The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo
Next March 8 is INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY. Since 1911 the world HAS celebratED women's struggleS and accomplishmentS. Women Together is going to celebrate with a breakfast-brUnch-potluck and sharING of women'S stories.
In Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay during the dictatorship YEARS OF THE 1970'S,many people WERE kidnapped, tortured , AND disappeared. In Argentina, many mothers WENT from one police or military station to another seeking to find their sons and daughters. They startED meeting at churches asking for help FROM priests.
On April 30, 1977, a group of 14 mothers after realisING that THE priests couldn't help, decideD to stand up in front of the Presidential Palace on the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires in order to let the president know that they wanted to have a meeting with him. They WORE white scarves on their headS as a symbol of their struggle. The police didn't allow them to stand THERE,so they walked around a statue. Ever since, each Thursday afternoon theyWALK AROUND THE SAME STATUE DEMANDING TO KNOW what happenED TO the victims.
They took an enormous risk. Even some of them disappeared. But in spite of this, the group grEW fast and soon they had 150 members and in 1982 theRE were several thousand. They obtained the support of Amnesty International and the United Nations Human Rights Commission.
In the name of liberty and Christianity legality broke down. During the years of the dictatorship, 30,000 people disappeared without leaving a trace. Probably about half of them consisted of workers BECAUSE the military intended to break the power of the unions. Among the others were intellectuals, journalists, lawyers, nuclear scientists, artists, soldiers, and progressive Catholics, two bishops among them. The disappeared were also robbed. Only a small NUMBER of the victims had anything to do with the left-wing guerillAS.
These women have been walking in Plaza de Mayo for thirty years and are the symbol of the human rights struggle all over the world. They even have founded the Mothers OF Plaza de Mayo University. They are still trying to find the bodies of their children and thoUGH they already HAVE found many of their kidnapped grandchildren, the struggle continuES.
8 comments:
Lakale,
Thank you for the story. I hope you have made yourself a copy of it. I am going to leave it uncorrected for awhile to give my Wednesday class a chance to see what they can do re-writing it. THEN I will correct it and give them a copy of MY corrections. We will talk about it and the CONVERSATION will be helpful also.
I need to know one thing: What does the 70 in parentheses mean(70)
seventies. The dictatorships run around seventies-eighties
Lakale,
Did the dictators rule through the 1970's AND the 1980's or just the decade of the 1970's? In other words, did they rule for 10 years or for 20 years?
(You can look for your story to be corected by Thursday morning, March 6th........I hope.)
Uruguay: 1873-1984. Technically 12 years but at the end of 60th people was already disappearing, tortured and going to jail. And 20 years after the end of the dictatorship people was still afraid to talk and the criminals were still free.
In Brazil: 64 to end of 70th.
Argentina 1976-1983
Chile:1973-1990
Paraguay: 1959-1989
I encourage you to make a research in internet about PLAN CONDOR.
International Women's Day is not recognized as much in the US as it should be. This is a wonderful story Lakele. Tell us more about the brunch. Is your group open to new members? The disappearing is something I've read about before. I recently read a story about a town in Mexico where this is happening to young girls who work in the factories there. Amnesty International has a great website all about violence against women all over the world. Check it out if you have a chance http://clipurl.us/q4]
lAKALE,
I did not correct your story until very LATE Tuesday night on purpose because I had asked my Wednesday class at UMass to read and correct your story. I did not want them to wait until I did it. I don't know how many will actually do the assignment. I will find out tomorrow morning. In anyevent, I will show them my corrections and your original story as well as MY story as I would write it. Thank you for a really great story. You know, you are getting REALLY GOOD at this business of writing in ENGLISH. I AM PROUD OF MY FORMER STUDENT!
CATHERAMA, Women Together is a grass root organization, open to every women that want to stand up for peace.
We are going to celebrate the International Women Day sharing some food and interesting stories of women. You are welcome to participate!
301 Pleasant Street, Worcester.
I forgot to tell you that it is at 10:00 am
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