From Cultural Resistance to Political Participation
Summary by Kathleen Murrain Knudson*
The 7th National and International Meeting of Afro-Mexican and Afro-Descendant Women was held in Tamiahua, Veracruz, Mexico, on July 22 and 23, 2023. In addition to the 200 conference representatives, the meeting was attended by several state authorities, senators, the Secretary of the Government of Veracruz, and other civil and state entities.
Tamiahua, Veracruz
This conference took place in Tamiahua, a “Black Town” which, according to the 2020 Census, has a population of only 4,908 inhabitants. According to Hector Careaga of the Afro Tamiahua Collective, “The municipality is experiencing a lack of support.” … “Meetings and recreational activities require additional spaces and facilities. Our community wants to have a cinema, more libraries, workshops, community work, and better opportunities for young people to express themselves.” It is hoped that by hosting this kind of event, the local people will become more visible, and they will be able to acquire better facilities for education and entertainment.
Agenda / Discussions
This important national and international conference involved discussions about several issues affecting Afro-Mexican and Afro-Descendant women today.
Table 1. Implementation of political-electoral rights and political representation
Table 2. Prevention of gender violence
Table 3. Fight against racism and reparations
Table 4. Exercise of human rights
Pronouncements
The data on Afro-Mexican women victims of femicide was requested. The conference also denounced the situation that attendees traveling from Oaxaca had, who experienced moments of fear and anguish when their vehicle was detained by the National Guard arguing that they did not have a travel log. Rosy Castro, one of the organizers, is working on a press release explaining what happened and hoping that something like this will never happen again in the future.
Meeting Results
The women who attended this meeting agreed to keep fighting for the recognition of their rights, struggles, and undertakings. They called on the Mexican Government to respect Article 2, Section C of the Constitution, which protects the land rights of Native People, and the 50 initiatives focused on improving the quality of life of Afro-Mexicans. They also demanded the investigation of femicide victims.
“The meeting was marked by the anguish caused by what happened to our sisters who were traveling from Oaxaca,” said Dr. Donaji Mendez Tello, president of Mexico Negro, A.C., one of the leading civil rights groups in the country. “But, besides that, we have faith in the specific outcomes that will emerge from this meeting.”
Eric Cisneros, the Secretary of the Government of Veracruz told us, “We are trying to spread the vision of the world and the contributions of our ancestors, what we did and what we are doing, with the intention that more people will assume their own identity.”
Press Release
On July 25, 2023, in commemoration of the International Day of Afro-Descendant, Afro-Latina, and Afro-Caribbean Women, the following Press Release was issued summarizing the results of the four discussion tables.
Click below to download the Spanish Version.
Click below to download the English Translation.
Video Summary
A video summary of the event is provided by Senator María Celeste Sánchez of Mexico City.
* Kathleen Murrain Knudson (below, left) resides in Mexico City. She is a Spanish/English interpreter, a former radio host for Legado Africano, at UPTC Radio 104.1 in Tunja, Columbia, Co-director of Sankofa-Historias y Emprendimiento en Red, and a member of the Black co-networks of the People’s Movement for Peace and Justice. She is shown at the conference with Dr. Donají Mendez Tello, the president of Mexico Negro, A.C., one of the leading civil rights groups in the country.