Masters Thesis

Resistir Para Existir: "Giving Power Back to the Community"

My research question asks how, in Fallbrook, California, Mexican@/Chican@s mobilized to create Mexicanos Unidos en Defensa del Pubelo (MUDP), challenge white supremacy ideology and give a voice to the Mexican@ community. In a time of racist repression fueled by Tom Metzgerā€™s White Aryan Resistance (WAR) ideology, hyper policing of youth, surveillance by Border Patrol and intense everyday racism, a counter resistance organization emerged. Given the racially antagonistic relationship toward the Mexican@ population in Fallbrook, the narrative of MUDP reveals the shape and form of resistance against white supremacy in this rural community. I conducted six in-depth focused semi-structured interviews with former and current MUDP members, 4 men and 2 women. The counter narrative uncovered in these interviews captures the years of struggle in this community and their liberatory practice, one built on transparency, education, self-determination, and liberation.

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