The weekly newsletter of the México Solidarity Project

June 30, 2021/ This week’s issue/ Meizhu Lui, for the editorial team

The party starts out with excitement and enthusiasm as the crowd starts building. But part way through, the energy starts flagging. It’s not clear whether folks are coming or going.

In our interview this issue, Agustin Arreola talks about the excitement and enthusiasm he felt when Morena — the new progressive Mexican political party founded in 2014 — exploded onto the national scene, promising to prioritize the needs of the poor and the marginalized. Could the “Mexican dream” finally be coming true?

In pursuit of that dream — also the theme of the film we feature this week in Reflections — Arreola returned to his Mexican hometown of Jalisco from San Diego to become a Morena activist. But dreams, particularly utopian dreams, tend to butt up against reality when the lights go on. Arreola found in Jalisco a Morena organization that acted more like the corrupt parties of the past than an expression of greater democracy.

Disappointing? Yes, but the party isn’t over. Agustin and others like him aren’t walking out the door. They’re staying, to revive flagging spirits and to encourage new people to come in and revitalize the party. They understand that we need our utopian dreams, a vision to help us strive ahead through thick and thin.

Our spirits aren’t flagging here at the México Solidarity Bulletin. Our sense of solidarity with folks struggling for the “Mexican dream” remains solid, not dream-like ephemeral. We’ll be taking a break the next two weeks to finally visit family and friends. But we’ll be back in your email inbox July 21. Please keep the party going while we’re gone!

Agustin Arreola, a life-long political activist, has been an organizer and a go-to person for those in the Mexicano community needing help, whether in México or in San Diego, where he lived for several decades. He’s now living again in Jalisco, immersed in the politics of his hometown.

How did you first get politically involved?

To read the rest of this exciting bulletin click here!