The Raza Rights Coalition Supports Struggle Of Mexicana Workers:

Editors Note - This article is an overview of the struggle taken on in early 2000 by the Housekeeping Department of the downtown San Diego Convention Center luxury hotel Marriott and the Raza Rights Coalition. We had been previously unable to sum-up the struggle due to limitations in the publication of ¡La Verdad!, but since this was such an important victory for our community, we decided to publish this article now, months later, for historical purposes. What has been published here is a compilation, revision and expansion of three articles that were originally published separately during and immediately after the struggle was won. For more information please see the January - March 2000 issue of Voz Fronteriza, Vol. XXVI No. 1.

WORKERS HAVE BEEN THE DRIVING FORCE OF HUMAN PROGRESS

Working people have been essential to all social, political and economic progress that has taken place in human history. Yet it has been, and continues to be, a tiny minority of rich elites who benefit the most from the physical and intellectual labor of workers who form the great majority of the people on earth. Through the institutions they control (military, police, media, corrupt politicians, sold out academics, etc.), the powerful elite have brutally oppressed workers and have accumulated incredible wealth.

Workers have not taken this oppression without struggle. History is full of examples of workers fighting for our rights against the powerful (the monarchies, nobility, colonialists, and capitalists). There are thousands of examples of workers fighting for economic, social and political justice. Protests, marches, strikes, boycotts, work stoppages, the taking over of factories, armed rebellions and even revolutions - all have been among the actions that have been utilized by workers around the world as a means by which to secure part of the wealth that righteously belongs to them and their families.

As part of this struggle for justice, efforts have been made by workers to form political parties, economic collectives, schools, community clinics, cultural centers, unions and syndicates. These struggles have produced what we know today as public education, minimum wage, the eight hour work day, social security, disability insurance, freedom of speech, the right to vote, the right to organize in the work place, and so forth.

Mexicans, both men and women, have been in the forefront of this struggle for true democracy. Luisa Moreno (Allied Workers), Emma Tenayuca (Pecan Workers), Lucy Gonzalez Parsons (IWW), Ricardo Flores Magón (Partido Liberal Mexicano), Bert Corona (Hermandad Mexicana), Cesar Chavez (UFW), Antonio Orendain (TFW), and Dolores Huerta (UFW), are examples of our people who dedicated their lives to winning justice for the working class.

Furthermore, it was the daughters and sons of working class Mexicanos who formed the backbone of the activists who participated in the Movimiento Chicano of the 1960s and 70s; a social movement which (along with other social movements of the time) won victories such as Bilingual Education, Affirmative Action programs, “Free Lunch” programs for children, Free Clinics, cultural and recreational centers, Chicano Studies programs, and more.

THE STRUGGLE FOR THE RIGHTS OF WORKERS IS A FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENT FOR THE SELF DETERMINATION OF THE MEXICANO PEOPLE

As Unión del Barrio we understand the leading importance of the Mexicano labor movement. We recognize that economic democracy forms the fundamental base of the social and political liberation of the Mexican people on both sides of the militarily imposed border.

Unión del Barrio has for years been self critical of our limited role in Mexicano labor issues. We had in the past worked in solidarity and offered some leadership around labor issues (Maquiladora struggles, the Drywallers strike, Justice for Janitors, Cananea Miners strike, etc.) but until the struggle at the hotel Marriott, our role had been limited.

THE DARK SECRETS WITHIN SAN DIEGO’S “PICTURE PERFECT” EXTERIOR

Year after year the multibillion dollar tourism industry in San Diego grows and expands its influence throughout the county. One of the pillars of this growth has been the Hotel Marriott.

The Convention Center Hotel Marriott is “postcard” perfect with its beautiful marina; shiny reflective glass on its twin towers that gleam in the San Diego sunset; perfect landscaping; immaculate rooms; polished floors; and privileged guests that have their every need taken care of by the uniformed employees. Just as with all things in San Diego, the shiny windows and perfect landscaping of the Marriott hide some very dark secrets.

THE SAN DIEGO TOURISM INDUSTRY IN GENERAL, AND THE HOTEL MARRIOTT IN PARTICULAR, ARE BUILT ON THE EXPLOITATION OF MEXICANO AND MEXICANA WORKERS

Corporate Marriott has a long history of mistreating workers. Just five years before this struggle, the San Diego Marriott Marina and Resort squashed a union drive originating from the Marriott housekeepers and other employees. In San Francisco, Marriott workers fought for a contract for over 18 years. Greed has always been the motive, while profits are acquired at expense of exploited and mistreated employees.

