poverty Law Center]] and the [[Anti-Defamation League]]) are even more vitriolic in their criticism, accusing MEChA of outright [[supremacism]] and [[irredentism]]. Much of the criticism addresses statements made by individual MEChA members or chapters, as opposed to the official agenda of the national organization. Critics also point out the group's use of the word "Aztlán": To many, this word calls to mind a region comprising much of the Southwestern United States and as a result, some critics feel use of the phrase implies support for the controversial theory of [[reconquista]].
MEChA is often criticized by various groups and writers of all political denominations, except for strongly left-leaning and Marxist ones, which characterize it a
[[Hispanic nationalist]] organization tinged with [[Racism|racist]] and [[Separatism|separatist]] views. Citizen grass-root groups and organizations such as [[Glenn
Spencer| American Patrol]] (the latter labeled a [[hate group]] by some groups, such as controversial [[Southern Poverty Law Center]] and
[[Anti-Defamation League]]) are accusing MEChA of [[supremacism]], [[revisionism]], and [[irredentism]]. Much of the criticism addresses statements made by individual MEChA
members or chapters, as opposed to the official agenda of the national organization, which is vague enough to dodge any specific criticism. Nevertheless, MEChA have never denounced any of such statements, even when
asked to. Critics also point out the group's use of the word "[[Aztlán]]": To many, this word is often used by Mexcian nationalists to justify their territorial claims against the Southwestern United
States. As a result, a growing number of Americans feel that its use implies support of [[reconquista]] (reconquest) of that region by Mexico. Recent events (marches and protests on
American streets with calls to return America to her "rightful owners" and sending "Gringos" back to Europe) proved that the above criticism had some merit.


Also controversial is the phrase "Por [[La Raza]] todo, Fuera de La Raza nada," which is often translated "For the Race, everything, for those outside the Race, nothing". Many critics of MEChA see this statement as ethnocentric and/or racist. This phrase appears in [[El Plan Espiritual de Aztlán]] and is often claimed to be the "slogan" of MEChA, despite little attestation of its use by MEChA members or alleged importance within MEChA. Translation of the phrase is problematic due to its ambiguity: the Spanish word "por" can be translated as "by" or "for", depending on context, and MEChA members themselves differ in their interpretations of "La Raza". While some use the term to strictly refer to only mestizos and Chicanos, others use it to mean all Hispanics and minorities, and still others claim that it refers to a generalized concept of "the community" or "the people". Some claim that a more appropriate translation is "By the people, everything; outside of the people, nothing," and that it is best understood as an expression of solidarity similar to "[[United we stand, divided we fall]]." A likely origin of the phrase is the Cuban Revolution, which used a similar slogan, "Por el revolución todo, fuera de la revolución nada!"
Also controversial is the organization's motto "Por [[La Raza]] todo, Fuera de La Raza nada," translated "For the Race, everything, for those outside the Race,
nothing", which statement has clear ethnocentric or even racist overtones. This phrase appears in [[El Plan Espiritual de Aztlán]] and is often used as the
motto by MEChA clubs in American schools and colleges, and is usually displayed in a prominent place. MEChA advocates claim that the phrase is ambiguous: the Spanish
word "por" can be translated as "by" or "for", depending on context, and some MEChA members claim that they differ in their interpretations of "La Raza". Which
does not settle the question: why would one use an ambiguous motto that have clearly separatist, if not racist, interpretation? MEChA advocates claim that while
some use the term "raza" to strictly refer to only mestizos and Chicanos, others ostensibly use it to mean all Hispanics and minorities, or "the community" or "the people" as a whole. This interpretation, however, is not convincing, as it goes against the actual meaning of the words used, and has all appearances of evasiveness and denial. Their claim that a
more appropriate translation is "By the people, everything; outside of the people, nothing," does not sound sincere, either, as such dubious interpretation would make it an
empty cliché. Their comparison of MEChA's motto to "[[United we stand, divided we fall]]" is particularly misleading because the "unity" that they are promoting is a
"unity" within an American nation, against those who don't belong to their group. A likely origin of the phrase, the Cuban Revolution's motto "Por el revolución todo,
fuera de la revolución nada!" strongly suggests leftist and Marxist roots of MEChA.


