By Joe Contreras, Latin Life Denver Media (see photo gallery and videos below)

Civil rights are not given, they are fought for. This year’s recipients (see videos below) of NEWSED’s 33rd Annual Civil Rights Awards celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act represent years of ongoing work and struggle to preserve and expand hard fought for civil rights gains on behalf of the people that make up their communities and country.

Held at the Reel Works events center in the RINO district of Denver September 25, 2024, the evening was filled with heartfelt speeches, a capacity crowd, (see photo gallery below) delicious food, a silent auction and a performance by Los Mocochetes, A Chicano funk band that plays “Revolutionary music you can dance to”. (see video below)

It has been sixty years since President Lyndon B. Johnson  signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 legislation initiated by President John F. Kennedy  before his assassination into law. The law guaranteed equal employment for all, limited the use of voter literacy tests and allowed federal authorities to ensure public facilities were integrated.

Yet, still today, the fight for civil rights continues with the same conviction that led to historic changes those many decades ago. The struggles for social justice, police reform, equal pay, women’s rights, political representation and several other issues are as much in the news today as they were back then.

In a very contentious political season that has been filled with voter intimidation/suppression, racial discrimination, gerrymandering and other tactics that threaten not only to take away hard fought for civil rights but the very foundation of the U.S. constitution and democracy itself.

The civil rights movement was a struggle for social justice that took place mainly during the 1950s and 1960s for Black Americans to gain equal rights under the law in the United States. But as former Channel 7News anchor, Anne Trujillo, pointed out in a news report (see below) the fight for social justice was not limited to blacks in the South but also included the Chicano movement in the Southwest and particularly in Colorado.

Names like Cesar Chavez of the United Farm Workers in California, Corky Gonzales of the Crusade for Justice, Reies Tijerina, American civil rights activist who led a land-grant movement in northern New Mexico from 1956 to 1976, Los Seis de Boulder, Ricardo Falcon, and many others represent the civil rights movement by Chicanos in the U.S. Southwest.

Josue Estrada of the Civil Rights and Labor History Consortium at the University of Washington stated, “The Chicano movement that took shape in the late 1960s transformed the identity, the politics, and the community dynamics of Mexican Americans. The movement had many dimensions and no single organization could represent the full range of agendas, objectives, tactics, approaches, and ideologies that activists pursued.

The largest and most notable organizations included the United Farm Workers Union, the Alianza Federal de Pueblos Libres, the Crusade for Justice, and the Raza Unida Party (formerly the Mexican American Youth Organization). Central to the Chicano movement were also student and youth organizations such as the Brown Berets and the United Mexican American Students, the Mexican American Student Confederation, and the Mexican American Student Association that eventually merged to form El Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano/a de Aztlan (MECHA) in 1969.”

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) was the most important Mexican American civil rights organization for much of the 20th century. Founded in 1929, in Corpus Christi, Texas, it was modeled after the NAACP and was largely the creation of activist Tejanos. The organization expanded quickly throughout South Texas but it was not until the mid-1930s that a chapter appeared outside of Texas and only in the mid-1940s did Mexican Americans in California begin to form chapters. In the late 1950s and early 1960s chapters formed in Chicago and other Midwestern cities including Denver. Now those Texas Lulac members are under attack again.

On August 20, 2024, Lidia Martinez, an 87-year-old LULAC member with 35 years of dedicated service, went through an experience that no one should ever face. Her home was raided by officers executing a warrant. Despite her full cooperation, Lidia was subjected to hours of intense interrogation, and her personal belongings, including voter registration materials, were seized. Unfortunately, this wasn’t an isolated incident—four other LULAC members have been similarly targeted, fostering a climate of fear that chills community engagement.

In Texas, where Latinos represent 40.2% of the population—the largest ethnic group in the state—these actions are particularly worrisome. As a majority-minority state, with Latinos, African Americans, and Asian Americans together constituting 58% of the population, these raids are having a chilling effect on civic participation within these communities. This underscores a broader, more concerning strategy aimed at suppressing minority voices”.

This pattern goes beyond isolated incidents, including the recent removal of over one million voters from Texas voter rolls in August 2024, disproportionately affecting Latino, African American, and Asian American citizens.

Taking a similar approach to LULAC, the American GI Forum was established in 1948 to address the discrimination experienced by returning World War II Mexican American GI’s in the areas of employment, medical attention, housing, and education.

These problems were particularly widespread in Texas where Dr. Hector P. Garcia and attorney Gustavo Garcia started the organization. The main objectives of the GI Forum were to aid needy and disabled veterans through nonviolent and democratic means. The G I Forum since its inception expressed a strong patriotic sentiment toward the United States, swore to protect the constitution, and defend the nation from all enemies.

These actions reveal a deliberate strategy to suppress and marginalize minority communities. Similar challenges are being faced in other states like Georgia, Florida, and Arizona, where voter suppression efforts are also targeting these groups.

Under the leadership of Andrea Barela, NEWSED Community Development Corporation promotes holistic social and economic development opportunities. Throughout its over 50-year history NEWSED’s programs and initiative have evolved to meet the ever changing needs of the community.

NEWSED has primarily aimed to address enduring economic challenges within underprivileged communities. This has involved securing and organizing resources for neighbourhood revitalization, establishing essential commercial zones and services, promoting minority and local business ownership, facilitating job retention and creation, enhancing home ownership, fostering community organization, and hosting cultural events that celebrate the Chicano/Mexicano/Latino population

Andrea has been with NEWSED since 2006, first as the Development Director and currently as the President and CEO since the beginning of 2018. Prior to NEWSED she worked for organizations such as the Chinook Fund, The Denver Foundation and the Denver Inner City Parish in all areas of program/event coordination, administration, programming and development.

Photos by Joe Contreras, Latin Life Denver Media