Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES) » Mission Statement and Anti-oppression

The CISPES Mission Statement | Declaración de Misión de CISPES

admin — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 01:56:18 +0000

[lang_en-us](updated September 2007)

We are a grassroots organization dedicated to supporting the Salvadoran people’s struggle for self-determination and social and economic justice. The alternative that they are building –an alternative based upon democratic and socialist ideals–is an example to all people who seek a world free of domination and exploitation. We support that alternative because we believe that capitalism is a fundamentally unjust, oppressive and ecologically unsustainable economic system. We join with poor and working people, immigrants and refugees in the struggle against neoliberalism– the current manifestation of capitalism imposed by the United States government and its state, institutional and corporate allies. Neoliberal policies continue to produce enormous suffering and destabilization around the world. We focus our work on El Salvador because of the U.S. government’s continuing military, economic, and political intervention on behalf of U.S. corporate interests, and because the Salvadoran people’s tenacious and inspiring struggle to build social justice.

We work to achieve three basic goals:

1. To end U.S. economic, political and military intervention in El Salvador and by extension Central America, the Caribbean, and all of the Americas. In the current context we work to end U.S.-imposed global economic policies that devastate local cultures and economies, specifically in El Salvador.

2. To give political and material support to the grassroots movement in El Salvador for self-determination, economic democracy and social justice. The groups we strive to support and collaborate with include labor, women’s, youth, LGBT and other grassroots organizations. We stand in solidarity with the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), as we have since our founding, because of its central role in building a new, egalitarian society.

3. To help build a broad-based progressive U.S. social movement and an international, working-class led movement for economic and social justice.

We challenge ourselves to reflect in our own work the ideals and the vision we have of a society free from all forms of injustice. CISPES’s organizing methodology is an anti-oppressive model of building power and leadership while accounting for the individual privileges we hold and oppressions that we face. CISPES uses a wide variety of creative tactics to achieve our goals. These include: public protest and education, grassroots lobbying of policy makers and fundraising for both our own work and material aid to El Salvador. Part of our mission is to build and strengthen the progressive movement in this country, by forming alliances with organizations that share our vision, especially grassroots organizations.

We also support other progressive forces in Central America, the Caribbean, and all of the Americas which are working for human rights, democracy and social justice. Inspired by the growth of Left political parties and social movement organizations, CISPES works in coalition with other forces in the U.S. that are supporting social movements and governments building a people-centered alternative in Latin America. In addition, we support fundamental human rights for Salvadorans and other immigrants and refugees in the United States, regardless of their so-called “legal” or “illegal” status. [/lang_en-us][lang_es]Somos una organización de base popular dedicada a apoyar la lucha del pueblo salvadoreño para la autodeterminación y la justicia social y económica. La alternativa que están desarrollando — una alternativa basada en ideales democráticos y socialistas — es un ejemplo para todos los pueblos que buscan un mundo libre de la dominación y explotación. Nosotros apoyamos esa alternativa porque creemos que el capitalismo es un sistema económico que es fundamentalmente injusto, opresivo e imposible para sostener ecológicamente. Nosotros nos unimos a la gente pobre y la clase obrera, de inmigrantes y refugiados contra el neoliberalismo — la manifestación corriente del capitalismo impuesto por el gobierno de los EE.UU. y sus aliados del estado, institucionales y corporativos. Políticas neoliberales siguen creando sufrimiento enorme y instabilidad en todo el mundo. Nuestro trabajo se enfoca en El Salvador a causa de LA INTERVENCION MILITAR, ECONOMICA, Y POLITICA del gobierno estadounidense POR LOS INTERESES DE LAS GRANDES CORPORACIONES Y TAMBIEN A CAUSE DE LA LUCHA TENAZ Y INSPIRACIONAL DEL PUEBLO SALVADOREÑO POR CONSTRUIR LA JUSTICIA SOCIAL.

Trabajamos para tres metas básicas:

1. Parar con la intervención económica, política, y militar en El Salvador Y POR ENDE Centro América, el Caribe, y todas las Américas. En el contexto corriente, trabajamos para parar con las políticas de la economía global impuesto por los EE.UU. que devastan a las culturas y economías locales, específicamente en El Salvador.

2. Dar apoyo político y material al movimiento popular en El Salvador para el autodeterminación, la democracia económica y la justicia social. BUSCAMOS APOYAR Y COLABORAR CON GRUPOS SINDICALES, DE MUJERES, DE JOVENES, LGBT, Y OTRAS ORGANIZACIONES POPULARES. Estamos en solidaridad con el FMLN, y hemos estado hacia nuestro fundamento, porque el frente ha tenido un papel central en la construcción de una nueva sociedad egalitária.

3. Ayudar a construir un movimiento POPULAR, AMPLIO Y PROGRESISTAS EN LOS EEUU Y UN MOVIMIENTO INTERNACIONALISTA POR LA JUSTICIA SOCIAL Y ECONOMICA ENCABEZADA POR LA CLASE OBRERA.

