Online Resources, Sister Cities
2021 National Gathering Summary
If you’ve been following our blog and are subscribed to our listserv, you know this year has been particularly challenging for the Salvadoran social movement as the Bukele administration grew increasingly authoritarian throughout the year. Nevertheless, last weekend our network met virtually for our annual National Gathering. We had over 50 participants throughout Saturday and Sunday, including people who have been involved in the network for decades and people new to Sister Cities.
On Saturday we began by commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the massacre at El Mozote, which led to a discussion on the legacy this atrocity left behind, including the continued destructive US policies that affect the entire region. Lorena Martinez (CRIPDES) provided us with a detailed update of the challenges our sistered communities face. She told us that international solidarity matters now as much as ever, and we need to bring attention to the human rights violations that continue to happen in El Salvador. We then reviewed our 2022 work plan that has been underway since October 2021 and will continue through October 2022.
Sunday opened with a moment to recognize four members we lost this past year: Van Hardy, Michael Ring, Sr., Jim Wallace, and Dick Williams. We took inspiration from their legacies and poured it into our work plan. People brainstormed ways they might fit into our new work plan, made commitments to tasks for the new year, including setting fundraising goals. Now that the National Gathering is done, it’s time to set our work plan in motion. Stay tuned for ways to be involved in 2022… ¡Adelante!
Quick links from the gathering:
- sign up for the Urgent Action Network.
- COMMITTEES UPDATES – Google Drive – Videos and PowerPoints from our work groups and committees
If you would like access to the full recording of the National Gathering and/or notes, please email Jacey at jacey.sistercities@gmail.com .
