We Are All Berta Caceres

On March 3^rd, 2016 indigenous human rights and environmental activist Berta Caceres was gunned down in her own home.  An outspoken leader of those who campaigned for environmental sanity, Caceres earned the ire of the Honduran government and its powerful industrialist allies by organizing active resistance to the unnecessary building of the Agua Zarca dam on a traditionally sacred river of the Lenca People – a project that would have cut off the delivery of food and medical supplies to the Lenca.

Here is a photo of Lenca activists resisting the dam’s construction.

And here is a brief video that will tell you a bit about Berta Caceres’ activism and the victory of community resistance.

The Environmental and Cultural Activism of Berta Caceres (4:46)

In the six months prior to Caceres’ death over 100 environmental activists were murdered in Honduras!  Here is an article that articulates this crisis in more detail: “Honduras activists need protection after land rights leader’s killing”. And here is a documentary that puts Caceres’ assassination into larger political context.

Remembering Berta Caceres and American Complicity in her death (14:51)

As FAIR columnist Adam Johnson states in his article “US Contribution to Death of Honduran Activist Goes Unmentioned in US Coverage”.

There was widespread outcry and grief over her (Berta Caceres’) death, and the story was covered by major media in the United States. But there was a glaring problem with the coverage: Almost none of it mentioned that the brutal regime that likely killed Cáceres came to power in a 2009 coup d’etat supported by the United States, under President Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

In response to the immense international outcry over the murder of Berta Caceres – and the world wide outpouring of support for her cause and her colleagues – the Honduran government has arrested and charged four suspects alleged to be involved in her assassination.  It is doubtful however that the intellectual authors of the crime have been brought to justice. As this story continues to unfold you can keep pace with its emerging details at this page: Case History: Berta Cáceres – maintained by the Front Line Defenders website.         

Keeping in mind the implicit collusion of our government in the death of Berta Caceres – and the murder of many other activists in Honduras and elsewhere – please consider responding to the following activism invitations.

Take Action:

Here is a 30 second action step. Go to http://sierra.force.com/actions/SierraRise?actionId=AR0037350 and add your name to others who are pressing for justice for Berta Caceres and, thereby, safety for her allies.

Then go to http://entitleblog.org/2016/03/04/international-call-to-condemn-the-murder-of-indigenous-leader-bertha-caceres-in-honduras/ to learn more about the work and mission of Berta Caceres. While there, follow the several requested action steps.

How else may you Let Your Light Shine in response to this and related issues?

A Question? Did hearing about the tragic death of Berta Caceres, and the ongoing determination of activists among the Lenca people to protect their lands and heritage, open your heart and provoke wondering about similar ongoing self-determination efforts throughout central and South America? If so, this website Human Rights Watch is a research tool you can use for expanding your information base.  Another excellent – though somewhat dated – tool for learning about justice and democracy movements in South America is the extensive catalog of material offered by this website: Third World Traveler.

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