awakenings Movements adapt and evolve toward a new social justice.
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BUILDERS
CHICANX MORATORIUM ACROSS THE GENERATIONS More than 50 years ago, tens of thousands of Mexican Americans marched in East Los Angeles for social justice and against the Vietnam War, proudly identifying themselves as “Chicanos.” Today, movement veterans are passing the leadership baton to young Chicanos and Chicanas, who in turn are adapting existing tools and strategies for modern-day racial justice struggles. Carlos Montes of the Brown Berets, an original participant of the 1970 march, has embraced the involvement of LGBTQI Chicanx people, and his younger counterpart, 23-year-old Isabel Gurrola, has learned that the secret to Montes’ longevity as an activist is to uphold unity while engaging in self-care.—Sonali Kolhatkar Read the full article at yesmagazine.org/builders
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RESISTERS
ABOLITION THROUGH THE AGES
Originally called the National Chicano Moratorium Committee Against The Vietnam War in 1970, the group has since rebranded as the Chicanx Moratorium. Top, the Los Angeles anniversary event on Aug. 29, 2021. Bottom, a Los Angeles protest in 1970.
ABOVE, PHOTO BY JOEY SCOTT; BELOW, PHOTO BY DAVID FENTON/GETTY
“To reform or abolish police?” is the question facing racial justice activists—and slavery abolitionists grappled with a similar question. Organizations like Critical Resistance, which have for years taken an abolitionist approach to prisons and policing, are seeing a newfound interest in their work since the Black Lives Matter movement expanded. But, according to the group’s co-founder Dylan Rodriguez, police reforms have been tried—and have failed, since they are “counter-abolitionist.” Just as Black-led abolitionists demanded full racial justice and equality alongside an end to slavery, today’s abolitionist leaders are asking us to rethink the idea of safety and security by imagining a world without police and incarceration. —Sonali Kolhatkar Read the full article at yesmagazine.org/resisters
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