"The Peace Process in Colombia" Marcia Mejía Chirimia speaks about how communities and organizations are working for a better future on Tuesday, Oct. 4, from 4:15 to 5:30 p.m. in the McBride Gathering Space in the Numen Lumen Pavilion.
Although she grew up living calmly in her riverside community, she became a victim of the armed conflict in 2010 when her community was displaced to the city of Buenaventura due to threats from the armed groups operating in the river. After eleven months of displacement and living in a shelter in Buenaventura, Marcia and her community made an autonomous return to their territory and re-founded their community as the Santa Rosa de Guayacán Humanitarian and Biodiverse Reservation – a way of protecting their land and establishing a territory of peace only for the unarmed civilian population.
Now Marcia defends the culture and human rights of her ancestral community, especially focusing on the defense of women’s rights. She works with ACIVA, a network of indigenous communities in the Colombian department of Valle del Cauca, and she is also a spokeswoman for CONPAZ (Communities Building Peace in their Territories). Through her work as a human rights defender, Marcia works for a lasting and true peace for all Colombian communities.
Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/152736411842875/
Free and open to the public.
Sponsors:
The Department of World Languages and Cultures, The Peace and Conflict Studies Minor, The College of Arts and Sciences, Project Pericles and The Department of Human Service Studies