Article written by Melissa

From the Editor, Melissa Mundt

June has been a month of transition and change in Chiapas. At the Peace House we bid farewell to our wonderful spring volunteers and welcomed new volunteers, friends and housemates. We are preparing for what will be an exciting summer of hosting delegations, networking with other organizations and creating educational materials on immigration and human rights issues in Oaxaca.

The end of this month, the EZLN Red Alert, made us, and most of Chiapas stop in its tracks. We are all relieved to see that the Mexican Army and EZLN have both stated that they will take no offensive action, and that the “next phase” of the Zapatista Rebellion seems to be a continuation and elaboration of their original stance against neoliberal development in the world and fighting for justice, rights and dignity of indigenous peoples. Read more about the Red Alert in this newsletter.

Also in this newsletter volunteers reflect on working with children in an Abejas community and the power of zines as a pedagogical tool, the “death train” which carries thousands of illegal Central Americans through Mexico every month, and the rise of AIDS in Chiapas communities. As always check our website for new events, announcements and news updates.

Contents 

• News Updates
• Update on Red Alert, by Melissa Mundt
• June/July Newsbriefs (NAFTA-plus, the canceltaion of Enlace Civil's bank accounts, the "Zapatista" drug bust, and the perils faced by migrants, by Simon Walker
• Volunteer Weblog
• Reflections Al Regresar, Anna Lifson
• Essays & Analysis
• Passed through Words: the Zine Creations of Las Abejas & Nuevo Yibeljoj, Julia
• Solidarity through Uncertainty, Melissa Mundt