DSA chapters help with Mexican Solidarity events
Illustration by street artist Yescka
The DSA International Committee’s Mexico Working Group has been collaborating with the Mexico Solidarity Project on a speaking tour for Mexican journalist José Luis Granados Ceja. In preparation for the Bay Area tour event, East Bay DSA has put together a three-part presentation series on Mexican solidarity. Andrew Morales, co-chair of the East Bay DSA Anti-Imperialist Committee, explained the reasons for this Mexico solidarity work in an exclusive interview with California Red.
On an international level, Andrew cited right-wing United States politicians’ threats to invade Mexico by forcibly sending in US troops across the border and the lack of pushback by the Democratic Party. He also mentioned Mexican President Obrador (also known as AMLO) and his successes within the country and the challenge he and his party, Morena, presents to the long history of US imperialism directed against Mexico. Andrew stated that the Morena Party’s prioritization of Mexico’s domestic needs has conflicted with US financial interests and elicited these open calls for US intervention.
The first event in the three-part EBDSA Mexican Solidarity series has already taken place. EBDSA’s Anti-Imperialism Committee hosted a talk in December with author Rob McKenzie about his book El Golpe: US Labor, the CIA, and the Coup at Ford in Mexico. El Golpe addresses the US history of infiltrating and weaponizing labor movements throughout Central and South America to serve US financial interests and Cold War policy. The book culminates in a report of the violent suppression of workers on strike at a Mexican Ford factory and shows how US intelligence facilitated this attack.
In his talk, McKenzie tied these events to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the ways in which NAFTA served US capital interests, and the long-lasting negative impact NAFTA has had on both Mexican and US labor (particularly in the field of automobile production). The author was able to get the president of his local UAW chapter to join for this event and speak on the recent UAW “Standup” strikes, linking those strikes back to Mexican labor and the need for UAW solidarity with the Mexican working class. You can find a recording of the event here.
The second event is happening January 23 at 6:30pm PST. This will be a hybrid night school on Oswaldo Zavala’s book Drug Cartels Do Not Exist: Narcotrafficking in US and Mexican Culture. In the discussion we will learn about the political and economic factors underlying Mexico’s historical War on Drugs, its connections to US imperialism, how it relates to immigration and border issues, and how it has recently been weaponized by right-wing forces in the United States to justify invasion. You can RSVP for the event here.
These events are meant to build up interest for the third and final installment of the series. On February 4, 2024, from 2 to 4 pm, as part of the larger nationwide tour, Mexican journalist (and Mexico Solidarity Project’s own) José Luis Granados Ceja will speak at Cesar Chavez Library, 3301 E. 12th St, Oakland, CA, 94601. He will address a wide range of topics, including immigration, the US/Mexico border, labor, US/Mexican trade, Mexico’s national sovereignty, and recent leftward political developments and successes in Mexico. This is an in-person event. You can find a description here.
Mexico Solidarity Project is also currently working with DSA San Francisco to set up a possible San Francisco stop for the tour to occur on February 5, 2024. Details for that event will be finalized soon. Following these stops, Jose Luis will continue on his tour with additional stops in San Diego and Los Angeles.