MEChA de Yale Meets Dolores Huerta, and other tidbits

This past week the past, the present, and the future of MEChA de Yale merged in incredible ways.

At the beginning of this week, we welcomed dozens of prefrosh from the incoming Class of 2016 to Yale. We spoke to prefrosh at the Extracurricular Bazaar, mingled with them at the La Casa dinner, and chatted about Yale life over chips and homemade guacamole. MEChistas were eager to convince the prefrosh to come to Yale and to join MEChA, and in the process, were reminded of the dozens of reasons they picked Yale in the first place. To the prefrosh reading (and according to our conversations, we know you are!) we wish you the best of luck in the college decision process and hope that some (if not all!) are joining us this fall in New Haven.

This past weekend, MEChistas also participated in the Yale Latino Alumni Reunion, where we met with dozens of old MEChistas. From the first MEChistas who broke barriers and established the strong Chicano and Latino community on campus to more recent graduates of Mother Yale, five decades of Yale MEChistas met in the old Chicano center (now the AACC) and discussed stories of past struggles, tales of fun and debauchery, and the future of MEChA de Yale. Current MEChistas were reminded of the incredible legacy forged by old MEChistas and of the Herculean battles taken on by these MEChistas to make Yale a more diverse, aware, and inclusive place. MEChistas walked away with a greater understanding of their heritage as activists and were reminded of the incredible resource they have in their alumni. To the dozens of MEChistas who once blazed the trails we walk, we current MEChistas are grateful and indebted. In addition, we look forward to expanding communication with our wonderful alumni.

In another event that reminded MEChistas of the legacy of those who came before them, MEChistas met with and listened to the great Dolores Huerta, the Chicana labor and civil rights activist who led the great grape boycott of the 1970s and fought for better working conditions among migrant farm workers alongside the late Cesar Chavez. Dolores Huerta spoke to the YLAA Reunion participants and was presented with multiple gifts from its members and from MEChA de Yale, who presented her with a handmade Catrina figure. MEChA de Yale was inspired by Ms. Huerta's words and will take to heart her calls to fight bigotry, sexism, racism, homophobia and other myopic views within our own Chicano community.

MEChA de Yale is thankful to its many readers, contributors, and supporters for an incredible year. We invite all readers to keep an eye out on our blog this summer, as our MEChistas will continue to write throughout the summer from all over the world.

Con MEChA Amor,

MEChA E-Board, 2012