At a conference held at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in April of 1969, concerned Raza educators, students, and community members gathered to draw attention to the needs and concerns of Chicana and Chicano students in California's systems of higher education- MEChA was born!

Each word in M.E.Ch.A. symbolizes a great concept in terms of la causa. Movimiento means that the organization is dedicated to the movement to gain self- determination for our people. Estudiantil, identifies the organization as a student group for we are part of our Raza's future. At the heart of the name is the use of the identity- Chicano. At first seen as a negative word, now taken for a badge of honor. In adopting their new identity, the students committed themselves to return to the barrios, colonias, or campos and together, struggle against the forces that oppress our gente. Lastly, the affirmation that we are Indigenous people to our land by placing our movement in our origins: Aztlan.

MEChA originated in the Southwest, but quickly spread throughout  Aztlan. MEChA's primary roles in the Chicana/o Movement are:

1) To increase the number of Chicana/o students in higher education and to ensure that all necessary assistance is offered for successful completion;

2) To take part in the direction of the movement toward Chicana/o self- determination (control over our own destinies);

3) To socialize and politicize Chicana/o students on their particular campus, to the ideals of el Movimiento;

4) To establish close working relationships in the barrios, assisting in all that has to be done to achieve justice and equality for our people. ;