National MEChA

2009 National MEChA Conference

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 22:09:50 -0800

The 2009 National MEChA Conference will be hosted by MEChA de University of Oregon, of the Aztlán del Noroeste region, at University of Oregon in Eugene, OR. More information will be posted in the national conference section, keep checking back for updates.

Update: Blue Diamond Workers

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:53:22 -0800

Attached to the end of this message is a copy of a press release for an event that took place today here in Sacramento. Today the Sacramento City Council adopted a resolution and formed a committee to further seek communications with Blue Diamond's CEO. This is another step towards the victory, as we gain more allies in support of the workers' struggle to unionize.

Support the D-Q University 3

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:22:09 -0800

Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 7:30am
Woodland Courthouse (Department 9)

DQ Univerisity is California's ONLY tribal college. There has been an on-going struggle between DQU students and the DQU Board of Trustees since 2005 when the school lost its accreditation. Incompetence and negligence on the part of the former school administration cost the college its accreditation in January of 2005. Following that, a group of DQU students, with community support, vowed to stay on campus and take charge of their own education, turning the campus into a healthy, self-sustainable, and self-determined living environment!

On February 20th, 3 students from DQ University were arrested under the false pretenses of trespassing, unjustly by the Board of Trustees. Earlier this week, another 18 were arrested with the same charges!!!

The students need your support!!! We ask for your presence on this date to show the board and the courts that the community is behind us and WE WANT OUR SCHOOL BACK!! NO MORE UNJUST ARRESTS!!!

For more information contact Christal West (MEChA de UC Davis) at: christal@nationalmecha.org

D-Q University Update: Arrests of Students and Elders

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:59:42 -0800

As it was agreed at the resolution circle at the last National Conference, we stand in solidarity with the students of DQ University. It is now time to take further action, as a series of events unfolded early this morning.

On Sunday night there was news that the Board of Trustees had hired a locksmith to come and change the locks on campus, and that the Sheriff's department would be there to make sure the students were taken out to insure the locks were changed.

2008 SLAP Week of Action Begins

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:15:02 -0800

The video above is from the National MEChA action in support of Blue Diamond workers in Sacramento, CA on Friday, March 21, 2008. During the Sunday resolution circle MEChA passed a resolution calling on Blue Diamond Growers to meet the demands of the demands of the workers. We will continue to follow their struggle and support workers rights.

Chican@ Idol: Do you have what it takes?

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 01:07:34 -0800

Do you have what it takes? Participate in this year's Chican@ Idol at the 2008 National MEChA Conference! Show off your talent and represent for your chapter! Sign-up forms can be downloaded from the conference forms page. The deadline to submit forms is March 12, 2008. Make sure to spread the word! You can also download the flyer image and post it on your favorite social networking site.

2008 Frederick A. Cervantes Premio Recipient

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 18:31:32 -0800

Joaquín Castañeda of MEChA de CSUS has been named the 2008 Frederick A. Cervantes Undergraduate Premio recipient. The announcement comes in the Pre-Conference issue of Noticias de NACCS.

Joaquín will present his work during the student plenary on Friday, March 21, 2008 at the NACCS conference in Austin, TX. His paper is entitled: “The Oak Park Redevelopment Plan Housing Policy Implications for a Community Undergoing Early Stage Gentrification.”

Final Liaison: Sac State

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:32:07 -0800

The final liaison in preparation for the 2008 National MEChA Conference will take place this Saturday, March 1st at Sacramento State University. Please contact mechadecsus@yahoo.com for housing information or for any other questions.

February: Tabasco Flood Awareness Month

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 18:50:15 -0800

In an attempt to increase awareness to the situation in Tabasco, Mexico, MEChA de Stanford and the Tabasco Flood Relief Coalition of the Willing has declared February "Tabasco Flood Awareness Month."

The group will focus it's energy on raising funds to assist in house reconstruction. Money will be raised and given to ProViVah, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) in Mexico, who will build a house for every $2,000 raised.

