guerrillera/os de la pluma, winter 2011

Winter 2011Journal of the Raza Press and Media Association

GUERRILLERA/OS DE LA PLUMARaza Press, Media, and Popular Expression razapressassociation.org

• La Verdad • La Calles y La Torcida • Radio Lucha • Pueblo Unido • Clavo En El Corazon • Radio Free Aztlan •

The Real 99%

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Guerrillera/os de la Pluma Journal of the Raza Press and Media Association

Raza Press, Media, and Popular Expression

RPMA CONSTITUTION(RATIfIed JANUARy 24, 2008)

OBJECTIVES:• Create a MoveMent of Progressive and revolutionary Media Work-eRS

• to establish a raza neWs Wire serviCe.• hold on-going WorkshoPs and ConferenCes to advanCe raza Press, Media, and PoPular exPression.• establish an editorial board to oversee Joint PubliCations.• Pool existing resourCes to assist PubliCations and to establish neW ones.• establishMent of a ColleCtion of PeriodiCals, Past, and Current.

PRINCIPLES OF UNITY :• Must be raza PubliCations/Media Workers Who are indePendent of governMent agenCies.• MeMbers Must suPP ort raza self-deterMination.• Must adhere to deMoCratiCally reaChed deCisions.• Must suPP ort general obJeCtives of the assoCiation.• Must suPP ort the struggles of other indigenous PeoPle, latino aMeriCa-nos (raza), and all oPP ressed PeoPle Within and outside the u.s.

MEMBERSHIP PRIVILE GES/BENEFITS:• adMission to all rPMa events (ConferenCes, suMM its, etC.)• MeMbershiP Card and rPMa Press Card .• rPMa referenCe (for eMP loyMent, grant PurPoses etC.).• teChniCal assistanCe in Media ProduCtion.

• voiCe in the direCtion of the rPMa.• knoWing that you are fighting for JustiCe, PeaCe, and liberation

STRUCTURE:• Mesa direCtiva/editorial board Will Consist of a) Coordinator, b) events, C) MeMbershiP, d) PubliCations, and e) MeMber at large.• Mesa Will serve as Coordinating body to insure CoMM uniCation and CoMP letion of tasks.• Mesa Will also serve as editorial board for all rPMa

PUBLICATIONS:• standing CoMM ittees Will be established as needed.• Mesa direCtiva Will organize a yearly suMM it or ConferenCe.

Guerrillera/os de la Pluma

EditorLuis Moreno

Managing EditorErnesto Bustillos

Associate EditorJose G. Moreno

ContributorsErnesto Bustillos

Ruben BotelloCarlos Martell

Natchez MaldororRodolfo Acuna

Raza Press and Media Association

Editorial Board2011-2012

Ernesto BustillosFrancisco RomeroAntonio Velasquez

Luis Moreno

raza Press, Media, and PoPular exPression

Editor’s Note: The following a brief synopsis of the political education that took place at the Raza Press and Media Association’s General Meeting of December 18, 2011. It was com-piled from notes taken by Marc Baca and summarized by Ernesto Bustillos. The meeting took place at the “Café On A Street”, in Oxnard, Califaztlán.

INTRODUCTION

An ongoing feature of the Raza Press and Media As-sociation (RPMA) General

Meetings has been the political dis-cussion section of the agenda. It is the during the course of our meetings where a particular issue of importance related to media work and goals of the RPMA is discussed. We have found that these po-litical education sessions have contrib-uted to the development of the mem-bership of the RPMA as they have helped increase political knowledge, democracy and collectivity within the association, critical thinking, and our ability to effectively engage in anti-co-lonial and pro-community based me-dia work. The topic of the December 2011 meeting was: The Occupy Move-ment and Raza Media. Where Do We Stand? –A Critical Dialogue. The

The Occupy Movement and Raza Media:

Where Do We Stand? A Critical Dialogue

discussion/platica was facilitated by Antonio Velasquez, a member of the Mesa Directiva (board of directors) of RPMA. The following is a general syn-thesis of concerns and recommenda-tions raised during several round table discussions.

CONCERNS/CRITIQUE OF THE OC-CUPIED MOVEMENT:J The question of “land” –that this is Indigenous land– has rarely being raised within the Occupy Movement. The Occupy Movement, as a political mass movement is nothing new; it’s been happening in Latin America for decades. In Chile, Argentina, etc.… it has been a movement comprised of an anti-neoliberal (imperialist) approach to challenging the national policies being imposed upon Latin America by the United States and other imperial-ist powers. Here in Aztlán, La Raza is tired of the notion of occupation. We are occupied by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), the police, etc.… we want liberation!

J The Question of Race and Class also has not been adequately ad-dressed or the Occupy Movement ig-nores it. It seems that white workers

SEE “OCCUPY” PAGE 7

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Fall 2011

www.razapressassociation.org

BY ERNESTO BUSTILLOS

Editor’s Note: The following article was written by Ernesto Bustillos, co-ordinator of the Raza Press and Me-dia Association for Guerrillero/a de la Pluma, Winter Issue, 2011.

INTRODUCTION: WE MUST SAC-RIFICE, WORK, AND FIGHT, UNTIL WE DROP DEAD!

