Fairness: July 2014

An imprisoned OWS activist speaks out

Dear Occupy,

After serving fifty-eight days at Rikers I was tasked by the women with whom I served my time to improve conditions at Rikers Island according to their demands.

Today I was honored to be given the opportunity to broaden their message through an Op-Ed in The New York Times reinforced by this petition. These issues are truly a matter of life and death, or at least the difference between dignity and degradation.

Please take a moment today to sign the petition and invite your friends on Facebook to take a stand for humane treatment of inmates at Rikers Island. Together we will raise our voices with the amazing women who became my family behind bars.

Love and solidarity,

Cecily McMillan

Occupy activist Cecily McMillan was imprisoned for 58 days at Rikers Island after being convicted of assaulting a police officer who actually assaulted her in Zuccotti Park. These are some of her first words to the movement after her release.

Partnering with Indigenous Peoples around the world to defend their lands, languages, and cultures.

July 2014

Marcelino Moscut

Community Radio Update

Visiting the Ixil Triangle and Uncovering its History with Community Radios

Guatemala has a sad history for the Mayan people. The civil war tore its population and left a veil of fear that has taken years to uncover. Despite the signing of the Peace Accords in 1996 that brought peace to Guatemala and ended its 36 years of war, little has actually changed for indigenous communities. The Ixil triangle holds much of Guatemala's war history. Located on the Cuchumatanes mountains, the Ixil triangle is composed of three communities Nebaj, Chajul and Cotzal. The area is referred to as the Ixil triangle because the three communities form a triangle geographically and the Mayan dialect spoken there is Ixil. Read More

Haga clic aqui para la version en espanol.

Community Radio Update

Cultural Survival Mourns the Loss of Marcelino Moscut, an Outstanding Indigenous Leader

On June 30, 2014, Marcelino Moscut, a Mayan Poqomam, political leader and Indigenous rights activist passed away in Palin, Escuintla. Marcelino began his work within Indigenous movements at the young age of 15. He observed the discrimination and division the Poqomam people suffered due to a long history of colonization. His work expanded to include the fight for fair treatment of Indigenous Peoples and the fight for the freedom of expression for indigenous communities through the media. He was the president of the Commission for the Implementation of the Peace Accords (CENAP) and one of the founders, as well as ex-president, of the Academy of Mayan Languages of Guatemala. Read More.

Haga clic aqui para la version e espanol.

Community Radio Update

Protecting Freedom of Expression in Guatemala: The Case of Daniel Pascual

Daniel Pascual is a 42-year-old Quiche defender of Indigenous rights, a well known activist and the current president of the Comite de Unidad Campesina (CUC). Daniel Pascual recently appeared at the Constitutional Court of Guatemala to hear the complaint filed by the president of the Foundation Against Terrorism, Ricardo Méndez Ruiz, accusing him of libel, slander and defamation.

Daniel Pascual began his work for the betterment of Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities at the young age of 13. His work includes working for the fulfillment of the Peace Accords; developing Food and Nutrition Security programs; creating a bill of integrated Rural Development and many others. He has also participated in various activities with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations, concerning the concentration of land and the rights of farmers. Read more.

Radio Programs on the Alta Outcome Document Available

Cultural Survival radio producers Kaimana Barcarse (Native Hawai'ian) and Rosy Gonzalez (Kaqchikel Maya) have developed a series of 10 radio programs based on the Alta Outcome Document, which is the final document of the Alta, Norway, meeting that took place in June 2013 in preparation for the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples (WCIP). The programs were sponsored and are being disseminated by the WCIP's Global Coordinating Group.

Each rights-based program offers an introduction to the Alta conference and the WCIP and shares a principle or request outlined in the document in accessible language. Currently the programs are available in English on Cultural Survival's website; Spanish versions will be coming soon. Listen Here.

We Are Still Here:

Tribes in New England Stand Their Ground

CSQ 38-2, June 2014

Read the latest issue of our Cultural Survival Quarterly magazine online.

Become a member by giving today, and receive the CSQ in your mailbox!

Get it on the newsstand near you!

Cultural Survival partners with Indigenous Peoples around the world to defend their lands, languages, and cultures.

Learn More

To read about Cultural Survival's work around the world, click here. To explore 40 years of information on Indigenous issues use our Search function.

Do More

For ways to take action to support Indigenous communities, click here.

Donate

We take on governments and multinational corporations -- and they always have more resources than we do -- but with the support of people like you, we do win. Your contribution is crucial to that effort. Click here to do your part.