Making

Friday, April 5, 1996

Over the last several decades, MEChA has united Chicanas and
Chicanos at UCLA to fight for civil rights,

improve economic conditions and empower the communities they
came fromBy Patrick Marantal

Daily Bruin Staff

Born out of the civil rights movement in the late 1960s, el
Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana y Chicano de Aztlán was first
formed in Santa Barbara to unify Chicana/o university students in
combatting poor social and economic conditions.

Initially known on the UCLA campus as the United Mexican
American Students, the organization later took on the name MEChA.
The student group has been at the forefront of UCLA activism since
its inception in 1969.

"MEChA was formed in response to the urgent need of a unified
and organized student movement to react to the intolerable
socio-economic conditions of the Chicana/o people during the ’60s,"
said chairperson Max Espinoza. "Socio-economic conditions still
haven’t changed. There is still an urgent need for MEChA."

Over the past 25 years, UCLA’s chapter has been involved in
forums, protests and hunger strikes to enact positive change
regarding issues that affect Chicana/o students, as well as other
students of color. Specific areas of concern have ranged from
immigrant legislation to curricular reform.

Working on both the UCLA campus and in the greater Los Angeles
area, the organization combines pride in Chicana/o heritage with
its political goals.

"They’re one of the campus organizations throughout the nation
that addresses relevant issues which affect students, as well as
Chicanas and Chicanos," said John Du, external vice president of
the undergraduate council.

"MEChA is one of the more effective organizations. They have
their goals and they’re very effective in carrying (the goals)
out."

One of the key concerns motivating members is using their
university education to aid the communities they came from.

"The philosophy of MEChA is that we empower ourselves through
education and take (that empowerment and education) back to our
community," said Rachelle Romero, secretary for MEChA. "Community
can be defined in many ways: those who are oppressed, those at UCLA
or those at home in our neighborhoods."

In recent years, MEChA has chosen to serve those communities by
taking an active role against anti-immigrant legislation such as
Proposition 187, an initiative that banned undocumented immigrants
from receiving medical benefits or public education.

Another consistent concern throughout MEChA’s history has been
the affirmative action debate. In the late 1970s, the organization
raised support to fight for affirmative action in Bakke v.
University of California, Davis ­ a court case dealing with
the legality of race quotas in UC admissions.

Another reason for MEChA’s emergence was to establish a
Chicana/o studies department at UCLA. In 1990, MEChA members
submitted a proposal for the formation of the department.

And in 1993, the UCLA administration’s refusal to form a
department sparked a nearly month-long series of protests,
culminating in a hunger strike.

"As a freshman, I didn’t know too much about what was going on,"
said Guadalupe Garcia, a fourth-year sociology student. "I knew
there was a promise for a Chicana/o studies department. MEChA
decided to do something about it."

As a result of the protests and hunger strike, students and the
administration struck a compromise, establishing the César
Chávez Center for Interdisciplinary Instruction in Chicana/o
Studies.

But despite the seeming victory, members of MEChA are
campaigning for greater input in the center.

"Even with the establishment of the center, we are currently
preparing a campaign to insure meaningful student input in the
César Chávez Center," Espinoza said. "Because of the
students and the community, the center and the faculty exist as
they do. They must be responsive and supportive of students and the
community in all its functions and events."

Although decades have passed since the group’s inception,
MEChA’s goals today are largely the same.

"Our goal today has remained the same since our founding: to
socialize, politicize and mobilize the Chicana/o student community
around issues affecting our community," Espinoza said.

As a grass-roots organization, the group utilizes a variety
tactics ­ from roundtable discussions to protests ­ to
garner support for its goals.

"MEChA is definitely a grass-roots organization," said Levin Sy,
director of the Asian Pacific Coalition, an umbrella group for many
of UCLA’s Asian and Pacific Islander organizations. "Not only do
they bring (members of the outside community) and students
together, they are a part of a larger movement empowering their
community."

Some argue that certain tactics, in particular protest, have a
chilling effect on potential supporters and serve no tangible
purpose.

"The Constitution guarantees them a right to freedom of speech.
If they believe that protest furthers their message, then more
power to them," said Jay Wang, chairman of the Bruin
Republicans.

"However, from speaking to many students on campus, the protests
tend to have the opposite effect and dissuade students from
actively becoming involved in matters that MEChA would
support."

But members contend that protest is only one of many tactics.
Furthermore, MEChA’s strategies have expanded to include
coalition-building and roundtable discussions and forums.

"I think the leadership in MEChA understands the use of
coalition-building," Sy said. "As attacks have been made on
communities of color, specifically immigrant communities, MEChA has
outreached to (groups) with similar interests as a collective to
respond to attacks."

Regardless of past losses and victories, members look forward to
a time when their work will enable their respective communities
uplift themselves.

"I think MEChA is growing stronger everyday," said Dora
Cervantes, a third-year political science and Chicana/o studies
student. "Soon, we’ll be able to empower our community to the
extent where they’ll be strong enough to take control of their own
destiny."

Daily Bruin File Photos

MEChA has played key roles in protests against affirmative
action last year (top) and in support of a Chicana/o Studies Center
in March 1993.

ANDREW SCHOLER/Daily Bruin

Over the years, MEChA has used a wide array of tactics to
support its goals.