When Bush was declared the winner of the election, the first thing that crossed many of our minds here in Chiapas is that we should go home. 

Like rushing to the bedside of a loved one that is sick, we gringos abroad had the knee jerk reaction that we needed to be in the United States working for change.  Not knowing exactly what form that struggle would take, or what I would have to offer it, I thought, for a moment, that my responsibility, my fight, was in the United States. 

A few days later, the Walmart on the site of the ancient Teotihuacan ruins outside of Mexico City was inaugurated. I learned that Walmart, with 650 stores, employs the highest number of people in the Mexican private sector, and I remembered that this is a fight that crosses all borders.  Some of the biggest players in the  efforts to dislocate indigenous populations in the Montes Azules Bioreserve are Ford Motor Company, Conservation International and USAID.  The worlds leaders and corporations continue to globetrot in the name of free trade and multinational relations,  and thus it is increasingly important that the rest of us “think globally” in the sense of understanding the relationships between our country and the rest of the world, building connections with other social justice struggles.  I strive to work in solidarity with communities in resistance because we are facing many of the same enemies and we have much to learn from each other about how to fight.

In preparing a speaking event with the Resource Center of the Americas in Minneapolis, MN, I was asked to provide suggestions for action for the audience members.  I was stumped at first.  But since then, I’ve been thinking more about what cross-border organizing could look like.  I’ll keep you posted on my unfolding daydreams of radical collaboration, but in terms of individual contributions, I think the most important ones are: staying informed, raising awareness, and supporting solidarity organizations. 

For more suggestions on ongoing solidarity, see the essay "Suggestions for Ongoing Solidarity",  compiled by Jessie Hahn of Global Exchange.  We hope she inspires you to keep on fighting, whether in the U.S. or another corner of the world.  

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