July 2024, Guatemala Diaspora Delegation from Chicago

The delegation to Guatemala, which took place from July 3rd to the 13th, included five leaders from the Guatemalan community. This delegation was a collaboration between CRLN, the Maya Ixil Accompaniment Project, NISGUA, and AJR (Association for Justice and Reconciliation). The delegation was an independent initiative from Guatemalan leaders in Chicago seeking to reconnect with their roots and the desire to understand a border context of human rights in Guatemala. Jhonathan, with the support of Evelyn Zepeda, led the group with a larger aim of mentoring and strengthening a new generation of young leaders in Chicago, emphasizing the importance of human rights work and its connections to Latin America and the United States.

One of the main objectives of the delegation was to accompany members of the AJR , survivors of the Guatemala genocide during the trial happening in the country at the time. The AJR has played key roles in major legal cases, such as the case against former General Rios Montt. The delegation attended court hearings, met with local human rights organizations, including CODECA, and visited the Historic Memory Museum (Casa de la Memoria). The group also traveled to Nebaj and visited a community that survived a massacre, where the delegation heard powerful testimonies from survivors. The partnership with NISGA provided both logistical and programming support, making the trip a significant collaboration among the three organizations.

CRLN provided guidance, expertise, logistics support, and financial support for the delegation.

Click here to see more photos of the delegation.

Historical Memory Project: Ni Olvido, Ni Perdón

The Historical Memory Project: Ni Olvido, Ni Perdón was a transformative educational initiative that emerged from a partnership between CRLN and DePaul University’s HumanitiesX fellowship. Launched in the Spring of 2024, the project connected students to critical human rights contexts in Central America, particularly Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. Under the guidance of Professors Dr. Susana Martínez and Dr. Lydia Saravia from DePaul University, along with CRLN’s Co-Director Jhonathan Gómez, the project integrated interdisciplinary study, community engagement, and collaborative art. Students explored historical memory and social justice by researching human rights challenges, particularly issues related to political violence, environmental justice, and Indigenous rights. This collaboration resulted in students producing impactful art and advocacy materials that reflect the region’s struggles for justice, further deepening community awareness of these important issues.

The course was designed as an innovative model, merging academic study with real-world activism. Students participated in archival research using CRLN’s resources and DePaul’s Special Collections, gaining insights into the history of social movements in Central America. They also worked directly with CRLN staff and local activists to research the intersections of climate change, land rights, and transgender issues in Central America. The culmination of the course was an interactive public art exhibit in Chicago, which invited community members to engage with themes of human rights and historical memory through various art forms, such as screen printing and weaving. This event not only educated the public but also provided students with practical skills in using art as a tool for social change and political education.

Faculty contributions were key to the success of the project. Dr. Martínez and Dr. Saravia provided expertise in historical and cultural contexts, helping students analyze migration narratives and the role of rhetoric in social justice movements. Student fellows, including Angelina Álvarez and Safiyah Simkins, played an essential role in organizing the course’s activities and supporting peers in collaborative research. The active involvement of CRLN connected academic exploration to lived experiences, enhancing the course’s real-world relevance. Together, these contributions helped bridge academic learning with community activism, demonstrating the potential of universities to serve as hubs for social transformation and public humanities.

The Ni Olvido, Ni Perdón project is poised for future expansion. Building on the success of the Spring 2024 course, participants plan to extend this model, incorporating student-created materials into public events and communications. Further curricular developments are also underway, with plans for a study-abroad course in Guatemala that will deepen students’ engagement with local human rights movements. The project’s innovative approach to combining art, education, and activism serves as a blueprint for future collaborations, offering a scalable model for institutions seeking to integrate creative expression into social justice education and public advocacy. This ongoing collaboration exemplifies the power of interdisciplinary partnerships in advancing human rights education and fostering global solidarity.

Click here to read about the fellowship here.

Click here to read about the student’s interactive public art exhibit.

