Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Politicizing the family: How grassroots organizations mobilize Latinos for political action in Colorado

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Latino Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Many will remember 2006 as a pivotal moment in the history of Latino activism. That year protestors took to the streets to oppose HR 4437, a bill that would have criminalized undocumented immigrants, and to support humane immigration reform. While many assumed the marches happened spontaneously, grassroots organizations played a pivotal role in mobilizing Latinos and immigrants for political action by emphasizing cultural values, especially familism, to convey the significance of the marches and immigration reform more broadly. Using interview data with grassroots organizers in Denver, Colorado, this article shows how and why family-oriented frames were used to mobilize protestors.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. I use the terms “marches” and “protests” interchangeably. Likewise, I use “marchers,” “protestors” and “participants” interchangeably.

  2. According to estimates from organizers and participant observation at the event, turnout was at least double that number as evidenced by the length of time it took to march from Viking Park in North Denver to Civic Center Park in downtown Denver as well as the length and width of the procession as it wound through the streets (Field notes, 13 December 2006).

  3. It is impossible to know exactly how many protestors were undocumented as organizers did not ask. However, most organizations mobilized participants from within their memberships and in their respective communities, including those with significant undocumented populations. Undocumented immigrants represent 5 per cent of the state's total population of 4 million (Passel and Cohn, 2009).

  4. Estimates suggest the unauthorized Mexican-origin population in Colorado ranges from 73–89 per cent, which ranks above the US average (see Passel and Cohn, 2009).

  5. Tancredo was a Republican presidential candidate in 2008 and is currently running for governor of Colorado. His platform centers almost entirely on restricting immigration to the United States and eliminating services for undocumented immigrants.

  6. These sentiments were articulated in Gonzales’ famous poem, “Yo Soy Joaquin” (I Am Joaquin), which embodied the spirit of the Chicano Movement.

  7. For example, in 2002 Coloradans voted against Amendment 31, which sought to eliminate bilingual education programs. The defeat of Amendment 31, also known as the “English for the Children Initiative,” marked the first time a bill sponsored by anti-bilingual education crusader, Ron Unz, was defeated in any state (Escamilla et al, 2003, 357).

  8. One Gonzales quote that was seen on protestors’ t-shirts at the 1 May march was the following: “No man has a right to oppress people and all oppressed people have the right to revolution.”

  9. I thank the anonymous reviewer who rightfully pointed this out.

  10. Senate Bill 90 was signed into law on 1 May 2006, the same day as the “Day without an Immigrant” march. The law prevents cities and local governments from establishing sanctuary cities for undocumented immigrants. It also requires law enforcement officials to report persons suspected of being in the country illegally to state and federal officials.

  11. By their own admission several organizers stated that the immigrant rights movement did not accomplish its goals of comprehensive immigration reform.

References

  • Baca Zinn, M. 1975. Political Familism: Toward Sex Role Equality in Chicano Families. Aztlan 6: 13–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baltodano, M.P. 2004. Latino Immigrant Parents and the Hegemony of Proposition 227. Latino Studies 2: 246–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benford, R. and D.A. Snow . 2000. Framing Processes and Social Movements: An Overview and Assessment. Annual Review of Sociology 26: 611–639.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bloemraad, I. and C. Trost . 2008. It's a Family Affair: Intergenerational Mobility in the Spring 2006 Protests. American Behavioral Scientist 52: 607–632.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bloemraad, I. and K. Voss (eds.) (forthcoming). Rallying for Immigrant Rights. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press in press.

  • Cress, D.M. and D.A. Snow . 2000. The Outcomes of Homeless Mobilization: The Influence of Organization, Disruption, Political Mediation, and Framing. American Journal of Sociology 105: 1063–1104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson, R.E. and K. Prewitt . 1969. Political Socialization. Boston, MA: Little, Brown.

    Google Scholar 

  • de la Garza, R. 2004. Latino Politics. Annual Review of Political Science 7: 91–123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Desmond, M. and R.N. Lopez Turley . 2009. The Role of Familism in Explaining the Hispanic-White College Application Gap. Social Problems 56: 311–334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Escamilla, K., S. Shannon, S. Carlos and J. Garcia . 2003. Breaking the Code: Colorado's Defeat of the Anti-Bilingual Education Initiative (Amendment 31). Bilingual Research Journal 27 (3): 357–382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flores-Gonzalez, N. and A. Pallares . (forthcoming). Emerging Voices: New Actors in the Chicago Protests. In Rallying for Immigrant Rights, eds. I. Bloemraad and Kim Voss Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, in press.

