Remembering Rutilio
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Reflection by Sarah Harkness, Coordinator of the Hispanic/Latino Ministry Training Institute, Salem OR
This week I returned from the second part of our “Going Upstream” delegation to El Salvador. 40 delegates from throughout the Pacific Northwest, Northern California and Texas were hosted by the SHARE Foundation (www.share-elsalvador.org) for a week long delegation to visit SHARE projects, rural communities and advocacy partners to learn more about realities facing the people of El Salvador: poverty, violence, environmental degradation, economic injustice, migration. We were also witness to the powerful experience/example of the people through: community organization, women’s empowerment, community cooperatives, and the faith which is central to all aspects of life. We were privileged to participate in the commemoration of the 30 th Anniversary of the death of Father Rutilio Grande an outspoken Jesuit priest who spoke against the injustices at the hands of an oppressive government during the 1970’s. His death in 1977 was a catalyst in the work and life in Archbishop Oscar Romero. The work of the church and the example of these Jesuits remains a strong force in the life of El Salvador today.
As with the border trip, I am facing a notebook full of notes, a mind full of vivid  images, a heart full of strong emotions, and an internal debate about what to emphasize in these few pages. Please know that the experiences and the situations are much broader than what will be expressed here. I would love to have/give conversations, presentations, and further information about what is presented here.
Intro
I’ll start here as we started on our first morning together in El Salvador, with some facts about the country and some background about our role as a delegation. In an interactive exercise, some startling facts were read by the group: El Salvador is per capita the third most violent country in the world behind Iraq and Columbia. The average monthly income is about $160 US dollars. El Salvador is the second most deforested country in that region of the world behind Haiti. 6.9 million El Salvadorans live in El Salvador. 3 million El Salvadorans live outside of the country, most of them in the United States. 700 people a day leave El Salvador—that’s 250,000 people a year.
The SHARE foundation, our hosting organization has been in existence for over 25 years and was founded by El Salvadorans and Americans in the United States and works in both countries. Its three main objectives are to:
- Walk with the People
- Offer small loans/help
- Try to change policies
An example was offered to help us understand our role in accompaniment. We were not there to fix problems. Using a vivid real-life example from the war the question was raised, “ What do you do when you arrive at a village and 1,000 have been massacred—including 260 babies? You cry with them. You accompany them. And that is enough .” We were encouraged to walk with the people and to be witnesses not to try to “fix” the problems. But we also had the responsibility to return to our country and be a voice for the voiceless, letting the stories be heard and advocating for change. And so we set out for a full week in this small country packed with a vibrant history and impacting life lessons.
 Environmental Degradation as result of Corporate Economic Interests
For this Oregonian raised in an environmentally aware household, witnessing the environmental degradation of El Salvador was particularly striking. We focused on three specific areas during our time there: the contamination by factories of the Rio Sucio—a major source of water for thousands of people, mining projects in the Northern part of the country, and the building of a beltway around the city of San Salvador—part of the Plan Pueblo Panama, supported by the United States to connect all of Central America and Mexico with highways for commerce.
Rio Sucio
Free Trade has made it easier for large companies to operate within El Salvador; many of these corporations are not following environmental law. Our first stop, in witnessing the contamination of the Rio Sucio, was outside of a company called Alas Doradas—a paper processing plant. As my eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight, I followed people’s shocked stares to the stream running out of the factory. Inappropriately my mind leapt to thoughts of Willy Wonka as the color of the water was startlingly silver-blue, the color of my DVD player but with perhaps more “periwinkle” thrown in. It was staining the grass and sludging down towards a major water source for the surrounding communities. A delegation from SHARE did meet with the operators last year who promised to clean it up within a year—eight months later the by-products are streaming, uncurbed, into the environment through the Rio Sucio (ironically called the “Dirty River” even before major contamination).
