Guatemala: No Olvidaremos! by Rev. McGee and UUCA Delegation to Guatemala, Nov. 14, 2010

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Guatemala: No Olvidaremos!

“Cajola” by Lee Bory

        Good morning and welcome everyone to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington. My name is Lee Bory, and I greet you this morning wearing a Guatemalan hat – and wonderful traditional Guatemalan costume. I, and others of our UUCA Sacred Dance Group, dance in support of the AWAL dancers who will dance their traditional Corn Dance. Through their dances, they are preserving and passing on their culture and traditions. Please join us in Fellowship Hall after the service to celebrate these traditions.

        And I welcome you as a member of our recent delegation to Guatemala. We returned home last Sunday after a very full week that you will hear about in this service. I am still struggling to integrate what I learned, and to redefine the world and my place in it.

        We traveled through some exceptionally beautiful parts of Guatemala, and heard many stories from many people – some full of grief and pain, and some full of joy and hope. I get to tell you one of the success stories – of a small village called Cajola. 94% of Cajola is poor, and 40% live in the U.S. Over the past ten years, these Guatemalans from Cajola now in the U.S. have formed Grupo Cajola to support each other in New Jersey and in Georgia where many of them live, and to support their community in Guatemala. They work in many different ways, but the one we saw there was development of businesses.

        We met Edouardo, who returned from some years of living in the U,S, to help start three small businesses – a carpentry shop, a weaving cooperative, and a laying hen operation. Forty five or so people in Cajola are employed by these businesses, using skills they had, learning new skills, and especially learning the skills of keeping their businesses going and growing. We visited each of these businesses, meeting the men and women of all ages who work there, and hearing their stories, often double translated from the Mayan language Mam to Spanish then to English. Now they earn some money; now they have hope.

        To quote from some information about the group: “Many of us have had to migrate to the United States out of necessity – to earn money for food, medical care, school, or housing for our families. We have organized ourselves to watch out for each other, especially during hard times. Some of us have returned to Guatemala, to Cajola, and we are working there to organize the community to develop opportunities for a better life so that no-one has to leave his family and community behind in order to survive.

        Please hear these stories we tell of this place – Guatemala – and ponder how they can reshape your definition of the world.

“KITE Story” by Jacomina de Regt

        In Guatemala, November 1 and 2 are known as the Days of the Dead. On November 1, the focus is more on the children and on November 2 on the adults that have died. On both days, people fly kites. In fact, we saw one cemetery where many kids had climbed onto the tombs of the dead and they were all flying kites and all these graves and tombs had been newly painted and decorated with flowers.

        We traveled to Sumpango, a Mayan community known for its Gigantic Kites, and I mean BIG. From here to here and then up to the ceiling, some 60 to 80 feet in diameter. These kites were held up with strong wooden and bamboo poles. They were too big to fly, but smaller versions of them did fly. But they were beautifully decorated. This is like a contest, kites by the women, the youth, the workers, all with Mayan symbols. The custom is to write messages on the kites to those who have died. Then when the kite crashes, they believe that messages from those who have died are coming back to you. You listen in your heart.

         Here is our kite.. we flew two of them.. running around with the children and their parents.. All of us wrote messages on this kite, personal messages, but also one very special message to the children that disappeared, the children whose names are not remembered because whole villages were murdered.

         This was joyful and meaningful.. we personally participated…

“Accompaniers & Scholarships” by Bill Arvidson

        Four of us-- Chris, Lavona, Bob and myself—arrived in Guatemala three days early to travel to Rabinal to talk with people about accompaniment and to meet some of the students who are receiving scholarships from this congregation.

        In the remote Mayan village of Chichupac we met with five community members. Chichupac suffered horrific violence by the Guatemalan military during the 36-year internal armed conflict. Since the peace accords in 1996, many survivors from Chichupac have given, and continue to give, legal testimony risking intimidation and violence from prominent men in Guatemalan society and government. These survivors told us that the simple presence of international accompaniers mitigates against threats of intimidation and violence.

        We met members of the Association for Justice and Reconciliation who have been taking legal action against those responsible for the killing and disappearance of 240,000 Guatemalans. These Mayan survivors explained that the presence of international accompaniers shields them from intimidation by those threatened.