The Marriott as a corporation owns hundreds of hotels around the world. Some of their hotels include Ramada Inns, Ritz Carlton Hotels, Renaissance Hotels, Fairfield Inns, Residence Inns, Courtyard Hotels and Spring Hill Suites, just to name a few. They own and operate over 1,800 hotels throughout the world.

According to their website, their profits for 1999 were incredible. They accumulated "system wide sales of nearly $18 billion" ($18,000,000,000.00!!), up 10 percent from the previous year. Although the increases in profits were across the board, Marriott management never considers reducing the workload or giving employees pay raises a priority.

MARRIOTT HOUSEKEEPERS SAY “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!”

Racist comments/attitudes, sexual harassment, terrible wages, limited benefits, and backbreaking work are part of the daily routine of any hotel housekeeper.

For at least ten years individual women from the Housekeeping Department of the Convention Center Marriott had been registering complaints about the working conditions they suffered under. These women from Housekeeping had historically been the most under appreciated and disrespected employees of the entire hotel.

The vast majority of the approximately 150 Housekeepers of the Marriott are Mexicana women. For many years their complaints were ignored by generally unresponsive, and often abusive management personnel. Innumerable individual complaints were filed, and on several occasions, department wide petitions were circulated asking for reforms to better the conditions of the Housekeepers. Of course, nothing ever changed; not until January 17, 2000! With the new year came a new reality which would send shock waves throughout the Hotel Marriott and the San Diego labor movement.

On January 15, 2000, Marriott Management announced to the Housekeepers a new “Hotel Policy” - from then on each Housekeeper was to be assigned an extra 2 rooms per day - that was 14 rooms in one eight hour shift. No raise, no assistant (houseman), no incentive and no consideration, just 14 rooms per day. Of course this was the final breaking point - the mujeres finally decided “enough is enough!”

The following Monday, January 17, 2000, at 4:30 p.m. the Housekeepers of the Hotel Marriott walked out ON THEIR OWN, WITHOUT THE PROTECTION OF A LABOR UNION, to denounce publicly the abuses of the hotel management. They positioned themselves in front of the hotel and on small pieces of torn cardboard boxes, and even on regular lined paper, they printed (in ball-point pen) their complaints and held them for the public to see. This was something that had never before been seen anywhere among the beautiful hotel towers of Downtown San Diego, much less within the walls of the Marriott!

Without any kind of direction, these courageous mujeres stood silently after work asking that attention be paid to their complaints. This went on for two days - later the Marriott Housekeepers explained to us that at that time they felt very alone in their struggle. They had attempted to contact someone at Local 30 of the Hotel Employee and Restaurant Employee (H.E.R.E.) union without success. The wealthy gringos that walked by as they protested generally mocked and insulted them. Their co-workers warned them that there was no future in what they were doing. Even at home, the majority of the mujeres found their husbands and partners generally unsupportive. They assumed that their struggle had no hope.

THE RAZA RIGHTS COALITION OFFERED ITS TOTAL RESOURCES TO THIS RIGHTEOUS LABOR STRUGGLE

It was at this time that these courageous women came into contact with the Raza Rights Coalition. Veteran Raza Rights Coalition (RRC) member and former Unión del Barrio member Marco Anguiano accidentally came across these protesting women, asked them what was going on, and offered his assistance. The mujeres immediately surrounded Compañero Marco and pleaded with him to help them in their struggle for justice.

Compañero Marco brought this information back to the RRC, and the next day a contingency of RRC activists went out to meet these women. Out of this initial contact was born a new - and essentially natural - relationship that has not been seen within the Mexicano Community since the 1960s: A totally independent Mexican community organization offering its resources to a righteous and just labor struggle such as the movement of the Housekeepers.

UNION DEL BARRIO FORMS LABOR COMMITTEE

Immediately when the Raza Rights Coalition accepted the responsibility of supporting the Marriott Housekeepers, the San Diego chapter of Unión del Barrio decided internally to form a labor committee. Within this labor committee we formed two sub-committees - Political Action and Organizational Action.

