History of the Committee On Raza Rights - Oxnard Region of the National Chicano Moratorium Committee:

Editor’s Note - This article is Part I of the history of the CRR in Oxnard. Since the establishment of the Oxnard Unit of Unión del Barrio there has been a strong self-determination oriented politic coming down. The commitment of the comrades in Oxnard to build the necessary organization necessary to achieve National Liberation of the Mexicano working class has been represented through the dozens of events, among others: The 4th Annual National Youth Liberation Conference, 27th Commemoration of the August 29th Moratorium of 1970, pickets, protests and marchas. The leadership of the compañeros can be seen through the work they did in February of 1997 when Raza from the neighboring town of Fillmore called on all Raza to support a marcha to protest the anti-Mexican city government, the leadership of the comrades was clearly recognized.

The Establishment Of The CRR Has Its Roots In the Historic Struggle Against Oppression Of The Mexicano People Against The System

Today in 1997 Raza make up the great majority of the population in Oxnard, Califas (Occupied Mexico/Aztlán). Though we are the majority of the population, we have historically lived in a situation where there was no Raza self-determination (the right of a people to decide our own destinies). The so-called Raza organizations that have existed in Oxnard claim that La Raza has control of our own communities. They justify this by pointing to a few brown face hispanics (neo-colonialists) seated on the city council; the few teachers working in some of the area schools; and that the brown “middle class” is increasing. They claim that we have power over the educational, political, and economic life in Oxnard.

What these so-called Raza organizations are claiming has nothing to do with self-determination, but rather their own interest and their own jale. What these “hispanic and Latino” organizations are really talking about is assimilation of our Raza into the same sistema (United States capitalism) that has historically attacked our people and has, till this day, done everything in its power to keep us as a poor, exploited and cheap labor pool.

Currently, the only true Raza organization in Oxnard that is dedicated and committed to Raza self-determination and the liberation of all Raza, is the Committee on Raza Rights (CRR), the Oxnard Region of the National Chicano Moratorium Committee (NCMC). The CRR has its roots in the struggle for Raza self-determination through the working relationship with the National Chicano Moratorium Committee.

In 1989, two decades after the height of the Chicano Power Movement (1965-1975), Raza activists from all over Occupied Mexico/Aztlán gathered in East L.A., Califas to re-establish the NCMC in order to organize an Aztlán wide mobilization of the “20th Commemoration of the August 29, 1970 Chicano Moratorium.” This initiative resulted in the largest Raza mobilization since the height of the Chicano Power Movement. There were over 7,000 Raza that marched in the streets of East L.A. from Belvedere Park down Whittier Blvd. to Salazar Park on August 25,1990.

After the 20th Commemoration, the NCMC continued to organize and create regions all over Occupied Mexico/Aztlán with the common belief and principles of:

° Raza self-determination and the Liberation of all Raza
° Quality education for all our children
° Jobs and union wages for all
° Affordable health care for our families
° Decent affordable housing for all
° Community control of the police and sheriffs
° Abolishment of the racist Border Patrol
° De-militarization of the Mexico/U.S. Border
° End Barrio Violence
° U.S. out of Latin America

These are the fundamental pro-Raza principles that the NCMC upholds and believes.

In Oxnard, before the founding of the CRR in 1995, there were no organizations- that we know of- doing work around the objective of Raza self-determination and National Liberation of Raza. The very few “signs” of struggle for Raza self-determination were seen at certain high schools and community colleges being led by a new generation of Raza militants.

In 1994, many Raza organizers took on the struggle against the racist initiative Proposition 187 and the 1994 California Governor Elections. In October 1994, Raza organizers and youth called for a city-wide walkout in protest against Prop.187. The call for protest led to the closing of several Oxnard District Schools (Channel Islands, Hueneme, Rio Mesa, Oxnard, etc.) for one day and the takeover of Plaza Park- a city park. The November 1994 takeover of Plaza Park by fifteen Raza activist, had the objective of holding a three day hunger strike in protest against Proposition 187.

During the development of these events, Raza militants and other Raza youth were criticized by the opportunist “hispanic leaders” as well as by city and school administrators. These apologists of colonialism recommended that students should stay in school on the pretext that if they didn’t, the voters of California would vote in favor of Proposition 187. Failing to recognize the theft of our land 150 years ago by the racist U.S. government, many of these so-called “leaders” tried to discourage our youth from waving the Mexican flag during the protests, and encouraged them to display the U.S. gringo flag- which represents the very same tyranny that invaded and took over half of México’s national territory.

For the Raza organizers these two events brought many of our people together to critically look at what direction the movimiento would take. After several meetings and discussions, Raza activists decided that it was time to organize and create an organization which would strive to lead this new movement, with the purpose of educating the masses of Raza about the injustice and brutality committed against our gente and to expose the source of our oppression and misery.

In July of 1995 a community meeting was held in order to establish the Oxnard Region of the National Chicano Moratorium Committee. The newly created Oxnard Region of the NCMC led to it’s participation in the organizing efforts for the “25th Commemoration of the August 29, 1970 Chicano Moratorium” in East Los Angeles, Califas. which was a historical march that brought over 3,000 Raza to walk the original route of 1970 through the streets of East L.A.

In September 1995, the newly created Oxnard Region of the NCMC elected it’s first Local Mesa Directiva to lead the struggle for Raza self-determination and liberation of all Raza in Oxnard. As a result the CRR has held many events and has built a strong organized group of Raza

Since September of 1995, to it’s “One Year Anniversary in 1996,” and the present, the Committee on Raza Rights has organized and participated in over forty different events with the purpose of raising the consciousness of the masses of our gente around the need to organize and struggle for Dignity, Unity and Mexicano Power.