The Heresy of U.S. Exceptionalism
As extremists scaled the wall of the U.S. Capitol, I sat less than four miles away, staring at my computer screen and trying to follow the news reports covering what some called an attempted coup. Sirens waile...
A chapina in Nicaragua
*chapín/chapina is a word many Guatemalans use to refer to themselves.
“Dale”—a slang word that means something like “go for it”—is one of the most common words among Nicaraguans. This year as a MCC volunte...
Yes, Racism is Alive in Colombia
This article is part of a series about racism in Colombia. Read more.
“I can’t believe what you say, because I see what you do.” James Baldwin
Of course, racism is very much alive in Colombia. To know o...
For What Was, For What Is To Come
I believe that one of the most challenging things in life is to understand the meaning of our existence and therefore, the things we do about it. Thinking about how everything could be different as the&nb...
Lessons on systemic racism from Chocó
This article is part of a series about racism in Colombia. Read more.
When I was 26 years old, my husband and I moved to Colombia to participate in MCC’s Seed program. We were placed with the Mennonite Bret...
Redeeming a Lost Decade
The date was December 1981; the place, La Ceiba, Honduras. Oscar Dueñas, a young Mennonite electrician’s assistant, was leaving work with his cousin in the dark, around 6 p.m. As they walked by the high school...
We are all family
This article is part of a series about racism in Colombia. Read more.
In our modern age, we sometimes have the idea or sensation that the world has evolved and we’re constantly moving forward, but in the mi...
Let’s Talk About the Elephant in the Room
This article is part of a series about racism in Colombia. Read more.
Racism has existed all over the world for hundreds of years, and while it may not always be expressed the same way, one common factor ac...
Bordo? What is a bordo?
At the beginning of my service with MCC, I had a lot of questions swirling around in my head. Many of them made my doubt I’d be able to do my job. Back then, the only thing I was sure of was that I had made on...
Another World is Possible
The first time I gave any serious thought to Latin America was probably during a postmodern literature course I took in the dead of winter during my undergraduate degree. Winter in my hometown is long, and dar...