The Political Action group dedicated itself to four tasks: 1) to broaden and formalize a relationship to all local active labor unions - especially the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union (H.E.R.E. Local 30) and the Service Employees International Union (S.E.I.U.); 2) to outreach to all other progressive Chicano/Latino organizations, especially those active in the labor movement; 3) to direct all media outreach and contacts; and 4) to strategize about how to keep the pressure on the Marriott management to give in to the demands.

The Organizational Action group dedicated itself to three main tasks: 1) to consolidate an organizational unity within the Housekeepers though political education, coordination of responsibilities and accountability, and clarification of goals and objectives; 2) to coordinate and maintain the participation of Unión del Barrio members within the Marriott struggle; and 3) to identify ways to broaden the base of the struggle in order to include Housekeeper families, workers from other Marriott departments, workers from other hotels, and the Mexicano community in general.

HOUSEKEEPERS IN THE STRUGGLE FOR OUR RIGHTS

From the beginning the Raza Rights Coalition submitted itself under the leadership of the Housekeepers and offered its experience, knowledge, and its limited organizational resources. Immediately a general meeting of the housekeepers was called for.

Every decision made from that point forward was totally democratic in nature, done by majority vote at general meetings attended by the majority of the women of the Department of Housekeeping. Out of these general meetings, the Marriott Housekeepers arrived at these fundamental decisions and actions:

1) The development of seven basic demands to better their working conditions, and to call themselves “Housekeepers in the Struggle for Our Rights.”
2) The preparation of new full sized picket signs with clearly written demands.
3) Agreement to maintain protests EVERY DAY until the demands were met.
4) The development of a trilingual (Spanish, English and Tagalog) flyer explaining the demands and struggle of the housekeepers. It was translated into Tagalog in order to convince the handful of Filipino housekeepers to join the struggle. Up to that point these Filipino women had been opposed to the protests.
5) A Representative Committee was formed to give a face to “Housekeepers in the Struggle for Our Rights.” Among the women on this original committee were Angela Velasquez, Ofelia Salas, Blanca Cadena, and Rosa Linares.
6) The development of website explaining the struggle.
7) A Media Committee was formed to outreach to the press and get accurate information out in a timely fashion.

The seven housekeeper demands read as follows:

1) 12 rooms only per day per Housekeeper, with a “Houseman.”
Housekeepers were required to clean 14 rooms per day, and often are also required to do additional duties such as: security tasks, room service, Houseman duties, and special projects. A “Houseman” was an individual that assisted Housekeepers with needs such as moving heavy furniture, trays, keeping up the supplies needed to stock the rooms, etc. It was common for Housekeepers working without a “houseman” to suffer serious injuries due to the extra heavy lifting. Also, if 14 rooms per day were not completed by the end of the 8 hour shift, many Housekeepers finished without overtime pay.
2) Rational access to restrooms on every three floors.
Housekeepers were severely restricted to what restrooms they could use. Hence the time spent rushing to the restroom made it more difficult to accomplish many tasks.
3) A real grievance process through which we may register complaints.
The former grievance system was unfair and arbitrary.
4) A reform of the evaluation process for raises in hourly wages and promotions.

Although the Marriott charges you on average $300 per room but only paid housekeepers minimum wage, the wage ceiling after 12 years of service was approx. $8.00/hour! Also, the review process was a sham and was used only to limit wages and promotions.

5) Consistency in the provision of supplies for rooms (linens, soaps, etc.).
The Laundry Department did not have the have the necessary resources to maintain the required amount of linens, and Housekeepers were forced to go around other areas of the hotel to find these linens and other supplies.
6) Limitations on the number and duration of “Staff Meetings.”
Extended and sometimes unnecessary staff meetings cut into the limited time Housekeepers had to complete their required tasks.
7) And Finally, Dignity and Respect for the Department of Housekeeping!

Housekeepers were disrespected and verbally abused, while they were threatened for asserting basic worker rights. They demanded NO REPRISALS AGAINST HOUSEKEEPERS.

DAILY ACTIVISM, RIGHTEOUS DEMANDS AND LIMITLESS “ANIMO” KEPT THE STRUGGLE ALIVE

The most effective weapon of the Housekeepers was the daily protest. Beginning on Monday, January 17, 2000 every day for an entire month, just after 4:00 p.m. the mujeres of Housekeeping would gather on the corner of Harbor Drive and First Avenue (directly in front of the hotel entrance). This daily action is what helped us grow together as a group. There would always be between 30 and 40 mujeres at these protests, representing 90% of the housekeeping staff for that shift. For about 2 hours every day the mujeres, their families, supporters from other departments, and RRC activists would chant movimiento slogans.

