human rights
School of the Americas (SOA) Watch Vigil - 2004 - Since 1990, activists have travelled to the U.S. Army School in Ft. Benning, GA, where some 60,000 Latin American military officers have trained and graduated since 1946. Vigils commemorate the November 1989 killing of six Jesuit priests, their co-worker and daughter in El Salvador, with a Congressional Task Force reporting that those responsible were SOA-trained. Graduates have been implicated in serious human rights abuses, as the School’s manuals appear to condone if not promote the use of torture. 10,000 Columbian graduates in a country where 2 million have been displaced by government repression. Participants give “witness” through cross processionals, testimonies, acts of civil disobedience (crossing the property line), community singing and Everyman drama enactments (Putting Down the Empire). Giant puppets portray Salvadoran torture victims who spoke out against economic, social injustice and the right to organize during that country’s bloody civil war, and the generals responsible. Since 2015, the Vigil has moved to the US-Mexican border, in Nogales, Arizona, to highlight the relationship between U.S. Latin American policies and the increase of asylum seekers.
Occupation is a Crime: “Jewish Voice for Peace is an organization that opposes anti-Jewish, anti-Muslim, and anti-Arab bigotry and oppression. JVP seeks an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem; security and self-determination for Israelis and Palestinians; a just solution for Palestinian refugees based on principles established in international law; an end to violence against civilians; and peace and justice for all peoples of the Middle East.” Mission Statement, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) “Activism for Palestinian rights does not inherently threaten Jewish identity.” (JVP)
First Peoples Healing Conference - November 2019 - The Genocide, Oppression, Resilience, and Sovereignty of the First Peoples of California - November 2019 San Diego State University.
Presentations, music, documentary films, and political action sessions provided knowledge of the California genocide and Indigenous peoples’ history, as the community shared ideas for resolutions to be sent to state officials.
Procession of Silent Witnesses- Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) in the U.S. and Canada, as the Native American Flag was raised.
"They lived among us and went missing or were murdered or committed suicide. They asked for help, and never got what they needed to keep themselves safe. Someone they knew or a stranger(s) killed them. They have not been found or their murder/suicide remains unsolved. No one was held accountable for abducting or murdering them.´ Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women.
immigrant rights
Immigrant Rights - Amidst national divisiveness on Immigrant Rights and Policy issues, demonstrators call for Immigration Reform, decriminalization, humane treatment and due process under the law, for asylum seekers and their families. While U.S. signs protest an expensive Wall, artwork on the Mexican side reads, “On the Side of Love.”
Lights for liberty- march and vigil
san ysidro- july 12 2019
On July 12th, in over 700 cities across the country, people marched and demanded that the current administration "Close the Camps," mass detention centers where children and families are being held. Thousands gathered at the U.S. Mexican border in San Ysidro, California, to protest detention of individuals and families seeking asylum after fleeing their countries of origin due to violence and fears for their safety. The march and vigil highlighted inhumane conditions and treatment of those held by U.S. Immigration--detention in cages and overcrowded facilities without adequate medical treatment or basic sanitary conditions, and lacking critical counseling for the devastating effects of trauma on children and parents separated for long periods. Youth were wrapped in mylar blankets to highlight children sleeping on cold, concrete floors without adequate warmth, with one facility being referred to as the "Ice Box." An 82-year old Holocaust survivor testified at the Vigil, "These children will be traumatized for the rest of their lives. The roundup of people and children by ICE is cruel and reminiscent of Gestapo techniques and Nazi treatment of people."