  • Flores-Gonzalez, N., M. Rodriguez and M. Rodriguez-Muniz . 2006. Latino Youth Culture and Community Action. Latino Studies 4: 321–325.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Getrich, C.M. 2008. Negotiating Boundaries of Social Belonging: Second-Generation Mexican Youth and the Immigrant Rights Protests of 2006. American Behavioral Scientist 52 (4): 533–556.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gibbs, J.T. 2001. The Sleeping Giant of Latino Political Activism Awakes. San Francisco Chronicle: 12 April, http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/04/12/ED106189.DTL, accessed 15 December 2008.

  • Giugni, M. and F. Passy . 2004. Migration Mobilization between Political Institutions and Citizenship Regimes: A Comparison of France and Switzerland. European Journal of Political Research 43: 51–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzales, A. 2009. The 2006 Mega Marchas in Greater Los Angeles: Counter-Hegemonic Moment and the Future of El Migrante Struggle. Latino Studies 7: 30–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodwin, J., J. Jasper and F. Polletta, (eds.) 2001. Passionate Politics: Emotions in Social Movements. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hardy-Fanta, C. 1993. Latina Politics, Latino Politics. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hero, R. 1992. Latinos and the US Political System. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huckfeldt, R., P. Allen, R. Dalton and J. Levine . 1995. Political Environments, Cohesive Social Groups, and the Communication of Public Opinion. American Journal of Political Science 39: 1025–1054.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jaros, D. 1973. Socialization to Politics. New York: Praeger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jasper, J. 1998. The Emotions of Protest: Affective and Reactive Emotions in and around Social Movements. Sociological Forum 13: 397–424.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, K.R. and B. Hing . 2007. The Immigrant Rights Marches of 2006 and the Prospects for a New Civil Rights Movement. Harvard Civil Rights – Civil Law Review 42: 99–138.

    Google Scholar 

  • King, J. 2008. Latino Vote Emerges as Swing Vote in Colorado, http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/23/king.battleground.colorado/index.html, accessed 11 February 2010.

  • Kingdon, J.W. 2003. Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klandermans, B. 1984. Mobilization and Participation – Social Psychological Expansions of Resource Mobilization Theory. American Sociological Review 49: 582–600.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kowalchuk, L. 2005. The Discourse of Demobilization: Shifts in Activist Priorities and the Framing of Political Opportunities in a Peasant Land Struggle. Sociological Quarterly 46: 237–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lopez, M.H. 2009. The Hispanic Vote in the 2008 Election. Washington DC: Pew Hispanic Center. http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/98.pdf, accessed 11 February 2010.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lopez, M.H. and S. Minushkin . 2008. Latinos Overwhelmingly Support Obama and Democrats in 2008 Election. Washington DC: Pew Hispanic Center. http://pewresearch.org/pubs/908/obama-latino-voters, accessed 10 December 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mariscal, J. 2006. The “Sleeping Giant” Awakens (Again). The San Diego Union-Tribune: 31 March, http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060331/news_lz1e31marisca.html, accessed 10 December 2008.

  • Martinez, L.M. 2008. Flowers from the Same Soil: Latino Solidarity in the Wake of the 2006 Immigrant Mobilizations. Special Issue on the Spring Marches of 2006. American Behavioral Scientist 52: 557–579.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martinez, L.M. 2010. Mobilization Matters: Moving Immigrant and Latina Women into the Public Sphere. In Contours of Citizenship: Women, Diversity and the Practices of Citizenship, eds. M. Abraham, E. Ngan-ling Chow, L. Maratou-Alipranti, and E. Tastsoglou, pp. 127–145. Surrey, England: Ashgate Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • McAdam, D. and R. Paulsen . 1993. Specifying the Relationship between Social Ties and Activism. American Journal of Sociology 3: 640–667.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Minkoff, D. 2001. Social Movement Politics and Organization. In TheBlackwell Companion to Sociology, ed. J. Blau, pp. 282–294. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nepstad, S.E. and C. Smith . 1999. Rethinking Recruitment to High-Risk/Cost Activism: The Case of Nicaragua Exchange. Mobilization 4: 25–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ochoa, G. 2004. Becoming Neighbors in a Mexican American Community: Power, Conflict, and Solidarity. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Passel, J. and D. Cohn . 2009. A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States. Washington DC: Pew Hispanic Center. http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/107.pdf, accessed 7 February 2010.