The protests also included singing; clapping; the passing out of thousands of flyers; the displaying of placards and banners; speeches; and interviews. Some days we marched in front of the hotel, and other days we stayed on our side of the street; but always the animo was high and the mujeres strong in their determination to defend their rights.

Just about every other week general meetings were called. At these meeting up to 100 mujeres would come together and discuss issues regarding the struggle. These meetings were organized by the RRC and hosted by the Chicano Park Art Station. (This was a temporary center of community activism secured and maintained by Chicano Park artist Mario Torero.) These juntas were undeniably democratic, with every mujer expressing their views, interests, and vision.

The RRC also assisted in the development of a system of propaganda: a weekly bulletin under the RRC masthead of Pueblo Unido kept the mujeres informed about latest developments between the general meetings; a special 16 page edition of Voz Fronteriza newspaper was published (Jan. March 2000) that included pictures, articles, and poetry dedicated to the Marriott struggle; thousands of flyers (in Spanish, English, and Tagalog) explaining the struggle and the demands were produced and distributed; an internet website was developed; and numerous press conferences were called to spread the word.

The RRC also organized a community forum focusing on the labor struggles developing throughout San Diego. Presentations included representatives from the Housekeepers, H.E.R.E. Local 30, the Justice for Janitors movement, la Coordinadora Ricardo Flores Magón from Tijuana, the Brown Berets de Aztlán, and the the RRC. Later in the struggle in an effort to motivate the mujeres and begin a process of political preparation, a social “plática” was organized and the film “Salt of the Earth” was shown. These events were extremely successful, and helped build and support the Marriott struggle.

MARRIOTT MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HARASSED AND INTIMIDATED US

We have to highlight the fact that everything was not easy and pleasant during this campaign. Both the mujeres of Housekeeping and RRC activists came under pressure from the Marriott management and government agencies.

Early on in the struggle Marriott Hotel management ordered a strong presence of Hotel security to be present at all times at the hotel entrance. From there they jeered and cat called the housekeepers. They took photos of all of us, especially focusing on RRC activists. At times Marriott security employees came out and stood around RRC activist automobiles, writing down whatever information they could gather as they stared at us trying to look scary. Generally, these guys just ended up looking stupid... RRC activists aren’t intimidated by real cops, much less the wanna-be goons from the Marriott. Things became more serious though when Marriott Management ordered one of their larger security goons to block one of the housekeeper marchas.

During one of the short marchas in front of the hotel entrance a large hispanic goon in a red Marriott security jacket (backed up by three smaller goons) stepped out to provoke a physical confrontation with the housekeepers. RRC and Unión del Barrio security immediately took the lead and surrounded this individual, at the same time guiding the marchers back across the street and away from the confrontation. Marriott security did not expect such a disciplined and organized reaction, and they were ordered to pull back on to Hotel property. Thus, the situation was neutralized immediately, and everything was fine. Important to mention here though was the incredible courage of compañera Bertha Rodriguez, a veteran housekeeper at the Marriott. Bertha (a thin woman under 5 feet tall) refused to remove herself from the center of the confrontation and instead turned her back to the huge hotel security goon, and began to elbow him in the belly. As much as RRC activists and Unión security pleaded with her to join the others across the street, she refused and kept elbowing away. The big security goon was made to look like an idiot, as this small woman openly challenged him.

Within the hotel itself, the conditions had changed dramatically. The abuses that had gone unchecked before the walk-out no longer were as obvious, although the working conditions for the housekeepers were far from comfortable. Marriott management called for meeting after meeting with Housekeepers, demanding that they identify “...those shady characters...” they saw helping them. Management requested forcefully that they stop protesting, and that each of their seven demands would be reviewed. One housekeeper was even placed on probation (an action that was equivalent to being fired) Later management backed off under the pressure from the Housekeeper committee. Rumors were floated about the inevitable firing of all the participants in the protests. Management also attempted to split the women by offering some of them promotions, and even “all expenses paid” trips to other Marriotts around the country so they could “...see how well housekeepers in other hotels were getting along.”