In its drive for profits and wealth, the U.S. Empire has committed the worst atrocities and crimes

against humanity that the world has ever witnessed. The Empire’s media has concealed the murder and genocide of literally millions of people by portraying imperialism’s goal as one of spreading democ-racy, freedom, and human rights.1

Within the current bor-ders of the United States (Occu-pied America), Raza-Mexicanos continue to be the victims of the most heinous crimes administered by white-colonialist society, since the gringo-colonialist invasion and occupation of our lands in 1846. Anti-Mexican violence and humili-ation is a daily occurrence. The illegal settlers (Gringo-Europeans) claim to be natives and call the natives (Mexi-canos) “aliens”. The great majority of our people live at or below the poverty level. Racist-fascist laws targeting Raza are being implemented through-out the United States. And in most states, Raza are now the majority in prison. The media ensures that this situation continues by constantly bombarding society with images of Mexicans “as criminals” and foreign-ers, making us the targets of hatred and racism of almost every white per-

son (poor or rich) in the United States. There is not one city or town in the United States where you cannot pick up a newspaper or watch the news on TV, and not see a so-called “Mexican Criminal”. This media war against the Mexican community has reach such a high pitch- that Raza themselves have become more and more embarrassed of being Mexicano or “Latino”. This is especially devastating towards our children, as they are growing-up with

the psychological problems of inferi-ority and self-hatred –leading to self-inflicted violence (gangs, etc.), drug use, dropping out of school, hatred of their parents, and much more. It is this cover-up of capital-ism’s parasitic nature (the fact that it lives off the sweat and suffering of the masses) and crimes committed against people throughout the world and here at home, that makes the me-dia a force that must be addressed as we struggle for liberation, justice, and peace. To those of us involved in the struggle, this means constructing an anti-colonial media that provides the

information and knowledge that will enable the masses to understand the social conditions of capitalist-colonial-ist oppression and one that empowers them to resist and change these con-ditions. These violent, oppressive, and inhumane conditions facing the great majority of our communities do not permit us the production of medio-cre or hobby-centered (for leisure or amusement, etc.) media, which gen-erally speaking, is currently the case.

The truth is that if we want to put an end to this horrible situation–those struggling for social justice and liberation– must literally sacrifice, work, and fight, until we drop dead! The fact is that Raza anti-co-lonial media, at this particular time, does not exist in any significant form. Those who claim to be Raza journalists and media workers, at best function as individuals without any strategy and accountability ¬or worst, as is usually the case, they are simply brown mouthpieces of the colonial/white power system. This is why we say that if we are to

move forward our struggle for libera-tion– we cannot study enough, can-not produce enough, and cannot learn enough– about the media. Only this way can we create the anti-colonial media that our struggle demands. In a practical and real way, this means that Raza journalists must de-velop the most thorough understand-ing of the fundamentals of the media, how it functions, and how we can use it in the struggle for liberation. Since its inception more than two decades ago, it has been precisely the creation of an anti-colonialism/capitalist Raza media that has formed the primary

SEE “MEDIA” PAGE 8

The Raza Media Must Empower The Masses To Resist and Change These Conditions

THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA’S MAIN FUNCTION HAS BEEN TO CONCEAL THE CRIMES OF

CAPITALISM-IMPERIALISM

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RPMA Reading ListContrary notions:

the MiChael Parenti readerBy Michael Parenti

J J J

one PeoPle! one Party! one destiny!

By OMali yeshitela

J J J

the Mind ManagersBy herBert i. schiller

J J J

WeaPons of Mass deCePtionBy s. raMPtOn and J. sauBer

J J J

Jail the oPPressorfree the oPPressed!By ernestO BustillOs

J J J

ManufaCturing Consent: the PolitiCal eConoMy of the

Mass MediaBy edward s. herMan

and nOaM chOMsky

J J J

Media Control: the sPeCtaCular aChieveMents of

ProPagandaBy nOaM chOMsky

J J J

the shoCk doCtrine: the rise of disaster

CaPitalisMBy naOMi klein

J J J

BY NATCHEZ MALDORORTRANSLATED BY CARLOS MARTELL

Who knows if Muammar al-Gaddafi’s will was re-spected. After his assas-

sination he was secretly buried by his executioners in a silent grave some-where in the desert of Libya. Al-Gad-dafi asked that on the day of his death he be buried in the clothes that he was wearing. It is written in his testament, “Should I be killed, I would like to be buried, according to Muslim rituals, in the clothes I was wearing at the time of my death and my body unwashed, in the cemetery of Sirte, next to my family and rela-tives”. Al-Gaddafi died wearing mili-tary khakis; blood stained brown half ragged kha-kis. Those grainy and unreal imag-es that appeared to the world via mobile phones are harrowing proof and reminder. They were able to let us see the last living moments of Muammar al-Gad-dafi at the hands of his executioners. They showed us the reality of violence and war. Behind them, or rather above them like drones, they remind us of the U.S.-European imperial domina-tion that made possible this “restruc-turing” of Libya. We are yet to see the effects of the exponential circulation of Muammar Al-Gaddafi’s blood stained rotting body; he was put on display for all to see the vincibility of his be-

Muammar Al-Gaddafi and the “Fashion Patrol”

ing; for all to see only this image, to fix this image of death and defeat; to counter and eradicate the images of sovereignty that Muammar al-Gaddafi cultivated. Before the war, western media played an important role in countering the image of pride and resistance that al-Gaddafi embodied in his clothing. An analysis of the western media’s representation of al-Gaddafi, and their ridiculization of his formal at-

tire can be helpful in understanding how racism can operate through the mechanism of fashion critique.1

A quick research through western media and fashion will give plenty of examples of how Muammar al-Gad-dafi’s concentrat-ed incorporation and embodiment of non-western clothing, apparel, textiles, prints, and accessories, pri-marily of pan-Afri-

can and Muslim design and tailoring, were ridiculed and dismissed. What appears to be a comic and banal cri-tique of difference hides the strate-gies of domination imbued in media (and therefore discourse). The stark contrast of Muammar al-Gaddafi’s rot-ting body is testament to the power of western domination hidden in “fashion critique”. Since we do not have time to cite many of the captions that ac-company the photographs we offer a few examples of the ridiculization of

SEE “GADDAFI” PAGE 8

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Fall 2011


Editor’s Note: The following is a re-sponse by Professor and Social Jus-tice activist Rudy Acuña to an article titled “Arizona educators clash over Mexican American studies”, by Ste-phen Ceasar, published on November 20, 2011, in the Los Angeles Times.

