Upcoming Events at UTSA Downtown Campus
Thu Sep 15, 8:00 AM - Sat Sep 17, 8:00 PM
501 W Cesar E Chavez Blvd, San Antonio, TX 78207
Community: River Walk
Description
Chicano Movement leaders and activists are convening at the University of Texas—San Antonio on September 15-17, 2022, to commemorate and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the national Raza Unida Party.
Event Details
La Raza Unida Party was founded in 1970 as a regional organization in four South Texas counties after fielding candidates for City Council in San Antonio in 1969. By 1971, it had grown into a state party in Texas and a national organization by 1972.
The national party was founded at a convention in El Paso, Texas during the 1972 Labor Day weekend. The delegates represented 17 states and the District of Columbia.
Besides Texas, the Party fielded candidates for local and state offices in Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, and in other regions of the country such as Washington, D.C.
La Raza Unida Party could have lasted longer if the Democratic Party-controlled Texas Legislature had not removed us from ballot status in 1981.
La Raza Unida Party left a legacy that inspires activists and change agents in Chicano/Latino communities throughout the country.
Its electoral empowerment work and advocacy ushered in single-member voting districts for Mexican American communities; helped lower the voting age to 18 years; trained and inspired succeeding generations to run for elective office; and dramatically increased Mexican American representation in local and state governments in the Southwest and beyond.
Mexican Americans who aspire to elective office no longer see any office, from School Board to City Council to Governor or President, as unattainable. This is the legacy that the Conference will celebrate.
The conference will also analyze the current socio-economic conditions of our people and other pertinent issues, together with a focus on a strategic vision to further advance the cause for social justice for Mexican origin people in the United States.
Welcome to our Reunion.
The national party was founded at a convention in El Paso, Texas during the 1972 Labor Day weekend. The delegates represented 17 states and the District of Columbia.
Besides Texas, the Party fielded candidates for local and state offices in Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, and in other regions of the country such as Washington, D.C.
La Raza Unida Party could have lasted longer if the Democratic Party-controlled Texas Legislature had not removed us from ballot status in 1981.
La Raza Unida Party left a legacy that inspires activists and change agents in Chicano/Latino communities throughout the country.
Its electoral empowerment work and advocacy ushered in single-member voting districts for Mexican American communities; helped lower the voting age to 18 years; trained and inspired succeeding generations to run for elective office; and dramatically increased Mexican American representation in local and state governments in the Southwest and beyond.
Mexican Americans who aspire to elective office no longer see any office, from School Board to City Council to Governor or President, as unattainable. This is the legacy that the Conference will celebrate.
The conference will also analyze the current socio-economic conditions of our people and other pertinent issues, together with a focus on a strategic vision to further advance the cause for social justice for Mexican origin people in the United States.
Welcome to our Reunion.
