I am typing this, offline, sitting in a meeting room at a Catholic retreat center called Casa de Maria, near Santa Barbara. It seems like there should be internet access here, but there is not, at least in this building. So I am typing this now and hopefully later today I will be able to post it. I’ll be at the UCLA campus this afternoon so I imagine I will get wireless access then
I am here because I am now part of the Caravan for Justice in Juarez and Chiuhuaua(sp?) City and this is the second day I’ve been on it, though it is the 8th day since it began in Seattle. We had an event in Santa Barbara last night at the Casa de la Raza, and we’ve been hosted for the night at this retreat center, which is beautiful. It’s in the middle of a grove of live oak trees, there’s a babbling brook and quiet paths that wind between the buildings and trees.
(update: now I’m at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown L.A.! The hotel has donated 2 rooms to the Caravan! there is wireless access here in the room but only if I sit on the floor by the bathroom. hilarious. They also appear to have given us the cheapest rooms they could, it’s pretty small and basic. my opinion of the Biltmore’s opulence has decreased today.... but hey, it’s better than sleeping on a floor in some activist’s tiny apartment or something...)
My involvement with the Caravan began sunday night, actually, with the caravan’s presentation in San Francisco at New College. It was a moving and inspiring event, with Ramona Morales, the mother of one of the many murdered women in Juarez, giving a detailed and personal testimonial of what happened to her daughter and what the situation is. The next morning I packed my bags and left Station 40, the wonderful collective housing warehouse space that hosted me for 3 days, and I walked a couple blocks over to meet the rest of the Caravan. We got on the road at about 8am and headed south on the 101 (or as non-Californians say, “highway 101”).
On this leg of the Caravan, the west coast leg, are 2 cars carrying 7 people and a cat. There’s Ramona; me; Jessica, who is a staffperson at the Mexico Solidarity Network; Swaneagle, who lives in rural northeastern Washington; her 11-year old daugther Taina; Luma, from Arcata; Luma’s cat, Ruba; and Nicole, from San Francisco.
It’s exciting and very interesting participating. The drives each day are not a large number of hours at all, and with such interesting people to talk to the time goes quickly. Ramona knows no English at all, and so I am in the position once again to be wishing that I knew more Spanish, and kicking myself that I have not really practiced my Spanish or learned anything else since I returned from South America 7 months ago. I hate myself for this, and I find myself thinking constantly of it, and how I would like to do something drastic to force myself to learn more, like go to Chiapas right after the Caravan and my tour are over, and study at the spanish school in Oventic.
Last night at the Santa Barbara event this desire to entiendo español was even stronger because it was attended by almost all latinos. In fact only 2 people in the audience out of about 80 admitted to needing translation into English of Ramona’s speech. Of course I do know enough Spanish to get some things, like the chants that were being chanted afterward during the march and vigil down the street (like “women united, will never be divided”, etc), which was beautiful and inspiring, to see 50 or 60 people with candles, out in force in their community, showing their solidarity with the women of Juarez. The event was so different from the one in San Francisco, which was much more academic and white.
I was and will be trying to cover this event and all the events on the Caravan and Delgation as a videographer and independent journalist, but also trying to be part of them, to bear witness and stand with the others in solidarity. I believe it is so important for men to be part of this too. I was surprised to be the only man on this leg of the Caravan, but I’m glad I can be presente. I feel as though perhaps I am not emotionally prepared, as a man, as a white male middle-class privileged activist, to do this, but I am trying and I’m sure I am learning.
Posted by steev at Octubre 26, 2004 04:41 PM