The most serious intimidating acts came to the homes of several RRC activists. Anglo men in unmarked vehicles (later identified as being from an unknown state law enforcement agency) were observed on numerous occasions parking across the street taking photographs of homes belonging to RRC activists. We take this very seriously because of the well known history of U.S. law enforcement agencies surveillance and aggressive attacks against African groups (Malcolm X, Black Panthers, etc.) and Chicano/Indio groups (A.I.M., Crusade for Justice, Brown Berets, etc.)

NOT ONE LABOR UNION AGREED TO DEFEND THE MARRIOTT HOUSEKEEPERS

From the beginning of our involvement in the Marriott struggle we were straightforward with the women of Housekeeping as to our our limitations as an organization. We explained to them that we were not a labor union, but an organization dedicated to building Mexicano self determination. We apologized for our lack of economic resources, but offered all our organizational and political resources to them unconditionally. Recognizing those limitations, it was agreed that we would help as much as we could, but that one of our goals was to help the mujeres of Housekeeping to win labor union support from either H.E.R.E. or S.E.I.U., at which time we would continue to support them, but through their union.

While real communication was developed with labor organizations (especially H.E.R.E. Local 30 and S.E.I.U.), not one labor union was willing to step in to represent the Marriott Housekeepers. H.E.R.E. explained that they were in the middle of a struggle at the Mission Valley Hilton, and that they did not have the resources to step up to another struggle at that time. S.E.I.U. was on the verge of a strike on behalf of the Justice for Janitors movement within the city of San Diego. Also, union organizers found the Marriott intimidating because of the team of anti labor union lawyers the corporation maintained in order to bust any organizing efforts within their hotels. Using the example of the struggle of the workers of the San Francisco Marriott, who had been fighting for 18 years just to win a contract, made the Housekeeper struggle in San Diego (a racist anti labor city) seem hopeless.

There was also mention of an “under the table” deal that had been made between some union leaders and downtown San Diego ballpark developers/planners/political cliques. It seems that a local labor union had been guaranteed a new pool of union membership among future ballpark employees if the union agreed to support the ballpark development. Clearly, it was not in the best interests of this union to lend support to what had become a militant labor struggle such as that of the Marriott Housekeepers. We noticed immediately the hesitation of union organizers when they recognized the Mexicano nationalist character the Raza Rights Coalition had brought the mujeres of housekeeping.

Generally, what happened here represents the sad reality of the labor movement throughout the United States. Unions over run by laziness and political opportunism have become only extensions of the gringo system. When it comes to Mexicano workers, they would rather abandon a labor struggle than to promote/defend the rights of our gente not only as workers, but as Mexicanas and Mexicanos. This makes our work with the Marriott Housekeepers that much more important. Inevitably, once the movement for Mexicano self-determination grows, we will be able to define and defend the interests or our gente, and labor unions will either conform to the demands of our community or simply become irrelevant.

WE WATCHED AS THE MUJERES TRANSFORMED THEMSELVES INTO “LUCHADORAS SOCIALES”

The most beautiful and profound transformation any RRC activist had observed was seeing how the mujeres from housekeeping embraced political life. When they began they were shy and soft spoken; they knew none of the slogans so common to activists; and they were intimidated by the language RRC activists used. It was wonderful to see the mujeres become organizers and leaders - they began to call us and each other “compañeros.” Soon they took over as chant leaders, and even found the political strength to participate in “criticism/selfcriticism.”

Several mujeres began to represent the struggle outside of the Marriott. They began to speak publicly as guest speakers at community forums, conferences, and at Universities. Within the Marriott Hotel itself, they became celebrities, carefully dealt with by management, and deeply respected by the workers of other departments.

THE CALL FOR A WORKERS MASS MOBILIZATION

As the weeks past, we saw little sign of real change on behalf of management. We all knew that we would have to broaden the struggle and raise the stakes. At a general meeting it was agreed to begin the work calling for a mass mobilization of the labor movement in San Diego. Preparations began for a mass labor march though downtown San Diego on March 4, 2000 at 12:00 p.m. We planned to bring together the three major labor struggles of the city, the H.E.R.E. Hilton struggle, S.E.I.U. Justice for Janitors, and the Marriott Housekeepers. Each of these struggles was strong at the time and conditions were ripe for the unification of these three mainly Mexicano labor struggles. The labor movement in San Diego was stronger than it had been in years.
It was not a coincidence that the next day, after the preliminary flyer for the “Marcha Laboral” was released, Marriott management announced that they agreed to accept the final demands of Housekeeping! At the final general meeting of the Housekeepers, it was agreed to accept the offer made by hotel management, to cease the daily protests, and to stop preparations for a Marcha.