==Controversies==
==Controversies==
*The national MEChA organization claims that it does not advocate violence, citing the example set by the late labor activist [[César Chávez]]. However, on several
*The national MEChA organization does not advocate violence, citing the example set by the late labor activist [[César Chávez]]. However, on several occasions, MEChA members and chapters have been involved or implicated in violent or criminal disturbances. In the largest such instance, on [[May 11]], [[1993]], Chicano students at [[UCLA]] allegedly caused between $35,000 and $50,000 worth of damage to the Faculty Center during a riot which ensued following the university administration's rejection of the creation of a Chicano Studies program. [http://www.bruinalumni.com/antonio/villar3.html] (Some accounts erroneously reported this as $500,000 worth of damage). [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,95871,00.html].
occasions, MEChA members and chapters have been involved or implicated in violent or criminal disturbances. In the largest such instance, on [[May 11]], [[1993]],
Chicano students at [[UCLA]] allegedly caused between $35,000 and $50,000 worth of damage to the Faculty Center during a riot which ensued following the
university administration's rejection of the creation of a Chicano Studies program. [http://www.bruinalumni.com/antonio/villar3.html] (Some accounts erroneously
reported this as $500,000 worth of damage). [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,95871,00.html].
*In 2002, MEChA members were implicated in the theft of an entire press run of a particular issue of the [[University of California, Berkeley|UC Berkeley]]
*In 2002, MEChA members were implicated in the theft of an entire press run of a particular issue of the [[University of California, Berkeley|UC Berkeley]] conservative newspaper ''[[California Patriot]]'' which was featuring an article that labelled MEChA a "neo-Nazi"-like organization. [http://www.academia.org/campus_reports/2002/march_2002_3.html]
conservative newspaper ''[[California Patriot]]'' which was featuring an article that labeled MEChA a "neo-Nazi"-like organization.
[http://www.academia.org/campus_reports/2002/march_2002_3.html]


*On [[May 18]], [[2006]] MEChA members claimed (in writing) to have destroyed the entire press run of the May 18, 2006 issue of the [[Pasadena City College]]
*On [[May 18]], [[2006]] MEChA members claimed (in writing) to have destroyed the entire press run of the May 18, 2006 issue of the [[Pasadena City College]] newspaper. Nearly all 5,000 copies of the Courier were removed from newspaper boxes on the Pasadena, California campus, torn in half and returned to the paper's campus office with a signed note claiming responsibility. The letter expressed disappointment for the lack of coverage provided for a MEChA-hosted event on May 12, which had involved "months of hard work." It ended stating, "As students of P.C.C., we can not accept this issue of the Campus Courier." [http://www.pcc-courieronline.com/052506/news/vandals.html]
newspaper. Nearly all 5,000 copies of the Courier were removed from newspaper boxes on the Pasadena, California campus, torn in half and returned to the
paper's campus office with a signed note claiming responsibility. The letter expressed disappointment for the lack of coverage provided for a MEChA-hosted
event on May 12, which had involved "months of hard work." It ended stating, "As students of P.C.C., we can not accept this issue of the Campus Courier."
[http://www.pcc-courieronline.com/052506/news/vandals.html]


==California statewide conferences==
==California statewide conferences==

Revision as of 07:14, 23 October 2006

For the city in Saudi Arabia, see Mecca.
For the fictional robot, see Mecha.
One common feature of logos used by MEChA chapters, an Eagle holding a lit stick of dynamite and a maquahuitl.

MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán or Chicano Student Movement of Aztlán), is a organization that seeks to promote an awareness of Chicano history and to empower Chicanos through education and political action. In Spanish, the word mecha means fuse. The motto of MEChA is La Unión Hace La Fuerza, or "Unity Creates Strength".


Origins in the 1960s

MEChA was formed in 1969 as an attempt to unify a wide variety of Chicano-rights student organizations that had been active throughout the 1960s.

The group coalesced out of several organizations which had formed during that turbulent decade.

