As President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, also known as AMLO, has embarked on an ambitious effort to transform Mexico – the Fourth Transformation. It is an effort to reverse the neoliberal programs instituted since the days of Carlos Salinas. They have involved the privatization of ejido land, shifting the economy toward exports, privatizing the banks, oil and most recently, electricity. While all of this cannot be undone in a single six year term, he has made a start on it. Now, midway through his presidency, Bill Gallegos will assess how far the Fourth Transformation has gone. What are its accomplishments, what are its successes and failures, what is the opposition to these changes? He will emphasize the very challenging conditions under which AMLO is attempting to effect this transformation and why Chicanos/Mexican Americans especially should support this endeavor… and how.
Bill Gallegos is a veteran Chicano liberation activist, environmental justice leader, and revolutionary socialist.