This document discusses human rights issues facing indigenous groups in Guerrero, Mexico. It describes threats and violence faced by Raúl Lucas, the president of OFPM, who was kidnapped and murdered along with another member. The National Commission on Human Rights and Mexican authorities failed to adequately investigate these cases. The document also discusses cases of persecution against members of another indigenous rights group, OPIM, who were falsely accused of murder. Amnesty International has declared members of OPIM to be prisoners of conscience. Overall, the document outlines serious threats to human rights defenders and lack of accountability in Guerrero.
El presente informe aborda la situación de los derechos humanos en los Estados Unidos Mexicanos (México), con particular énfasis en desapariciones forzadas, ejecuciones extrajudiciales y tortura, así como la situación de inseguridad ciudadana, el acceso a la justicia e impunidad, y la situación de periodistas, defensores y defensoras de derechos humanos y otros grupos especialmente
afectados por el contexto de violencia en el país. Asimismo ofrece
recomendaciones con el objetivo de asistir al Estado mexicano en el fortalecimiento de sus esfuerzos por proteger y garantizar los derechos humanos en el país.
El presente informe aborda la situación de los derechos humanos en los Estados Unidos Mexicanos (México), con particular énfasis en desapariciones forzadas, ejecuciones extrajudiciales y tortura, así como la situación de inseguridad ciudadana, el acceso a la justicia e impunidad, y la situación de periodistas, defensores y defensoras de derechos humanos y otros grupos especialmente
afectados por el contexto de violencia en el país. Asimismo ofrece
recomendaciones con el objetivo de asistir al Estado mexicano en el fortalecimiento de sus esfuerzos por proteger y garantizar los derechos humanos en el país.
Amazing analysis of the philantropist american culture.
This is the result of: “investin research that clarifies donors‟ motivations, needs, and decision-making criteria.”
Amazing analysis of the philantropist american culture.
This is the result of: “investin research that clarifies donors‟ motivations, needs, and decision-making criteria.”
This presentation was delivered in the Indigenous Liberation Studies class by Angela Ruck.
This presentation examines the history of forced sterilization practices in Peru. In recent years, various groups of activists, journalists and artists have helped draw attention to the cause and started to weave a network of support to the thousands of women and men affected.
Reunión de Freedom Prep en Birmingham, AL con personas de la comunidad en la Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Fátima. Es una reunión que busca mostrar el interés de la comunidad por tener opciones de educación en la ciudad de Birmingham.
Primer reunión de Freedom Prep en Birmingham, AL con líderes comunitarios de los vecindarios donde posiblemente estableceríamos Freedom Preparatory Academy
Información General de Freedom Preparatory Academy. Presenta características más detalladas de Freedom Prep y permite acercar a la población Hispana/Latinx a una educación de calidad en sus comunidades. Comparte la misión/visión de FPA y acerca al lector a una visión amplia pero al mismo tiempo detallada.
Información General de Freedom Preparatory Academy. Presenta características generales de Freedom Prep y permite acercar a la población Hispana/Latinx a una educación de calidad en sus comunidades.
The publication details the policies that should be the priority of federal lawmakers across civil rights, criminal justice, economic security, education, health and well-being, and immigration issues.
The Latino community has made notable gains across key indicators including health, education, and the economy. Yet harmful policies and regulations issued under the Trump administration threaten to reverse this progress and widen inequities. UnidosUS’s policy agenda urges the 116th Congress to prioritize American workers and families—including Latinos—by protecting and advancing the gains they have made over the past decade.
FPA vision: All students at Freedom Prep will have the same competitive advantage as the most privileged children in America. This ppt provides the information so you can sign up to Duke TIP!
Doi it ASAP!
St. Jude Leadership Society encourages a focus on gratitude
and good citizenship, building your personal brand, diversity
and inclusion, leading with purpose and how we can all be
at our best through a series of leadership development sessions.
St. Jude recognizes the importance of mentorship and community, and encourages collaboration and shared learning throughout this experience.
In January of 2017, PeacePlayers launched a partnership with Nike to bring PeacePlayers’ proven model of uniting communities through sport to the United States. This partnership piloted growth in 2017 first to Baltimore, Brooklyn and Detroit, and then in the summer of 2018 added programs in Chicago and Los Angeles. At this time we are excited to begin launching two new sites Memphis (TN) and Portland (OR). We are currently seeking a Director to lead the planning and implementation of PeacePlayers Memphis.
MICAH is made up of 50+ churches, synagogues, mosques, community organizations, and unions--all standing together for a more just Memphis.
MICAH works to connect and amplify these diverse voices around our common values--equity, justice, and our God-given human dignity.
