In March of 1969, Chicano activists gathered at the Youth and Liberation
Conference in Denver, Colorado and drafted the following historical document,
the Program for El Plan Espiritual de Aztlán.
THE PROGRAM OF EL PLAN DE AZTLÁN
El Plan Espiritual de Aztlán, sets the theme that the Chicanos
(La Raza de Bronze) must use their nationalism as the key or common denominator
for mass mobilization and organization. Once we are committed to the idea
and philosophy of El Plan de Aztlán, we can only conclude that
social, economic, cultural and political independence is the only road
to total liberation from oppression, exploitation and racism. Our struggle
then must be the control of our Barrios, campos, pueblos, lands, our economy,
our culture and our political life. El Plan commits all levels of Chicano
society--the barrio, the campo, the ranchero, the writer, the teacher,
the worker, the professional--to La Causa.
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I. PUNTO PRIMERO
- Nationalism.
Nationalism as the key to organization transcends all religious, political,
class and economic factions or boundaries. Nationalism is the common
denominator that all members of La Raza can agree on.
II. PUNTO SEGUNDO - Organizational Goals
1. Unity in thought of our people concerning the barrios, the land,
the poor, the middle class, the professional is committed to liberation
of La Raza.
2. Economy: economic control of our lives and our communities can
only come about by driving the exploiter out of our communities, our
pueblos, and our lands and by controlling and developing our own talents,
sweat and resources. Cultural background and values which ignore materialism
and embrace humanism will lend to the act of co-operative buying and
distribution of resources and production to sustain an economic base
for healthy growth and development. Lands rightfully ours will be
fought for and defended. Land and realty ownership will be acquired
by the community for the peoples welfare. Economic ties of responsibility
must be secured by nationalism and the Chicano defense units.
3. Education must be relative to our people, i.e., history, culture,
bilingual education, contributions, etc. Community control of our
schools, our tecahers, our administrators, our counselors and our
programs.
4.Institutions shall serve our people by providing the service necessary
for a full life and their welfare on the basis of restitution, not
handouts or beggar's crumbs. Restitution for past economic slavery,
political exploitation, ethnic, cultural and psychological destruction
and denial of civil and human rights. Institutions in our community
which do not serve the people have no place in the community. The
institutions belong to the people.
5. Self Defense of the community must rely on the combined strength
of the people. The front line defense will come from the barrios,
the campos, the pueblos, and the ranchitos. Their involvement as protectors
of their people will be given respect and dignity. They in turn offer
their responsibility and their lives for their people. Those who place
themselves on the front for their people do so out of love and carnalismo.
Those institutions which are fattened by our brothers to provide employment
and political pork barrels for the gringo will do so only by acts
of liberation and La Causa. For the very young there will no longer
be acts of juvenile delinquency, but revolutionary acts.
6. Cultural values of our people strengthen our identity and the moral
backbone of the movement. Our culture unites and educates the family
of La Raza toward liberation with one heart and one mind. We must
insure that our writers, poets, musicians and artists produce literature
and art that is appealing to our people and relates to our revolutionary
culture. Our cultural values of life, family, and home will serve
as a powerful weapon to defeat the gringo dollar value system and
encourage the process of love and brotherhood.
7. Political liberation can only come through an independent action
on our part, since the two party system is the same animal with two
heads that feeds from the same trough. Where we are a majority we
will control; where we are a minorioty, we will represent a pressure
group; Nationally, we will represent one party, La Familia de La Raza.
III. PUNTO TERCERO - Action
1. Awareness and distribution of El Plan Espiritual de Aztlan. Presented
at
every meeting, demonstration, confrontation, court house, institution,
administration, church, school, building, car and every place of human
existence.
2. September 16th. On the birthdate of Mexican Independence, a national
walk-out
by all Chicanos of all colleges and schools to be sustained until
the complete revision of the educational system; its policy makers,
administration, its curriculum and its personnel to meet the needs
of the community.
3. Self defense against the occupying forces of the oppressors at
every shcool, every available man, woman and child.
4. Community nationalization and organization of all Chicanos regarding
El Plan Espiritual de Aztlán.
5. Economic programs to drive the exploiter out of our communities
and a welding of our peoples combined resources to control their own
production through co-operative efforts.
6. Creation of an independent local, regional and national political
party. |
LIBERATION
A nation, autonomously free, culturally, socially,
economically and politically, will make its own decisions on the usage
of our lands, the taxation of our goods, the utilization of our bodies
for war, the determination of justice (reward and punishment) and the
profit of our sweat.
EL PLAN ESPIRITUTAL DE AZTLÁN IS THE PLAN OF LIBERATION!
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