"With few political allies, women in Juarez have been organizing on their own behalf," said Epiphanie Marquez '06, co-chair of the Juarez Activism Group at the College. "The purpose of our delegation is to meet with these women and learn about their courageous work."
Co-chair Emily Silberstein '06 added to the description of the purpose of the trip. "The delegation will investigate the femicides, pressure local officials to resolve the killings and provide solidarity for families striving for justice," she said.
Christina Morales '06 emphasized the help potential that the group can provide. "I hope to learn what we can do, here, as educated citizens of the United States, to help the women at risk and the families of those who have already been killed," she said.
Once all of the participants in the international group have arrived in El Paso, Texas tomorrow, they will travel together to Ciudad Juarez where they will meet victims' families, tour neighborhoods where many factory workers live and view sites where the bodies of female victims have been found.
According to a press release issued by the group, sixty percent of the victims are factory workers. As a result of a ruling that cited Chapter 11 provisions in NAFTA, local factories are not responsible for security lights or cameras around factories, despite the fact they could significantly improve safety conditions.
From Ciudad Juarez, the students will travel to the city of Chihuahua, where they will meet with police and political leaders, as well as officials from various workers organizations. In Chihuahua, they will attend a public tribunal where they will hear testimonies about the victims.
The Juarez activism organization at the College was created last semester as a joint undertaking by the Amherst Feminist Alliance and the Chicana/o Caucus. Their first event was a screening of "Senorita Extraviada," a film documenting the murders.
"Since then, we have tried to raise awareness by creating informational table tents, postering around campus and asking people to sign petitions in the campus center and at the 'Vagina Monologues,'" Silberstein said.
The Juarez activism group has worked diligently to attract other college activists from around the country to their cause. They are currently working with Amnesty International to encourage college students around the country to actively pursue the issue.
"We are working with Amnesty International to begin a grassroots movement that would help other colleges around the country mobilize around this issue," said Silberstein. "With Amnesty International, we are setting up campus organizing kits and a discussion board forum to make it easier for students around the country to find information about this cause, and [to facilitate] contact [among] all the groups working on this issue."
They have also endeavored to further educate themselves so that they can better understand and participate in resolving the injustices committed in Ciudad Juarez.
"The Juarez murders are studied ... throughout a variety of disciplines on the Amherst campus. Yet, [we] want to take our education a step further and become involved in the larger community that we live in," said Marquez. "We are invested in bringing back our knowledge and experience to share with the Amherst College community and student activists across the country."
Marquez's interest in the Juarez crisis began almost a decade ago. "For the past ten years, I have been hearing about the murders on the news and I have been shocked and appalled that nothing has been done," she said. "I never really felt that I could do much at such a young age, but now I realize that student bodies can bring major attention to this crisis. I am hoping that by bringing attention to the subject, more people will put pressure on both the Mexican and American governments to put an end to these horrific murders."
The Juarez activism group is planning presentations at the Five College Women's Research Center and at local colleges and high schools, in addition to the discussions and events they plan to hold on the Amherst campus.
The delegation is being organized by the Mexico Solidarity Network (MSN). "[MSN is a] coalition of over 80 organizations struggling for human rights, economic justice and democracy in the United States and Mexico," according to the MSN website. The delegation will seek to contribute to the festivities surrounding March 8, International Women's Day.
To fund their excursion, the students approached departments and offices on campus as well as national feminist, human rights and Chicano organizations.
According to group leaders, they sold donated pizzas on the freshman quad last week, and last night the group held a dessert benefit, Chocolate for a Cause, with live music and a raffle in order to raise supplementary funds. Local restaurants and bakeries donated desserts in support of the students' mission to help the women of Juarez.