This was the Program for Public meeting in 2018
15 recommendations wer given including:
1. Protecting the right to request and be granted asylum.
2. Adapt national legislation to international standards
3. Adapt internal migration norms, policies, procedures and protocols to international norms and standards
4. Ending fast-track deportations and automatic returns
5. Adopt necessary measures in order to safeguard the right to counsel of migrant persons, asylum-seekers, and refugees
6. Ending lengthy migration detentions and taking any measures necessary to implement alternatives to deprivation of liberty
7. Ensuring conditions of detention that meet international standards for deprivation of liberty
8. Closing the processing centers supervised by the CBP.
9. Ending the practice of detaining children and adolescents in detention centers.
10. Prioritizing the child’s best interest in all administrative and judicial decisions that concern a child or adolescent and their family.
11. Prioritize the principle of family unity, and forego with the Zero
Tolerance policy and the policies and practices that criminalize migrants and their families in any circumstances
12. Continue with the implementation of actions aimed at reunifying families that have been separated
13. Taking any measures to protect defenders of the rights of migrant persons, asylum-seekers, and refugees, as well as the right of these defenders to do their job and to effectively access justice. Immediately ending threats and acts of harassment against these defenders.
14. Creating national and transnational mechanisms that enable an effective, timely identification of missing or dead migrant persons, and to make it possible to investigate those cases, punish anyone responsible for them, and provide the applicable reparations.
15. Ratifying the American Convention on Human Rights, the
Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the International
Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Today is our second annual public meeting between MICAH and community
representatives and will highlight the work of all three of our issue areas. Since
the meeting last October at Mason Temple, MICAH has spent hundreds of
hours meeting with elected officials, and other business and community
leaders, to develop strategies and partnerships to address some of the most
challenging issues facing our community. All of the community
representatives here today have been informed about our issue platforms, they
know ahead of time what questions will be asked of them, and many of them
have worked in direct partnership with us to arrive at today’s
accomplishments
MICAH (Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope) is a coalition of community and faith-based organizations joining together to give a more powerful voice for issues of justice in our city. Our current platform concentrates on three pillar issues, economic equity, education equity, and immigration & intercultural equity. We organize and speak to our community and its leaders, always seeking to "do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God." The purpose of MICAH is not to replace each congregation or community organization's efforts, but instead to amplify the voice and the impact by working together interdependently.
MICAH is a power organization that addresses social justice issues in Memphis. MICAH is interfaith and multi-racial and engages stakeholders in the political and economic decisions affecting their lives. MICAH acts as a unified voice for the faith and justice community to act on its values in the public arena. MICAH is a coalition of congregations and community organizations whose interest is justice for all people.
The Texas Legislature recently gave serious consideration to legislation that would have allowed the granting of childcare licenses to immigration detention centers that hold asylum-seeking mothers and children. The licensing bill was proposed at the request of the private for-profit prison company — the GEO Group — that runs one of these family detention facilities. According to a state legislator, “the legislation came from” a GEO lobbyist (Hoffman 2017a). Indeed, the GEO Group admitted that it sought state licensing because it believed that the “licensing process [would] allow longer lengths of stay” for families in immigration detention, and thereby protect and possibly increase its profits (GEO Group 2016, 32). The GEO Group pushed the legislation in the wake of court rulings that limited the detention of children accompanied by their parents in unlicensed detention centers, putting lucrative contracts for family detention held by the GEO Group and other private companies at some risk.
The state of Tennessee, along with the nation, has undergone a “demographic evolution” spurred by increases in minority populations. These demographic booms are evident all over the
country, primarly in states like California and Texas, and major metropolitan cities like Los Angeles, Houston, and New York.
However, these changes are evident in all corners of Tennesse, including the city of Chattanooga and Hamilton County. Hamilton County Schools have seen a significant growth in Hispanic and English Learner populations, directly mirroring the growth across
the state. As these groups and other under-served groups grow, it is imperative to have community stakeholders advocating on their behalf to ensure that they receive the appropriate support and resources to perform on par with their peers.
Chattanooga State Community College has proposed to create an innovative hybrid program for English Language Learners to have increased access to Early post-Secondary Opportunities. As the Bridges to Success 2.0 program evolves, it is necessary to
recognize the demographic trends of the country, the city, and the
state and what the state of educational attainment is for English
learners in Hamilton County to ensure BTS 2.0 provides the most
appropriate support.
Teachers of color are positive role models for all students in breaking down negative stereotypes and preparing students to live and work in a multiracial society. A more diverse teacher workforce can also supplement training in the culturally sensitive
teaching practices most effective with today’s student populations.
In addition to providing social advantages for all students, the racial diversity of the teaching workforce can help to close the
achievement gap, emerging research suggests. Both quantitative and qualitative studies find that teachers of color can improve the school experiences of all students; further, teachers of color contribute to improved academic outcomes while serving as strong role models for students.
One report suggests that, compared with their peers, teachers of color are more likely to (1) have higher expectations of
students of color (as measured by higher numbers of referrals to gifted programs); (2) confront issues of racism; (3) serve as
advocates and cultural brokers; and (4) develop more trusting relationships with students, particularly those with whom they
share a cultural background.