Moving on to the Kimberly-Clarke factory (Kleenex being its most famous product), the impacts of this contamination ceased to be theoretical as we walked through a small community living directly next to the massive factory along the River Sucio—a river which used to be full of fish and was used to irrigate vegetable crops, but now cannot sustain life. The smell coming from the river was enough to give anyone a headache before we even reached the banks. This paper product factory, the biggest factory in Central America, dumps its chemicals directly into the river—chemicals which include lead, mercury and arsenic. Even the water table has been affected and wells are contaminated. 56% of the people who live along the river get their water from the river, 44% from the water company. We heard tales farther down the river in the communities that we visited of dead fish floating to the surface and communities gathering the fish, some for consumption. As we stood next to the river, behind the factory, listening with sick stomachs to the horrific details of respiratory diseases, kidney failure, skin rashes and diarrhea, children from the village next to the factory started gathering around, giggling, shoving each other to position themselves on the rocks and watch this group of North Americans pull out their cameras and attempt to get water samples without falling in the river. So we began to talk to the women and children. Immediately noticeable were some open sores/boils and rashes on the children’s skin. The women talked of traveling long distances to wash their clothes, that they try not to use the water, but on some occasions it is hard to avoid it. Kimberly Clarke has a faucet outside of the factory for the families to use that is supposed to be clean water. The children still have diarrhea and there are skin problems even when using that water. And there is not always water coming out of the faucet. When asked if the factory hires people living in the community, the women vigorously shook their heads and said that the factory doesn’t usually hire the people it most affects. They were also told that if they tried to organize against the operation their land would be taken away. “Do you not have titles to your land?” we asked one woman, concerned. She replied, “You have to remember the difference between those who have money and those who don’t. ” One of those who have money? House Rep. Sensenbrenner, infamous co-creator of the harsh anti-immigrant bill HR4437 that sparked massive rallies last year. Sensenbrenner is an owner of the Kimberly Clarke corporation. At a closing press conference in El Salvador, he was invited, along with Salvadoran government officials, by one of our delegation, to take a dip in the River Sucio.
Metallic Mineral Mining
A couple of days later, in the northern region, we heard of the potentially devastating impacts of proposed metallic mineral mining projects. Large Canadian mining corporations have drilled several exploration holes on the land of the rural communities. Originally giving permission to the companies in return for minimal compensation, many rural community members—upon learning about the potential impact of extraction—
are leading a campaign, with the support of SHARE, to stop the project. In order to extract metals such as gold/silver/copper a cyanide process is used and this lethal chemical can pollute the water table. The mining project will also use about 200,000 liters of water a day in an area with severe water shortages. Open pit or subterranean mining also contributes to massive deforestation. While our delegation was on the land (which we thought to be public land)—looking at cemented-over pits and listening to the people explain their opposition to the project—we were approached by two military soldiers and a civil police officer and asked to leave the land. We were escorted down the mountain. And then, as luck would have it, they needed to hitch a ride on our bus out of the community. I will always remember outspoken peace and social justice activist, UCC Pastor Gail McDougle, sitting on the school bus next to a soldier holding an M-16 rifle. Obviously our presence made some waves. We, as North Americans, have influence.
The Beltway and Plan Pueblo Panama
Plan Pueblo Panama is a project supported by the Inter-American Development Bank and other private investors to the tune of $10 billion. Its goal is to provide an infrastructure for the implementation of CAFTA, namely in this case a beltway around the city of San Salvador for the moving of commerce. SHARE supports a group called the Association of Communities Affected by the Beltway and Bypass (ACAPb). This group is actively opposing the beltway in the San Jacinto Cerro Region. This region which is on a fault line is an environmentally fragile area. With great clarity and visual examples, we were taught by a local geographic engineer of the fragile nature of the land and its predisposition to landslides and water run-off. The Beltway project, being constructed by a private Italian contractor has been actively detained in this region since 2000, including the community blocking of streets to stop machines from entering for 28 days in 2002. The Ministry of Public Works declared it a militarized zone and pushed the machines through. After hearing a report by ACAPb, the Inter-American Development Bank withdrew its financing of the project, but the construction is going forward with other funding. Effects already caused by the project? A flood caused by run-off in June 2004 broke the dyke and flooded an economically poor community at the foot of the hill. 250 families lost everything they had under 1 ½ meters of water. In the South 34,000 cubic meters of land has shifted into the run-off stream, putting families at risk. In May 2005, landslides and water destroyed the major part of all of the communities in that area. And yet the project continues as a part of Plan Pueblo Panama which is supported by the US government.