Nosotros nos desafiamos a reflejar en nuestro propio trabajo los ideales y la visión que tenemos de una sociedad libre do todas formas de INJUSTICIA. La metodología de organizar de CISPES es una de OPOSICION A LA OPRESION Y DE CONSTRUCCION DEL PODER Y LIDERAZGO DE toda la gente, TOMANDO EN CUENTA NUESTROS PRIVILEGIOS INDIVIDUALES MAS LAS OPRESIONES QUE ENFRENTAMOS. CISPES usa varias tácticas creativas para llevar a cabo nuestras metas. Estas incluyen: protesta publica y educación, cabildeo popular de políticos y consiguiendo fondos para nuestro trabajo y para ayuda material a El Salvador. Parte de nuestra misión es construir y fortalecer el movimiento progresista en este país, formando alianzas con organismos que comparten nuestra visión, sobre todo las organizaciones de base.

También apoyamos a otras fuerzas progresistas en Centroamerica, el Caribe, y todas las Américas que trabajan para los derechos humanos, la democracia, y la justicia social. TOMANDO INSPIRACION DEL CRECIMIENTO DE LOS PARTIDOS POLITICOS DE IZQUIERDA Y DE LAS ORGANIZACIONES DE MOVIMIENTO SOCIAL, CISPES TRABAJA EN COALICION CON OTROS ESFUERZOS EN LOS EEUU QUE APOYAN LOS MOVIMIENTOS SOCIALES Y GOBIERNOS QUE ESTAN CONSTRUYENDO UNA ALTERNATIVA HUMANA PARA AMERICA LATINA. También apoyamos los derechos humanos fundamentales para los Salvadoreños y otros inmigrantes y refugiados que ahora viven en los EE.UU., sin consideración a su estatus “legal” o “ilegal”.[/lang_es]

CISPES Anti-Oppression Statement

admin — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:02:38 +0000

What follows is CISPES’ national mission statement on anti-oppression. This statement is part of our national recommitment to becoming a more inclusive organization in solidarity not only with the struggle in El Salvador, but with oppressed people everywhere.

CISPES is committed to working for a world without oppression. We recognize that the roots of oppression run deep in our society and in ourselves, and that all freedom struggles — from El Salvador’s battle for self-determination to domestic challenges to racism, sexism and heterosexism — are linked.

CISPES’ commitment to challenging oppressive behaviors springs from a strong desire for community. We seek a community where we can grow and respect each other, and not feel the need to dominate and control other people. Through inclusive organizing, we believe we can achieve community and help build a mass grassroots movement to effectively challenge injustice.

We recognize that barriers to inclusive organizing — racism, sexism, heterosexism, classism, ageism, ableism and other domineering behaviors and attitudes — stem from an ideology of oppression ingrained in our social institutions as well as in each of us.

Oppression is fostered through the ignorance and prejudice that characterize our schools, the media and government institutions. Oppression is enforced through violence, ranging from physical attacks on women –including the forced sterilization of women of color — to assaults on gays and lesbians.

Oppressive behavior can be obvious, such as the beating of Rodney King or the Senate inquisition endured by Anita Hill. Or oppression can be manifested in more subtle ways, as when women’s comments are devalued at CISPES meetings or CISPES fundraising activities are geared toward whites and heterosexuals. This behavior diminishes our collective work, while isolating and disempowering individuals.

Confronting and dealing with oppressive behaviors, then, must be a centerpiece of our work in CISPES. We need to strengthen continuously the mechanisms of inclusive organizing, including affirmative action, educational workshops, and coalition building with movements led by the oppressed. We will continue to study and articulate the history and dynamics of oppression.

We have a responsibility to forge a model of inclusive organizing, within our own organization and within the national and international progressive movements. We must hold ourselves accountable — to educate and to develop ourselves in order to make all of us feel at home in CISPES. Ultimately, we’re striving to create a safe space for the victims of oppression, a space where those who are discriminated against can find allies in the struggle against injustice, and validate their pain, anger and frustration when they are victimized.

Since its foundation, CISPES has acted on a vision of self-determination and social justice. That vision cannot be limited to one country or one people. Solidarity means mutual support in ending discrimination and injustice, while building a society in which everyone can realize their potential without barriers of race, gender, sexual orientation or class.[/lang_en-us][lang_es]CISPES está compremetido a luchar hacía un mundo sin opresión. Reconocemos que los raices de opresión corren por la fundación de nuestra sociedad y por nuestros propios seres, y que todas las luchas para la libertad — desde la batalla para autodeterminación en El Salvador hasta el desafío domestico al racismo, sexismo, y heterosexismo — están vínculadas.

El compromiso de CISPES a desafíar comportamiento opresivo viene de un deseo fuerte para “comunidad”. Buscamos una comunidad en que crezcamos y respetemos el uno al otro, y en que no tengamos la necesidad de dominar ni controlar a nadie. Por métodos inclusivos de organizar, creyemos que alcanzamos una comunidad y ayudar en crear un movimiento masivo del base para desafiar con fuerza la injusticia.

