Lasting Lessons from Oaxaca: Teachers as Luchadores Sociales: An Inside Account of the Historic 2006 Oaxacan Teachers’ Movement and Why It Is Still Relevant Today

Introduction

On June 14, 2009, thousands of people marched through the streets of Oaxaca to commemorate the third anniversary of the violent repression of the teachers’ movement of 2006. Federal police troops once again stormed the teachers’ encampment, and one teacher was left dead.¹ Although the world’s attention is no longer focused on Oaxaca, the reasons for the strike remain the same, and the lessons from that struggle are more relevant than ever.

At its core, this historic movement was motivated by economic desperation, educational and social inequality, and a tremendous pressure to migrate. It is estimated that a quarter of Oaxaca’s population has been forced to migrate out of state. Some will go to other parts of Mexico, but many will eventually end up in the United States, where approximately 500,000 Oaxacans will look for work and educate their children.² Oaxacan teacher Juan Gutierrez Cortez points out that for many families migration is a necessity rather than a choice: “It is disheartening to see a student go through many hardships to get an education here in Mexico to become professional, and then later in the United States do manual labor.”³

This article looks at the social forces that displace people, and discusses why it matters for teachers on both sides of the border. The events that took place in 2006 are narrated here through excerpts from a first hand account by teacher and key union delegate, “Laura Martinez.”⁴ Discussions with Martinez (translated from Spanish) provide us with a closer look at the unique perspective and preparation that positioned Oaxacan teachers to take on the vanguard role in this historic movement, and help us analyze the larger issues impacting progressive teachers in Mexico and beyond.

Setting the Stage

2006 was a year of major political and economic unrest in Oaxaca which resulted in the displacement of thousands of families and set the stage for the historic uprising that began with a teachers’ strike and evolved into a massive campaign for social justice.

The state of Oaxaca has an extremely rich cultural and linguistic heritage that draws visitors from all over the world. Nearly 2 out of 3.6 million residents belong to one of 16 different indigenous groups⁵ and many speak one of 23 languages and retain their traditional customs, which in large part lends this place its unique appeal. At the same time, however, this is the second poorest state in Mexico, and most indigenous land, housing, and schools remain highly marginalized.

In rural Mexico, over 10 million people live on an income of less than two dollars a day, and 75% of Oaxaca’s population lives in extreme poverty. In this state, only 900,000 people receive formal healthcare, the illiteracy rate is 21.8 percent, and the average educational level is 5.8 years compared to the national average of 7.3 years.⁶

In his book on immigration and globalization, David Bacon argues that the concentration of poverty among indigenous people was a root cause of the 2006 uprising. As Zapotec community leader Leoncio Vásquezs says in Bacon’s book, “Indigenous people are always at the bottom in Oaxaca. The rich use their economic resources to maintain a government that puts them first. Big corporations control what’s going on in Mexico and those who criticize the government get harassed constantly with arbitrary arrest and even assassination.” This lack of basic human rights often forces indigenous Oaxacans to leave their communities in order to survive, which in turn, Vásquez points out, “closes off our ability to call for any change.” (33)

Global economic development policies have also exacerbated poverty and displacement of the rural population. Pressure from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund and an emphasis on foreign investment have resulted in a slashing of rural income expenditures. In addition, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) lowered customs barriers and removed protections, which in turn wiped out many small-scale Mexican farmers and...