Join us on Wednesday, June 12 for a unique In-Person Student Public Art Event

WHAT: In-person Student Public Art-Making Event
by DePaul University Students
WHEN: Thursday, June 12, from 11:30 AM to 1:45 PM
WHERE: Latinx Cultural Center – O’Connell Room 360
at 1036 W. Belden Ave, Lincoln Park

We are very glad to invite you to a special in-person Collaborative Public Art-Making event at the Latinx Cultural Center at DePaul University. Join us from 11:30 AM to 1:45 PM and experience remarkable art projects by students from the “Historical Memory Project: Ni Olvido, Ni Perdón” class. Students will also invite people who attend to join in the art making. This unique event will feature projects that can provide insights into:

• El Salvador: Sin Tierra, Sin Frutos. Exploring the fight of Trans people.
• Guatemala: Culture is not for sale. The role of Guatemala’s textiles as a centuries-old form of Indigenous cultural resistance.
• El Salvador: Rompe La Carcel. Mega prisons, their connection to gang culture, and societal consequences.
• Guatemala: The Destructive Fruit Company. A look at the infamous Unite Fruit Company’s legacy of colonialism and imperialisms.
• Honduras: Climate Activists: de la tierra somos, a la tierra regresamos. Exploring land rights through the work of human rights defenders like Berta Cáceres.

This event is the culmination of a collaboration between CRLN and HumanitiesX at DePaul University. In 2023, CRLN was honored with a fellowship by DePaul University, allowing us to work closely with the exceptional professors Susana Martínez and Lydia Saravia. You can read more about this unique and inspiring project HERE.

We look forward to seeing you there. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at jgomez@clrn.org, or mmckenna@crln.org.


En resistencia y solidaridad permanente

Jhonathan F. Gómez

Dear CRN friends,

Once again, we are asking you to stand in solidarity with the people of El Salvador.

WHEN: Friday, May 31, 11am
WHERE: Consulate General of El Salvador in Chicago, 8605 W Bryn Mawr Ave STE310, Chicago, IL 60631

On June 1, the people of El Salvador will be subjected to an illegitimate regime led by President-elect Nayib Bukele, who intend to entrench themselves indefinitely as part of the oligarchy. The recent elections were unconstitutional and fraudulent, giving rise to an imposed, illegal, and illegitimate government. We urge you to speak up and stand with the people of El Salvador who REJECT AND REFUSE TO RECOGNIZE this new government.

As part of the international Human Rights community we have repeatedly expressed concerns about the authoritarian and repressive nature of Bukele’s government, which has become particularly urgent following his election into office through an unconstitutional election process.

Nayib Bukele and his legislative majority have undermined democratic checks and balances by allowing Bukele’s re-election against constitutional prohibitions, removing independent judicial figures, and weakening anti-corruption measures. This has raised significant concerns about the state of democracy in El Salvador.

This reality disproportionately impacts impoverished and marginalized communities hardest through repression and criminalization in the form of mass disappearances under the guise of a “state of emergency;” targeted political persecution; ruthless evictions and land dispossession; severe disinvestment in the education and agricultural sectors; relentless harassment of health care workers; massive, unlawful municipal layoffs; the deliberate defunding of educational institutions, notably the National University of El Salvador (UES);and escalating violence against women and LGBTI+ communities.

The 25-month state of emergency, initially adopted to combat gang violence, has led to widespread human rights abuses, including arbitrary detentions, overcrowded prisons, due process violations, and political prisoners. Over 73,000 people, including children and non-gang-related individuals, have been detained, with reports of harsh prison conditions and numerous deaths in custody.

As CRLN, we join in the efforts of the diaspora community of El Salvador in Chicago, Alma de Izote collective, Cipotex de Chicago collective, and especially the international call of action by the Bloque de Resistencia y Rebeldía Popular.

Therefore, the people of El Salvador in Chicago, along with community and human rights organizations, demand:

• Cease the abuse of the judicial apparatus for persecution against the political opposition and left-wing social and environmental movements.
• The end of the “state of emergency” and the immediate release of all people detained without evidence.
• The immediate release of all political prisoners who have been unjustly detained under Bukele’s regime.

We join the struggle of the people of El Salvador in their effort to reclaim their country and the democracy for which generations of Salvadorans fought and sacrificed their lives.