Reconocemos que obstáculos a un método inclusivo de organizar — el racismo, el sexismo, el heterosexismo, clasismo, prejuicios en contra los más joven o más viejo, prejuicios en contra la gente con menos capacidad física y otros actitudes dominantes — están nacidos en una ideología de opresión, fundamental dentro de nuestras instituciones sociales y dentro de nosotros mismos.

La opresión es fomentado por la ignorancia y el projuicio, los cuales caracterizan nuestras escuelas, los medios de comunicacion, e instituciones gobernmentales. La opresión está impuesto por la violencia, desde los atentados contra homosexuales y lesbianas hasta la esterilización forzada de mujeres de color.

La opresión puede ser obvio como en la paliza de Rodney King o la inquisión del Senado hacía Anita Hill. O la opresión puede manifestarse más sutilmente como cuando los comentarios de mujeres (durante una reunión de CISPES) tienen menos valor o cuando bailes de CISPES están orientados solamente para la gente heterosexual. Esta manera de comportarse disminúa a nuestro trabajo colectivo, mientras que sirve para aislar y descapacitar a los individuos del organismo.

Entonces, confrontar y tratar con la opresión debe ser el foco de nuestro trabajo en CISPES. Necesitamos a fortalecer continuamente los mecanismos de organizar inclusivamente, incluyendo a la “accion afirmativa”, talleres educativos, la creación de coaliciones con los movimentos de gente oprimida. Necesitamos seguir nuestros estudios y articular la historia y el dinámico de opresión.

Ultimamente, nos esforzamos a crear un espacio seguro para las víctimas de opresión, un espacio en donde los oprimidos pueden hallar unos aliados en la lucha contra la injusticia. Tenemos que dar validez a los sentimientos de dolor, de ira y de frustración de nuestros-as compas cuando están victimizados-as. Tenemos la responsibilidad a crear un modelo inclusivo de organizar dentro de nuestra organización y dentro de los movimientos progresivos nacionales e internacionales. Tenemos que tomar responsibilidad para educarnos y desarollarnos para que todos sean cómodos en CISPES.

Desde su nacimiento, CISPES ha basado sus acciones en una visión de autodeterminación y justicia social. Esta visión no puede ser limitada a un sólo país ni un sólo pueblo. La solidaridad significa apoyo mutuo en la terminación de discruiminación e injusticia, mientras que creamos una sociedad en que todo el mundo puede realizar su potencial sin obstáculos de raza, género, preferencia sexual o clase.[/lang_es]

Solidarity Org. Implements Ground-Breaking Gender Identity Related Health Care Policy

admin — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 11:14:42 +0000

New York – On March 1, 2007 the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES) implemented a Gender-Identity Related Health Care Coverage Policy to assist its transgendered and gender non-conforming employees with medical fees that are not covered by the organization’s current insurance policy.

For 27 years CISPES, in solidarity with the popular movement in El Salvador, has challenged U.S. government policies which lead to violence and poverty throughout Latin America; current campaigns involve organizing against the Central American Free Trade Agreement and the privatization of water in El Salvador. CISPES is a grassroots organization committed to working for a world without oppression, recognizing that the roots of oppression run deep in our society and in ourselves, and that all freedom struggles — from El Salvador’s battle for self-determination to domestic challenges to racism, sexism and heterosexism — are linked.

As CISPES works to support progressive social movement organizations in the Global South and to change U.S. foreign policy, the organization is also dedicated to applying its ideals internally by fighting oppression in all of its manifestations. “To effectively advocate for peace and social justice in the Americas, we must also challenge the worst abuses of the exclusionary system in the U.S.,” said Executive Director Burke Stansbury. “Through this initiative we express our solidarity with one of the most excluded sectors of every country in this hemisphere.”

Not only is this an important issue within the United States, but is important in El Salvador as well. Lucia Ramirez, CISPES coordinator in San Salvador, says, “El Salvador, like the U.S. and much of the rest of the world, continues to be a institutionally sexist, homophobic and transphobic society and for that, I hope this advancement within CISPES motivates and educates about the need to respect and protect the rights of identity every person should have.”

Most health insurance plans exclude the distinct needs of transgendered people forcing them to pay for their own medications and surgeries out of pocket. Transphobic doctors, hospitals and clinics also deny most transgendered people access to respectful care, hormones and other forms of basic medical necessity. Taking leadership from organizations that work on transgender rights in a daily way, CISPES’s policy is modeled after the Sylvia Rivera Law Project’s Trans Healthcare Policy.

The CISPES Gender-Identity Related Health Care Coverage Policy is exceptional, as few progressive organizations offer such aid to their trans and gender non-conforming employees. “We hope that this will be part of a new initiative for organizations and employers across many sectors to figure out creative ways both to raise awareness about injustices within the healthcare system and to support trans and gender non-conforming people’s access to affordable, quality medical care, which everyone deserves,” said Sha Grogan-Brown, CISPES’s Development Director.