Support the 40^th Anniversary Commemoration Committee of the Chicano Moratoriums (40^thCCCM)

This is a letter of request to solicit funds to support the activities of the 40^th Anniversary Commemoration Committee of the Chicano Moratoriums. In order to develop a historic exhibit and multimedia website that will document and memorialize the activities that comprised the Chicano Moratoriums of the sixties and seventies, we are requesting individual donations that will contribute to the $150,000 needed to accomplish the activities stated below.

Background 

The August 29, 1970, National Chicano Moratorium against the Vietnam War is one of the key historical events in Mexican American and Latino history.  This well-organized movement was led by youth, and the build up to the march and rally, the unprecedented national unity and affirmation of peace and social justice of the Chicano community, the attack on the demonstration, and the subsequent continued protests despite repression and continuous obstacles, are not only important for Chicanos, Mexican Americans, and Latinos, but for the United States, the Western Hemisphere and, indeed, the world.

Outside of the Chicano Movement and other progressive movements of the sixties and seventies, the Chicano Moratorium story, and its impact on the galvanization of the Chicano community in 1970, remains one of the best-kept secrets in history.  In general, there is little awareness of the overall repression of massive protests that occurred during the Nixon Years among the American people. With minor exceptions, the massive demonstrations that occurred on college campuses remain unrecognized as important events that promoted the peace movement and the quest for civil rights in the United States. Fortunately, the May 4, 1970 attack and killing of college students at Kent State University by the National Guard, and the lesser known attack and killing of African Americans at Jackson State on the same day, are often cited as examples of the anti-war protests that occurred at the time. However, unless Chican@s, Latin@s and progressives make special efforts to commemorate and document our anti-war movement, the legacy of the Chicano Moratoriums will be ignored or at best given lip service in the annals of American history.  

With 30 million Mexican Americans making up 10% of the U.S. population and nearly 50 million Latinos comprising 16%, the legacy of our struggle for peace and justice must be recognized now, more than ever.

Purpose

The 40^th Anniversary Commemoration Committee of the Chicano Moratoriums (40thCCCM) has been formed and is organizing a people’s commemoration of these critical events that remain relevant and meaningful for our present and future generations. These commemorations seek to reenergize the veteranas and veteranos of those times to join with and support the youth of today with their struggles.  We are directed by leading organizers of the August 29, 1970 Moratorium who coordinated the historic mobilization of every activist, organization, and sector of the Chicano movement of the sixties and seventies.  Our goal is to document, recognize, and accurately evoke and portray the grassroots character of the Movimiento, emphasize the leading role of women, and organize discussions regarding the Movimiento’s significance today.

Our principal activities include: 

1. A multimedia, bilingual installation and exhibition of the background, the events and people of the Moratoriums and the legacy up to the present.  The exhibit must be fun for the young, exciting for the adolescent, and challenging for the adults.  It must be in an appropriate venue such as the Pico House on Olvera Street in Los Angeles, Plaza de La Raza in Lincoln Park, Northeast Los Angeles, Los Angeles Trade Technical College, East Los Angeles College, California State University Los Angeles, or similar locations in LA or other towns.  The exhibition will be adaptable, able to be augmented and available to others On-Line.  The range of cost for such an effort would range from $50- to $100,000.

2. A national event in Los Angeles to recognize the 1000 to 2000 Chicana and Chicano activists that participated as leading activists in the mobilization of the Moratoriums. The event includes the process of gathering the names and stories of the thousands of participants and supporters of the Moratorium. Compilation of these names and stories will be featured On-Line and in a commemorative event and publication.  Focus will be on the activities of Moratorium participants during their mobilization as well as their previous and subsequent community involvement. The cost for the national event is approximately $5,000, including venue rental and commemorative publications.

3.A sophisticated, interactive website and other on line resources (Facebook, List serves, Twitter) making our exhibits, writings, music, and art available to the World Wide Web, media, educational institutions and the general public.  Materials would be available in a bilingual, and hopefully, multilingual format.  What will come forth through the website is the breadth and depth of primarily working class people who organized themselves for change and to affect the thinking of our communities. This website cost could range in the tens of thousands ($50,000), depending on the number of individuals participating, the inclusion of copyrighted material, cost of digitizing content, and maintenance of the website that will house this documentation. 

4. Several cultural and educational events involving music and dance, food, films, symposiums, forums, demonstrations and protests.  The extent and content of these would depend on resources and time.

 To carry out these projects, we will need substantial economic and in-kind support.  Please let us know your level of interest and participation in these activities so we may begin to plan for one or more of these events.

If you would like to support these activities financially, please send your contribution to our commemoration committee and checks made out to our nonprofit 501C3 fiduciary agent The Center for Civic Participation and Responsibility. Make a note on the line at lower left of check “for Moratorium”. Send checks to PO Box 202 Montebello, CA 90640.  For more information, please email us at chicano.moratorium@gmail.com

We look forward to working with you to memorialize and document the historic events and people who comprised the Chicano Moratoriums!

Respectfully,

Rosal�o Mu�oz, Principal Organizer             Irene Tovar, Chair, Finance Committee