Action Plan for the 70s
In the RUP's A Political Action Program for the '70s, the party opens the program with a brief introduction, referred to as the "Raza Unida Party Preamble" in which they mention their purpose, the needs and goals of la Raza and la familia (the family), which includes not only Chicanos, but other marginalized and oppressed groups in the state. Here, RUP also mentions the need for a government that addresses the needs of individual communities, but which provides for all. RUP describes this ideal government as one which is humanistic in nature, thus genuinely concerned with the welfare of all its people.
Most importantly, the program offers a detailed overview of the party's stance on various issues. This is of great importance because, as it is a political action program for the RUP in the state of Texas, it provided a common ground for all the RUP chapters across various Texas counties. In addition, the program includes solutions and action plans which, according to RUP, would be beneficial not only for Chicanos and other minority and oppressed peoples, but for all.
In addition, the program goes in depth about why there is a need for the RUP in the first place. As mentioned previously in this exhibit, RUP arose out of the dissatisfaction and lack of representation in politics, primarily by the Democratic Party, of Chicanos. La Raza felt excluded and faced injustices in various realms of daily life (i.e., education, housing, employment, etc.). Part of the proposed solution to this lack of representation and unheard voices in politics was to 1) provide voter education resources to all in order to stop excluding those who do not participate in politics due to a lack of knowledge; 2) RUP also proposed that citizens 18+, foreigners meeting certain critera, and formerly incarcerated individuals meeting certain criteria also be allowed to vote; 3) in abolishing filing fees for political office, RUP thought this would lead to increased involvement of Chicanos and other minorities in politics as this would make public office position more accessible to a wider range of individuals, and lastly; 4) that local governments also make meetings with elected officials and/or representatives open to the public and at a time and place convenient for working people.
In increasing accessibility, RUP hoped that this would allow more people, namely Chicanos, to become better involved in politics and therefore in a position to better control important aspects of daily life.