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The May 1 demonstrations that rocked the
nation with a political strike and economic boycott saw immigrant
workers—largely Latino—bring back the true character of international
workers day, begun by immigrants in the United States in 1886: relying
on working-class mass action in the streets to affect political change.
While most accounts of the
leadership in today’s immigrant-rights movement focus on the adult
leadership, its youth leaders are largely overlooked.
A Youth for Socialist
Action member recently caught up with one of the movement’s Chicana youth leaders, Tanya Vogel, from Tennyson
High School in South Hayward, Calif., to discuss both her experience as
an integral component in the organizing of 5000 demonstrators
there—mostly working-class Latinos—and young peoples’ perspective of
this new immigrant-rights movement.
Her account of the May 1
mobilization in South Hayward—a
quiet Bay Area, working class suburb—reflected that of the movement in
general. It was an organic process, sparked by the anti-immigrant bill,
HR4437, of the grassroots among the immigrant community that have begun
to cast off history’s heavy burden of being treated as second-class
citizens.
Vogel and her teacher, Sandra
Navarro, explained the significant organizing role of the Catholic
churches, support by Latino small businesses, and inter-generational
unity. Vogel said she was inspired by the enthusiastic outpouring of
youth and their organizations from the area schools, who likely
realized that what the movement would gain by their fighting for human
rights outweighed the possible consequences of missing one day of
class.
Additionally, many area teachers
encouraged students to participate, while some participated themselves.
According to Navarro, Cesar Chavez Middle
School in South
Hayward reported that attendance was down 80 percent
on May 1. Student absenteeism was widespread elsewhere throughout the
country that day.
Even the now familiar chant, “¡Sí, se puede!” (“Yes, we
can!”), made famous by the farm workers struggle of the 1960s and ’70s,
had a similar effect to that of other May 1 rallies throughout the
country. “We had many chants,” said Vogel, “but that was the one where
people united.”
Unity, Vogel said, is important
to make the movement stronger. Regarding unity between Blacks and
Latinos (“Black and Brown” unity), she stressed the primacy of Latino
immigrants determining their own course in collective action. “If they
don’t unite, they’re not going to unite with somebody else.”
Striking a chord with Vogel was
the irony of today’s situation in which Latinos serve in the military
fighting for “freedom” while they’re denied freedom by the U.S.
government: “I am against war. I believe they are putting Latinos in
danger.”
She went on to say, “I do
believe that people are being oppressed here in America
because of being immigrants. The Latinos that are going to the war have
to say they’re American when they don’t really feel American.”
That sentiment is likely to have
enforced the choice of many Latinos at the rally to hang onto their
national identity by refusing to let go of their own national flags, of
which in terms of overall numbers, the Mexican and Salvadoran banners
ranked two and three, respectively, after the U.S. flag.
“We are holding the U.S.
flag because we want to be in this country,” Vogel said, “but we can’t
leave our roots behind.”
While many of the national
leaders of the May 1 mobilizations urged the movement to reject a work
and school walkout, Vogel took her place among the movement’s more
radical layer that supported the economic boycott and political strike
to express the power of working people.
“It is a good idea,” she said,
referring to the strike, “because immigrants are the working class of
the USA—they are the farmers, they are the people washing the dishes in
the restaurants—so I believe that really does help when a person gets
out of their job and doesn’t go to work. I see that as a way to really
show the people that we are a main part of the USA.”
It’s unlikely that Vogel is alone when she
says that as a result of the reactionary legislation just passed in the
U.S. Senate (S2611)—with a guest worker program, a total of 870 miles
of border fence and vehicle barriers, militarization of the border,
provisions for English as the national language, often insurmountable
obstacles for citizenship, and no amnesty or legalization in
sight—there is potential for another protest march and rally in her
community.
If that does happen, there’s little doubt
that the youth will be in the forefront again. “We are the next the
generation to try to fight for immigrant rights or against other things
that are discriminatory to people of different colors and races,” she
explained. “I think the thing is to fight for what you believe, and I
think that’s what people are going to do in this case.”
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