Chicano Studies Institute

To better understand the significance and implications of the 2006 pro-immigrant rights marches on Latina/o political behavior, it is imperative to study why this particular example of Latina/o mobilization proved to be so effectively organized. The essay examines how the U.S. Latino population, sometimes called the ‘sleeping giant,’ was finally awoken by focusing on the methods of political mobilization that were chosen by the Gran Marcha organizers. The author also examines how the 2006 strategies differed from those employed in the past.