[1699] in peace2
Calling all Chiapas sympathizers
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jeff Duritz)
Thu Apr 25 03:08:59 2002
Message-Id: <200204250708.DAA13415@duspcom6.mit.edu>
To: peace-announce@MIT.EDU, greens-announce@MIT.EDU, earth-action@MIT.EDU,
mitai-announce@MIT.EDU, hemp-discuss@MIT.EDU, save@MIT.EDU
Date: Thu, 25 Apr 2002 03:08:36 -0400
From: Jeff Duritz <jdu@MIT.EDU>
Something fun and different for a good cause....
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{
An Evening of Jazz and Dance
to benefit indigenous communities in Chiapas, Mexico
Featuring:
* Renowned singer/composer Mili Bermejo
and partner Dan Greenspan, celebrated for
weaving together Jazz and Latin American music
* Harvard Ballet Folklorico de Aztlan
* Beautiful Mexican crafts for sale
* Hot coffee and tea from Equal Exchange
Friday, April 26, 7:30 PM
Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center
41 Second St., Cambridge, MA
Admission: $15
Proceeds will go to indigenous communities rebuilding
from civil conflict in southern Mexico.
See below for information on how to donate.
CMAC is near the Lechmere T/bus stop, green line
Parking on street and in paid lot next to Cambridge Galeria Mall
For directions call CMAC, 617-577-1400 or visit www.cmacusa.org
CMAC is wheelchair accessible
Sponsored by:
* Tonantzin: Boston Committee To Support the Native Peoples of Mexico
617-629-2449, annalee@igc.org
* Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center, www.cmacusa.org
* Equal Exchange, www.equalexchange.com
********************************
Dear friends of Tonantzin,
We are excited to let you know that a group of Tonantzin members is going to
Mexico this May. During our time there we will visit Tzotzil indigenous
communities in the highlands of Chiapas. In recent months these communities
have faced new and difficult challenges, so Tonantzin is raising funds for
them. We will deliver the funds during our trip, and we invite you to help!
Many of you remember the December 1997 Acteal massacre, when paramilitary
gunmen murdered 45 unarmed indigenous women, men and children. Acteal
victims were members of Las Abejas ("The Bees"), an indigenous organization
that supports the Zapatista movement but organizes through non-violent
means. After the massacre thousands of Las Abejas and other indigenous
families were displaced by continued paramilitary threats. Since then they
have lived in makeshift camps with limited access to clean water, healthcare
and farm land.
Last summer Las Abejas camps lost reliable access to clean water. This
forced families to make the risky decision to return to their communities of
origin, where paramilitaries still posed a threat. Despite the danger, 256
Las Abejas families (about 1,410 people) returned home this past fall. Since
paramilitaries burned their homes and stole their animals and tools they are
now struggling to rebuild. As rainy season approaches, families need tin
roofing for permanent housing immediately. They also need machetes and hoes
for spring planting.
Many Tzotzil families in highland autonomous municipalities are also coffee
farmers. The autonomous municipalities form the backbone of the Zapatista
movement for local, indigenous participation in decision-making regarding
education, use of resources and traditional election of community-based
leaders. Coffee farmers in the higlands have formed a successful cooperative
called Mut Vitz (Tzotzil for "Bird Mountain") and have recently attained
organic certification. Over the past year, however, world coffee prices
have plummeted to historic lows. This has devastated the farmers' livelihood, and over 200,000 small
farmers in Chiapas have lost their land
due to the huge fall in world coffee prices. Tonantzin is raising money to
fund a loan pool to help farmers through this crisis.
Please give generously! Every dollar you give will directly help Las Abejas
families rebuild and plant their crops and will fund a loan pool for the
coffee farmers. Funds will be distributed through Cloudforest Initiatives, a
Chiapas and US-based non-profit organization that works directly with these
communities.
To contribute see the coupon below. Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
David Amdur, Kevin Batt, Nora Ortega, Rosalba Solis, Anna Utech, Glenda Yoder
Tonantzin: Boston Committee to Support the Native Peoples of Mexico
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To support Las Abejas and Mut Vitz families, make your tax-deductible check
out to "Cloudforest Initiatives" and send to Tonantzin, PO Box 1074,
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130.
Here's my contribution of ____$500____$250____$100____$50____$25____other
Name:_________________________
Address:___________________________________________
Phone/Fax:______________________
E-mail:_________________________________________
____Put me on your mailing list for future events and campaigns
____ Call me about Tonantzin's next meeting