        A poignant testimony came from Julia who told us that she witnessed the killing of her family members as a teenager and was emotionally damaged for many years. Later Julia developed a trusting relationship with an international accompanier who helped her overcome her grief and encouraged her to become active in her community. With new confidence, Julia decided her mission was to seek justice for her and other survivors.

        We met three international accompaniers-- Camilla from France, Anton from Switzerland, and Estevan from Sweden-- who were about to depart to their assigned villages. And we interviewed two delightful 18-year old Mayan students-- Angelina Vargas Manuel and Alvaro Giovanni Chen--who UUCA is sponsoring.

        So, by sponsoring accompaniers and by aiding young Mayans with scholarships we are supporting human rights in Guatemala. “Ubaldo Ramirez” by M.J. Schmelzer Hoekstra.

        Ubaldo Ramirez returned to consciousness under a spiny bush at 5 am .. cold and surrounded by wolves. His body gave out after 8 days on the desert, five of them without food or very much water. He had spent $40,000 Quetzales ($5,000) to get this far; to be treated like an animal by three coyotes on the journey from his home in Cajola, Guatemala, to a desert bush five miles south of Phoenix, and left to his fate.

        He walked six hours without food or water to a road. There he collapsed again. A citizen called immigration. Within 15 minutes immigration arrived and gave him food and water. He assumed he would be treated well, but that was not to be. Ubaldo says, “there were 100 of us to a cell and not enough space to lie down. We were standing up. They put shackles on our hands and feet and switched us to another jail with hardened criminals. They gave us a small amount of food and no blankets and the criminals we shared our cells with, they were bad.” After 11 days Ubaldo was back in Guatemala.

        Why did Ubaldo put himself through this?

        What were his dreams and his plans?

        He needed to help support his family and dreamed of opening a small business. Happily he is now doing these things (working and learning) with the help of a Guatemalan grassroots organization called DESGUA.

“Concepción Chiquirichapa” by Chris Sutton

        From the very beginning, one of our destinations was the community of Concepción Chiquirichapa in the highlands of Guatemala. Conce, as it is known for short, is the hometown of many who live in our area as our neighbors and friends. What a privilege it was to be able to meet their friends and families.

        In Conce, we visited with people developing a cultural center to promote traditional Mayan values and arts. The AWAL dancers here today are from Concepción and support the center.

        We were hosted by Carlos Hernandez, who served as our guide and interpretor at the Mayan middle school in Telená and the Red Cross clinic built by donations from immigrants living in our area. Carlos returned voluntarily from our area to Guatemala, and now teaches English at the school and drives the clinic’s ambulance.

        Carlos also accompanied us to the Maya Mam village of Toj Chan and served as our bridge to the community. We spent time with the family of Victor Lopez who left Toj Chan when he was 14. Victor has not seen his family since 1999, and it was not lost on us that we, as U.S. citizens, were free to visit them, exchange hugs and share pictures, while he must rely on periodic cell phone conversations to stay connected. I think it was more than pure chance that he called at the precise time we were standing in his yard.

        Before this trip, I could not have defined ‘radical hospitality’. But we certainly experienced it in Guatemala. People went out of their way to welcome us warmly, make us feel comfortable, and accompany us in unfamiliar surroundings. May we take their wonderful example to heart.

“Toj Chan” by Bob Denniston

        And speaking of radical hospitality! The village of Toj Chan – up in the mountains at nearly 10,000 feet – exceeded any expectations that we might have had. The bus stopped on the steep incline and we walked up the last hill – past fields of corn and squash and potatoes, soon to come face-to-face with beautiful children running toward us, welcoming us with smiles and giggles.

        We walked up to the school and met the adults -- the women, dressed in traditional Mayan dress, hand-made, colorful, welcomed us with the customary touching of arms to elbows; the men, gathered along the outer wall, stoic, in blue jeans and boots – some just come from the fields – and welcomed us with a handshake. Some women were making tamales and chuchitos, the aroma drifting across the basketball court, where we all gathered. Some of us played patty cake with wide-eyed girls.

        The community meeting gave us an opportunity to hear first-hand the interests and concerns of the people, from those whose crops are hard-hit by the tropical storms and heavy rains, from those who have lived and worked in the US but have returned to Toj Chan, and those who understand their strength as a community yet their vulnerability in a world that too often values dollars and trade opportunities over social justice.