A recent report shows that, despite the critical role that teachers of color can play in helping students of color succeed, every
state has a higher percentage of students of color than teachers of color and the workforce is still overwhelmingly homogenous.
While the focus of this report is on racial diversity, the Department acknowledges that other forms of diversity such as socioeconomic background, gender, sexual orientation, disability status, religion, and multilingualism are also important and should be examined. For example, when considering gender in addition to race, we know that black males make up only 2 percent of the teaching workforce nationwide.
June 3, 2024 Anti-Semitism Letter Sent to MIT President Kornbluth and MIT Cor...Levi Shapiro
Letter from the Congress of the United States regarding Anti-Semitism sent June 3rd to MIT President Sally Kornbluth, MIT Corp Chair, Mark Gorenberg
Dear Dr. Kornbluth and Mr. Gorenberg,
The US House of Representatives is deeply concerned by ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic
harassment and intimidation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe learning environment for all students would be a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as President of MIT and Chair of the MIT Corporation.
This Congress will not stand idly by and allow an environment hostile to Jewish students to persist. The House believes that your institution is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the inability or
unwillingness to rectify this violation through action requires accountability.
Postsecondary education is a unique opportunity for students to learn and have their ideas and beliefs challenged. However, universities receiving hundreds of millions of federal funds annually have denied
students that opportunity and have been hijacked to become venues for the promotion of terrorism, antisemitic harassment and intimidation, unlawful encampments, and in some cases, assaults and riots.
The House of Representatives will not countenance the use of federal funds to indoctrinate students into hateful, antisemitic, anti-American supporters of terrorism. Investigations into campus antisemitism by the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means have been expanded into a Congress-wide probe across all relevant jurisdictions to address this national crisis. The undersigned Committees will conduct oversight into the use of federal funds at MIT and its learning environment under authorities granted to each Committee.
• The Committee on Education and the Workforce has been investigating your institution since December 7, 2023. The Committee has broad jurisdiction over postsecondary education, including its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, campus safety concerns over disruptions to the learning environment, and the awarding of federal student aid under the Higher Education Act.
• The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the sources of funding and other support flowing to groups espousing pro-Hamas propaganda and engaged in antisemitic harassment and intimidation of students. The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee of the US House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X.
• The Committee on Ways and Means has been investigating several universities since November 15, 2023, when the Committee held a hearing entitled From Ivory Towers to Dark Corners: Investigating the Nexus Between Antisemitism, Tax-Exempt Universities, and Terror Financing. The Committee followed the hearing with letters to those institutions on January 10, 202
Safalta Digital marketing institute in Noida, provide complete applications that encompass a huge range of virtual advertising and marketing additives, which includes search engine optimization, virtual communication advertising, pay-per-click on marketing, content material advertising, internet analytics, and greater. These university courses are designed for students who possess a comprehensive understanding of virtual marketing strategies and attributes.Safalta Digital Marketing Institute in Noida is a first choice for young individuals or students who are looking to start their careers in the field of digital advertising. The institute gives specialized courses designed and certification.
for beginners, providing thorough training in areas such as SEO, digital communication marketing, and PPC training in Noida. After finishing the program, students receive the certifications recognised by top different universitie, setting a strong foundation for a successful career in digital marketing.
Executive Directors Chat Leveraging AI for Diversity, Equity, and InclusionTechSoup
Let’s explore the intersection of technology and equity in the final session of our DEI series. Discover how AI tools, like ChatGPT, can be used to support and enhance your nonprofit's DEI initiatives. Participants will gain insights into practical AI applications and get tips for leveraging technology to advance their DEI goals.
How to Build a Module in Odoo 17 Using the Scaffold MethodCeline George
Odoo provides an option for creating a module by using a single line command. By using this command the user can make a whole structure of a module. It is very easy for a beginner to make a module. There is no need to make each file manually. This slide will show how to create a module using the scaffold method.
it describes the bony anatomy including the femoral head , acetabulum, labrum . also discusses the capsule , ligaments . muscle that act on the hip joint and the range of motion are outlined. factors affecting hip joint stability and weight transmission through the joint are summarized.
Thinking of getting a dog? Be aware that breeds like Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, and German Shepherds can be loyal and dangerous. Proper training and socialization are crucial to preventing aggressive behaviors. Ensure safety by understanding their needs and always supervising interactions. Stay safe, and enjoy your furry friends!
A review of the growth of the Israel Genealogy Research Association Database Collection for the last 12 months. Our collection is now passed the 3 million mark and still growing. See which archives have contributed the most. See the different types of records we have, and which years have had records added. You can also see what we have for the future.
A Strategic Approach: GenAI in EducationPeter Windle
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Generative AI, Image Generators and Large Language Models have had a dramatic impact on teaching, learning and assessment over the past 18 months. The most immediate threat AI posed was to Academic Integrity with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) focusing their efforts on combating the use of GenAI in assessment. Guidelines were developed for staff and students, policies put in place too. Innovative educators have forged paths in the use of Generative AI for teaching, learning and assessments leading to pockets of transformation springing up across HEIs, often with little or no top-down guidance, support or direction.