The Denver, Colorado-based Crusade for Justice, a civil rights and educational organization founded in the mid-60s, concerned itself with the problem's of the city's Chicano youth.

The Mexican American Youth Organization was founded in San Antonio, Texas, in 1967, and employed the tactics of the [[Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee]] and later spurred the creation of the controversial Raza Unida Party (Party of United Race).

The Brown Berets were a youth organization that militated against police brutality in East Los Angeles. In 1968, they helped the United Mexican American Students (UMAS), Sal Castro, and other youth who met at the Piranya Cafe organize the East L.A. walkouts, called the Blowouts, a series of protests against unfair conditions in Los Angeles schools.

Following the Blowouts, a group of students, school administrators, and teachers formed the Chicano Coordinating Committee on Higher Education (CCCHE), a network to pressure the adoption and expansion of equal opportunity programs in California's colleges.

Rene Nuñez, an activist from San Diego, conceived a conference to unify the student groups under the auspices of the CCCHE.

In April 1969, Chicano college students held a nationwide conference at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Many of the attendees were present at the First National Chicano Youth Liberation Conference hosted by Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales's Crusade for Justice a month prior, and the Santa Barbara conference represented the extension of the Chicano Youth Movement into the realm of higher education.

The name "Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán" was already in use by a few groups, and the name was adopted by the conference attendees because of the importance of each of the words and as a means of transcending the regional nature of the multiple campus-based groups. Conference attendees also set the national agenda and drafted the Plan de Santa Barbara, a pedagogic manifesto.

MEChA chapters first took root on California college campuses and then expanded to high schools and schools in other states. It soon became one of the primary Mexican-American organizations, hosting functions, developing community leaders, and politically pressuring educational institutions. MEChA was fundamental in the adoption of Chicano Studies programs and departments in academia.

Organizational status

MEChA Constitution

MEChA's constitution was ratified in 1995.[1] and contains four objectives:

  • Educational, cultural, economical, political, and social empowerment of Chicanos.
  • Retention of Chicano identity and furthering of cultural awareness.
  • Implementing plans of action concerning Chicanos.
  • Raising Chicanos through higher education.

In 1999 MEChA adopted a document entitled The Philosophy of MEChA at Phoenix College during the 1999 National Conference that was held there, which affirmed the more moderate view that "all people are potential Chicanas and Chicanos", and that "Chicano identity is not a nationality but a philosophy".[2] According to MEChA, no one is born "Chicano". Therefore, MEChA was no longer a Mexican-America based organization, but a student movement that worked to better the general RAZA community. MEChistas (or members of MEChA) do not consider themselves Chicana or Chicano in terms of ethnicity, but in terms of a philosophy.

Affiliated chapters and national structure

MEChA exists as over 400 loosely affiliated chapters within a national organization. Typical activities of a MEChA chapter include educational and social activities, such as academic tutoring, mentorship, social events, folklore and poetry recitals. Many chapters are also involved in political actions, such as lobbying high school and university administrators for expanded Bilingual Education programs and Chicano-related curricula, the celebration of Mexican as well as other Latin American holidays (such as Mexican Independence Day), Columbus Day protests, sit-ins, hunger strikes and other political activism relating to civil rights, affirmative action and immigration

Criticism

MEChA is often criticized by various groups; most often by right-of-center publications and writers such as National Review[3] and Michelle Malkin[4], which allege that it is a Hispanic nationalist organization tinged with racist and separatist views. Nationalist groups such as American Patrol (who themselves are labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League) are even more vitriolic in their criticism, accusing MEChA of outright supremacism and irredentism. Much of the criticism addresses statements made by individual MEChA members or chapters, as opposed to the official agenda of the national organization. Critics also point out the group's use of the word "Aztlán": To many, this word calls to mind a region comprising much of the Southwestern United States and as a result, some critics feel use of the phrase implies support for the controversial theory of reconquista.