THE TASTE OF VICTORY

Management offered Housekeepers “Housemen” and given a 75¢ raise. With this, the daily protests ended on February 15, 2000. Also, construction of new employee restrooms on every third floor of the Hotel had already commenced the week before. A new evaluation and grievance process had also been implemented that included the aggrieved employees and other workers. Extra duties were limited or assigned to other departments. Supply rooms were also better stocked and staff meetings shortened. THIS COULD BE SEEN AS NOTHING LESS THAN A TOTAL VICTORY!

After the official end of the campaign conditions were very different at the Hotel Marriott. Instead of snapping their fingers at Housekeepers, hotel managers now went out of their way to be cordial. Housekeepers now walked with dignity, their heads held high. Plans for a “Victory Celebration” began immediately.

On March , 2000 a victory dinner and dance at the Paradise Senior Citizens Center in Logan Heights brought together over 250 Marriott women and their families to celebrate our proud victory. That evening, the atmosphere was charged with the unmistakable sense of victory. After dinner, woman after women stepped up to the microphone and gave their reaction to the struggle. In a surprising moment, Raza Rights Coalition activists were called up to the stage, and each was given a “thank you” gift on behalf of the Marriott Housekeepers. Soon after the music started and we danced all night.

WHAT HAS BEEN DONE SINCE

Relative to the labor struggle in general, this was a small victory. But relative to the Mexicano community within Aztlán, this was a major achievement. A struggle such as this one offers a vision of what is possible, independent of gringo institutions, when the Mexicano community struggles on our own and in our own interests.

We must recognize the tremendous potential of the Mexicano working class not just in California but throughout the U.S. Just in San Diego the tourism/service industry is among the most important economic foundations within the city. We also know that this industry is made up of 95% Mexicano labor. These jobs are among the most physically demanding, the lowest paying, and the most socially unappreciated of the entire labor market in San Diego. A Mexicano self-determination oriented labor movement would be tremendously powerful and capable of transforming the conditions of life for all our gente, north and south of the political border.

The year 2000 was an incredible one for Unión del Barrio. We began the year with the Marriott struggle; held the “¡Mujeres Presentes!” conference on March 11 organized by the Comité de Mujeres Patricia Marín; participated in the organization of the 30th Anniversary of Chicano park on April 22; the anti-Democratic Convention protests on the weekend of August 14th in Los Angeles; the 30th Commemoration March of the August 29th Chicano Moratorium in Los Angeles on August 26; convened a national Plenary of Unión del Barrio in October; the 8th Annual National Raza Youth Liberation Conference/Summit on November 18th organized by Somos Raza youth project; ongoing participation in the “Save Our Centro Coalition” (see ¡La Verdad! Jan - Aug 2000); and the 48 hour fast and “plantón” in San Ysidro denouncing Operation Gatekeeper the weekend of December 10th. These were just the major events and activism that came down in 2000; beyond this there were hundreds of other activities, meetings, study sessions, etc. Finally, we ended 2000 and began 2001 with the launching of the historical “Campaign for Justice and True Democracy” (see article in this issue of ¡La Verdad!).

In closing, the struggle at the Hotel Marriott will be recognized as an historical marker in the struggle for Mexicano liberation within the Occupied Territories. Unión del Barrio has grown and matured, and our movimiento will be stronger because of our participation in it. For the mujeres of Housekeeping, we reprint this poem that Christian Ramírez wrote and dedicated to them at the end of the struggle:

El Silencio Jamás
Nunca más
Ese fue el ayer tan prolongado
Hoy los gritos dignos
Hoy la voz de regreso a las mudas gargantas
Ayer el cansancio perpetuo
Ayer el denigrante trato
Hoy la unidad valiente
Hoy el poder latente
Hoy las risas y consignas
Hoy la mujer al frente
Ayer imposible levantar la mirada
Hoy la voz digna se levanta como gigante
Hoy se levanta la dignidad
Hoy se levantan las mujeres
Hay que llorar nunca más de tristeza
Nunca más de impotencia
La dignidad vive y florece
Hay que llorar de alegría
El silencio jamás
Nunca más