Hello there! My name is Guayo and I am a high school intern here at the Freedom Archives. This past week has been a very exciting week for me due to the project I have been working on!
La Raza Unida was a political party established in Crystal City, Texas on January 17th, 1970. The party was founded by a group of 300 Mexican Americans with the intention of providing electoral representation as well positive economic, political, and social solutions for Mexican Americans communities in Texas. Its influence quickly spread throughout the Southwest and the RUP held its first national conference in El Paso, Texas September 1st-4th in 1972. Some of the larger issues RUP focused on at the time where whether or not to engage in electoral politics, the role of women in the party and how to coordinate local efforts on a regional scale. La Raza Unida was significant because it served as a voice for Mexican-Americans and provided an umbrella organization for local community organizing efforts. One of the better known achievements of the La Raza Unida was the gubernatorial campaigns of Ramsey Muniz in both 1972 and 1974. Unfortunately, government repression, internal contradictions and the imprisonment of Ramsey Muniz on trumped-up charges in 1976 signaled the final blow to La Raza Unida.
This past week I have taken audio recordings from an interview with RUP member, Evelina Alacaron, which was held during the 1972 RUP National Conference in El Paso Texas. The topics of the interview include “Machismo” (the ideology of masculinity and male dominance within Latin culture) and the leadership of women in the movement. Using Pro Tools, I selected her most important points, edited each clip and adjusted sound levels. I really enjoyed this project and was able to learn more about Pro Tools. Check out the clips here! (The leadership of women in La Raza Unida, and Machismo in La Raza).