NOVEMBER 24, 2011

MR. STEPHEN CEASAR,

I just finished reading your piece on the assault on Mexican Ameri-can Studies in Arizona and I found

it full of inaccuracies and omissions. What I expected was an honest ex-position of the facts. The piece could have been written by Tom Horne, the former superintendent of public in-struction and presently the Arizona attorney general, who has made a ca-reer out of bashing Mexicans. I have been an author and teacher for over fifty years and I can honestly say that I have never read such a “lazy” article. It failed to inter-view the actors on both sides of the case and misrepresented the facts. I doubt whether you know much about the situation in Arizona.

LESSON ONE: Supt. John Huppen-thal is hardly an objective source. He ran on the campaign promise to elimi-nate La Raza Studies, saying that la raza was a racist term. If you know Spanish “La Raza” is not always used in a racial context; more often it is used as referrence to paisanos or “a people”.

LESSON TWO: You reported, but did not correct the impression that the discussion of Mexican Americans as an oppressed people is radical or not, or proper or improper, as an issue to discuss in a classroom. I invite you to

visit Tucson, listen to the rhetoric of elected officials such as Mark Stege-man, who says that Mexican Ameri-can students act “cult like” because they use the farm worker hand clap.

LESSON THREE: You mention that Huppenthal was upset because Paulo Freire’s book Pedagogy of the Op-pressed was used by Curtis Acosta in his class presentation. Freire has been red-baited and called a Marx-ist. Freire is a Brazilian educator and his methodology was widely and suc-cessfully used in literacy campaigns among the poor throughout Latin America. I would invite you to learn the difference between pedagogy and ideology. The impression or logic is that because Einstein was a socialist, his theories have no relevancy. In this vein, you fail to mention Huppenthal’s efforts to censor books. My own book, Occupied America, has been put on the banned list. The Cambium Audit, which you mention, absolved books such as Freire’s and mine. Indeed, it said Occupied Amer-ica was a standard academic history book, that it was documented, and did not have racist content. As a journal-ist you should be concerned with the issue of censorship.

LESSON FOUR: You say that the au-dit, the Cambium Report, cost taxpay-ers $110,000; it actually cost upwards of $170,000. I would have expected a trained journalist to have been a bit more probative. You did not seem to be concerned that Huppenthal, who had run on the platform of eliminat-ing Mexican American Studies, would cavalierly dismiss the findings of the research group he commissioned and paid for. The issue for me and others is that the Mexican Studies program stemmed the Latino dropout problem SEE “MAS” PAGE 10

NEWS ARTICLE ON MEXICAN AMERICAN STUDIES WAS

FULL OF INACCURACIES AND OMISSIONSthat is in excess of sixty percent na-tionally. In contrast, some eighty per-cent of the students in the Tucson Mexican American Studies program were matriculating in college.

LESSON FIVE: Huppenthal is not an educator, the researchers conducting the Cambium Audit are professional educators. Academics such as Uni-versity of Texas Professor Angela Va-lenzuela and over three hundred Lati-no professors who have endorsed the program –are professional educators.

LESSON SIX: Arizona is a complex place. It has been under federal court jurisdiction for over thirty years be-cause it has defied a court order to desegregate its schools. As recently as three months ago, the federal court found it to be non-compliant. Arizona continuously avoids compliance. I think that this is relevant to the discus-sion and demonstrates your lack of inquiry.

LESSON SEVEN: I may have missed it, you mention SB 1070 but nowhere do you mention HB 2281, which is at the heart of the controversy. This is lazy. Over the years I have had criti-cisms of the Los Angeles Times, which at one time I contributed columns to. I would argue with my good friend the late George Ramos and even my stu-dent Frank Del Olmo. However, I nev-er questioned their commitment to the truth or accused them of being lazy. The Los Angeles Times is not what it used to be, but it does have a professional and moral obligation to treat the news fairly and not to hurt the education of Latino students or those of other minorities who are the major-ity of the students in this city. Censorship is wrong, as is the

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The Establishment Media Acts As The armpit Or Un-derarm Of Institutionalized Racism

Free Ramsey Muñiz!BY RUBEN BOTELLO

Editor’s Note: The following is a guest editorial submitted to Guerrillero/a de La Pluma.

How many of us can imagine all Nelson Mandela suffered during his 27 years of un-

just imprisonment in Africa? And how many of us can imagine all our Chi-cano leader, Ramsey Muñiz continues to suffer, after 18 years of false impris-onment in our own America? Both indigenous men were at-torneys and prominent political figures who fought against the poverty, ex-ploitation and oppression of their na-tive peoples; and lo and behold, both of these legal professionals received life sentences for their hard work and dedication to these worthy causes. However, after his death sen-tence was changed to a life sentence, Mr. Mandela was freed due to mass media attention that produced grow-ing public pressure for his release. This indigenous leader of the Afri-can National Congress political party (ANC) was even elected to become President of South Africa by his peo-ple, and is now considered a great hero around the world. But what about Ramsey Muñiz? Ramsey Muñiz, a 68 year-old Chicano who has struggled his entire life for his activism on behalf of Chi-cano rights, including running as La Raza Unida Party (LRUP) candidate for Governor of Texas, has yet to be freed. Why is the mass media in the U.S. not spotlighting this travesty of justice in its own backyard, so the public will know and demand his re-lease, too? There are over 650 million La-

