Yale Divinity School kicks off national dialogue on race

By Lauren Patrick

Nevertheless, Esak Garcia, SY '00, voiced the opinions of the Yale group when he said, "We think it is more important to focus on what's going on in Chiapas rather than the Yale students that went there."

Since the group returned from Chiapas conditions have gone from bad to worse. Government forces have cracked down on groups perceived as sympathetic to the Zapatista rebels, who have been pushing for freedom for the region's largely indigenous population since 1994. On Sat., Apr. 11, government forces stormed the town of Taniperlas and broke up the rebel government that had declared Taniperlas an autonomous municipality. Officials evicted numerous residents out of buildings in Taniperlas, and arrested 11 Mexicans and 12 foreigners.

Three of the 10 students who travelled to Chiapas (Claire Fallender, PC '98, Rachel Lawal, CC '99, and Jennifer Turner, SY '99) had been stationed in Taniperlas to monitor Mexican military activity and human rights abuses. The foreigners who were arrested were doing the same kind of monitoring.

One of the Mexicans arrested, Sergio Valdez Rubalcaba, a 60-year-old professor from Mexico City, was the replacement for the three Yale students. Along with a number of other political prisoners, Rubalcaba was reportedly beaten by government forces and has been imprisoned without trial in a federal penitentiary. John Pluecker, ES '01, noted that "Rubalcaba's plight was very moving to the group, epecially because three of them knew him and worked with him for a short time."

Grace Rollins, CC '01, a member of the group that visited Chiapas, believes that the arrests were unlawful since "those foreigners were there on a completely neutral mission to monitor human rights." Moreover, she said that the officials lacked a warrant of any kind. The Mexican government, however, has staunchly denied that these foreigners were simply monitors, contending that the foreigners were rebel supporters who had actively been supporting the Zapatistas and their efforts to create autonomous municipalities.

The recent developments in Chiapas have made the Yalies more determined to take action. "There is more dire need for observers and foreign support than ever," Rollins said. "The only way to fight back against the oppression...is to be vocal." To that end, the Chiapas Action Center, a group formed by the ten students, plans to publicize the plight of the Zapatistas and possibly organize another trip to Chiapas.

Back to News...