Hope for Paz, in solidarity with Crispaz

“‘My voice will disappear, but my words will remain in people’s hearts’ - Oscar Romero

Our second day in San Salvador, we met a man named Lolo who recounted the day of Saint Oscar Romero’s funeral. That day thousands of Salvadorans gathered in the plaza outside of the Catedral Metropolitana de San Salvador. Military men surrounded the plaza, positioned themselves on top of buildings and began shooting at those gathered in the plaza. As he described the image of thousands running in every direction, shoes laying desolate, I couldn’t help but focus on the sadness and fear that lay over the day. But Lolo didn’t speak with fear. He spoke with power and strength, like the words of Oscar Romero.

After recounting the story, he talked about Romero’s legacy. Although his body was laid to rest that day his spirit and his work continued. Before leaving us, Lolo said words that would ring in my head every day after, ‘Be a microphone in the U.S. Oscar Romero is not a saint of the altar; he is a saint of action.’
How could he be a saint of action? What does that mean? This was an idea that seeped into every conversation shared. People believed that his work wasn’t done, and his actions lied within the people. They believed in his power and strength to not be complacent in the eye of injustice. The more time we spent with the communities in El Salvador the more I believed in the power of his spirit.

When I returned home from my immersion, Lolo’s words rang loud and clear. But the world was a confusing place and navigating how to use my voice when I didn’t know the words was a difficult task. I began by unlearning what the world had taught me about humanity and justice. And then a pandemic, a fight for racial justice, and an ongoing list of flaws in a system that was not built to protect all…”

Vilma was part of the delegation this past January & our reflection coordinator.
CRISPAZ: Christians for Peace in El Salvador

Vilma’s complete reflection is on our website: tinyurl.com/hopeforpaz | Follow us on Facebook!

We ask that you support CRISPAZ- the organization that made Vilma’s experience possible as the COVID-19 situation has severely affected their operation. The link to donate is in our bio

My immersion to El Salvador still crosses my mind, in some aspect, almost daily. It’s become second nature. I especially delve into self-reflection around the beginning of every month, as the 4th day of each month symbolizes the day I traveled to El Salvador with seven other students from Saint Joseph’s University. As July 4th marked six months since my immersion, I have thought a lot about the entire experience and was humbled that all my post-immersion emotions are still in my heart. Every part of my immersion still means so much to me, from learning about El Salvador’s history to discussing the issues these resilient people still face today. But, one specific part of my immersion caused me to experience what a lot of us Saint Joe’s students call “a revolution of the heart.” This revolution can be summed up in one word: Carasque.

A main component of my immersion was a two-day homestay in the rural town of Carasque. During these two days, we were able to learn about the overall functions of Carasque, live with the people there, and form indescribable connections. Have you ever had a moment or a handful of moments where you felt God so strongly? There’s no way to truly describe this type of moment unless you’ve been in one. My time in Carasque was one giant moment of God. Being so welcomed into a home by people we did not know, and being told that they would be our “El Salvador family.” Playing soccer and dancing with children who had so much love in their heart you could physically feel it every time they grabbed your hand or squeezed you for a hug. Forming a connection with a 13-year-old girl so true that she promises you that you’ll see each other again someday because she feels it so strongly in her bones. That was all God. That is all God.
My immersion taught me that God never leaves us, He is always around us, within the people we meet, and within ourselves. And if we keep ourselves open to God, a revolution of our heart will follow. I wish that for everyone.

I never thought that I would have had as fulfilling an immersion as I had. I never thought that I would love to still talk about my immersion, six months on. I am so grateful. I owe my entire experience to CRISPAZ, the wonderful organization that is dedicated to providing these bridges between people in El Salvador and people in the United States. Without CRISPAZ, I would not still be filled with the love from the people of Carasque, and I would not have formed friendships that now feel like family. In this time of uncertainty, CRISPAZ needs to lean on us so that their work can continue because there are so many others who have not experienced the revolution of their heart, or their moment of God. I urge you to help CRISPAZ in whatever way you can; their work is far from over.

Reflection from Emma Brenner who was part of the Saint Joseph Delegation this past January.

Please donate to CRISPAZ: Christians for Peace in El Salvador, the organization that makes these important learning experiences possible. The current situation in regard to COVID-19 means that they cannot host delegations for the foreseeable future- they are now relying on donations to make sure their work can continue in the future to build bridges of solidarity between Salvadorans and the world.

