Our conversations and engagements deepened on Wednesday and Thursday.
Some of us visited one of the Border Communities of San Pedro Sula. About 100,000 people live in this area near the water and in the shadow of high-rise luxuriant condos. Clean clothes on the line and babies in arms are signs that life goes on here even while Grandparents care for the children of their sons and daughters who have gone North hoping to provide a better life for their families. Armed guards have threatened them, sprayed them with tear gas, and pulled furniture from their homes. People with more power and influence want a parking area for those in the condos. The community stands firm.
Others heard the stories of the Water Defenders and the way they show up to protect the land and the rivers even when their lives are at risk. The amazing thing about these conversations is what we learned: defending the water is not a job that only a few can do. It is work that all of us need to do. We saw that the whole community organizes around and engages this work every single day. They find their strength as they organize and they told us that our solidarity was an important way for us to encourage them as they continue the struggle.
We converged in Tegucigalpa Thursday evening for an Ecumenical Rally and Vigil to remember the Guapinol 12 and those who remain incarcerated as well as to continue the fight against impunity and corruption in the government. There were powerful moments last night and the photos below tell just a little of the whole story. Check out
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