This Gasta posits a strategic approach to integrating AI into HEIs to prepare staff, students and the curriculum for an evolving world and workplace. We will highlight the advantages of working with these technologies beyond the realm of teaching, learning and assessment by considering prompt engineering skills, industry impact, curriculum changes, and the need for staff upskilling. In contrast, not engaging strategically with Generative AI poses risks, including falling behind peers, missed opportunities and failing to ensure our graduates remain employable. The rapid evolution of AI technologies necessitates a proactive and strategic approach if we are to remain relevant.
Macroeconomics- Movie Location
This will be used as part of your Personal Professional Portfolio once graded.
Objective:
Prepare a presentation or a paper using research, basic comparative analysis, data organization and application of economic information. You will make an informed assessment of an economic climate outside of the United States to accomplish an entertainment industry objective.
Sobre los Defensores de DH en Guerrero y la construcción de la indentidad
1. SOCIAL JUSTICE, COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND ACTIVISM MMN PROGRAM
Regis University
Master in Nonprofit Management
672 Social justice, community organizing and activism
Marcos Villa
April 30, 2009
FINAL PAPER
THE HUMAN RIGHTS WATCHERS IN GUERRERO, MEXICO:
THE CONSTRUCTION OF IDENTITY
Abstract.
Human Rights has been an important issue especially in the last years, since
December 10th, 1948 when the general Assembly of the United Nations adopted and
proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Countries have agreed to
promote them as a consequence of the existence of democracy and as the symbols
that express that the governments are working for building the infrastructure for
making life of their countrymen possible and full of opportunities.
There are many documents signed by different countries that commit to those
nations to oversee those rights; even thou, some of these countries develop internal
politics that question or eliminate the guarantees of those rights.
In this paper we try to reflect Mexico’s situation in Human rights through the lens of
the last experiences that some of the civil society organizations from Guerrero State
have lived in order to share the experience and learnings to other states or
countries. We will reflect in possible actions that might help to strengthen the
identity of Human Rights groups and try to remove the social image governments
are trying to impose on these groups.
Dark reality in Mexico
Raúl Lucas Lucía, president of Organization for the Future of the Indigenous Mixtecos
Indigenous, OFPM1 escaped four times from death during ten years. In 1999, after
1 OFPM for the Spanish name: Organización para el Futuro de los Pueblos Indígenas
Mixtecos
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2. SOCIAL JUSTICE, COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND ACTIVISM MMN PROGRAM
the slaughter of “el Charco”, he was tortured and threatened by members of the
Mexican Army. Two years later, in September 2001, he was again tortured with his
brothers and brother in law. He was also threatened in October 2006 after the
Zapatista Army of National Liberation EZLN2 marched in peace through his
community. In 2007, the 15th of February somebody tried to kill him and he was
wounded with a bullet in his neck in a prepared ambush. (Hernández, 2009) Finally,
the past 13th February, a couple of months ago he and Manuel Ponce, the secretary
of the same OIPM organization were “levantados”3 in an public event in the city of
Ayutla. Around 1:30 pm three men with heavy weapons got in the building
screaming: “police!” They hit Manuel and Raúl, took them out and put them into a
black Liberty that was waiting for them outside.
Half an hour later his wife, Guadalupe Castro Morales got a warning call: “Stop
fucking. Be quiet or we will kill your husband. This is a consequence for defending
Indians”.
The 20th of February they both appeared dead with torture marks (González, 2009)
and with a shot in their heads half buried in a near mountain. It was well known that
Raúl Lucas had documented 4 cases of violations of Human Rights during 2008
against the Mexican Army and two police corporations of “Ayutla of the freemen”.
The 16th of February, before they appeared dead, International Amnesty made a
public statement ‐AI: AMR 41/007/2009‐ asking the Army, State and Federal
authorities to investigate the situation
and doing everything for bringing the
possible authorities in to justice; nothing
was done (AI, 2009). On the other side,
the National Commission of Human
Rights hadn’t made any declaration
before different international
Guerrero State in Mexico
organization like Human Rights Watch, Among the three poorest states of the
country
2
EZLN for the spanish name: Ejército Zapatista de Liberación nacional
3 Spanish name used for the people that is kidnapped without reclaiming a reward for the
victim’s life.
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3. SOCIAL JUSTICE, COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND ACTIVISM MMN PROGRAM
Latin America Working Group, Washington Office on Latin America and Front Line
confirming the lack of justice in the country on Human Rights issues (Saavedra,
2009).