        We enjoyed our freshly-prepared dinner in the two-room school. And then, to my total surprise, I was summoned back outside to the sight of 50 or more children, gathered around a birthday cake. You see – it was my birthday – and this turned out to be my biggest birthday party ever. A woman carefully carved thin slices of the cake so that all the children could enjoy a taste.

        And later we retired to the larger of the two classrooms to sleep, wooden boards on concrete blocks above the cold cement floor, women on one side, men on the other. To sleep, despite barking dogs and crowing roosters, perchance to dream, of giggling children who deserve a future where genocide no longer exists, and where economic survival does not depend on loved ones having to risk life, limb and family disruption by seeking work in “the north.”

“Our Bus Driver” by Paul Hoekstra

        In Guatemala our bus was just large enough for fifteen-people and our luggage. It was driven by Jose Altera, whose skill we came to appreciate, and whose life helps illustrate the physical and social conditions in Guatemala.

         I arrived late for our first bus ride and had to take the single seat just behind Jose. It became a habit to take this seat despite offers to switch because I could take pictures through the windshield. I watched Jose smooth out our ride with deft shoves of the wheel to miss holes. Not rough pavement but holes.

         The mountain regions of Guatemala were hit hard by Hurricane Agatha and other heavy rains. The main intercity highways are usually four-lane with a grassy median separating the two directions. Some stretches are cut into steep mountainsides, and sometimes the uphill lane or lanes were still covered by rockfalls, or in places the downhill side was undermined. In many places there are no guardrails, and four feet or so beyond the edge of the road is the edge of everything. The dangerous parts were blocked by barrels, brush, or small boulders. At night there were no lighted signs. Jose would cut across into the other side where one lane was dedicated each way.

        In the towns many streets were as wide as the Spanish conquistadors felt necessary but were cramped for our vehicle. Sometimes we applauded after he took two minutes to turn a corner.

        In addition to being an excellent driver, Jose felt that it was his duty to sleep overnight on the bus, even in 40-degree weather. That way he protected the bus and anything we left on it.

        The climate of violence in Guatemala has made life difficult for bus drivers in general and Jose especially. He said that bus drivers were killed by competing bus companies or criminals enforcing protection rackets. Jose said he knew of thirteen bus drivers killed. But crime struck him personally particularly hard. He had once left his cell phone at home, and his thirteen-year-old daughter was using it as she walked doing an errand. Suddenly a woman demanded the cell phone. His daughter had scarcely said “Oh, No! It’s my father’s!” when the woman stabbed her. The knife penetrated her kidney, and it took all of Jose’s savings to save her life. Jose said, “Sometimes your whole life changes in just a second.” That appears to be a general condition for Guatemalans.

“US Embassy” by Fred Zimmerman

        On Friday morning we left Quetzeltenango at 5:00 AM to travel to Guatemala City for an 11:00 AM meeting at the U.S. Embassy. Because we had a flat tire on the way, and security at the embassy was so tight, it was noon before we actually arrived at the meeting room with the embassy personnel. The three personnel from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) informed us that they could only stay for 15 minutes. So we changed our order of presentation, and Chris Sutton related the story of an immigrant who struggled for 12 days in the desert to cross the border into the United States, only to be detained by ICE in very inhumane conditions. One of the ICE officials immediately broke in saying that the part about inhumane conditions in detention could not be true. However another ICE official said that the description of overcrowded conditions could have been “exaggerated” rather than false. The first ICE official invited us to tour an ICE detention facility, and many group members would like to do this.

        After we asked the next question, an embassy official launched into a lengthy and irrelevant answer. However, our moderator, Jacomica de Regt, was able to tactfully yet firmly rein this official in and get the discussion back on track. After this exchange, the embassy personnel seemed to be more responsive to our concerns. In fact one embassy official said that we were better prepared than many groups that the embassy meets with.

“Where do we go from here?” by Lavona Grow, Social Justice Coordinator

        Last month, in Rev. Michael’s sermon on immigration and about this trip, he said, “We will return from Guatemala with a commitment to use what we learn to build better bridges of understanding with immigrants and to work for effective reform.”

