Editing MEChA (section)

==Organizational structure==
===Affiliated chapters===
MEChA exists as over 400 loosely affiliated chapters within a national organization.{{Citation needed|date=June 2020}} Typical activities of a MEChA chapters include educational & social activities, such as academic tutoring, mentorship, folklore and poetry recitals, exploring the way of life through an indigenous perspective bringing Chicano speakers to their campus, high school outreach, attending Statewide, Regional, & National Conferences. Many chapters are also involved in political actions, such as lobbying high school and university administrators for expanded [[Bilingual Education#United States|Bilingual Education]] programs and Chicano-related curricula, the celebration of Mexican cultural traditions, as well as other Latin American holidays (such as [[Mexican Independence Day]]), [[Columbus Day]] protests, sit-ins, hunger strikes, boycotts, rallies, marches  and other political activism relating to [[civil rights]], [[affirmative action]], and [[immigration]].

===National MEChA Constitution===
The National MEChA constitution was ratified on April 9, 1995 during the second annual National MEChA conference at the [[University of California, Berkeley]] (Cal). The document outlines four objectives:<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20081121233457/http://www.nationalmecha.org/documents/nationalConstitution.pdf Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán National Constitution]}}.</ref>

* Educational, cultural, economical, political, and social empowerment of Chicanos.
* Retention of Chicano identity and furthering of cultural awareness.
* Uplifting and mobilizing Chicanos and Chicanas through higher education.
* Implementing plans of action concerning Chicanos and Chicanas.

Since its adoption, the document has been amended five times:
*  Amended on April 14, 1996 at [[University of Texas, Pan American]]
*  Amended on April 14, 1997 at [[Michigan State University]] (MSU)
*  Amended on March 18, 2001 at [[San Diego State University]] (SDSU)
*  Amended on March 30, 2003 at [[University of California, Berkeley]]
* Amended on May 30, 2010 at [[University of Washington, Seattle]]

During the 1999 National Conference at [[Phoenix College]], MEChA adopted a document entitled ''The Philosophy of MEChA'' which affirmed the more moderate view that "all people are potential Chicanas and Chicanos", and that "Chicano identity is not a nationality but a philosophy".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nationalmecha.org/philosophy.html |title=National MEChA: The Philosophy of MEChA |access-date=2008-03-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080414222154/http://www.nationalmecha.org/philosophy.html |archive-date=2008-04-14 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> In addition, ''The Philosophy of MEChA'' addressed the problem of outside organizations co-opting the legitimacy of MEChA to advance their own agendas, doing so by establishing guidelines to make local MEChA chapters more accountable to the national organization.