Answering the Call for Solidarity and Action in Honduras

By on January 23, 2018

In early January I received an email that began with these words:

We are writing you on behalf of Padre Melo, the Jesuit priest who has accompanied the Honduran people for more than 20 years. He is appealing to the international community for an emergency delegation: “We need you to organize people who will accompany us, witness what is happening here, and share it with the world”.

The Honduras presidential election last November has widely been condemned as fraudulent. Since then, people throughout the country have poured into the streets in peaceful protests that the state has often responded to with lethal violence.

The hope of sending an international delegation to Honduras is that our presence will shine a spotlight on the struggle and amplify the voices of those who are being ignored and silenced. The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee has long been a champion of Honduran human rights groups, supporting our grassroots partners financially and working to lift up the stories and urgency behind their struggles. This brief journey of accompaniment is another way for our organization to show the Honduran people that they are not alone.

I decided almost immediately that I would answer Padre Melo’s call and join the emergency delegation, which departs Wednesday, January 24. While I have never been there before, I have heard of Padre Melo and the courageous work he and many other Hondurans are engaged in to advance fundamental human rights. I also know about the decades of financial and military support our own country has sent to the Honduran government, despite their many human rights violations. And, I believe that under the Trump administration, the thousands of people who try to flee the violence in Honduras are even less likely than before to find asylum here in the United States.

My desire to join the delegation is fueled by multiple interests. I’m driven by my commitment to human rights, as well as my sense of moral compromise as a U.S. citizen—knowing my own country has helped create the violence from which it refuses to shelter those who flee. But I am also compelled by my faith: by the core values of Unitarian Universalism that remind me, we are never really separate from one another. Our interdependent web links us to struggles for human rights and dignity, wherever they occur, and pulls us compellingly, relentlessly, to act as we are able to mitigate harm.

I believe in the power of prayer as a way to ground ourselves and to center our awareness on those who live daily in harm’s way. So, I ask you to pray for the people of Honduras, holding them in mind and heart, and also to act on your prayers and concern by speaking out for the rights of those most at risk.

I will have more to tell you on my return January 30, but for now, I hope you will join me on this journey in spirit, by learning more about what is happening and answering the call to support this critical human rights struggle yourself.

Take Action

Follow the instructions below to contact your Members of Congress and support the people of Honduras today.

1. Call (202) 224-3121. This number will direct you to the Capitol switchboard.
2. Ask to be connected to your senator or representative. The operator will direct your call to their office. Note that you will need to make three calls to reach all your legislators. Not sure who your senators or representatives are? Look them up here.
3. A legislative assistant or answering machine will answer the phone. Give them this message, filling in your details:

“Hello, my name is ____ ____. I’m a constituent of [State and zip code]. I don’t need a response. I am calling to urge Senator/Representative [last name of member] to support credible, independent investigations into any and all claims of state-involvement in electoral fraud and violence during and since the November 26, 2017 elections. I also urge you to support all efforts to suspend U.S. police and military aid to Honduras immediately and ensure that any future aid meets human rights conditions under U.S. law. Thank you.

4. Call again to connect with your other legislators, repeating steps 1-3.
5. Invite your friends, family, and colleagues to join you in this action!

Thank you! 

Learn More

• Honduras: Post-electoral Political Crisis and its Impact on Human Rights via COFADEH
• The crisis in Honduras should matter to the U.S. via The Washington Post
• Political Unrest Grips Honduras After Disputed Election via The New York Times
• More than 100,000 Haitian and Central American immigrants face decision on their status in the U.S. via Pew Research

Read more about Kathleen’s experience in Honduras here.