    Google Scholar 

  • Passy, F. 2001. Socialization, Connections, and the Structure/Agency Gap: A Specification of the Impact of Networks on Participation in Social Movements. Mobilization 6: 173–192.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peña, M. 2007. Latina Activists across Borders: Women's Grassroots Organizing in Mexico and Texas. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Pilisuk, M., J. McAllister and J. Rothman . 1996. Coming Together for Action: The Challenge of Contemporary Grassroots Community Organizing. Journal of Social Issues 53: 15–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Polletta, F. 1998. It Was Like a Fever: Narrative and Identity in Collective Action. Social Problems 45: 137–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez, N. and J. Hagan . 2004. Fractured Families and Communities: Effects of Immigration Reform in Texas, Mexico, and El Salvador. Latino Studies 2: 328–351.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sabogal, F., G. Marin, R. Otero-Sabogal, B. Vanoss-Marin and E.J. Perez Sable . 1987. Hispanic Familism and Acculturation: What Changes and What Doesn’t? Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences 9: 397–412.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salazar, M. et al (2008). Agenda Latina: The State of Latinos 2008 – Defining an Agenda for the Future, http://www.du.edu/education/display/docs/Agenda_Latina_Final.pdf, accessed 15 December 2008.

  • Schussman, A. and S. Soule . 2005. Process and Protest: Accounting for Individual Protest Participation. Social Forces 84: 1083–1108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seif, H. 2004. “Wise Up!” Undocumented Latino Youth, Mexican-American Legislators, and the Struggle for Higher Education Access. Latino Studies 2: 210–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, D. and R. Erickson . 1997. For Love or Money? Work and Emotional Labor in a Social Movement Organization. Social Perspectives on Emotion 4: 317–346.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snow, D.A. and C. Corrigall-Brown . 2004. Why Frames Sometimes Fall on Deaf Ears: The Problems of Misalignment, Scope, Exhaustion, and Relevance. In Rhyming Hope and History: Activists, Academics, and Social Movement Scholarship, eds. D. Croteau, W. Hoynes, and C. Ryan, pp. 222–238. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snow, D.A., E.B. Rockford Jr, S. Worden and R.D. Benford . 1986. Frame Alignment Processes, Micromobilization, and Movement Participation. American Sociological Review 51: 464–481.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snow, D.A., L.A. Zurcher Jr and S. Ekland-Olson . 1980. Social Networks and Social Movements: A Microstructural Approach to Differential Recruitment. American Sociological Review 45: 787–801.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suro, R. and G. Escobar . 2006. 2006 National Survey of Latinos: The Immigration Debate. Washington DC: Pew Hispanic Center.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, P. and R. Fry . 2007. Hispanics and the 2008 Election: A Swing Vote? Washington DC: Pew Hispanic Center.

    Google Scholar 

  • US Bureau of the Census. 2008. Colorado Quick Facts, http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/08000.html, accessed 22 January 2010.

  • Valenzuela, A. and S. Dornbusch . 1994. Familism and Social Capital in the Academic Achievement of Mexican Origin and Angle Adolescents. Social Science Quarterly 75: 18–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Verba, S., K. Lehman Schlozman and H.E. Brady . 1995. Voice and Equality: Civic Voluntarism in American Politics. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vigil, E.B. 1999. The Crusade for Justice: Chicano Militancy and the Government's War on Dissent. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang, G. 2000. Achieving Emotions in Collective Action: Emotional Processes and Movement Mobilization in the 1989 Chinese Student Movement. The Sociological Quarterly 41 (4): 593–614.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Denver, Denver, Colorado

    Lisa M Martinez

Authors
  1. Lisa M Martinez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Martinez, L. Politicizing the family: How grassroots organizations mobilize Latinos for political action in Colorado. Lat Stud 8, 463–484 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1057/lst.2010.54

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/lst.2010.54

Keywords

Search

Navigation