History of Barrios Unidos
Frank de Jesus Acosta
Geisteswissenschaften, Kunst, Musik / Geschichte
Beschreibung
This is the compelling story of Barrios Unidos, the Santa Cruz-based organization founded to prevent gang violence amongst inner-city ethnic youth. An evolving grass-roots organization that grew out of the Mexican-American civil rights and anti-war movements of the 1960s and 1970s, Barrios Unidos harnessed the power of culture and spirituality to rescue at-risk young people, provide avenues to quell gang warfare, and offer a promising model for building healthy and vibrant multicultural communities. Co-founder Daniel "e;Nane"e; Alejandrez spent his childhood following the crops from state to state with his family. His earliest recollection of "e;home"e; was a tent in a labor camp. Later, he was drafted in to the Army and sent to Vietnam. "e;Flying bullets, cries of anguish and being surrounded by death have a way of giving fuel to epiphany. This war made as little sense to me as the war raging on the streets of the barrios back home."e; He decided that when he returned home, he would dedicate himself to peace. Nane Alejandrez's story of personal transformation, from heroin-addicted gang banger to social activist and youth advocate, is closely tied to that of Barrios Unidos. Through interviews, written testimonies, and documents, Frank de Jesus Acosta re-constructs the development of Barrios Unidos-or literally, united neighborhoods-from its early influences and guiding principles to its larger connection to the on-going struggle to achieve civil rights in America. Today, Barrios Unidos chapters exist in several cities around the country, including San Francisco; Venice-Los Angeles; Salinas; San Diego; Washington, DC; Yakima; San Antonio; Phoenix; and Chicago.