tinas and Latinos in the Americas and Caribbean Islands, the majority popu-lation of this region, including over 55 million in the USA alone. We all have been robbed of our ancestral lands and freedoms, and divided against each other much like Africa’s indig-enous majority, so our common op-pressors can continue to subject us to endless injustices and inequities with impunity. Our oppressors too often frame, imprison, torture and even kill our best leaders, to keep us “in our place.” They falsely accuse, defame and disgrace many of our leaders via mass media, to deprive us of the strong advocates and role models our impoverished, exploited and op-pressed barrios, colonias, campos and communities so vitally need. And while the U.S. keeps La Raza subservient with its executive, legislative and judicial arms of govern-ment, the establishment media acts as the armpit or underarm of this in-stitutionalized racism, and that’s why it stinks! Seldom does the mass media question government actions against Latinas and Latinos. For examples, if a cop shows up at your house, you’re guilty of something; if you’re arrested, you’re even more guilty; if you’re pros-ecuted and convicted even though in-nocent, YOU’RE GUILTY! And that’s what mass media reports, and the public normally believes it –regardless of the truth. It was the indigenous people of South Africa who ultimately freed Nelson Mandela from prison, and it is the indigenous people of America who must ultimately free Ramsey Muñiz from prison too. We all need to rise up and in one voice demand Ramsey’s

immediate release! President Barack Obama can, in fact, free Ramsey Muñiz by com-muting his life sentence with the stroke of a pen. Every time the President and other federal officials visit our areas for our votes, we need to ask them publicly, to free Ramsey Muñiz. We need to write letters to the Editor, and speak out for Ramsey’s freedom in our homes, communities, classrooms and forums. You should write the President, and your congres-sional representatives and senators, on behalf of Mr. Muñiz, too. To learn how Ramsey Muñiz was framed, visit http://bit.ly/sVNZfk, and to join the National Committee to Free Ramsey Muñiz, visit http://freeramsey.com. Let’s all join and not let go of each other’s hands until our great leader, Ramsey Muñiz, is free, at last! J

Who We Are: The primary objective of the Raza Press and Media Association (RPMA) is to ad-vance the struggle for Raza Self-Determination by promoting and unifying the progressive Raza press, media, and popular expression. Essential to this process is confronting stereo-types espoused by the U.S. mainstream media and press. The RPMA holds the position that Raza are colonized, indigenous people and that the so-called “Southwest U.S.” is in fact Az-tlán, part of the Mexicano nation, stolen in the U.S. expansionist/imperialist war of 1846-1848. The RPMA is committed to combat all manifestations of oppression and exploitation. Central to putting into effect our objectives the RPMA membership will actively get involved in the day-to-day struggles being waged by our movement and by our people. As part of this movement activism, the RPMA is committed to organize study ses-sions, forums, give presentations and dissemi-nate information/publications to our communi-ties to help raise the political consciousness of nuestro pueblo.J

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FROM “OCCUPY” PAGE 2

are using non-white people to pro-mote their causes without including the issues of importance to us. They say that we are included in the 99%, but they don’t address our issues (im-migration, racism, police/migra bru-tality, relevant education, etc.). We have been left behind by this move-ment and there are few Raza partici-pating or our influencing its direction. A few elements of this movement are trying to promote “Occupy El Bar-rio” –they want to organize in the neighborhood without knowing it or consulting with its residents; this an-tagonizes people, rather than uniting them.

J For all intents and purposes, it’s a movement about white workers wanting to save the “status quo” –their privileges. It is question of white privileged that has largely fueled this movement. People seem shocked when they see white people being beaten, peppered sprayed, and ar-rested by police. But this has hap-pen to non-whites since occupation of the Americas more 500 years ago. A primary critique in dealing with the occupy movement is that it has been too white. For example, the city of L.A. is more than 60% Raza, yet we see very few brown people at City Hall (Occupied scene). There is something really wrong when you say that you represent the 99% and in a city that has a huge people of color population, you have so few people of color within your ranks.

J The Tea Party movement has been against “Federal incursions” into the lives of people and this movement was quickly coopted by the conser-vatives in the Republican Party. The Democratic Party is trying to the same thing to the Occupy Movement. This will be the case because the Movement has no clear progressive or revolutionary goals.

J The Occupy Movement appears to be about saving capitalism. Many people lost pensions homes etc.… and they are upset that the so-called “middle class” does no longer exist. The idea of the middle class, like the “American Dream”, has always been an illusion; it doesn’t exist. Occupiers and Tea Partiers are fighting for the American Dream … even though their struggles are fundamentally different; the Tea Partiers are fascists and the Occupiers reformists and liberals.

J There is a substantial amount of “anarchist rhetoric” coming from the Occupiers … i.e. the horizontal ap-proach to decision-making, no leader-ship, etc. But the reality is that it is not “leaderless” as it pretends to be. For example, leaders have emerged from Occupy LA (Los Angeles); they have been working with cops and union leaders, and so forth. But the façade of “no leadership” is leading to “no ac-countability” as there is a lot of cutting deals in back rooms. We should be putting this movement on blast, as this should be a movement of the people.

J The media promotes and highlights an image of frivolity and lack of seri-ousness. It promotes images of hip-pies and homeless getting together in civic places. The media is distort-ing the protest movement. The rank and file Mexicano/a doesn’t see this movement as serious. Only Occupy Oakland and some forces within Indy Media have demonstrated to be truly progressive forces.

J On a positive note, the Occupy Movement has made it OK (accept-able) to begin talking about the banks as bad and not being labeled crazy. White people are opening their eyes to the realities of capitalism. There hasn’t been a similar movement to that of the 1960s until what we are partially witnessing now. In the 70’s we had

the movement against the war/draft. We had the hippies, the Black Power Movement, Chicano Movement, etc. The mass involvement in the Occupy Movement has created some similar-ities (to the 1960s era) that we, as a media association, should be aware of.