Sharing part 1 of Hope for Paz's resource list inspired by Dean Brackley's book list. His list was provided to us by CRISPAZ.
Use any/all of these resources to learn more about the history of El Salvador. This first wave of resources provides a general background of Salvadoran history from topics of the Civil War to migration and much more. Look on the last slide for a guide of local, independent bookstores that you can support! [If you are unable to distinguish the colors associated with the diamonds, send us a message and we will send you a more accessible list]
One of the best ways we can gain knowledge is through the stories of others, and there are many stories shared in the resources below.
Check out our website: tinyurl.com/hopeforpaz for more resources about us! You can also find us on Instagram .
CRISPAZ allows students to engage with the stories of Salvadorans in a way much more tangible than a book/movie/podcast. Please consider supporting their work- the link to donate is on our page and their website.
CRISPAZ: Christians for Peace in El Salvador
Bookshop Palabras Bilingual Bookstore Word Up: Community Bookshop - Libreria Comunitaria The Dock Bookshop & Dock Community Books n' Crannies ThriftBooks

How many times have we all heard about the starving children in Africa? Or the gang violence in Central and South America? It impacts us for just a second, then we go back to living in our little elitist bubble. The news outlets always comment on how sad it is and that "these people" need help.
No.
Picture this: someone goes away to "help" the starving children in Africa by going to build a school. They bring their materials, carry jugs of water, and get a few well-timed pictures of them playing with the children. They profess on their social media about how much the experience changed them and made them better people.
I'm calling bu****it.
This is charity. Charity is a vertical model with the American saviors on the top and people in ‘developing’ countries on the bottom. We need solidarity. It's horizontal. It's more subtle. It makes one question every idea and premise that they hold true. It's about listening to other people's experiences and not pretending to understand. It's about using your platform and audience to spread their stories and not making it about yourself.
This past winter break, I went with my Global Outreach team to El Salvador to stand in solidarity with the countless Salvadorans impacted by their Civil War in the 1980s. We partnered with an organization called CRISPAZ to go on one of their delegations to get closer to standing in solidarity with marginalized people in El Salvador. We didn't build any schools or drill a well.
The truth is that El Salvador doesn't need cheap labor.
It has a whole workforce that is willing and able to work if given the opportunity. Having Americans come in temporarily is not a solution. It doesn't give people the ability to create a sustainable income. Rather, it truly hurts the economy because fewer people are working because there are literally fewer jobs to be had.
Instead, we listened to countless people tell their horrifying and gruesome stories about the war.
We met with organizations that are trying to rebuild the country. For example, COFAMIDE is an organization that works with the families of missing or deceased migrants in order to give them closure and a proper burial. Pro-Búsqueda is an organization that works to find and reunite missing children with their families from the Salvadoran Civil War. Programa Velasco works to empower women through entrepreneurship in order to foster strong familial bonds. But the organization that made this all possible was CRISPAZ. They hosted our delegation with much-felt love and patience. Rafa, our delegation leader, was so knowledgeable and gave me true insight into life in El Salvador and how the civil war has impacted it. The homestay, where I got a taste of what typical life is like in El Salvador was eye-opening. CRISPAZ’s work is essential to becoming a global citizen, inspiring a passion for non-violence and human rights.
Due to the current world circumstances, CRISPAZ had to cancel a number of delegations from universities across the USA. CRISPAZ has given me so much and I believe the bridges of solidarity they are building are extremely important and they must continue. So, I urge you to please consider donating to CRISPAZ and stand in solidarity with El Salvador. --Reflection by Alleyah Ally, Fordham University.
CRISPAZ: Christians for Peace in El Salvador Cofamide Programa Velasco
Asociación Pro-Busqueda
Alianza De Salvadoreños Retornados

Here is some basic information about El Salvador's history and culture! Please stay tuned for more posts coming soon and consider supporting CRISPAZ by donating through this link: https://www.crispaz.org/donate/. Thank you!

What is our goal?
We want to ensure CRISPAZ will be able to host future delegations. COVID-19 is hitting CRISPAZ hard, and without donations they will not be able to continue operating. We want to give other students the opportunity to seek the truth and build solidarity between their respective home communities and Salvadorans.

What is CRISPAZ?
CRISPAZ is a non-partisan organization that provides students around the world the opportunity to learn from marginalized communities in El Salvador and build a foundation for solidarity. Conversations are though-provoking, unique, genuine, and come with the intention of promoting peace with justice and non-violence.

Who are we?
We are a group of students from several universities that have had the opportunity to learn from and work with communities in El Salvador through the organization CRISPAZ.

Hope for Paz, in solidarity with Crispaz updated their website address.