THE PEOPLE'S MOVEMENT FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE:

FROM NORTH TO SOUTH: THIS LAND IS OUR LAND

The People's Movement for Peace and Justice, made up of leaders, groups and organizations of Afro-descendants, indigenous people, victims of armed violence and migrants in the region of Mexico, the United States and Canada, on the occasion of the celebration of the International Day of Indigenous Peoples and Afro-Mexican Day, and joins the demand for an end to racism, discrimination and the extraction of natural resources from the territories. 

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For many years, indigenous and indigenous peoples have had to endure the marginalization and exploitation of a political and economic power that perpetuates racism and exclusion throughout the region, through the denial of history, monolingualism, white supremacist culture, gun violence and capitalism.

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Particularly, in recent years, people have shed blood and lost men, women and children who should not have migrated, been disappeared or died. Since the murder of Samir Flores in Morelos, Mexico; multiple peoples, organizations and international organizations (including our recent Summit For Peace) have documented and denounced the forced displacement of thousands of families from the high mountains and the central region of Guerrero; the proliferation of organized crime and paramilitary groups in Chiapas and Guerrero; the permanent and profound denial, discrimination, invisibility and racism against Afro-descendant peoples in Mexico, and the criminalization of indigenous peoples who oppose the Mayan Train. 

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In the United States, according to the National Institute of Justice, 4 out of 5 indigenous women have experienced violence. Since the Homicide and Missing Unit of the US Government's Bureau of Indian Affairs was implemented in 2021, a database has been built with 1,500 missing indigenous people who have not yet been found and more than 2,700 cases of murder and manslaughter against indigenous people. And if that were not enough, the privatization of indigenous names, embroidery, images and processes has become a common action in the United States. 

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The Governments of Mexico and the United States, in their most recent bilateral meeting, announced the formation of working groups on racism, indigenous issues and violence against women. As of today, no action has been announced. 

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The presidential elections are coming soon in our two countries and there will be a lot of noise about promises and offers of change, but those of us who participate in the People's Movement for Peace and Justice know that this crisis will not stop until the political systems and economic ones do not recognize the structural causes of racism and discrimination in our region, and until the laws, institutions and government models that seek to govern the lives of our people in the region are reformed. 

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On this day, we demand that authorities, candidates and political parties recognize the security and Human Rights crisis that weighs on the region and accept the 12 Priorities of our Movement, including:

• End racism and discrimination.

• Recognition of our history and our contributions.

• Stop the militarization of our territories.

• Stop the proliferation of weapons in our towns

• Stop the persecution of indigenous migrants. 

• Respect for the territories, resources, processes, and organizations of indigenous peoples, 

From the Mayan land to Turtle Island,

 

#IgnoredNeverAgain

 

People's Movement for Peace and Justice