santacruz coalition

A fascinating account of an organization dedicated to promoting peace and justice and ending gang warfare.
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 “Nane” Alejándrez spent his childhood following the crops from state to state with his family. His earliest recollection of “home” was a tent in a labor camp. Later, he was drafted in to the Army and sent to Vietnam. “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.” He decided that when he returned home, he would dedicate himself to peace. Nane Alejándrez’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 Jesús 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.
With a foreword by Luis Rodríguez, former gang member and author of La Vida Loca: Always Running, the book also includes historical photos and commentaries by leading civil rights activists Harry Belafonte, Dolores Huerta, Tom Hayden, Manuel Pastor, and Constance Rice. Mandatory reading for anyone interested in peace and social justice, The History of Barrios Unidos gives voice to contemporary inter-generational leaders of color and will lead to the continuation of necessary public dialogue about racism, poverty, and violence.
“Barrios Unidos follows in the positive spiritual traditions of Gandhi, Dr. King, César, and Malcolm following his pilgrimage to Mecca. The story and example of Barrios Unidos is an inspiration to everyone in the movement.”—Harry Belafonte
FRANK DE JESUS ACOSTA was born and raised in East Los Angeles. He has worked with a number of non-profit organizations in California, including the United Methodist Social Service Center, Downtown Immigrant Advocates, the Coalition for Humane Immigrants’ Rights of Los Angeles, and the Center for Community Change in Washington, DC. Most recently, he served a five-year tenure as Senior Program Officer directing a California Wellness Foundation grant-making program, the Violence Prevention Initiative. He lives and works in Whittier, California.

For 12 years we’ve run a Peace Camp for one precious week each summer. We picked the first week of August–the anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki–with a purpose, since that’s when many people reflect on the threat of nuclear annihilation.

The camp is supported by Santa Cruz and Watsonville WILPF, as well as the Resource Center for Nonviolence and the Center for Nonviolent Communication.

It is with intention that we choose to work peaceably and for peace in the world. The volunteers who organize the Jane Addams Peace Camp believe that the place to start is with children. We serve 60 children each summer, ages six to 17. Campers come from diverse backgrounds and every corner of Santa Cruz County. We fundraise and provide scholarships for all children who want to participate. Our goal is not to discriminate in any way, including ability to pay. We’ve even traded a sushi meal with a parent for a scholarship.

The generosity of many community members and organizations make scholarships available. We conduct the camp at Orchard School, a private school in Aptos, CA. We also have many artists and community activists who come to camp as guests.

Each year we choose a theme such as “Every Voice Counts” or “Extending Hands” to inspire our curriculum. In January we start looking for counselors, contact the facility we use for the camp and start our letter-writing campaign for donations of money, food, supplies and volunteers. We prepare a brochure promoting the camp. The camp’s mission is to foster an understanding of peace and justice through art, music, drama, games, stories and discussion. The WILPF branches help distribute our brochures and spread the word about the camp.