En resistencia y solidaridad permanente

Jhonathan F. Gómez

May 23, 2024

President Robert L. Manuel, Executive Vice President Sherri Sidler, Director of Public Safety Mike Dohm, Vice President for Student Affairs Eugene L. Zdziarski, DePaul University Administration,


We write on behalf of the Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN), an organization dedicated to Immigrant Rights and Latin American Human Rights, committed to dismantling structures of oppression and violence both domestically and internationally. Our mission compels us to challenge militaristic agendas, capitalism, imperialism, and white supremacy, standing in solidarity with marginalized communities in Latin America and the Immigrant Justice community in Chicago and across the United States.

CRLN has a decades-long history of collaboration with DePaul University, recognizing the Vincentian commitment to respecting human rights. As long-time partners in student education, we are deeply troubled by the University’s violent eviction of the peaceful student encampment on May 16, 2024. The students’ desire for dialogue, activism, and dissent should never be met with violence. The disproportionate nature of these actions not only undermines the principles of academic freedom and free expression but also contradicts the University’s professed commitment to social justice and human rights.

We unapologetically stand with the students and find it imperative to express that the violent acts of May 16 should never have happened. DePaul University’s decision to send riot police against its own students is an unspeakable offense against freedom of expression and the right to dissent. These actions have inflicted trauma on students, university staff, faculty, and the community, which the University must acknowledge and repair.

In 2023, CRLN was awarded the HumanitiesX fellowship, an honor we greatly appreciate. In collaboration with DePaul faculty, we developed a course for the 2024 academic year, where students connected historical events of the past to current movements and injustices impacting Central America, specifically in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. Students interrogated the Western idea of democracy within the context of neoliberalism, highlighting how U.S. governments fund wars while promoting an imperialist version of democracy. The student encampment and activism in support of the people of Palestine embodied the challenge set out by HumanitiesX. Students are now critically examining how democracy functions in the United States amid rising global fascism and have experienced firsthand how their rights have been limited for holding dissenting opinions. This is not merely historical analysis; it is a lived experience of Democracy and Rights today.

On May 16, at 5:30 AM, riot police from the Chicago Police Department, following a complaint signed by DePaul President Rob Manuel against its own student body, violently raided, and dismantled the student solidarity encampment for Palestine. CPD officers tore through the encampment, throwing students’ personal belongings into garbage trucks paid for by the administration, violently arresting at least two students, pulling off the hijab of one, and injuring others. CPD prevented students from retrieving their belongings. The raid occurred just hours after Nakba Day commemorations. It is now clear that DePaul University’s administrators chose to call the Chicago Police Department on the student protest encampment following President Rob Manuel’s decision to cease negotiations with students.

Israel’s bombardment of Gaza began on October 7, 2023. Over 40,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed, including the destruction of hospitals, schools, and universities. The DePaul Divestment Coalition, a multiethnic, multifaith group of students, has been calling on DePaul University to divest from the killing of Palestinian civilians. The DePaul student encampment on April 30th was the longest-standing encampment in the country. This space cultivated political education sessions, dancing, singing, shared meals, community building, praying, discussions, debates, and unity until it was violently destroyed.

We are grateful and commend the courageous students who built the peaceful encampment as a protest against the genocide being committed with U.S. tax dollars against the people of Palestine. Their commitment to transparency and their advocacy for divestment from companies and institutions complicit in the Israeli occupation and apartheid regime is a lesson to us all. The students are on the right side of history, and we must listen to their call.

We echo the demands of the DePaul Divestment Coalition, supported by thousands of students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community members, which is committed to ensuring that DePaul University divests from entities involved in harm and violence abroad, and instead invests in the community.

In light of these urgent concerns, we urge the DePaul University administration to take immediate action by engaging in meaningful dialogue with students, disclosing its investment portfolio, and committing to divestment from complicit entities. It is imperative that the University uphold its principles of academic freedom, social justice, and human rights by respecting the rights of students to peacefully advocate for justice and equality. Dissent should not be punished. We call upon the administration to heed the demands of the students and take concrete steps towards creating a campus environment that fosters inclusivity, transparency, and a genuine engagement with social justice.


Silence is complicity. Silence will not absolve us.



Sincerely,

The Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America