 Women’s Empowerment
One common and hopeful theme throughout our visits in El Salvador was the intentional and successful empowerment of women. From seemingly small, but important changes like introductions that included “Bienvenidas y Bienvenidos a Todas y Todos” which uses both feminine and masculine forms of the welcome, when grammatically only the masculine is needed to welcome a mixed group, to the powerful leadership of women in El Salvador—perhaps most notable in the capital city’s mayor Violeta Menjívar . We visited and heard of several women’s cooperatives in rural areas. Many of the women in these cooperatives had held important positions of leadership during the war and wanted to remain organized after the war ended. One women’s association—ASMUR is involved in literacy training, leadership training, self-esteem work, human rights organization and the giving of micro-credit to small female operated businesses—such as the production of cheese and other food products to sell in the community. The women’s cooperative in Santa Ana spoke powerfully about standing up against domestic violence in the community with one another’s support and about organizing for economic freedom through their business cooperatives. In El Manguito we heard of an expanding literacy program training dozens of women, many over 60 years old, to read and write—many of whom are then involved in the small store that the cooperative operates and in the operation of the corn mill. Through UCRES (Union of Rural Communities in the North) many communities have better organized themselves for education, and economic, social and political action directed at strengthening their community and the quality of life. During our delegation, we shook hands and greeted many women presidents, vice presidents and committee members of these communities and witnessed first hand their powerful leadership.
Migration
Having recently spent time on the border, and being involved in ministry with Latinos in Oregon/Idaho, learning more about migration was one of my initial motivating factors in participating in this delegation. Two experiences of the delegation really impressed upon me the impact of immigration—an overnight home stay with a wonderful family in rural El Salvador and a presentation by Jesus Aguilar, director of CARECEN International and an immigration expert.
Economic Facts
30-33% of El Salvadorans live outside of the country, most in the United States. They leave for various reasons and during the 1980s many were refugees fleeing a brutal war. Now they are fleeing a different kind of violence—economic violence. Facing a lack of opportunities and low salaries many youth are planning to head to the United States. The average age of those leaving is 17-25 and 65% of youth want to migrate north because they see no opportunities in their own country. 80% if those finishinghigh school in El Salvador cannot afford to go to college.
Last year 3 billion dollars was sent to El Salvador in the form of remittances. That is more than 100% of the national budget. Because El Salvador consumes much more than it produces, these remittances balance out the economy or so it seems. But it is a false economy as the majority of remittances go to purchase products from the United States or China, so the money is going straight back to the large foreign corporations in El Salvador and very little stays in the country itself. Banks and commerce are benefiting from the remittances, but the people themselves are not. It is in the best interest of the El Salvador government not to change policies on immigration because they rely on the remittances and in fact with inflation and the cost of living, remittances need to increase in order to maintain the current national budget. In order for a change the government must prepare itself for a drop in remittances. And in order for people to stay in their country, economic opportunities and the quality of life must be improved so that immigration is not seen as the only option.
Community Impacts
This situation has impacted the very social and familial structure of El Salvadoran communities. Perhaps a highlight of the delegation for me was the home stay in Huisisilapa a community of 1,000 people in the Aguilares region. 16 families hosted 20 delegates. We shared a meal with the entire community, danced together and shared stories. My roommate and I then spent the rest of the evening with our host family (a mother and her son) and our host’s five sisters and their families—swapping stories, laughing and getting to know one another. Through that exchange, we found out that all 16 host families had a family member in the United States—most of whom were in Herndon, Virginia. The families that received remittances were the ones that felt financially capable of having overnight guests. One sister asked me directly, “May I ask you a personal question? What do you feel when you see Latinos streaming across the border into your country?” After explaining my understanding of some of the root causes of immigration and my commitment to accompany the immigrant in our midst, she responded, “It just makes me really sad. Our communities are being destroyed. Our best people are leaving. I would love to visit the United States for one or two days just to see this famous U.S. But I would NEVER want to live there. And I’m sad that so many of our people have to live there.” She missed her brothers and the large percentage of the community that had felt it necessary to migrate north.
