Colorado Springs, CO – On November 5 and 6, the Colorado Springs People’s Coalition organized two days of noise demonstrations that sent a powerful message that Colorado Springs stands in solidarity with all Palestinians in their struggle for freedom. The Colorado Autonomous Brown Berets and Partido Nacional de La Raza Unida also endorsed the event, showcasing the unity between the Palestinian and Chicano people.

Dallas, TX – On October 5 at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center in Dallas, Carlos Montes gave a lively talk to a rapt audience of 32 people. A cofounder of the Brown Berets and organizer of the Chicano Moratorium against the Vietnam War, Montes’ experiences are a rich resource to today’s organizers. The historically Chicano neighborhood of Oak Cliff was a fitting setting for a talk that spanned Montes’ organizing, the origin of the Chicano nation and its right to self-determination, Black/brown unity, and the need for revolutionary organization.

Sacramento, CA — On June 24 La Mesa Nacional de Brown Berets held the annual Brown Berets National Gathering in Sacramento, California. Around 150 community members, organizers and Brown Berets from across the country attended the gathering.

Milwaukee, WI – On January 20, the date of Joe Biden’s inauguration as the 46th president of the United States, the Brown Berets of Milwaukee led a rally and car caravan demanding the incoming administration take action to resolve issues regarding immigrants. The three broad demands were: 1) Put an end to the policy of family separation; 2) Close the concentration camps; and 3) Provide an immediate pathway to citizenship for the undocumented. Other demands were put forward that delved into more particular circumstances, but these three formed the thrust of the action.

Los Angeles, CA – Carlos Montes, a nationally respected leader in the Chicano, immigrant rights and anti-war movements, donated his archive collection to California State University, Los Angeles, Jan. 16.

Lucha y Resiste! entrevistó al veterano activista chicano Carlos Montes sobre la lucha para ganar la legalización para los inmigrantes indocumentados. Montes es un veterano luchador por los derechos de los inmigrantes. Lucha y Resiste: ¿Por qué la lucha por la legalización de los indocumentados es tan importante ahora?

Chicago, IL – Veterans of the Chicano movement gathered in Casa Aztlan, Feb. 26, to welcome Carlos Montes to the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. The event was hosted by Magda Castaneda, an activist who participated in many of the struggles of Pilsen, including the fight in the 1970s to open the famous political space.

_ The Struggle Continues_

Los Angeles, CA – Today, Aug. 29, 2009, shows that our people are continuing the fight for equality and self-determination. It was demonstrated by the many groups that were present today at Salazar Park, including the student group MECHA and the new Brown Berets, to commemorate the historic day in 1970 when over 20,000 Chicanos marched down historic Whittier Boulevard in East L.A. to protest the war in Vietnam and the high casualty rate of Chicanos. The mass peaceful rally in 1970 was attacked by the Los Angeles Police Department and the sheriffs. Ruben Salazar, news director for KMEX, was killed, along with Angel Diaz and Lynn Ward. A similar example of repression took place on May 1, 2007 when the LAPD attacked a pro-immigrant rights rally at MacArthur Park.

Walkout is the new HBO film about the famous East Los Angeles school walkouts in March, 1968. Thousands of Chicano students stayed away from school over two weeks to protest the racist school conditions, high dropout rate, overcrowded conditions, lack of books etc. The demands were for bilingual education, Chicano studies, hiring of Chicano teachers and administrators, better facilities, new schools, an end to the high dropout rate, an end to tracking students into the manual arts and in support of more college prep classes. The walkouts resulted in many victories and reforms to the Los Angeles school district.

Fight Back! interviewed Carlos Montes, one of the founders and former Minister of Information of the Brown Berets National Office in East Los Angeles from 1967 to 1970. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Brown Berets emerged as one of the most powerful and militant organizations in the Chicano liberation movement. Like the Black Panther Party, the Brown Berets were hit hard by government repression. This interview brings out a part of our history that is rarely taught in schools and some lessons for today’s activists from our movement’s past.