These chapters begin with Rigoberta talking about the horrible ways in which her family members and compeñeros were tortured and killed by the Guatemalan landowners and soldiers. She first speaks of the horrors of her younger brother’s torture and death. The army captured him and accused him of being a communist. They kept him on the brink of death for days, torturing him in the most gruesome ways imaginable. Then, the families and community members of those who were being held captive and tortured were forced to come and watch them being further tortured and then burned alive. Her brother was just the first of her family members to be tortured and killed. Her father was killed with many others who were burned to death during their occupation of the Spanish embassy as an attempt to get the government to pay attention to their struggle. Additionally, her mother was kidnapped, raped, tortured, and left to suffer and die by the army for her work in organizing and leading the fight.
Throughout all of this, Rigoberta emphasizes the importance to the Indians of continuing to fight for their cause and lives even when others are killed doing so. She says that as long as the community can remain strong and organized, they still have hope.
Rigoberta also speaks about being a woman throughout all of these struggles. She talks about the differences between Indian and ladino women and the things her mother taught her about how to fulfill the role of a woman in the Indian community. She says that she has decided not to be married and have children, even though it is of great importance in the Indian community, in favor of making a commitment to her people’s political struggle.
She became a leader of the CUC and helped organize a strike of agricultural workers. This lead to the army bombing and setting fire to many communities and villages and an escalation of the struggle. Rigoberta became a woman being hunted by the army. She felt as though no place was safe for her to hide and was always on the run from the government. Eventually, it got to the point where she was forced to leave the country and managed to get out safe. She continued to get people behind the cause and to do work both from other countries and in Guatemala when the situation became safer.
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Racism Without Racists Ch 2
Chapter 2 opens with statements that racism is no longer about accusing Blacks of being less intelligent than Whites and that they are lazy, but that a new ideology has risen, although it still constitutes as racism; color blind racism. Based on this ideology, although Blacks are better off now than they were 40-50 years ago, they will still never reach the superiority that Whites hold today. Color blind racism works off of four frames; abstract liberalism, naturalization, cultural racism, and minimization of racism. Through interviews, this chapter is made up of examples of White peoples views on racism through these four frames.
Abstract Liberalism: People nowadays believe that Blacks and Whites should receive equal opportunities in situations such as admission to universities. They were not involved in the racism and segregation that took place years ago, and since those circumstances no longer exist, or aren’t nearly as serious, it is not the job of people today to make amends for what happened to their people so long ago. Whites today see it that admittance to a university or a hiring of a job should be based on qualifications, not on race. Statements like this are made to seem reasonable because Whites do not believe that discrimination is the reason why Blacks are worse off than them. They also believe that the government should not play a role in segregation and other matters in the such because it should be the choice of the people, whether they want it or not. They shouldn’t be forced to believe something or told that they like it a certain way.
Naturalization: Segregation and integration aren’t a factor of racism now. There are self-segregated communities because that’s how people choose to live, or how they grow up. If you live in a mainly all White community and go to a mainly all White high school, these are the people you naturally relate to more and converse with. People may choose to live in a community not only based on race, but also economic standing, religious beliefs, or any other cultural form one relates too. People like to be with people they’re similar with. “It’s more human nature.”
Cultural Racism: This frame tells us that White people believe Blacks use discrimination as an excuse to show why Whites are above them in society. They look at the fact that they were discriminated against so long ago, so what are the Whites going to do now to make up for it. Whites believe they might have different priorities based on living situations at home, that they grew up with less than everyone else. But it is defended in the sense that this isn’t the case for all Blacks; there are Blacks that are successful in education and in the work force. For those that aren’t, however, just look for an easy, fast way out. They don’t strive to better themselves.
Minimization of Racism: When asked if it is understood that minorities lag Whites in this society, the people questions resorted to an “indirect strategy of denial.” People acknowledge the existence of discrimination, but don’t necessarily believe they are a part of it. It is seen that minorities see more discrimination than what really exists.
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