Enero Zapatista is a month-long series of political and culturally conscious event that commemorate the uprising of the Zapatistas in January 1994. These series of events will take place this upcoming January 2020, in San Diego, California.
On January 1, 1994, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) took up arms and crowded the streets of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas (México). They denounced injustices like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the humiliation and genocide of indigenous peoples, neoliberalism, the World Bank, and the increasing sore gap between the rich and the poor. Zapatistas demanded the right to land, life, education, autonomy, self-determination, and dignity. To this day, Zapatista communities continue to organize and engage people on a local and global scale. They work in humble and dignified ways to fight toward “a world in which many worlds fit”.
This year, we will be celebrating the 16th Annual Enero Zapatista in San Diego, and 26 years of resistance since the 1994 Zapatista uprising. ¡Que Viva La Lucha Colectiva!
We extend an invitation to communities throughout San Diego County to stand with our Zapatista brothers and sisters to create and organize spaces/events throughout the month of January that transcend borders. Let’s continue this fight against the system that affects us all on a local and global scale! Let’s fight across the world, no matter what age, sexual orientations, abilities, religion, ethnicity, nationality, and many other social categories, we must not let the bad government (el mal gobierno) divide us! We must unite!
This year’s theme is “People’s Rebellion: Nuestra Lucha Es Por La Vida!”, because the peoples’ sense of collective power is growing around the world. We must not let this moment go to waste asking those at the top to reform the system, we must work from below to bring about change, not lift those that only seek to raise themselves. We must strive to deconstruct colonizing mindsets in order to create a world in which many worlds fit. As imperialism brings the world to the brink of destruction the people must know of their power because our fight is for life.
Organizations/individuals participating must have events that uphold Zapatismo (i.e. self- determination, anti-capitalism, and anti-imperialism). Events should be a safe space for all (no alcohol or drugs). In order to organize collectively Enero Zapatista with good communication and transparency, we ask that all participating organizations send a representative to attend all of the bi-weekly meetings. If your organization would like to take part in Enero Zapatista 2020, please notify the committee and send a representative by Thursday, October 10, 2019. In participating in Enero you will need to agree and respect all community agreements and commit to volunteer hours.
For more information on the planning meetings, or about volunteer opportunities at events for Enero Zapatista in San Diego, please contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
