MAESTRXS
MAESTRXS, A Movement for Raza Liberation through Educación, is a community-based,
educational, social justice organization that was created in the Bay in 1999.
MAESTRXS is an educational movement founded on a politicized, anti-oppression analysis
of the condition of raza and the powerful role of racism/white supremacy, patriarchy/sexism,
homophobia/heterosexism and capitalism in shaping that condition. We attack institutional,
interpersonal, and internalized oppression/colonization with a specific focus on dealing
with how we as individuals experience oppression, which is internalized by way of
both the media and the schools. We engage in collective spiritual development with
daily applications so that we can Live Racial Justice in our communities and with
our youth.
We have developed a transformative model, Living Racial Justice, for engaging in this
work and are focused on implementing that model and supporting each other in developing
those implementations in effective ways. The goal of this work is for raza youth to
be able to use their schooling and their lives to create Social Justice in their families,
communities and schools. Our Collective meets every 6-8 weeks to offer support in
our efforts to implement this work. We also do workshops/trainings for communities
interested in our model.
This page is a resource for our members to access the key documents for the Living
Racial Justice Project we are doing. These documents are for the use of MAESTR@S members
who understand the model and how it was developed and is now being used. Each of these
documents is complex and represents years of collaborative work.
If you are not familiar with the project or if you have any questions, please consult
me for background information: marcos.pizarro@sjsu.edu. [We ask that folks use these documents
after participating in one of our encuentros or consulting with someone with expereince
in the group].
Documents
- MAESTRXS Manifesto [PDF]
- MAESTRXS Model [PDF]
- MAESTRXS Questions for Living Racial Justice [PDF]
- Preparing Teachers to Work in Disenfranchised Communities: Deconstructing Latina/o Historical Trauma and Internalized Racism article on the theory behind our model
- Racial Justice Leadership in Disenfranchised Latina/o Communities: A Model for Walking Social Justice in Schools article on the implementation of our model
- Seeking Educational Self-Determination [PDF] article on our early work
- Background Reading: Patrisia Gonzales on Historical Trauma [PDF]
- Background Reading: Poka Laenui on Processes of Decolonization [PDF]
- Background Reading: Jerry Tello on Processes for Healing [PDF]
- Background Reading: Eden Torres on Historical Trauma and Raza [PDF]
- Background Reading: Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart on Understanding & Healing Historical Trauma