El Grito del Norte
Encyclopedia
El Grito del Norte was a bilingual (English
and Spanish
) newspaper based in Española, New Mexico
. Co-founded by activist Elizabeth "Betita" Martinez
and attorney Beverly Axelrod in 1968, the paper was originally the publication of the Reies Tijerina
's Alianza Federal de Mercedes
, an organization dedicated to recovering the lands of dispossessed Hispanos. It expanded to provide coverage of the Chicano Movement
in urban areas, workers' struggles, and Latino political prisoners, as well as other Leftist causes.
El Grito was unique in several ways. It had a pro-socialist political agenda that was hostile to the power structure in New Mexico. This hostility prompted some repression. Antonio Cordova, a staff photographer, faced police harassment after photographing police teargassing protesters at a demonstration. He was later assassinated by the police.
It was staffed by a mostly-volunteer collective of editors, columnists, writers, artists, photographers, and production workers. Of these, women, including Jane Lougee, Tessa Martinez, Adelita Medina, Kathy Montague, Sandra Solis, Rini Templeton
, Valentina Valdes, and Enriqueta Vásquez, were predominant. This gave the paper a decidedly feminist
bent.
Its social agenda countered prevailing negative images of Mexican-Americans by publishing cultural materials such as short stories, poetry, songs, and recipes.
One major goal of the newspaper was training young Chicanas to run a newspaper. Two women trained at El Grito went on to found their own newspaper, Tierra y Libertad, in Las Vegas, New Mexico
.
El Grito del Norte ceased publication in 1973 when managing editor Martínez and others moved to Albuquerque to found the Chicano Communications Center.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
) newspaper based in Española, New Mexico
Española, New Mexico
Española also known as Espanola , is a city primarily in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, in the United States. A portion of the central and eastern section of the city is in Santa Fe County. Española was founded in 1880 as a railroad village, incorporated as a city in 1925. The city is situated in...
. Co-founded by activist Elizabeth "Betita" Martinez
Elizabeth Martinez
Elizabeth "Betita" Martínez is a Chicana feminist and a long-time community organizer, activist, author, and educator. She has written numerous books and articles on different topics relating to social movements in the Americas...
and attorney Beverly Axelrod in 1968, the paper was originally the publication of the Reies Tijerina
Reies Tijerina
Reies Lopez Tijerina led a struggle in the 1960s and 1970s to restore New Mexican land grants to the descendants of their Spanish colonial and Mexican owners...
's Alianza Federal de Mercedes
Alianza Federal de Mercedes
Alianza Federal de Mercedes, which in English translates to Federal Land Grant Alliance, was a group led by Reies Tijerina based in New Mexico in the 1960s that fought for the land rights of Chicano New Mexicans....
, an organization dedicated to recovering the lands of dispossessed Hispanos. It expanded to provide coverage of the Chicano Movement
Chicano Movement
The Chicano Movement of the 1960s, also called the Chicano Civil Rights Movement, also known as El Movimiento, is an extension of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement which began in the 1940s with the stated goal of achieving Mexican American empowerment.-Origins:The Chicano Movement...
in urban areas, workers' struggles, and Latino political prisoners, as well as other Leftist causes.
El Grito was unique in several ways. It had a pro-socialist political agenda that was hostile to the power structure in New Mexico. This hostility prompted some repression. Antonio Cordova, a staff photographer, faced police harassment after photographing police teargassing protesters at a demonstration. He was later assassinated by the police.
It was staffed by a mostly-volunteer collective of editors, columnists, writers, artists, photographers, and production workers. Of these, women, including Jane Lougee, Tessa Martinez, Adelita Medina, Kathy Montague, Sandra Solis, Rini Templeton
Rini Templeton
Lucille Corinne Templeton , better known as "Rini" Templeton, was an American graphic artist, sculptor, and political activist. She was most active in Mexico and the Southwestern United States, although she also volunteered in Cuba and Nicaragua after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution and the...
, Valentina Valdes, and Enriqueta Vásquez, were predominant. This gave the paper a decidedly feminist
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
bent.
Its social agenda countered prevailing negative images of Mexican-Americans by publishing cultural materials such as short stories, poetry, songs, and recipes.
One major goal of the newspaper was training young Chicanas to run a newspaper. Two women trained at El Grito went on to found their own newspaper, Tierra y Libertad, in Las Vegas, New Mexico
Las Vegas, New Mexico
Las Vegas is a city in San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. Once two separate municipalities both named Las Vegas, west Las Vegas and east Las Vegas , divided by the Gallinas River, retain distinct characters and separate, rival school districts. The population was 14,565 at the 2000...
.
El Grito del Norte ceased publication in 1973 when managing editor Martínez and others moved to Albuquerque to found the Chicano Communications Center.
External links
- Table of Contents from El Grito del Norte (1966–1972)