Also controversial is the phrase "Por La Raza todo, Fuera de La Raza nada," which is often translated "For the Race, everything, for those outside the Race, nothing". Many critics of MEChA see this statement as ethnocentric and/or racist. This phrase appears in El Plan Espiritual de Aztlán and is often claimed to be the "slogan" of MEChA, despite little attestation of its use by MEChA members or alleged importance within MEChA. Translation of the phrase is problematic due to its ambiguity: the Spanish word "por" can be translated as "by" or "for", depending on context, and MEChA members themselves differ in their interpretations of "La Raza". While some use the term to strictly refer to only mestizos and Chicanos, others use it to mean all Hispanics and minorities, and still others claim that it refers to a generalized concept of "the community" or "the people". Some claim that a more appropriate translation is "By the people, everything; outside of the people, nothing," and that it is best understood as an expression of solidarity similar to "United we stand, divided we fall." A likely origin of the phrase is the Cuban Revolution, which used a similar slogan, "Por el revolución todo, fuera de la revolución nada!"

Controversies

  • The national MEChA organization does not advocate violence, citing the example set by the late labor activist César Chávez. However, on several occasions, MEChA members and chapters have been involved or implicated in violent or criminal disturbances. In the largest such instance, on May 11, 1993, Chicano students at UCLA allegedly caused between $35,000 and $50,000 worth of damage to the Faculty Center during a riot which ensued following the university administration's rejection of the creation of a Chicano Studies program. [5] (Some accounts erroneously reported this as $500,000 worth of damage). [6].
  • In 2002, MEChA members were implicated in the theft of an entire press run of a particular issue of the UC Berkeley conservative newspaper California Patriot which was featuring an article that labelled MEChA a "neo-Nazi"-like organization. [7]
  • On May 18, 2006 MEChA members claimed (in writing) to have destroyed the entire press run of the May 18, 2006 issue of the Pasadena City College newspaper. Nearly all 5,000 copies of the Courier were removed from newspaper boxes on the Pasadena, California campus, torn in half and returned to the paper's campus office with a signed note claiming responsibility. The letter expressed disappointment for the lack of coverage provided for a MEChA-hosted event on May 12, which had involved "months of hard work." It ended stating, "As students of P.C.C., we can not accept this issue of the Campus Courier." [8]

California statewide conferences

File:Regeneracion.png
Silkscreen announcement poster for the 1971 MEChA statewide "Regeneración", by Ricardo Favela

MEChA statewide conferences are held twice a year in California. Each subsequent statewide conference has to be held in a different region (Alta Califas Norte, Alta Califas Centro, Alta Califas Sur).

  • June 16-18, 1971: Regeneración, held at University of California, Davis
  • 1972: Bakersfield College
  • Spring 1973 - Spring 1978: ?
  • Fall 1978 - Centro Cultural de la Raza, San Diego
  • Spring 1979 - Fall 1985: ?
  • Spring 1986: California State University, Bakersfield
  • Fall 1986: Stanford University
  • Spring 1987 - Spring 1989: ?
  • Fall 1989: California State University, Los Angeles
  • Spring 1990 - Fall 1992: ?
  • Spring 1993: Stanford University/UC Berkeley
  • Fall 1993 - Spring 1994: ?
  • Fall 1994: Sacramento State University
  • Spring 1995: University of Southern California
  • Fall 1995: Hartnell College
  • Spring 1996: San Francisco State University
  • Fall 1996: California State University, Northridge
  • Spring 1997: Santa Barbara City College
  • Fall 1997: San Jose State University
  • Spring 1998: San Diego State University
  • Fall 1998: California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo
  • Spring 1999: San Francisco State University
  • Fall 1999: Pasadena City College
  • Spring 2000: UC Santa Cruz
  • Fall 2000: James Logan High School
  • Spring 2001: UC Riverside
  • Fall 2001: Fresno State University
  • Spring 2002: Chabot College
  • Fall 2002: San Diego State University
  • Spring 2003: Bakersfield College
  • Fall 2003: California State University, Sacramento
  • Spring 2004: UC Los Angeles
  • Fall 2004: Santa Barbara City College
  • Spring 2005: San Francisco State
  • Fall 2005: CSU Fullerton
  • Spring 2006: UC Santa Cruz
  • Fall 2006: UC Davis
Wikiquote has quotations related to MEChA.

Critics

15, 2003

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