Day of the Dead, remembering the fallen

This is the time of year when in Mexico (and throughout the world) we honor our loved ones who have died.  This is an especially poignant holiday in Oaxaca where over 30 people have been killed for their work demanding human rights and justice just since 2006.  For many of us from the United States the murder of solidarity activists, Brad Will and Sali Grace resonates deeply.  We remember and honor all those who have fallen struggling for justice, their work and the tragedy of their deaths will not be forgotten.

Read letters from the families of Brad Will and Sali Grace and other Day of the Dead activities…

Minneapolis, kicking off Midwest tour

We are warmly received in Minneapolis for an impactful Day of the Dead weekend to begin our midwest section of Teaching Rebellion tour.  We met with several well established groups with a distinct human rights focus.  Thank you to  Advocates for Human Rights, your work and teaching materials are an inspiration.  Our event at Resource Center of the Americas drew a great crowd of folks who have for many years worked on Latin American solidarity issues.  This amazing organization sigue luchando despite financial and organizational set backs.  Thank you.

With the amazing audience at Mayday Books we shared our hopes and frustrations for organizing in the US and Mexico in the face of economic crisis and political shifts.  With the folks at Bedlam Theater we honored the life and work of Sali Grace, an activist from the Unites States who was murdered recently in Oaxaca.

Our very international audience at the University of Minnesota Human Rights Center made for a memorable event as students, faculty and fellows from Philippines, Brazil, Russia, Iraq, Ecuador, India and Mexico shared their perspectives on social uprising and political ideology.

Please check out great new article by John Ross, about the Brad Will murder investigation posted at Friends of Brad Will

West Coast, nos estamos viendo!

We conclude our whirlwind tour up the west coast in Seattle, finding, as in all cities, old friends and new contacts that inspire us to do this all over again when we are able to print Teaching Rebellion in Spanish.  Discussion at University of Washington Law School touched upon the role of tourism in Oaxacan economy and movement strategies draw attention to deep injustices in the state through international solidarity.      

The group of professors, staff and students at Seattle University asked the important question- did US corporations play a role in the conflict, and we discussed the organizing against US-based factory that produced tear gas canisters used (often incorrectly mortally wounding some movement members) by Mexican Federal Police in Oaxaca.

The Spanish speaking and largely Oaxacan audience that we met with at Beacon Hill Public Library in Seattle reminded us again of the deep connections between the US and Mexico, and how immigrant communities in the US continue to be engaged and active in Mexican social movements.  Our friend and colleague Jill Freidberg was able to join us during several Seattle events, and her contributions to discussion were invaluable. For an excellent analysis on Oaxacan conflict check out her documentary, Un Poquito de Tanta Verdad.

Thanks everyone!

Students: Take to the Streets!

Over the last week we’ve enjoyed talking to largely student audiences at Portland’s Oregon Health and Science University (sponsered by Global Health Alliance), Lewis and Clark College, and Portland State University (sponsered by MEChA).  In all events the important question of “what can we do?” was asked in different ways- a question to which we speakers consistently answer: take to the streets!  Whatever your skills, your interests, your community, find the way to not just study, learn, analyze,  but to take action!    We got  to join some in doing just that, when on the 2nd anniversary of Brad Will’s murder, we converged on the Mexican Consulate in Portland to raise awareness about that case and human rights violations that continue in Oaxaca and Mexico in General.  Thanks everyone!