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Showing posts with the label human rights

Caminando (Walking)

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This weekend, several Sinsinawa Dominicans and I attended the annual School of the Americas vigil and protest.   Several thousand people gathered at the gates of the school to remember the thousands tortured, kidnapped, and murdered at the hands of dictators and militaries trained there. It was a powerful, holy, and overwhelming weekend.   We heard from people who have lost children, parents, friends.   We heard from people who have been working for over thirty years to close the school and end the injustice.   We sang, danced, prayed, and called forth the names of the dead. As I return home, my spirit somehow feels both broken and lifted.   I am energized to have been among such a dedicated group of peacemakers, but I am also reminded that working for justice “is just like a long walk… the real changes take a lot of time and we need to learn how to walk to the change we want to see.” (Francisco Herrera). Herrera wrote a song about this called “Cam...

Where Is God Leading You?

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There are so many concerns in our world and the days are only 24 hours long. Life has given me great opportunities to know human rights defenders and people in a variety of struggles. This photo is with Attorney Estela Angeles MondragĂłn who defends the rights of the land for Indigenous Raramuri (two men in photo) in northern Mexico.  Isabel, my coworker, and I had the honor to welcome them to our center and participate as Estela received a human rights prize for her key legal work to save the land rights of a vulnerable population. As Dominicans we seek truth and justice for all. We work in struggles of immigration and land rights, worker rights for many. It is invigorating work and exciting. I have met wonderful people in this journey. God leads us and we follow where the Spirit directs. Together with dedicated folks we make a difference and see change happen. Where is God leading you? Who are you meeting on the journey? I love being Dominican; it is life...