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Photo by James Rodriguez - May 2013

This May marks the eighth anniversary of the genocide trail verdict in which former Guatemalan Dictator Rios Montt was found guilty of masterminding the genocide of Guatemala’s indigenous Maya people in the 1980s. The above photo shows the joy reflected on the faces of the Maya Ixil women upon the verdict’s announcement in Guatemala City in May 2013. The look on her face reflects centuries of struggle and the elation that comes with truth telling in a very public way amongst a society that wishes to bury the truth of the past, maintain silence, and continue to exploit and perpetrate violence against the indigenous Maya people.

Similar images were captured last month in this country when the guilty verdict was read in the murder of George Floyd.

Photo by Ricardo Lopez | Minnesota Reformer/Twitter - April 2021

This image of a Minneapolis black woman, to us, reflects a black mother’s worry, anguish and anticipation leading up to the verdict’s announcement, and the moment she was able to take a long, deep breath, while protecting her heart. It shows her sense of relief that after so long, after such struggle and exhaustion, the system finally no longer permitted and legitimized the public assasination of her people.

Both the Ixil Maya woman and the Minneapolis black woman know that the struggle for justice, accountability and peace does not end with guilty verdicts while racist systems continue to thrive. What they also know is that these victories must be celebrated as progress and forward movement, even if they aren’t the comprehensive systemic changes we dream of. They value the courage and the bravery that it took for those who testified in both trials to speak truth to power and to break the silence that perpetuates racist systems. They understand that when an institution like the court system recognizes extreme harm done, that Recognition impacts public opinion.

They also know that La lucha no termina - Sigue. But the struggle continues this time with the knowledge that it does bring progress, and that someday the joy will be the ultimate win of full equality. As the Maya people taught me (Kim) while I accompanied their struggles about 13 years ago, “We have been struggling for over 400 years,” in reference to the Spanish conquest of their lands, “Why would we stop now?”

Will you join us in supporting the continued struggle for justice, accountability and peace of the indigenous Maya people? Just a small donation will go a long way to helping us meet our goal for Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala, and every gift made, up to $40,000 will be matched, dollar-for-dollar! Thank you!

What will my gift support?

• International accompaniment - We are excited to continue expanding our accompaniment program. Currently, during the pandemic, we have adjusted to a remote accompaniment model. Read more about our year of remote accompaniment here.
• Cross-border organizing - NISGUA facilitates exchange between movements in the U.S. and Guatemala through virtual meetings, webinars, speaking tours, and delegations. Read about our most recent delegation here, or watch the latest webinar, here.
• Campaign development - In order to bring about long-term change, we know that educating our base and speaking truth to power is crucial. Read about our latest campaign win to suspend the Asylum Cooperative Agreements, and take action in the continued campaign to end title-42 expulsions and all deportations.
• Relationship-building with Guatemalan partners - Staff and volunteers maintain regular contact with our Guatemalan counterparts who are fighting for justice and defending their territories. What we learn from our partners informs every other strategy we employ. Learn more here.

In solidarity,

Kim and Jerry