Land and Rights: Spread the Word

We at Amherst Life have been covering local Pioneer Valley events for several years. Occasionally we look at national and international news. In this series, Land and Rights, we are going to document the struggles and heroic activities of people across the Americas who are engaged in a very real war against powerful multinational corporations, governments, private military forces, and much more. We feel that these stories mist be spread. We live in a town that is quite safe--our duty is to use that safety. People must know about what is happening on the continent. If that means taking some time to document the unjust activities and human rights violations that make other areas unsafe, it is a cause worthwhile. Sometimes all it takes is a few words, a persuasive sentence, an image for voices to be heard across time and space.

PBS did a remarkable job documenting the struggles in Cauca, Colombia, where an Afro-Colombian community continues to battle massive multinational corporations who, backed by the government, have been trying to remove people from their homes for the past decade. It is a civil war. People are being murdered. Look here at the work of brave women warriors in the community who face death threats daily, have watched all of their male colleagues be murdered, and still fight:

Women, War, and Peace (PBS)

We would like to know what is happening NOW. The PBS special ends in 2011. We will be following this and we hope you will too.