        And we did. We made personal commitments to take action and to share what we’ve witnessed and learned. We hope you will join us and identify additional ways to educate ourselves on the issues, be in solidarity with immigrants and refugees, and work to change our broken immigration system. Here are some of our ideas:

• First, share our stories and decorate tables for the Guatemala Human Rights Commission Fund Raiser hosted by our church on Dec. 12.
• Strengthen our connections with the local Conce Guatemalan community.
• Use our videos and photos to tell Myans’ stories.
• Visit the detention center in Farmville, Virginia.
• Offer courses and study groups to educate our selves.
• Submit workshop application about our trip for the 2012 General Assembly in Phoenix, Arizona.
• Collaborate with the metro area UU’s for SJ to increase engagement on immigration issues.
• Find speakers to discuss the impact of our government’s foreign policies that directly affect the quality of life in poor rural communities.
• Call the White House to urge approval of Temporary Protective Status for Guatemala as a result of the natural disasters, which have killed many, wiped out roads and damaged crops.
• Work on the problem of Governor McDonnell’s directive to the DMV to not allow the use of the Dept. of Homeland Security-issued Employment Authorization Card for obtaining a driver’s license.
• Attend Congressional and Virginia lobby days. In fact, on January 18th there will be an Immigrations Rights Lobby Day in Richmond.

•         In addition, here in the church we’re holding book discussions and community forums throughout the year on immigration. The next public forum is on November 30th to discuss the impact of current immigration policies and organize next steps. And in June we are planning a BIG community picnic to honor and celebrate Arlington immigrants, and our immigrant ancestry.

          We should all recognize the work that is already being done in the church, our more than ten-year old English for Speakers of Other Language program, the Buckingham Outreach Committee, Scholarships for Guatemalan Mayan youth, and our Guatemalan Accompanier Program.

          There will be many opportunities to become involved in the months ahead for all ages. This is just the beginning. -- Join us in Fellowship Hall, we’d love to talk with you, come see our trip slideshow, pick up talking points to call the White House about Temporary Protective Status, and signup to help and share your ideas.

          Last night after I thought I was done writing my presentation, I was reading the UU World before I went to bed and I came across this quote from the UUA President Peter Morales, “We Unitarian Universalists have always been a faith that seeks to bring healing to a broken world. We heal the world and grow our souls when we join hands and take action.” Because of our justice-oriented nature of our liberal theology, I think we are called to this struggle for immigrant and refugee rights, and to view immigration as both a legal but more importantly a moral issue.

  
  

  “Guatemala: No Olvidaremos!”

 by Rev. Michael McGee

          This is the third delegation we've sent to Guatemala in the last few years, the first two exploring the genocide against the Mayans in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, when approximately 240,000 human beings, most of them innocent civilians and indigenous Mayans, were slaughtered by the military.
 I’m deeply ashamed that this horrible atrocity was aided and abetted by our own government.



          I told our delegation at the beginning of the trip that our task was to be witnesses for our congregation and community, witnesses to the terrible injustices that have been perpetrated in Guatemala, but also witnesses to the courage and indomitable spirit of the Mayan people.

 The purpose of this visit was to study the push factors of migration and immigration, and we learned much, as you’ve heard.
 And we have committed as a group to do all we can to support immigrants in our community and to change the inhumane immigration laws in our country.



          I ask you to stand with us on this issue, to join in this struggle in the spirit that many of us joined in the civil rights movement, because this is about civil rights, human rights, and what is right.

 I believe that together we can make a difference, beginning in our community where many immigrants, our very neighbors, live in fear, shame, and deprivation.


           Jacomina told you about the kite festival we took part in on All Saints Day, and the image I’ll never forget was of the children in the cemetery standing on top of the tombs flying their colorful kites high into the air.
 What a symbol that is: these young children, the future of Guatemala, standing on the graves of a deadly past, and yet they were laughing and raising their eyes to the sky, sending their messages up to those who would never be seen again.
 At that moment, I felt that we were their kites; we are the hope for these voiceless and powerless people, hope that we will take their messages of heartbreak and injustice, of tenacity and courage, back with us, so that all will know of their struggle and their humanity.

          So, do you know what the title of this service means, “No Olvidaremos! “We will not forget!” “We will not forget!”

          The meaning of those words is that we will not forget the evil perpetrated against the Mayan people.
 We will not forget that we are their witnesses, their accompaniers, their voice, their messengers.
 And we will not forget their hopes and their courage.