Immigration is impacting family unity. Usually when parents leave, the children stay with grandparents or aunts. Children often think that their parents have abandoned them. The money sent back won’t change that sense of abandonment. Although if the children are taken along, there is a greater risk of something happening to them. 138 people died making the journey last year. In Boston after an INS raid on a factory 95 Salvadoran women were detained, the children were left behind, coming home from school to find that their mothers were being deported.
One person described migration from El Salvador as a permanent “bloodletting” of the country because it is the youth and the educated, the dynamic people who are headed north. It used to be that the people would organize and advocate for higher wages/jobs. Now they don’t see the possibilities for positive outcome, so they are paying someone to help them immigrate. In communities were the majority of people are migrating, children grow up with this reality as the norm. Many are learning English and have plans to head north themselves when they are old enough.
The hope found in Huisisilapa is that many are committed to staying and working in the community. The community, with some partnering organizations have helped provide educational scholarships for their young adults and many of these young adults (women especially) state clearly that after they are certified to teach or become a doctor or various other goals that they will definitely return to their communities and work there. Their goal in receiving education is to use it for the good of the community. We also heard of an exciting young women’s artisan project, where young women from the community are making arts and crafts and selling them not only around the community but internationally through partner churches and organizations. They are currently building a workshop with the financial help of a United Methodist Church in Dallas Texas, who also sells their goods in the alternative market each year. They are intent on creating economic opportunities for the young people in the community, in order that they might stay.
Organization and the Role of the Church
“ I’m quite aware that very soon the Bible and the gospel won’t be allowed to cross our borders. We’ll only get the bindings, because all the pages are subversive. And I think that if Jesus himself crossed the border to Chalatenango, they wouldn’t let him in. They would accuse him of being a rabble-rouser, a foreign Jew, one who confused the people with exotic and foreign ideas, ideas against democracy—that is, against the wealthy minority, the clan of Cains! Brothers and sisters, without any doubt, they would crucify him again. And God forbid that I be one of the crucifiers !” ~ Father Rutilio Grande, sermon preached on Feb. 13 th, 1977, one month before his assassination.
It was a true honor and a joy to join with 1,000 Salvadorans in a 4 km march to remember the martyrdom of Father Rutilio Grande, a turning point for El Salvador and a catalytic event in the live of Archbishop Oscar Romero. As we marched, words of scripture and words of powerful messages given by Jesuit priests in El Salvador were called out over the loudspeaker. We sang songs of unity and of action. I felt overwhelmed at the power of a shared faith when local and international participants, honoring a Jesuit priest started to sing two songs familiar to us in our UM hymnal, “ Lord you have come to the Lakeshore ” and “You are the Seed ”. The words took on a whole new meaning in this context. We called out for the spirit of the Jesuit priests to live on in the name of Christ. We called out for the life of the progressive church and for the power of a unified people.
Highly organized Christian Base Communities provided a portion of the infrastructure during the war as people stood together against oppression. This power through community is also evidenced through the structure and organization of rural communities coming together to effect change. I have never seen such impressive and effective grass roots development in my life.
As a United Methodist Missionary working in Hispanic Ministry, it reaffirmed the necessity of a church which accompanies and empowers the people, which is present in those things that concern the community, which is bold, active, and foundational. It challenged me to meet those that surround me in my neighborhood, and to embrace the joy of communal worship. It highlighted the centrality of relationship, of determination, of courage, and of faith. Those in the history of El Salvador that have and continue to act out Jesus’ words in a flesh and blood way, often at great risk to themselves, have changed the very nature of the society and its people. It is a transformational faith. It is a bold challenge. It is a hopeful example.
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