RECOMMENDATIONS:J The Raza media needs to critique and develop a collective analysis of the essence and future of the Occu-pied Movement. We need to start thinking about working within to pro-mote our causes and issues. It’s not a revolutionary movement, but there are progressive elements found within it, and thus it could be another space of struggle for us. We need to challenge the white middle class na-ture of this movement.

J Raza Media should be promoting liberation, which has been a long-standing goal of our movement. “Lib-eration Not Occupation” should be our focus; but at the same time, we must be careful not to turn off the hon-est forces. We need to provide alter-natives to the Occupy movement… like occupying junkyards, ICE/police stations, etc. that our found in our communities.

J The solution it to unite with Latin America, and the many revolutionary mass movements currently strug-gling for the empower of the people and who is at the vanguard in creat-ing real world changes… housing, education, jobs, etc.

J Lets keep our collective perspec-tive flexible and open. Raza journal-ists should report on what we see objectively and criticize those things in the Occupy Movement that we find contradictory or which we oppose. J

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Muammar al-Gaddafi’s serious interest in formal non-west-ern clothing. Time Magazine’s Internet site offers a sixteen photo exclusive titled “Gaddafi Fashion: The Emperor Had Some Crazy Clothes”, where one can see the living Muammar al-Gaddafi in many settings wearing formal at-tire.2 This site is representative of how media constructs images of the Libyan dignitary as an “irrational” and “vain” being. The title “The Emperor Had Some Crazy Clothes” is connected with Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Emperors New Clothes”, a 19th century tale of a vain emperor that is duped into “wearing” invisible new clothes. For western readers, this connection (and the all the fashion critiques) could be seen only as pun, a simple joke on the “flamboy-ant” reality of his dress. But it would be foolish to not con-sider that this premise of irrationality was used by imperial colonizers throughout the various contexts of conquests to justify the domination, violence, slavery, and plundering of others. From Africa to the Americas, history repeats itself! This premise of irrationality is clearly displayed in Time Magazine’s Special Halloween costume instructions for “wearing” the “mad” emperor’s clothes: “Time Magazine’s Specials: Top 10 Best (Topical) Halloween Costumes for 2011. Muammar Gaddafi What you’ll need: An unruly black wig, unkempt mustache and goatee, gaudy sheets, drapes or pajamas, matching kufi or brimless hat, dark, square sunglasses, female bodyguards (optional)”.3

The caption reads:

He was driven from his Tripoli compound by rebel forces in August, but unlike some other African dictators, Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi is not willing to fade peacefully into the desert night. If you’re interested in inciting some political banter this Halloween, fashion yourself some of the em-peror’s clothes using the most obscene fabrics you can find...don’t forget to over accessorize. Try to find a pin in the shape of Africa or maybe even a golden scepter. Any-thing that reveals how crazy and powerful you are. Add some incoherent babbling and fist shaking, and you’ll be channeling the king of the kings (our italics).

The ridiculization should be clear, what the reader should pay attention to however, is the dismissal of Muammar al-Gaddafi’s use (and embodiment) of prints and textiles from non-western cultures as a symbol and gesture of third world social and political resistance. The reader should refer to the design and materiality of al-Gaddafi’s clothing, made up of the finest of fabrics and textiles in the African continent. The reader should also refer to the symbolic importance of the images of resistance that al-Gaddafi used, shirts with silk screen prints of African and Arab revolutionaries, Pa-trice Lumumba and Abdel Nasser, for example. How can one dismiss the importance of an image? As Muammar al-Gaddafi landed on Italian soil, it was the living memory of Libyan anti-imperialist Omar Muktar on his chest that

FROM “MEDIA” PAGE 3aim of the Raza Press and Media Association (RPMA). The following obser-vations are a small contri-bution, from an anti-colonial liberation perspective, to the development of the media that our movement needs. One that answers, among other questions, how the general white population has been convinced to hate Mexicans (and other non-European people), support capitalism, and take part in the genocidal colonial-imperialist wars throughout the world –in Iraq, Afghani-stan, Libya, Palestine, etc.2

TOWARDS AN UNDER-STANDING OF THE ME-DIAGenerally speaking, most involved in the media agree that the “Media” are the means by which we are in-formed of important events, issues, and personalities, that impact our society and the world in which we exist. In its broadest context, it is both an individual and col-lective activity by which we exchange facts and ideas that we feel are of impor-tance or of interest to us, as well as others.3

In addition, we would include as essential functions of the media pro-viding information, facts and opinions, which enables the individual and the communi-ty to come to a rational and logical comprehension of the critical issues that affect them –and if necessary– to make appropriate decisions and take corrective actions. In the describing what the media is and its functions, the RPMA has

characterized it as the means by which the mass-es get some form of infor-mation or propaganda: art (murals, paintings, etc.), literature (books, newspa-pers, etc.), radio, video-TV, Internet, and so forth. We have also ex-plained that the media operates according to the interests of those who control it. And, as a result, the media works to con-solidate and organize soci-ety in a way that it serves the interests of those who own it. Since we live in a society dominated by the capitalist-colonialist ruling class, the media works in a manner that brings profits to and keeps this particular class in power. With few exemp-tions, those who rule are the rich bourgeoisie (bank-ers and corporations) and those who are “ruled” are the workers and poor. It is within this particular dia-lectic (unity of opposites) where we find the struggle between the media of the oppressor and the media of the oppressed. This struggle posi-tions on one side the pow-erful “mainstream media” of the capitalists and on the other side, the small and almost non-existent media, whose purpose is to de-fend the workers, the poor, and the oppressed. The relationship between these two media, just like the so-cial class they represent, is antagonistic. Victims of class warfare, progressive journalists throughout the world are assassinated on a daily basis.

