The weekly newsletter of the Mexico Solidarity Project

Every issue archived online at mexicosolidarityproject.org

January 29, 2025

My Baby, Your Baby, Whose Baby?

Meizhu Lui, for the editorial team

When my son was born, I took two years off from college. My husband didn’t. When I got back to school, the University gave no thought to students with kids. I was lucky to find a daycare center close by. Married student housing had no playground; a neighbor’s child was hit by a car while riding his tricycle in the parking lot.

When my son was seven, I became a single mother. My single biggest stress was to find a job that fit school hours — which was close to impossible — or at least one where I could see him off to school and find a kindly friend to pick him up. The norm was that a child is the sole responsibility of the mother. She’s on her own to figure it out.

Our large institutions — universities, businesses, cities, nations — ignore the needs of mothers and children when they design spaces, or services, or workplace rules. Is that surprising, since the deciders and designers have mostly been men?!

Mexican educator and feminist Nancy Ortiz tells us that children must be factored into new development plans. She emphasizes the importance of universal, free, accessible preschool, and it’s not just to allow women to work without the cost or headache of finding daycare. Preschool is more than babysitting; professional teachers help our little ones build the social, physical and mental skills they will require as they grow up.

Fortunately for Mexico, times are changing. More women are leaders, like President Claudia Sheinbaum and Mayor Clara Brugada who governs Mexico City. They center the well-being of women and children in their agendas. This is a welcome change, because children are not someone else’s problem — in fact, they are not a “problem!” They are a nation’s most precious treasure.

For a deeper dive into current news and analysis in English, check out our media website. And definitely see the new English podcast ¡Soberanía! (Sovereignty) with José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth.  They entertain, while dismantling the lies and distortions about Mexico fed to us by the mainstream media.

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But First, the Children: Preschools

What were the experiences that led you to become the founder and director of a preschool practically right out of school?

A large indigenous population lives in the small town in Chiapas where I was born. Most lived in poverty, and the town school I attended was poor too, though when I began high school, my family moved to Veracruz, a very urban environment. After that, due to the economic crisis of 1994, I needed to get a scholarship, so I studied social service at the National Council for Educational Development (CONAFE).

At first, it was a room in a structure made of sticks; it was dangerous, not suitable for a classroom. The other teachers were instructors doing a service as I did, but they had no certificates or university degrees. We got active in raising funds to build a new school — in 2001, with help from the government and the community, we had our school!

You chose to specialize in preschool education. Isn’t it better for little children to be at home with their mothers or family caregivers if possible? Why do you think preschool education is important?

For many reasons. Preschool education, which begins at age three, is vital for social and mental development. Children become more autonomous and capable of caring for themselves and acquire a sense of community by having to practice giving, receiving and sharing with other children. It helps them develop language skills — because children imitate each other, children who can speak better are models for the others.

Is child abuse a problem in Mexico? Do children have rights?

Schools forbid physical violence; a teacher can’t throw an eraser at a child or hit them. They can’t yell at them either! Children have the right to live free from violence and abuse. Of course, abuse happens in the home, but it’s often not visible. Some parents are too young, and we have too few resources to help them understand what it takes to be a good parent.

Simple lack of attention is the most common form of maltreatment. For example, if parents have neglected a child’s dental health, that child can’t learn when she’s got a toothache and rotten teeth. 

Teachers do more for children than just what we do in the classroom! When we see a child is having problems, we can call parents to offer help. In urban schools anyway, we offer workshops to help parents learn about children's rights and how to help their children become healthy, contributing members of society.

I must say that I sometimes feel that this latest generation of parents is not very interested in their children's education. They are so addicted to their cell phones! Instead of spending quality time with their children, they’re watching something on their devices. It’s a new problem facing educators.

How is your feminism connected to your views on education?

Feminists emphasize collective responsibility. Traditionally, only women are in charge of childcare. This can be an impossible burden, especially for poor mothers. We feminists believe that childcare should be socialized — not just an individual woman’s burden.

The government should take more responsibility. Children don’t belong only to parents — they are part of society, and society should see them as its responsibility. 

The UTOPIAS have free laundries, so keeping children’s clothes clean is not difficult. They have music lessons, safe indoor and outdoor sports facilities and coaching, workshops to help women resist violence — free positive activities for people of all ages to enjoy, but especially for children and youth.

Governments must consider children in all their development plans. Cities can build schools close to major workplaces and include safe playgrounds and playrooms. Courts, hospitals, government offices and other settings should include supervised play spaces for children while parents are busy or attending to private matters children shouldn’t be exposed to. 

What reforms have been carried out under the Morena governments? What would you like for your own child in the future?

Under the Morena governments, good programs have already been started. School children now get scholarships to buy the pencils and books they need. They get free, healthy lunches, and junk food and sugary drinks are banned in school buildings. Drinking water is now available. The “School is Ours” program has greatly upgraded school facilities, especially those in remote locations.

As a society, we have responsibilities. We must care for and provide opportunities for children from three years old through high school, fostering their physical health, skills, minds and critical thinking. Happy, healthy, community-spirited children will ensure that a positive future blooms for our whole country.

Adrian Gonzalez, Lonchado in the Grass

Adrian Gonzalez is an Assistant Professor, Printmaking Head at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. Born in California, he has worked and traveled extensively. He has exhibited widely, recently on view in an exhibit called “Lonchado in the Grass” at Bruno David Gallery in St. Louis, Mo.  Instagram at Adrian Gonzalez @ #Adrngonzalez.

