Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social

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MALCS Declaración

We are the daughters of Chicano working class families involved in higher education. We were raised in labor camps and barrios, where sharing our resources was the basis of survival. Our values, our strength derive from where we came. Our history is the story of the working class people--their struggles, commitments, strengths, and the Chicano/Mexicano experience in the United States. We are particularly concerned with the conditions women face at work, in and out of the home. We continue our mothers' struggle for economic and social justice. The scarcity of Chicanas in institutions of higher education requires that we join together to identify our common problems, to support each other and to define collective solutions. Our purpose is to fight t he race, class, and gender oppression we have experienced in the universities. Further, we reject the separation of academic scholarship and community involvement. Our research strives to bridge the gap between intellectual work and active commitment to our communities. We draw upon a tradition of political struggle. We see ourselves developing strategies for social change--a change emanating from our communities. We declare the commitment to seek social, economic, and political change throughout our work and collective action. We welcome Chicanas who share these goals and invite them to join us. (June,1983)

Statement

Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social (MALCS) is an organization of Chicanas and Latinas working in community settings and in academia with a common goal: to work toward the support, education and dissemination of Chicana/Latina issues. Chicanas and Latinas from a variety of institutions gather at the yearly institute to network, share information, offer support and re-energize. The MALCS Institute is one of the few places Chicanas/Latinas can come together without the influence of male and/or Anglo consciousness or opinion. For most Chicanas and Latinas, this is the only place to come together. While some charge that is separatist, we are an autonomous organization and feel there is a stark difference between seeking our autonomy as opposed to separatism. The MALCS reply is not one of apology. This is our space. The dynamics of this Chicana/Latina space are worth guarding, even in the face of criticism from those we respect and work with in our home institutions. It is our sincere hope that critics outside MALCS will understand the above position and respect the reason this space has been created. During the institute the plenaries are open to all participants however the workshops are closed to members only. (Laredo, TX 1991)