As a consequence of these
cases the High Commission of
the United Nations Alberto
Brunori came to the state of
Guerrero and visited
Guadalupe Castro Morales and
Margarita Martín de las
Nieves, widows of Raúl Lucas y
Manuel Ponce. He expressed
CDHM Tlachinollan
that for the High Commission Alberto Brunori (black cloth) listened to Guadalupe
Castro Morales and Margarita Martín widows of Raúl
the extra official execution of
Lucas and Manuel Ponce
Raúl and Manuel were one of
the worst cases that are documented at the United Nations. He also noticed the risk
conditions that existed for them and he expressed his concern about it
Some light brought more cases up
The 17th April of 2008 another organization that is well connected to the OFPM, the
Independent Organization of Mixtecos Natives OPIM4, were also persecuted and five
of its members were pointed out as murderers of an informant of the Mexican army.
Amnesty International declared all of them conscience prisoners:
“They are prisoners of conscience, detained solely for the peaceful opposition
to the cacique while defending the rights of members of their indigenous
community. According to their families, since the men have been detained,
their children have been stigmatized and discriminated against in their school
4 OPIM for the spanish name: Organización del Pueblo Indígena Me ́phaa
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4. SOCIAL JUSTICE, COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND ACTIVISM MMN PROGRAM
by the head teacher, who the families say is one of the cacique's supporters,
and other students have called them "sons of criminals" (AI, 2009)
Susan Lee, Director of the Program for America of Amnesty International, visited the
five indigenous people in jail and also visited the communities were these groups
work towards Human Rights noticing the level of poverty and the significant
presence of the Mexican Army.
The 20th of October2008, a
Federal Judge ordered the
release of them but the
Public Prosecutor of the
“Procuraduría General de la
República, PGR” appealed
this resolution and it was
received even thou they
didn’t give more evidence.
Tlachinolan/Rodrigo A Cruz After being one year in jail,
Felipe Arreaga Sánchez in jail
the 18th of March 2009,
four of them were released; Raúl Hernandez is still in jail. Susana stated: “It is time
that the authorities recognize that the trial against these indigenous people are an
answer for their legitimate activities towards the Human Rights within their
communities and their continuous denouncement against the local oppression of the
authorities and the landowners. When social workers are punished for their
legitimate work, authorities send a
message: to promote and protect human
rights ask a high cost” (AI, 2009).
Interviewing to a member of the OFPM5,
s/he referred two other historical cases:
The first one was Felipe Arreaga who was
in jail for defending land that was CDHM Tlachinollan
Indigenous Valentina Rosendo Cantú with
Louise Arbour High Commissionate of the
UN for Human Rights
5 Asked not mentioning the name
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5. SOCIAL JUSTICE, COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND ACTIVISM MMN PROGRAM
exploited by “caciques”. Between 1992 and 2000 40% of the trees in Guerrero forest
were lost (Calvillo, 2005). The “caciques” tried to get him in to jail by charging him
for assassination. The local authorities asked the judge to find him guilty and asked
for 40 years in prison while Tlachinollan, A Human Rights Organization provided
information that questioned the credibility of the assassination charges. They
provided more information of two previous cases against the Ecological Farmers
Organization from Petulant y Coyuca de Catalán, OCESP6: Rodolfo Montiel y Teodoro
Cabrera who worked in the same organization that Felipe Arriaga did. They were also
jailed but the international pressure from Greenpeace among other organizations to
the National Government set them free. One of the non‐senses of the charges was
that, there were two accused: Felipe and a second person. The other accused was
already dead two years before the assassination happened. After this trial there
were still apprehension orders against members of the group and I confirmed that
there were still thirteen apprehension orders left (Ballinas, 2005).
The second case was a me´phaa indigenous, Valentina Rosendo Cantú. She is one
example of the many violations that the Mexican Army has infringed to indigenous
women. The local government do not do anything and when these cases came in to
the media they just say that they are lying, that they are part of the communities
that produce drugs and they want the army out of there.
Other facts to consider
Guerrero State has been
historically one of the three
poorest of the country and some
of its municipalities are ranked as
poor as some of the African
regions. Guerrero state is the first
ranked in national migration and
the fifth in US migration reaching
Guerrero en datos
Three poorest states of Mexico
6 Organización de Campesinos Ecologistas de la Sierra de Petatlán y Coyuca de Catalán
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around 73,000 people each year. There are near of 300,000 migrants from Guerrero
only in Chicago, US that has become the second larger city with people from
Guerrero, just after Acapulco.
Guerrero has seven regions as we
can see in the right box. The
region of “La Montaña” (brown)
is the poorest region of the
country; most of the people that
live within this region are
indigenous. 73.9% of the
Guerrero en datos, Guerrero Regions
municipalities that keep
indigenous languages haven’t
developed income sources
(Guerrero, 2009) so they become
the main source of migration in all
levels. In the right box, the green
are indigenous municipalities and
blue ones are the main
municipalities receiving people as
Municipalities with indigenous population
a result of migration. If we
compare both maps we can see
that match between poverty and migration.