FROM “GADDAFI” PAGE 4

SEE “MEDIA” PAGE 9SEE “GADDAFI” PAGE 10

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As Chairman Omali Yeshitela (revolutionary theoretician and chairman of the African People’s Socialist Party) points out, “As there are separate ma-terial interests within cur-rent U.S. borders, so there are separate media with different material interests that they seek to serve. There is the media of the white ruling class, which sits upon the heads of the oppressed peoples within the U.S., as well as the heads of the workers and exploited people within the oppressor nations.”4

As we have ex-pressed in the past, the RPMA locates itself within the media that represents the Raza Mexicano work-ers and the poor, and those fighting for national liberation. Thus, we are locked in a fierce battle with the bourgeois-main-stream media. This is a ba-sic and fundamental reality that directs the strategies and tactics of the RPMA and should guide all who claim to represent the in-terest of the poor and the oppressed.5

JOURNALISTS LEARN THE FUNCTIONS OF THE MEDIA FROM A NON-WORKING CLASS PERSPECTIVETo further understand the media, we need to study how it functions –in theo-ry and in practice. These are things that journalists learn in school, but are never taught from a work-ing class and oppressed people’s perspective. In general terms, we can de-

FROM “MEDIA” PAGE 8 scribe these as:J Socialization: The media, along with schools, churches, cultural and civic associations and organi-zations, is part of the process that turns an individual into a “produc-tive” member of a particular soci-ety. J Motivation: The media is one of the most important extrinsic (external) elements that push for-ward and move the individual in to some form of activity. It convinces people to act or behave in a cer-tain way (vote for a particular per-son, buy a certain product, etc.).J Dialogue: The media provides information on issues as a way to facilitate interest and thus lead to “conversations” that bring a public consensus to local, national, and international problems. J Education: The media transmits knowledge as a way of advancing intellectual development, charac-ter building, and the acquisition of skills.J Cultural Development: The me-dia functions to disseminate what is seen as important cultural and artistic values and norms. It pre-serves the cultural heritage (lan-guage, history, etc.) of the nation or society.

THE REAL FUNCTIONS OF THE CAPITALIST-CO-LONIAL MEDIA: PROFITS AND POWER FOR THE BOURGEOISIE In practice, the capitalist-co-lonialist applies these func-tions in the following way:J Socialization. The media works to instill a blind-reactionary pa-triotism to the “state” and to the “capitalist” system. It works to instill morals and values that support capitalism, both socially and materially. It creates devises (exaggerations, tricks, hoaxes, lies, etc.) that encourage confor-mity to what capitalism accepts as “norms”. The media is one of the main forces in society that justify the existing status quo: social in-equalities, poverty, etc. It wins the approval of the social stratification of society in a hierarchical system of race, class, and sex, based on who controls the economic re-


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sources J Motivation: The capitalist-colonial media preaches to the masses that profits and wealth are the most important things in world. It deliv-ers a message that says that everyone can become rich, and if you are not, it’s no one’s fault but your own. It moves people to accept and participate as collaborators or pawns of capitalism by concealing its imperialist nature: the profiting through exploitation and subjugation of the masses, militarism and war, and the destruction of the world’s ecosystem.J Dialogue. The media creates the façade that a dialogue (democracy of ideas and opinions) takes place in United States and other capitalist countries, or what it often calls the “west”. Yet true dialogue is a pro-cess based on “collectiveness” and “fairness” –something which capi-talism opposes. Instead, it upholds individualism and elitism, which do not permit dialogue. Real dialogue must take place between “equals”, something that does not exist in a capitalist society. J Education: The capitalist media puts forth information that secures and extends the power of the privileged few. Class stratification is justi-fied through mythology (as an act of God, supernatural phenomena, fables, etc.). Through the mystifying of science and selecting for the masses what type of education they should support, the media cre-ates intellectual dependency on the capitalist scholar-mercenaries (academics employed by right-wing think tanks and corporations) who produce an endless number of research papers, books, novels, mov-ies, etc. –all with objective of confusing and dumifying the masses and hiding the crimes of imperialism. Critical thinking is the enemy of capi-talism –this is why the capitalist-colonialist media attacks progressive teachers, Raza Studies, and so forth.J Cultural Development: Capitalism has created a culture of desire. It is culture connected to a market system that through all kinds of ad-vertisement techniques (covert, overt, etc.), increases a consumerism that leads to more and stronger wants, and thus greatly expanding the market for the capitalists. The capitalist media has produced a highly sexual and violence charged culture to a degree that it has never been witnessed before; sex and violence is used to sell every conceivable item: music, movies, books, clothes, cars, food, etc.6 It promotes a culture of white supremacy –everything white is right. Bourgeois and petty bourgeois virtues such self indulgence, corruption, arrogance, extravagance, hypocrisy, elitism, individualism/self-centerism (where the individual is more important than the community), desire for luxuri-ous products (fine wine, expensive electronic gadgets, new fashions, etc.), are peddled through the capitalist media. As a consequence, these norms have been internalized by most in society –including the workers, poor, and the oppressed.

The bottom line is, that besides profits for the rich, “The function of newspapers and television [and other forms of media] is to make the powerful invisible, or to report only what powerful people want ordinary people to hear, or to provide mindless entertainments and, most importantly, advertisements to distract ordinary people from their real wants and needs.”7

THE LIBERATION MEDIA MUST BE BASED ON A WORKING-CLASS SOCIALIST PERSPECTIVEIf we are to bring about a new world, and indeed, save hu-manity, the progressive (pro-social justice, anti-imperialist) and revolutionary (those who struggle for a compete and total change in society) forces, must work toward the cre-ation of a media that is based on a working class-based, anti-colonial (imperialist), and socialist perspective.

