The Mexican American Experience, a radio program produced by the Longhorn Radio Network, includes interviews, music, and informational programs related to the Mexican American community and their concerns. Program summary: Host Armando Gutierrez interviews Lorenzo Torres, a labor organizer and communist party leader, on some of the problems facing the Chicano Movement and the ways in which the Communist Party is trying to achieve equality and reform. Torres analyzes Chicano political history and explains that the Communist Party was the first to try to organize workers unify them against their common enemy: capitalism. He argues that the Communist Party differs from other organizations like La Raza Unida because the party is working from a Marxist-Leninist framework and the experiences of workers throughout the world to help bring socialism to the United States. Torres argues that ideas of cultural nationalism can be positive because they begin to address the cultural and language barriers that isolate Chicanos. However, at the same time, chicanismo propagates the belief communities can affect change alone, which he believes is not possible. Torres explains that the issue of affirmative action has inspired people to demand a higher standard of rights, including that to work, health and education. He discusses the political alienation of Chicanos, their receptivity to the Communist party and explains the detrimental effects of tokenism and the two-party system on the community. He concludes that Chicanos need to move beyond issues of self-determination to promote equality in the working class and help raise the standard of living for the poor in the United States. Keywords: Affirmative Action, Agribusiness, American GI Forum, Arizona, ASARCO, Autoworkers Union, Banking, Bilingual Education, Capitalism, Chicanismo, Chicano Political Alienation, Chicano Self Determination, Chicano Voter Turn-out, Chicanos and the Democratic Party, Chicanos in the Labor Force, Cold War, Communism, Communist Party, Communities Organized for Public Service (COPS), Compensatory Principle, Cultural Barriers to Political Organizing, Cultural Nationalism, Democrats, Douglas Fraser, Ethnic Solidarity, La Raza Unida Party, Language Barriers to Political Organizing, League of United Latin American Citizens, Los Angeles, LULAC, Machinists, Marxist-Leninism, McCarthyism, Mexican American Middle Class, Middle East, Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers' Union, Mining, National Chicano Commission of the Communist Party, Nationalism, New Mexico, Nuestro Magazine, Philosophy, Political Ideology, Racial Solidarity, Redistribution of Wealth, Republicans, Salt of the Earth, San Antonio, Silver City, Socialism, Socialist Worker Party, Third Party Politics, Tokenism, Trade Union Movement, Two-Party System, Worker Unity, Working Class. Broadcast date: 1979-03-25.
Creator/Contributor:
Longhorn Radio Network (creator), Gutiérrez, Armando (host), and Torres, Lorenzo (interviewee)
Date Created/Date Issued:
3/23/1979
Owning Repository:
Benson Latin American Collection, LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections, The University of Texas at Austin
sound recordings, grabaciones sonoras, radio programs, programas de radio, and Audio
Extent:
24 minutes, 37 seconds
Rights - Use and Reproduction:
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Language:
English
Place of Publication:
Austin (Tex.)
Topic:
Socialism, Working class, Affirmative action programs, Programas de acción afirmativa, Mexican Americans--Politics and government, Mexicano americanos--Política y gobierno, and Mexican Americans--Political activity
Time Period Covered:
1970-1979
Place Name:
San Antonio (Tex.), New Mexico, Arizona, Middle East, and Africa