Mexico Presidential Candidate, Marichuy Martinez, Makes First Phone Call To Chicanas In US (10/13/2017; 20:42)
Marichuy Martinez, Mexico's first indigenous & woman candidate, made a phone call to the Chicana collective, Semillas. It was her first call to the United States. Mexicans in New York have been activating their network to oppose far-right candidates from the PRI and the PAN, which some guess could be Jose Antonio Meade, the current budget secretary in Mexico. Instead, many will back Martinez, whose indigenous roots & bottom-up base of support are on full display. Her candidacy will not receive government funds, like that of all other candidates, but rely exclusively on donations & volunteership from indigenous Mexicans.
CNI Spokesperson Makes First Phone Call To US Based Chicano/Mexican Group (October 15, 2017) Video: Semillas
Earlier this October, a phone call was held between Maria de Jesus Patricio Martinez and Una Daisy, the founder of Semillas, a Chicana/Mexicana collective that has fundraised money to deal with Mexico's earthquake aftermath recently. Martinez is better known as 'MariChuy' and is a spokesperson for the National Congress of Indigenous people in Mexico and has registered as an independent candidate since last week.
Tweet Abandoning the institutionsTrust of Mexican government institutions is at an all time low. Marichuy, along with several far-right wing candidates in Mexico, is promising to run against the incumbent PRI and the right-wing PAN/PRD alliance to appeal to broader groups in the population. Many of Marichuy's supporters are likely to be first time voters due to her direct appeal to indigenous people.
First Do No Harm: Marichuy Is Refusing Mexican Tax Money For CampaignUnlike her competitors, however, Marichuy is refusing to accept money from Mexico's federal election commission. One aspect of her candidacy is to derail the state's suffocating influence over political affairs. Her idea is to organize collectively and address the country's issues as they move from a strong base of popular support to a representative.
PRI is uncertain about what candidate to field; PAN is destitute due to links to Drug WarToday, Marichuy Martinez, Mexico's first indigenous & woman candidate, called Mexicans on this side of the border between Mexico & the United States. Mexicans in New York have been activating their network to oppose far-right candidates from the PRI and the PAN, which some guess could be Jose Antonio Meade, the current budget secretary in Mexico. Instead, many will back Martinez, whose indigenous roots & bottom-up base of support are on full display. Her candidacy will not receive government funds, like that of all other candidates, but rely exclusively on donations & volunteership from indigenous Mexicans.
Reconstruction Can Be Opportunity For More Democracy
Marichuy had a message of solidarity for Puerto Rico's public: bottom-up organizing for reconstruction.
Marichuy Martinez also extended a message of solidarity to the people of Puerto Rico. The Mexican presidential candidate thought that this period of intense reconstruction could work as a way to move away from top down government. She advocates a popular and democratic approach that prioritized mass participation.