International Women's Day 2016 Statement


Grassroots Global Justice Alliance
World March of Women- US chapter
International Women’s Day Statement
March 7, 2016

"Let us wake up! We’re out of time. We must shake our conscience free of the rapacious capitalism, racism, and patriarchy that will only assure our own self-destruction."- Berta Cáceres
We dedicate this year’s International Women’s Day actions to Berta Cáceres, co-founder of COPINH (Civic Council of Grassroots and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras) and social movement leader who was assassinated in her own home on March 3, 2016 for the work that she did to fight the Honduran government and transnational corporations.


Berta was a key leader against the 2009 coup which ousted a progressive President. Honduras had been a repressive place for decades, but the coup was supported and backed by US President Barack Obama and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and directly heightened conditions for repression against activists protecting their communities. Women’s leadership have been at the forefront of these struggles, and have also been the targets of violence. Combined with the criminalization of protest, there have been death threats to her and countless other organizers.
Her murder is a timely reminder of our own elections. We know the dual impact of whoever becomes the next US president will have on communities, not only here in the US, but also on people around the globe. This International Women’s Day, we raise our voices for justice for Berta and countless struggles that US neoliberalism is implicated in. We need to fight the right and challenge the culture of fear and hatred, as well as the military and economic conditions and policies that set the stage for brutal and inhumane repression like the assassination of our dear sister Berta to occur.
Berta aligned herself with indigenous peoples struggles, anti-mining and extractivism, and women’s and peasants movements. She was an unrelenting fighter for her peoples, a feminist, an internationalist, and a revolutionary. Berta fought for life, for land, for dignity, and for happiness! We commit ourselves to continue organizing and living in her legacy.

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