Patch and writing by Hannah

“While…‘motherist’ groups are only part of the larger human rights movement in Latin America, they reveal how protest is shaped by a particular type of repression and how repression can be transformed into possibilities for change and hope.  Through dramatic acts of civil disobedience – launching streets demonstrations with flowers, candles and photos of their missing relatives; staging hunger strikes; chaining themselves to government buildings; blocking traffic – the women in these movements counter the cults of ‘everyday death’ with celebrations of daily life” [emphasis mine].[1]

This patch could be about any number of women’s groups throughout Latin America, but I had in mind specifically the GAM (Mutual Support Group) of Guatemala.  Like so many others, this group formed to seek truth and justice about their disappeared relatives during a military dictatorship.  Among other tactics, these women protested at the Public Ministry every Friday to demand government disclosure of the whereabouts of their relatives and the results of investigations the government was supposedly conducting.  They would block traffic and play instruments, raising awareness through celebration.[2]

I dedicate this patch to all women and movements throughout Latin America who in their struggles have had the courage to be creative and the strength to be nonviolent.