Honduran Activist to Speak About Human Rights, Migrant Caravan, and U.S. complicity in Honduras’ political turmoil

BROOKLINE, Mass.—April 16, 2019— Father Ismael “Melo” Moreno, a Jesuit priest and director of Radio Progreso, a Jesuit-run radio station in Honduras, will be speaking about the political and social turmoil in Honduras contributing to the migrant exodus to the United States in recent months.

Understanding the Crisis Beyond the Border:
A Conversation with Father Ismael “Melo” Moreno

Wednesday, April 17th, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
First Parish in Brookline, 382 Walnut St, Brookline, MA 02445

Father Moreno has been a highly-publicized critic of the Honduran government, which for the last several years has been mired in widely-reported corruption and violence. Through his work at Radio Progreso and as director of the Reflection, Investigation, and Communication Team (ERIC), a Jesuit social action and policy center, Moreno has engaged in a public campaign to bring accountability to the Honduran government.

Moreno will also discuss how the United States’ relationship with and provision of aid to Honduras has directly contributed to the migration of Honduran citizens north to the United States.

For years, Honduras has been plagued by crime, poverty, and inequality. Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández has faced allegations of election tampering after the highly-contested November 26, 2017 election that won him a second term in office. Massive protests broke out in the wake of the election and more than 30 people were killed in violent skirmishes between the military police and civilians.

Moreno has publicly aired concerns that Hernández’s presidency is a sign of a coup.

In October, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee published a report co-authored with SHARE-El Salvador in collaboration with the Sisters of Mercy to highlight rampant human rights abuses in Honduras. The report highlighted United States complicity in the political and social problems in Honduras.

“Understanding the Crisis Beyond the Border” is co-hosted by Centro Presente and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee.

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Established in 1981, Centro Presente is a member-driven, statewide Latin American immigrant organization dedicated to the self-determination and self-sufficiency of the Latin American immigrant community of Massachusetts.

UUSC advances human rights and social justice around the world, partnering with those who confront unjust power structures and mobilizing to challenge oppressive policies.