Guerrero has also become an
important source of marihuana
and “amapola” or poppy. As we
can see in left map there are some
areas of “La Montaña” that have
some drug producing areas but
the main ones of the state are in
Guerrero en datos, Drugs Areas:
Green – Marihuana and Red ‐ Amapola
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7. SOCIAL JUSTICE, COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND ACTIVISM MMN PROGRAM
the “Costa Grande” and “Tierra Caliente”. As we can see in the next map the most
military prescience is concentrated in “La Montana” region where most of the
Human Rights infringements are committed (Yellow marked).
The indigenous populations of “La Montaña” have these characteristics:
• 96% of their population has no access to health services with qualified
medics.
• 50% of the population is analphabet.
• Between 80% and 100% of the houses don’t address the minimum conditions
of dignity
• There is one hospital located in Tlapa de Conmonfort that is supposed to
attend 300,500 people from 17 municipalities. In the most margined areas it
reaches to 88% (San Marcos)
• 46% of the people above the 15 years old has no source of income
• 24% of the population that has an income earns 5 USD per day
• 1 gynecologist for attending 17,654 women in fertile stage
• 97% of the houses has no sewage system
• 45.4% of the indigenous population above 15 years old never went to a
school and the majority of them are women.
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8. SOCIAL JUSTICE, COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND ACTIVISM MMN PROGRAM
Criminalization of Human Rights Watchers
After recognizing the reality that
our indigenous people lives and
trying to imagine the fight they
are struggling in an everyday basis
I understood that they have
realized some of the developed
tactics by Saul Slinky in his Rules
for Radicals. One of them is the
Ninth rule: “Any effective means is
automatically judged by the
opposition as being unethical”
(Alinsky, 1989) and they are also
developing the media as an ally to
face the different issues they are
facing. We need to recognize that
Tlachinolan/Rodrigo A Cruz
they appear in the printed media
but they have no appearance in
the television news, mostly because nobody access to their communities. In Mexico
very few people reads newspaper, even thou it has a powerful symbolic impact. An
important action might be to provide them with several tools that might let them
record visual images that they might be sending to national and international allies.
Many national countrymen that joined so faithfully to the EZLN in 1994 for example,
was because the media coverage they achieved. A similar campaign should be
addressed.
The major strength of the organizations of human rights of Guerrero has been the
presence and coverage of international agencies that has an important moral image
around the world. Therefore their most effective source of power comes from an
outside third actor and this makes them very vulnerable. IN the picture above we
can see how they created an alliance called: “Red Guerrerense de Organismos Civiles
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9. SOCIAL JUSTICE, COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND ACTIVISM MMN PROGRAM
de Derechos Humanos” but they do not have a web page nor other tool for
communication and their most closest organization is Tlachinollan that has to speak
for all the Human Rights violations of the state. It has become a known actor and as
consequence people from government or private sector refuse to dialogue with
them. In a scenario where Tlachinollan could be the objective of an open attack they
would be left almost without contacts to the rest of the country.
They have few resources
for defending themselves
but what they have they
use it very effectively and
they “clothe it with moral
garments” which makes
their testimonials very
strong ‐tenth Slinky ‘s rule‐.
Militar Army in the community of Barranca Piña,
An effective suggested municipality of Acatepec
action for impacting this
rule is to get financial help for making a documental or a short about this issue and
to show up the everyday life about indigenous Human Rights Violations and sharing
the documented information.
They also were part of a campaign where other national Human Rights organizations
have positioned the “Criminalization of social movements” that goes directly to the
Federal Government that has developed and strengthened the military tactics (Villa,
2009). They should make a state campaign searching for local organizations that are
well known for their moral capital such as the Catholic church, private universities, if
possible Civil Society Organizations that are focused to the assistance of the upper
classes to the poorest areas of Guerrero and ideally private for‐profit organizations
knowing that this might be unlikely. They need the help of the actors they now rely
on like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Greenpeace, Front Line and of
course all the support of the nationals that launched the campaign where important
allies will be: Academia Mexicana de Drenches Humanos, Artículo XIX, Asistencia
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10. SOCIAL JUSTICE, COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND ACTIVISM MMN PROGRAM
Legal por los Derechos Humanos, AC (ASILEGAL), CENCOS (Centro de Nacional de
Comunicación Social), Centro de Derechos Humanos “Fray Francisco de Vitoria OP”,
AC, Centro de Derechos Humanos “Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez”, AC, Centro de
Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, AC, Centro Mexicano de Derecho
Ambiental (CEMDA), Centro Regional de Derechos Humanos José María Morelos y
Pavón, AC, Colectivo Contra la Tortura y la Impunidad, AC, Colectivo por la
Transparencia, Comisión Mexicana de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos
Humanos, AC, Consejo Ciudadano del Premio Nacional de Periodismo, AC, DECA‐
Equipo Pueblo, AC, El Caracol, AC, Fundar Centro de Análisis e Investigación, AC,
Incide Social, AC, Iniciativas para la Identidad y la Inclusión, AC, Instituto Mexicano
de Derechos Humanos y Democracia, AC, Red Nacional de Organismos Civiles de
Derechos Humanos “Todos los Derechos para Todas y Todos”, Mujer y Medio
Ambiente, Promotores de la Autogestión para el Desarrollo Social (PADS), Proyecto
de Derechos Económicos
Sociales y Culturales, AC
(PRODESC) and Alianza
Cívica, AC. The bolded ones
are nationally well known
and has important social
and political capital, the
rest has important
grassroots development
CDHM Tlachinollan
and might join in to a Military Army in El Llano community, Acatepec
future movement.
