Movement for Justice in El Barrio to Present a Message from the Zapatistas in New York

February 20 Screening Set for the Julia de Burgos Cultural Center

By the Movement for Justice in El Barrio, The Other New York

February 6, 2007

The Zapatistas have launched ‘The Other Campaign’ and are organizing with women, indigenous peoples, workers, gay, lesbian and transgender people, the elderly, youth and the poor to build a new non-electoral national grassroots movement ‘FROM BELOW AND FOR BELOW’ against neoliberalism and for humanity. Thousands of Mexicans have joined the Other Campaign including immigrants living in the U.S.

Movement for Justice in El Barrio is a grassroots organization of Mexican immigrants fighting against gentrification in El Barrio and is part of the ‘The Other Campaign.’ In November, a delegation from Movement for Justice in El Barrio screened for el Subcomandante Marcos a video message from Mexican immigrants in NYC to the Zapatistas. He responded in this interview with a message for Mexican immigrants and ‘The Other Campaign’ in New York!

The interview includes a special message for historically marginalized peoples struggling for social justice, including women, gays, lesbians, transgender and indigenous peoples!

VIDEO SCREENING: A MESSAGE FROM THE ZAPATISTAS
Tuesday, February 20th, 7:00 PM
Julia de Burgos Cultural Center
1680 Lexington Avenue (between 105th and 106th St.)

Who We Are:

We are the color of the earth. We are women, men, youth and children of corn. We are Mexicans. We have not lived in our Mexico for a long time, but Mexico is still the air we breathe, still the pulse of our heart, it is still the thought that fills our minds. We were born in Mexican lands and Mexican lands were born in us.

We are Movement for Justice in El Barrio, an organization of Mexican immigrants fighting for justice in East Harlem.

As Mexican immigrants, we were forced to leave our native countries because of a savage neoliberal economic system. Here in the U.S., we are affected by neoliberalism on a daily basis. Gentrification pushes us out of our homes in El Barrio. Exploitation at the workplace forces us to work twelve hours daily for poverty wages. Racist immigration policies attempt to criminalize and dehumanize us.

In New York, we fight against neoliberalism in all its forms. We fight against racism, xenophobia, sexism, classism, and homophobia.

We fight for humanity.

That is why we fight for justice here in NYC and have also joined the Zapatista’s Other Campaign and a broader transnational struggle for humanity and justice.