El Malcriado
Overview
El Malcriado -- "La Voz del Campesino" -- was founded by the United Farm Workers in 1964 to expose working conditions and cover union activities such as boycotts, marches, and strikes. El Malcriado, published in English and Spanish, was part of an alternative press network that aimed to raise consciousness among farm workers, promote unionism, and generate awareness and support for the cause. Historian Colin Gunckel points out how "...developments in offset printing technology and the relatively inexpensive cost of film meant that both could be used to produce publications cheaply, democratizing access to visual expression and information at the level of production and circulation" (32). The name harkened back to radical newspapers of the Mexican Revolution and suggested someone who refuses to behave, respect authority, or remain silent. El Malcriado included reporting and photography as well as cartoons, artwork, and poetry.
The first image, from 1966, foregrounds a policeman with a gun squaring off against a banner with Virgen de Guadalupe and the UFW logo. Click on the PDF link to see the full issue of El Malcriado.
The second image, also from 1966, shows a young woman who has fashioned a jacket with the UFW logo and the words "huelga" and NFWA (National Farm Workers Association, predecessor to the UFW). Click on the PDF link to see the full issue of El Malcriado.
Questions
- How would a newspaper help to convey the UFW message? How might the UFW convey its message in our times?
- Why does El Malcriado include photographs, art, cartoons, and poetry? Why not just focus on news stories?
El Malcriado April 10, 1966 (PDF 15-pages) Download (PDF 15-pages)
El Malcriado October 7, 1966 (PDF 22-pages Download PDF 22-pages)
El Malcriado, no. 33, April 10, 1966.
El Malcriado, no. 46, October 7, 1966.
Gunckel, Colin. "Building a Movement and Constructing a Community: Photography, the United Farm Workers, and El Malcriado." Social Justice, vol 42 no. 3/4, 2015, www.jstor.org/stable/24871324.