Tuesday, March 04, 2008
SWOP homepageEn Vieques, la lucha continúa - In Vieques, the struggle continues
Popular Protest Against U.S. Militarization and the Challenges of Community Development in Vieques, Puerto Rico
Speaker: Néstor de Jesús Guishard, Puerto Rican activist and community organizer, will speak about the success of a grassroots campaign against U.S. militarization in 2003 and the current efforts to foster sustainable community development on the island of Vieques.
When: Thursday, March 6, from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m
Where: Ortega Hall 335, University of New Mexico
About the speaker:
De Jesús Guishard, an Afro-Puerto Rican community organizer from Vieques, was 15 years old when he led a youth movement against the U.S. military presence on the island and joined the struggle of residents of Monte Carmelo to defend their homes. In 1997, he founded a community movement that, along with many other popular organizations, made possible the demilitarization of the island in 2003. During the final stages of popular mobilization, he was arrested and jailed for his acts of civil disobedience. Today, his activism is devoted to current efforts to find alternatives for sustainable community development for the 9.000 inhabitants of Vieques.
Background:
For more than 60 years, the U.S. Navy used a 900-acre firing range on the island of Vieques-off the coast of Puerto Rico-for bombing exercises. For decades, residents protested that militarization threatened the safety, health and livelihood of residents and ecosystems. Yet, the U.S. Navy insisted that the exercises could not take place elsewhere because the area offered a unique opportunity to conduct ship-to-shore gunnery practice and aerial bombings. The conflict generated international attention in 1999, when two errant bombs killed a civilian Puerto Rican security guard.
Thousands of people mobilized to protest the exercises, including politicians, actors and civil rights activists from Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland. Under political pressure, President Bush announced in 2001 that his administration would end bombing practices in May of 2003.
This event is sponsored by the Latin American and Iberian Institute, the Department of Spanish & Portuguese, and the Student Organization for Latin American Studies (SOLAS).
Speaker: Néstor de Jesús Guishard, Puerto Rican activist and community organizer, will speak about the success of a grassroots campaign against U.S. militarization in 2003 and the current efforts to foster sustainable community development on the island of Vieques.
When: Thursday, March 6, from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m
Where: Ortega Hall 335, University of New Mexico
About the speaker:
De Jesús Guishard, an Afro-Puerto Rican community organizer from Vieques, was 15 years old when he led a youth movement against the U.S. military presence on the island and joined the struggle of residents of Monte Carmelo to defend their homes. In 1997, he founded a community movement that, along with many other popular organizations, made possible the demilitarization of the island in 2003. During the final stages of popular mobilization, he was arrested and jailed for his acts of civil disobedience. Today, his activism is devoted to current efforts to find alternatives for sustainable community development for the 9.000 inhabitants of Vieques.
Background:
For more than 60 years, the U.S. Navy used a 900-acre firing range on the island of Vieques-off the coast of Puerto Rico-for bombing exercises. For decades, residents protested that militarization threatened the safety, health and livelihood of residents and ecosystems. Yet, the U.S. Navy insisted that the exercises could not take place elsewhere because the area offered a unique opportunity to conduct ship-to-shore gunnery practice and aerial bombings. The conflict generated international attention in 1999, when two errant bombs killed a civilian Puerto Rican security guard.
Thousands of people mobilized to protest the exercises, including politicians, actors and civil rights activists from Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland. Under political pressure, President Bush announced in 2001 that his administration would end bombing practices in May of 2003.
This event is sponsored by the Latin American and Iberian Institute, the Department of Spanish & Portuguese, and the Student Organization for Latin American Studies (SOLAS).