Identity
It is a fact that human beings have come together to organize themselves to get a
specific objective; no matter if it was a decision, for getting food, for survival or for
establishing a society. “Human being” is a structurally social being, socially
constructed and with the capacity to modify himself as a consequence of this
construction (Zubiri, 1986). Our identity is build by others that are ‘like me’, the
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11. SOCIAL JUSTICE, COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND ACTIVISM MMN PROGRAM
“others” define pretty much about me while making my life possible, even if they
were not aware or they were not conscious about the importance of their actions.
This is the way we all learn to see the world and the others, the way we learn to
distinguish myself from things and the others; this is the first approach we have to
reality, the way we are socially constructed at the beginning of our lives.
It is very important we realize
that “the other” is the one that
allows me to grow, “the other”
allows the possibility to
choose; “the difference” gives
us possibilities. The difference
provides me with the
possibility to enhance my own
Tlachinolan/Rodrigo A Cruz
Women from an ecologic group of Petatlán mountains life or to confirm my own
practice, the possibility to
confirm myself on what I am and what I do, or not to. This process is only achievable
through difference, in this process we build/confirm our identity.
The identity of the indigenous groups is being “attacked” ‐as we all‐ in a continuous
basis and with all the existing available media. The western culture that arrived
hundreds of years ago has made a tremendous effort to bring those cultures in to a
standardization trying to establish a typical/average way of life that responds to
specific interests. To be able to get some independence of that way of living we need
to develop critical thinking (Ore, 2009). The indigenous has kept most of their
traditions not only through this critical thinking but also because the geographical
difficulties they have had historically. Within these days television has been able to
arrive even to those places and they are learning the western culture and
understanding that being men and being happy is equal to being oppressors They
are starting to understand that living and the meaning of the pursuit of happiness as
going in to the cities to make money. The cosmos‐vision that relies in their traditions
is being questioned.
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Identity and human rights
I have come to realize that the
fight for human rights within
the indigenous people might
have in the bottom an identity
fight. It might be a fight where
the principles expressed in the
Pedagogy of the Oppressed of
Paolo Frere are practiced in Roberto García Ortíz
Celsa Valdovinos y Felipe Arreaga, after they had a press
those communities. conference in Mexico city.
It is the indigenous people that
are fighting against different
issues as we saw at the
beginning of the paper. It is
them who are in the frontline
assuming their “historical role”
and several members of an
external community supports
them in their fights.
Specifically the Human Rights
Center “Tlachinollan” arrived Roberto García Ortíz
Celsa Valdovinos y Felipe Arreaga, after they had a press
more that 13 years ago to conference in Mexico city.
Tlapa de Conmonfort in “La Montaña” and just has opened an office in other three
places in the state of Guerrero. They have defined as their mission: “To promote and
defend the rights of the Naua, Na savi, Me´phaa and non‐indigenous peoples in La
Montaña and Costa Chica from an integral cultural perspective, and help them create
legitimate and peaceful means to ensure respect for their human rights”
(Tlachinollan, 1996)
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It is not a coincidence that they add themselves into the fight of the people. The verb
help means they are doing something and what they are doing is to “create
legitimate and peaceful means” which is a consequence of the cultural identity of
the Me’phaa culture.
Military
intimidating
Me’ phaa women
from the
community
Caxitepec
Pictures: CDHM Tlachinollan
The indigenous organizations they have created like OPIM and OFPM are a result of
the construction of the identity they are achieving and through them they are
looking forward in keeping their achievements. We should not forget that the nature
of an institution is to keep, to maintain, to avoid changes, to continue and if possible
to reproduce it self as a system. An institution is made to prevent changes that will
go against its defined nature, that’s why we created them. In this sense the
institutions become the foundation of a society. The OPIM and the OFPM are the
foundations of a different society that is working with the principles of their own
culture with the learning of our western culture about the creation of a “Legal”
institution.
At the moment they have created an important social capital within the world with
their commitment. Having people killed and achieving the international support they
have achieved is not a simple task. The support and media coverage they have had is
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14. SOCIAL JUSTICE, COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND ACTIVISM MMN PROGRAM
consequence of the commitment they have developed. The lack of social justice in
their immediate context makes them stronger and having the Mexican Army within
their communities are two sources of union, identity, strength and a continuous
confirmation of the dreams they want to achieve.