FROM “MEDIA” PAGE 9singling out of a group, which in the case of Arizona –is the Mexican American. If learning about one’s culture is un-American and feeling good about one’s heritage is racist, then we have become a closed society. We should have learned from the injustice of singling out Japanese Ameri-cans and sending them to internment camps.

FROM “MAS” PAGE 5

arrived with him also, there on his chest openly and de-fiantly reminding the colo-nizer of Libya’s resistance and sovereignty. The examples of western media’s discur-sive domination are abun-dant. We offer two more examples from “important” media outlets that continue this brash ridiculization, but there are many others. Since completing his transition from interna-tional pariah to statesman, Colonel Muammar Qaddafi -the longest serving leader in both Africa and the Arab world- has brought color and his own eccentric pa-nache to the drab circuit of international summits and conferences. Drawing upon the influences of Lacroix, Liberace, Phil Spector (for hair), Snoopy, and Idi Amin, Libya’s leader -now in his 60’s- is simply the most unabashed dresser on the world stage. We pay hom-age to a sartorial genius of our time (our italics).4

And another:

You can tell by the way he uses his walk he’s a ladies man...The sleek outline is perfectly offset by the little heels to add just the right amount of stature on the red carpet. To the right is a young Saif al-Islam, Gad-dafi’s son, going through


JJJJFROM “GADDAFI” PAGE 8 the difficult boy to (mad)

man stage in an ill-fitting suit. Gaddafi review troops in 1989 upon their arrival to Belgrade(our italics).5

For uncritical western con-sumers of western me-dia, this ridiculization of non-western peoples and culture, is a naturalized process. Hence the use of “humor” to make an un-derlining statement; that is, the dismissal of the pride in cultural difference. The em-bodiment of non-western colors, textures, fabrics, and designs, by a political figure are an embodiment of his political ideology. Muammar al-Gaddafi wore Africa on his heart. Before the fall of Tripoli, much before Bab al-Azizia was completely destroyed, demolished, and erased from Tripoli’s urban landscape, and from the city’s collective mem-ory, when the imperialists bombs were still reaching their targets, the aide to the Libyan Minister for Culture and Ethnic Affairs wrote a letter to Horacio Silva, fash-ion editor for the New York Times, offering him an “all expenses paid trip to Tripoli [to] peruse our President’s collection with the view of curating a stylish retrospec-tive of his fashion highlights at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum in


SEE “GADDAFI” PAGE 11

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We are referring to a media that sees the right to self-determination of na-tions and peoples, along with socialism, a means by which to unite human-ity and solve its problems. This will entail the building societies which satisfy the needs of all; where there is no oppressor or op-pressed. Socialism, in the case of the Mexican/Raza community, must be based on and respect our histori-cal and cultural realities, present conditions, and one that meets the needs of the majority of our peo-ple. We understand that involvement of people in social and political ac-tivities requires a material base or facilities for study and knowledge acquire-ment. Without books, newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and other

FROM “MEDIA” PAGE 10

New York”.6 The formal invi-tation highlighted Muammar al-Gaddafi’s deep concern for challenging western cultures notion of fashion throughout his four decades in power. This concern could seem to some as a banal desire to join the West in their bourgeois spectacle of vanity. However, if, as the invitation reads, “as a cultur-al innovator who over these decades has been at the fashion forefront for much of the African/Arab world”, and statements that assert how “our president is one of the very best dressed men of the last half of this centu-ry”, then this letter reiterates

a serious and rational idea that challenges the notions of what is considered fash-ion. Muammar al-Gaddafi did this by upholding the importance of non-western clothing “hand made from the finest fabrics on earth”.7

This letter is then a testa-ment to Muammar al-Gad-dafi’s deep concern in the embodiment of his political ideology, in the embodiment and pride in the aesthetics and culture of the colonized and the vanquished. Who knows if Muammar al-Gaddafi’s will to protect his legacy was re-spected; his invitation to Mr. Horacio Silva was carried out in fear of “the destruc-

tion of over 3400 items of breathtaking sartorial magnifi-cence”.8 The palace that housed his collection, we know, was razed to the ground by the NTC “rebel” forces. As for Muammar al-Gaddafi, we can be certain, the pictures of a bloated blood stained bare torso are there, he is wearing military khakis, he is there, over the brown and yellow mat-tress. J NOTES:(1) For a brief overview of Muammar al-Gaddafi’s clothing visit: http://newartgallery.net/clothes/index.html: visited 12-05-2011.(2) http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2055860_2248097,00.html :Visited 12-05-2011.(3) http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2097113_2097114_2097123,00.html: Visited 12-05-2011.(4) Vanity Fair “ Colonel Qaddafi -A Life in Fashion” http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/08/qaddafislideshow200908#slide=1: Visited 12-05-2011.(5) Huffington Post, UK Edition: “Gaddafi’s Fashion Highlights” http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/08/24/gaddafi-fashion-moments-p_n_934972.html : Visited 12-05-2011.(6) http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/19/off-pitch-muammar-mia/ : Visited 12-08-2011


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forms of media, education is impossible. A truly revo-lutionary Raza media must struggle for the creation of this material base –as it is a prerequisite for the libera-tion of oppressed peoples and nations.8

POWER TO THE PEOPLE!Therefore, our media must:J Raise the consciousness of the masses with a knowledge that empowers them to change the conditions in which they ex-ist. This means that everything we produce, from articles to pho-tos, the objective is forwarding consciousness and power to the people.J Push forward the ideas of equal-ity, justice, freedom, and peace for all. The content of our view must be based on the most progressive and revolutionary ideals possible. This calls for constant self-criti-cism and evaluation of our work.J In practice and deeds, the me-dia must participate in the trans-formation that will create the new world that so many only speak about. It must be based on the understanding that it is from prac-tice that good ideas arise. Hence, practice and engagement (praxis)

in the struggle must be central to our media.J Creativeness and art must be of primary importance. Learn-ing, experimenting, and sharing, are central to a revolutionary me-dia. Our media must utilize all techniques (means) and latest technology (electronic media), as well as traditional means (leaflets, newspapers, etc.), to inform and motivate our communities into lib-eration activities.

