Mexico Solidarity Project

Mexico Solidarity Project is a front for Liberation Road. The organization brings together activists from various socialist and left organizations and individuals committed to worker and global justice who see the 2018 election of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador as president of México as a watershed moment. AMLO and his progressive Morena party aim to end generations of corruption, impoverishment, and subservience to US interests. Our Project supports not just Morena, but all Mexicans struggling for basic rights, and opposes US efforts to undermine organizing and México’s national sovereignty.

Jose Luis Ceja tour

According to John Marienthal:

This series of presentations began on the East Coast in October 2023 and continued in the West Coast in February 2024 (see story in the last California Red). Mexican journalist Jose Luis Ceja traveled through Salem, Oregon, the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego and Los Angeles. The issues he has been discussing are of urgent concern to all who wish to understand the the historical relationship between Mexico and the United States, and the fight against the hegemony of US monopoly capital.

Interest in Mexico among American socialists has increased with the successes of the Moreno Party and President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO). His platform of anti-corruption and governance for the people has drawn attacks from the far right in both the US and Mexico. As people are forced to flee from their homelands, we in the belly of the beast are starting to more closely examine the role of the US in so-called immigration issues. The wide-ranging questions addressed by Jose touched on immigration and the border, labor unions, industry and business, the role of cartels, the army, national sovereignty and upcoming elections.

The sponsors and contributors to the tour grew from an initial group of the Mexican Solidarity Project, Liberation Road and DSA Inland Empire to include the CPUSA and other left organizations, local English and Spanish-speaking community groups, newspapers, unions, high school and college students, and university teachers.

In the SF Bay area we had two zoom presentations due the heavy rainstorm during Celas‘ visit. In Los Angeles there was a presentation at Casa Rojas, with three student groups at Garden High School and a co-op, Mercado La Paloma; DSA and the Philippine Workers Center co-sponsored. In San Diego there were presentations at an employee rights group and a local school where parents have taken over the school administration.

One important benefit that emerged from the tour is that in several cities the groups that worked together over a period of six or eight weeks to pull together the events are planning to stay together. They are going to do follow up work: webinars, other speakers etc. Working together and organizing, promoting, sponsoring, moderating and providing translation helps us achieve deeper left unity.

Leadership

• Coordinating Committee of the Mexico Solidarity Project includes Javier Bravo.
• Gabriel Mireles, Coordinator

Mexico Solidarity Bulletin

Editorial committee of the Mexico Solidarity Project's Mexico Solidarity Bulletin in 2020 were Meizhu Lui, Bruce Hobson, Bill Gallegos, Sam Pizzigati.

American help

From the Mexico Solidarity Bulletin February 17, 2021:

Mexico Solidarity Project interview with Mexican historian Javier Bravo of the Coordinating Committee of the Mexico Solidarity Project.

MSP :Is there anything Morena needs from its allies to the north?

JB :AMLO has imperfections — who doesn’t? — and makes mistakes. We shouldn’t overlook these. But focusing mainly on the negative only hurts México’s chance to get rid of the neoliberal policies of the PAN and PRI. Morena needs progressives in the US to keep pushing Biden to honor his promises for a whole series of progressive measures.

Those changes, especially on migration, could free Morena to do more to help México’s people.

CCDS connection

Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism Peace and Solidarity Committee met its monthly meeting on November 9, 2020. Heard reports from Courtney Childs on the recently assembled Mexico Solidarity Project, of which CCDS is a member. Courtney has been forwarding the MSP newsletter to members.

Eder report

July 28 2019· REPORT to Chicano Park Steering Committee : Mexico Solidarity News.

Mexican Solidarity Coalition objectives with our Informe Chicano:

• Unite to fight the right-wing in Mexico and the US
• Spread the censored news about the victories of the Mexican social movements to US Raza immigrants
• Learn from the Mexican resistance and apply the lessons to the US & Atzlan
• Fight Trump & White supremacists: Same enemy, Same fight!
• The left in Mexico and the US can and should support each other, grow together.

Why to the social movements in Mexico matter to the US social movements and Immigrant Communities in the USA?

1) Immigrant Rights vs Trump: Trump is trying to mobilize the racist vote in the US to win the US election. Trump loves to bash Mexico and Mexicans, Hondurans etc. We must mobilize the anti-racist voters!

2) MORENA & AMLO Promise a Revolution - Huge reforms started ( Movement for National Regeneration = Morena): Stopped new private investment in the oil industry and shut down fuel pipelines to prevent theft. He has revived Mexico’s policy of non-interference in other countries’ affairs by recognising Venezuela’s left-wing. Has cut the salaries of senior officials and bureaucrats, including his own, and put their cars up for auction. He travels about by commercial airliner. Recognized the inherent rights of Indigenous Mexicans as never before. Given pensions to the elderly, many for the first time, money directly to individuals. His government has doubled pension benefits and made more people eligible for them. Fought corruptions in government institutions: Under now disgraced former PRI Pres. Mr Peña, some 10,000 civil-society groups got 30bn pesos ($1.6bn) over six years; more went to contractors, then into pockets of politicians. Daily morning press briefings — an unprecedented exercise in media openness that has been a powerful tool for setting the agenda.

3) PROBLEMS faced by the new Mexican Revolution: Like in TJ, the party is being infiltrated by opportunists seeking to latch onto patronage jobs and nominations for office. Foreign investment has fallen 15% or more. For profits, Big US and multinational capital wants MORENA to fail. Right-wing opposition are mobilizing. The Mexican media is in the hands of the super rich and they hate the social movements and MORENA. Trump, Wall Street and the US are making demands on immigration and more. MORENA will have to deeply engage the indigenous communities in dialogue before development projects impact their lands.

4) Opportunity to participate in a Mexican Solidarity Event in San Diego on Sept. Thurs 19 - Fri. 20: Professor Javier Bravo, a long-time activist and a rep for MORENA will be in San Diego, Sept. 19-20 as part of a national tour. Speaking about current struggles in Mexico & how we build a movement against Trump to stop the right-wings ethnic cleansing against Mexican & other immigrants. LA event on Sept. 22, 12-3 pm at CASA, 2102 E. 1st St. Exact times and locationsin SD to be announced. Want to help organize Solidarity or co-sponsor? Call 619-251-0404, 619-871-9354 Martin Eder - ActivistSD@gmail.com