Olga Rodriguez
Encyclopedia
Olga Rodriguez is a Chicano activist and a leading member of the Socialist Workers Party of the United States.
Rodriguez first became active in the fight for Chicano
rights in her home state of Texas
, supporting the struggle to organize farmworkers in the Rio Grande Valley
in the 1960s while a high school student in Brownsville
. At the University of Houston
, she joined the League of Mexican-American students, which was part of the fight for Chicano studies, bilingual-bicultural education, affirmative action
, and U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam
that swept the Southwest in the late 1960s and early 1970s. While a student at the university she also joined the Young Socialist Alliance
and helped organize the first march in Houston against the war.
After moving to Los Angeles
to help build the 4,000-strong Chicano contingent in the mammoth April 1971 San Francisco demonstration against the Vietnam War
, Rodriguez joined the Los Angeles chapter of the Woman’s National Abortion Action Coalition, helping to organize actions for the legalization of abortion
.
As Socialist Workers Party candidate for mayor of Los Angeles in 1973 and governor of California
in 1974, Rodriguez used her campaigns to support and publicize the struggle of working people, including the battles of the United Farm Workers
union.
Rodriguez served on the Socialist Workers Party’s National Committee from 1975–1988 and directed its work in solidarity with the Chicano movement from 1975 to 1979. This included collaboration with the Southwest Bureau of the Militant
, set up in 1971 to give timely coverage to the developments in the struggle for Chicano liberation.
Rodriguez coordinated the SWP’s work in defense of the victorious Nicaraguan Revolution
in 1979, as well as efforts in solidarity with the workers and farmers in El Salvador
fighting against the U.S.-backed dictatorship. She has also been active in building solidarity with the Cuban Revolution
.
Olga Rodriguez is the editor of the book The Politics of Chicano Liberation, published by Pathfinder.
Rodriguez first became active in the fight for Chicano
Chicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
rights in her home state of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, supporting the struggle to organize farmworkers in the Rio Grande Valley
Rio Grande Valley
The Rio Grande Valley or the Lower Rio Grande Valley, informally called The Valley, is an area located in the southernmost tip of South Texas...
in the 1960s while a high school student in Brownsville
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
. At the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
, she joined the League of Mexican-American students, which was part of the fight for Chicano studies, bilingual-bicultural education, affirmative action
Affirmative action
Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...
, and U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
that swept the Southwest in the late 1960s and early 1970s. While a student at the university she also joined the Young Socialist Alliance
Young Socialist Alliance
The Young Socialist Alliance was a Trotskyist youth group of the Socialist Workers Party in the United States of America. It was founded in 1960, although it had roots going back several years earlier. It was dissolved in 1992...
and helped organize the first march in Houston against the war.
After moving to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to help build the 4,000-strong Chicano contingent in the mammoth April 1971 San Francisco demonstration against the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, Rodriguez joined the Los Angeles chapter of the Woman’s National Abortion Action Coalition, helping to organize actions for the legalization of abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
.
As Socialist Workers Party candidate for mayor of Los Angeles in 1973 and governor of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1974, Rodriguez used her campaigns to support and publicize the struggle of working people, including the battles of the United Farm Workers
United Farm Workers
The United Farm Workers of America is a labor union created from the merging of two groups, the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee led by Filipino organizer Larry Itliong, and the National Farm Workers Association led by César Chávez...
union.
Rodriguez served on the Socialist Workers Party’s National Committee from 1975–1988 and directed its work in solidarity with the Chicano movement from 1975 to 1979. This included collaboration with the Southwest Bureau of the Militant
The Militant
The Militant is an international Socialist newsweekly connected to the Socialist Workers Party and the Pathfinder Tendency. It is published in the United States and distributed in other countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Sweden, Iceland, and New...
, set up in 1971 to give timely coverage to the developments in the struggle for Chicano liberation.
Rodriguez coordinated the SWP’s work in defense of the victorious Nicaraguan Revolution
Nicaraguan Revolution
The Nicaraguan Revolution encompasses the rising opposition to the Somoza dictatorship in the 1960s and 1970s, the campaign led by the Sandinista National Liberation Front which led to the violent ousting of that dictatorship in 1979, and the...
in 1979, as well as efforts in solidarity with the workers and farmers in El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
fighting against the U.S.-backed dictatorship. She has also been active in building solidarity with the Cuban Revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
.
Olga Rodriguez is the editor of the book The Politics of Chicano Liberation, published by Pathfinder.