For more than twen-ty years the RPMA has at-tempted to make these tasks a reality. We have organized dozens of work-shops, panels and confer-ences; published books, pamphlets, and articles; put together dozens of videos and podcasts; organized and participated in dem-onstrations, marches, and picket lines; and work along side community based groups –all with the objec-tive of constructing an asso-ciation of progressive and revolutionary media work-ers that will be an integral

component of La Raza’s struggle for self-determina-tion and national liberation. In conclusion, we call on progressive and rev-olutionary media to unite under concrete principles, work in both solidarity and actual practice with groups and organizations involved in the struggle for Raza Liberation, and strive to produce the most creative forms of media possible. In other words, “We have to struggle both in theory and in practice”9

NOTES:(1) “The media: a victim of neo-colonialism”, by Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban. Voice Of The Intifida. Internet Document. May 2010(2) “War Is Sell”, in Weapons of Mass Deception, by Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber. 2003(3) “Role of Journalist in civilization and democratiza-tion”, by Ali Raza. Asian Journalism Fellowship. 2010. (4) “The Social Responsibility of the Burning Spear is to Serve the Oppressed and Exploited Black Working Cass”, in The Road to Socialism is Painted Black, by Omali Yeshitela, 1987.(5) “ The Revolutionary Raza Media: Always Engaging Imperialism in Combat, Always The Voice Of The Peo-ple, And Always In Unity With The Masses”, in Chicano Journalism: Its History and Its Use As A Weapon For Liberation, by Ernesto Bustillos. Second Edition. 2009.(6) “Television, Materialism and Culture: An Exploration of Imported Media and its Implications”, by Dr. Ross McDonald. University of Auckland, New Zealand. 2008(7) “The Marxist Critique of Consumer Culture”, by San-dra LaFave. West Valley College-Saratoga, CA. 2006.(8) Ideological Education of the Masses, by V. Baikova. 1975.(9) “Profit Pathology and Its Alternatives”, presentation by Michael Parenti. (Youtube) Revolutionary Student Union. 2011

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RPMA BOOKS | raza Press, Media, and PoPular exPression

$18 (includes postage) $7 (includes postage)$10 (includes postage) $6 (includes postage)

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Raza PRess and Media association

P.o. Box 620095san diego, ca 92162

Website: http://razapressassociation.org • e-Mail: [email protected]

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE:The Raza Press and Media Association is the only national group of progressive journalists working towards winning justice, peace, and freedom for all Mexicano-Latinos (Raza). We meet on a regular basis, have an organiza-tional structure, principles of unity, objectives, and we consistently published journal, Guer-rilleros de La Pluma.

In response to the continuing and growing assaults on the right to information and free-dom of expression, especially as it relates to Raza and other oppressed nationalities and peoples within the current borders of the United States, the Raza Press Associa-tion (formerly known as the Chicano Press Association) is making another call on Raza (students, journalists, community activists, and academicians) active in the field of media (journalism, radio, TV, popular art, spoken word, computer information, etc.) to submit articles related to the question of The Role of Raza Press, Media, And Popular Expression In Our Struggle For Democracy, Justice, And Self-determination.

A Call For Articles On Raza Press, Media, And Popular Expression For The Upcoming Issue...

The articles must address the historical/cur-rent onslaught on progressive and alternative thought. We see this fascist-racist attack com-ing down both “within the belly of the beast” from FBI, Police, Mainstream Media, Christian Right, Vendidos, etc., and externally from the CIA, Military Industrial Complex, Global Capital-ism, and so forth.

A major objective of these attacks on progres-sive thought is a conscious racist-capitalist ef-fort to eliminate all programs which were initially developed for the purpose of advancing the educational and cultural development of the Raza community; for example: Chicano Stud-ies, Ethnic Studies, Progressive Publications and Programs at Colleges and Universities, Raza Cultural Celebrations at elementary and high schools, Centro Culturales, and Bilingual/Multicultural Education.

Selected articles will be published in the Guer-rilleros de la Pluma. Issues of Guerrilleros de La Pluma are distributed widely. Copies are circulated at political actions, colleges, librar-ies, and conferences; they are mailed Raza

prisoners and a subscribers list; the journal is also posted online (Internet). Literally thou-sands of people read the journal.

CRITERIA FOR ARTICLES:(1) articles must be between 3 and 5 pages (no longer please), typed and doubled space (Fonts 10 or 12 points). If you submit a re-search type working paper, when quoting, or referring to data, use footnotes or endnotes and a bibliography for documentation pur-poses. Writing styles that could be use are the following; Chicago, APA, and MLA. (2) send your articles via e-mail ([email protected]) or on a floppy disk/CD (i.e. MS Words, etc.) to the following ad-dress:

RAZA PRESS AND MEDIA ASSOCIATION

ATTN: GUERRILLEROS DE LA PLUMA

P.O. BOX 620095SAN DIEGO, CA 92162

guerrillera/os de la pluma, winter 2011

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