For more information you can go to: http://mecha.stanford.edu/tabasco/ or you can email MEChA de Stanford at: mechadestanford@gmail.com.

3rd National Liaison

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 23:32:27 -0800

The third National Liason meeting will be hosted by MEChA de UIUC at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Campus in the Tierra Mid-Atl region. The meeting will take place on Saturday, December 1st, 2007. For more information visit the national conference section: http://www.nationalmecha.org/nationals2008.html.

Border Patrol Attacks Demonstrators as No Borders Camp Closes

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:46:29 -0800

Calexico, CA – November 11, 2007 – Border Patrol officers attacked Sunday evening participants in the closing rally of a week-long bi-national camp protesting borders in Calexico/Mexicali. The rally took place on both sides of the fence just east of the pedestrian border crossing. Nearly 100 Border Patrol agents used pepper gas pellets, tazers, and batons to assault demonstrators on the U.S side.

March on Burger King Headquarters

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 02:46:41 -0800

CIW announces march on Burger King headquarters to coincide with BK's annual shareholder meeting

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers recently announced the MARCH ON BURGER KING HEADQUARTERS in Miami, Florida, to coincide with Burger King’s annual shareholder meeting. This march is part of the current campaign toward an agreement with Burger King to address human rights abuses in Florida's tomato fields.

MEChA, along with the Student/Farmworker Alliance and other organizations, have supported the CIW in both the Taco Bell and McDonald's campaigns. MEChA continues to support the CIW as we take on the King.

Mark your calendars for Friday November 30th, 2007 and start organizing today to join the CIW at Burger King’s headquarters in Miami this November for:

Public Press Release

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 18:00:00 -0800

On October 25th, 2007 a hoax website, made to look like CNN, falsely reported that MEChA claimed responsibility for setting the wildfires that have recently devastated southern California. MEChA would like to make clear that our organization had no part in starting these fires. We condemn the slanderous act committed by those who created the website, and our condolences are with those who have been affected by the wildfires.

As MEChA we feel that the actions of those individuals who created the website are not to be taken lightly, and view this incident as yet another malicious attack on our community and those who fight for social justice. Their actions have not only caused us to receive large amounts of hate mail, but have also undermined the hard work and efforts of those investigating the true cause(s) of the fires. In addition, these acts have created an atmosphere of animosity towards the Chicana/o Latina/o community at large and the community as a whole has felt the negative consequences. We are thankful to those who helped to expose the hoax as it could have led to violence against members of our community.

Currently, MEChA is working in collaboration with other social justice organizations and community members to build solidarity. Our community is tired of the passive responses to discriminatory and oppressive acts and they stand beside us as we look into pursuing further legal action.

National Conference Pre-Registration Deadline

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 21:31:31 -0800

January 1, 2008 is the final day to pre-register for the 2008 National MEChA Conference being held at Sacramento State University in California. On-site registration fees will apply to any forms postmarked after the January 1st deadline.

The pre-registration form can be downloaded from the National Confernce forms page. For more registration information, please visit the registration page at: http://www.nationalmecha.org/registration2008.html.

Fake CNN website slanders MEChA

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 22:19:52 -0800

MEChA is NOT responsible for the California wildfires and condemns this slanderous attack against our organization.

A fake CNN website (www.cnnheadLIEnews.com) was put up with a mock article accusing MEChA of taking responsibility for the California wildfires on Thursday, October 25, 2007. The article was immediately picked up by many bloggers that began to report the story as fact. This has caused MEChA to receive a lot of hate mail from individuals throughout the country.

CNN was quickly made aware of the website and by Monday morning the site was taken down. CNN reported the removal of the fake site (http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/10/29/fake.fire.report/index.html); However, CNN’s reporting implies that MEChA is “a Hispanic separatist organization.” By reporting in such a manner, CNN has taken its reputable name and given credibility to a LIE.

MEChA is NOT “a Hispanic separatist organization.”