March 3, 2016
Dear Friends,
Beyond the borders of the United States, policies and practices dictated and influenced by our government and multi-national corporations housed in our country continue to wreak havoc on the lives of people throughout Central America.
Last summer Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity led a delegation of 16 faith leaders from across the United States on a “Root Causes Journey” to examine why tens of thousands of children, youth, women, and families are forced to flee their homes. We traveled to Guatemala and Honduras where we were received and welcomed as invited guests.
Among the people who hosted our delegation of faith leaders was Ms. Berta Caceres, a leading indigenous environmental activist. Today, we learned she was assassinated inside her home in Honduras after two gunmen broke down the door to her house, went in, shot and killed her.
Violence is one of the leading causes of migration. Often that violence is connected to enforcers of our nation’s foreign policies throughout Central America. According to our friends in Honduras, they are convinced Ms. Caceres was assassinated inside her home because she was a human rights activist.
In 2015, Berta Caceres received the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize. She testified before the U.S. Congress. She gave her life in support of indigenous people in Honduras who suffer under the weight of governmental corruption and blatant disregard for the environment and human persons.
This week the Reverend Deborah Lee, senior program director of Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, will return to Honduras to pay homage to Ms. Caceres and to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who depend on people of faith in the United States to speak up on their behalf.
We need your support and financial gifts to strengthen our voices and change conditions that create violence and threaten the lives of people like Berta Caceres.
Please make your donation to: Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity 5080 N. Maywood Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90041. Or, go to our Web site: www.im4humanintegrity.org
Thank you for joining Interfaith Movement and honoring the life of Berta Caceres.
Sincerely,
Rev. Dr. Art Cribbs
Rev. Dr. Art Cribbs
Executive Director