"In Our Times” at the Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, FL. 2024 Gallery view

At first, I thought Adrian Gonzalez was a big kid. A stack of paper mache baseball caps? Rough, loose paintings, kind of like a big kid might do? But I was wrong…

In New American Painting #166, South, 2023, Gonzalez says:

“I use Spanglish, a language that I and many others in the United States speak, to reflect on our contemporary moment. My work explores the interaction of Spanglish with Latin and American culture and politics, Latin music, slang, insults, jokes, and other aspects of popular media.”

In “I DREAM ABOUT YOU IN SPANISH” he collects artifacts from the lives of boys and men, boxing them, unifying and cementing them together. 

I Dream About You in Spanish, 2022
Acrylic, crayon, paper, glue on canvas in frame

“Windowsill” also collects artifacts of boy/manhood, making them a cohesive whole in an etching.

Windowsill, 2024
Softground and hardground etching with chine collé on Hahnemuhle Copperplate

In a way that we see rarely, Gonzalez lets us into a world of boys and men, grown and youthful, funny and strong. The best of these worlds shines through. It is a real privilege to share this with him.

Recent news reports and commentaries, from progressive and mainstream media,
on life and struggles on both sides of the US-Mexico border. Compiled by Jay Watts.

Víctor Aramburu, No, Mexico Is Not a Trojan Horse for Chinese Exports Jacobin. What is more probable is that the United States, fearing a relative decline in its global influence, has become hostile to Chinese trade with what Washington considers to be its allies and is using its influence to undermine such efforts.

Vanessa Romero Rocha, México o David con una honda El País. No olvidar que el obradorismo —el movimiento, no el partido— crece y se amalgama frente a sus adversarios. Esos que hace un par de meses cayeron fulminados: el poder judicial, la oposición, los órganos autónomos.

Donald Trump ocupa la silla humeante que dejó Norma Piña.

Zedryk Raziel, A breakdown of the Mexicans deported from the US: 4.4 million in 15 years, from Obama’s iron fist to Trump’s xenophobia El País English. The immigration policy of the Democrat’s two administrations was the harshest in the last 15 years, while the Republican’s administration, in its first term, returned the fewest number of Mexican citizens.

Viri Ríos, Trump, el ángulo positivo El País. Con el comercio internacional más limitado México tendrá que enfocarse en detonar su mercado interno y con ello, felizmente, algunos de los grandes enemigos del crecimiento económico mexicano finalmente tendrán que ser puestos en el paredón: el oligopolio de la banca tradicional, los malos servicios de telecomunicaciones, la falta de impuestos a los más ricos para crear un Estado competente, el nulo desarrollo de política industrial y los bajos salarios.

Natascha Elena Uhlmann, What Could Workers Win in a New NAFTA? Labor Notes. There’s a widespread misconception that American workers’ loss was Mexican workers’ gain. In reality, the only winners were multinational corporations. Average wages for Mexican auto workers were cut in half between 1994 and 2016.

Álvaro Delgado Gómez, Con olor a rancio: Acosta Naranjo registra su embrión de partido con restos del naufragio de Claudio X Sin Embargo. Otro proyecto engañoso, que no se proclama ni de izquierdas ni de derechas (en realidad, de derechas), surge para intentar recuperar el acceso al dinero público.

Congress to consider constitutional ban on growing GM corn in Mexico, Mexico News Daily. The proposal aims to “establish the obligation of the state to guarantee the cultivation of corn in national territory that is free from genetically modified organisms.” It also seeks to define corn in the Constitution as an “element of national identity.”

Lanzan “México te Abraza” para recibir a deportados de EU, Urrutia Comunica. La Secretaría del Bienestar los integrará a distintos programas sociales como la pensión de adultas mayores; la pensión para personas con discapacidad; el programa de apoyo a madres trabajadoras; el programa Sembrando Vida; la Pensión para Mujeres Bienestar, y el programa Salud casa por Casa. Así como todos los programas de emergencia social.

Pablo Meriguet, Mexico prepares for deportations as Trump launches crusade against migrants People’s Dispatch. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has assured that Mexico is prepared to receive deported migrants through the “Mexico embraces you” program, which provides access to welfare programs, healthcare, employment, and financial aid for those in need.

Brugada firma decreto: la CdMx es declarada libre de maíz transgénico; cuidará más de 60 variedades nativas Sin Embargo. El programa incluye la creación de la Red Centli, enfocada en fomentar prácticas agroecológicas, y un sello verde para certificar la calidad del maíz nativo. Además, se establecerán tortillerías comunitarias en las Utopías, ofreciendo tortillas a precios accesibles, y se fortalecerán cuatro casas de semillas para proteger la diversidad genética.

The Mexico Solidarity Project brings together activists from various socialist and left organizations and individuals committed to worker and global justice. We see the 2018 election of Andrés Manuel López Obrador as president of Mexico as a watershed moment. AMLO and his progressive Morena party aim to end generations of corruption, impoverishment, and subservience to US interests. Our Project supports not just Morena, but all Mexicans struggling for basic rights, and opposes US efforts to undermine organizing and Mexico’s national sovereignty.

Editorial committee: Meizhu Lui, Bruce Hobson, Agatha Hinman, Victoria Hamlin, Courtney Childs, Pedro Gellert.  To give feedback or get involved yourself, please email us!

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