I think that the core of their strength is the grass root they have on their behalf and
this strength does not appear in the media. The organization they have responds
geographically and they all know ‐because they have lived it‐ that any attack for
human rights organizations will affect their ecology organizations, any attack in their
educational structure will affect their identity… they have done this identity
“survival” through hundreds of years…
The Human Rights Organizations of
Guerrero State need to capitalize
their achievements by developing
symbols of their successes. The
EZLN and the Chiapas State
organizations have much to share
in this point. For example, the
“Abejas Organization” in Chiapas
has the “Column of infamy”, a
monument built by the Danish
Jens Galschiot in honor for the 45
killed people (15 children, 21
women, and 9 men) and the 25
wounded by paramilitaries while
they were praying in the small
chapel they had. They also have
Column of infamy
created a chorus were the children Acteal, Chenaló, Chis
of the community sing very diverse
songs. These actions strengthen
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15. SOCIAL JUSTICE, COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND ACTIVISM MMN PROGRAM
their identity and provide them with a physical reminder of what they are and what
they dream, it is an important way of expanding their institutionalization process.
The Abejas Organization has also created a coffee cooperative known as “Maya
Vinic” and they distribute their products under fair trade to United States and the
European Union. In the US for example Higher Grounds Trading Company, located in
Michigan distributes their coffee.
A future agenda
The human rights organizations have been severely damaged by the image the
government has positioned upon them through several years. Some of the needed
actions are focused to attend and to strengthen the internal identity and some
actions should be focused to get more moral capital through the media and through
alliances with different actors within society.
Sen principles of “picking the good fight”, direct action and leading forward (Sen,
2003) are key concepts that these organizations need to strengthen, especially the
last two concepts. They need to develop a continuous campaign to position Human
Rights as a minimum in the state agenda. They are normally acting in a responsive
way. The lack of resources of these organizations is deep and at the same time their
appearances in the international media hasn’t been capitalized in a donors
campaign. It is awful to be in the position they are but with the elements I had I can
confirm they haven’t asked any foundation for support to their causes and their
presence in national and international media has been important. What they
actually have developed is good relations that improves them but not necessarily
makes them independent or “individually” stronger, their dependency to
Tlachinollan makes them weak and I believe it is time to start going forward in this
specific aspect by “themselves” (Sen, 2003).
Their alliances are their stronger area. They are well positioned within the civil
society sector but their presence is only in this sector, they should improve in an
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16. SOCIAL JUSTICE, COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND ACTIVISM MMN PROGRAM
international level and try to connect with private and government as suggested in
the previous lines.
They haven’t worked in developing new leaders and this is an important powerless
area. They should ask for scholarships to their national allies for their people go
outside and get back different tools for development, not only in Human Rights but
in helping the rest of the community to improve their reality economically,
medically, or any other aspect of their needs. People that might be able to go
outside will also get a bigger overview of the complexity of their issues and the
context of the state and country so s/he can come back and share. Even to bring
other indigenous from different national communities (and send) might be an
enlightening experience. These might be part of a complete plan and focusing in
getting small successes will make them stronger and will bring more hope back.
These are actions that hasn’t been used and their effectiveness will take them out of
the experience “of the enemy” (Alinsky, 1989) At the same time developing role
plays will make them stronger and better in the long run (Dobson, 2003)
I believe that they should avoid direct conflict with military army due to the
experience has shown that for the moment they aren’t an addressable achievement
and to focus on local and state politicians that has something to do directly with the
issue. The congress might be the most important factor due they do not often
appear. Federal authorities and army issues might be documented and supported by
them but never leaded.
We should never forget their every day reality. We should never fall to remember
the lack of social justice, the absence of possibilities to develop their humanity, the
consequences of our actions as a society that accepts and reproduce unjust
structures because our absence of critical thinking. We need to retake our citizen
role and to remember that these brothers have the same rights that I have.
An important learning in this journey is that we need to re‐valuate the richness we
have with our indigenous people, we need to go back to our origins and to re‐take
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from them their vision of the world, men and society; their difference will bring us
the possibility to re‐think and to develop a deepest critical thinking in front of
western culture that tries to orientate our actions towards the individualism and the
minimization of the common good.
One of my personal great learning’s among indigenous communities is that their
celebration of life and dead is so close, their pain and happiness are so connected.
One Jesuit friend that was working with Acteal communities while the massacre
occurred shared how people cried them and made the ritual goodbye one day after.
He highlighted how the goodbye rituals were full of dances that celebrated the life of
their dead friends, moms, and children… they relate dance with life, and how
dancing is a similar way of “living”, of expressing life; a way of feeling the blood in
our veins and a way of celebrating life, in contact with mother earth, under the
blessed sky and expressing yourself within the community, within “the others” that
make my life possible: “to dance or die”.
I believe that this dance is the heart/source
of their social justice passion/inspiration.
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