Abstract
The Zapatista National Liberation Army rose up in arms January 1st, 1994 to
protest the North American Free Trade Agreement, which protected capitalists’ interests
and destroyed the livelihood and lands of the indigenous of Mexico. After failed
attempts at creating Peace Accords with the Mexican government and numerous human
rights violations perpetrated on indigenous communities by military and paramilitary
forces, the Zapatistas began the construction of autonomous communities in rebellion.
In June of 2005, the EZLN published the Sixth Declaration of the Selva
Lancandona, an invitation to all of those who considered themselves “from below and to
the left” to join in the global struggle against capitalism and for humanity. This paper
attempts to answer: “How do urban grassroots organizations in the United States
view their adherency to the Sixth Declaration of the Selva Lancadona?” Grassroots
groups in the U.S. mobilized to manifest the heart and word of the document by working
in solidarity with the Zapatistas and other adherents to began the process of defining and
creating collective, non-heirarchical, anti-capitalist autonomous spaces. These groups are
struggling against the dominant political, social and economic practice of the United
States and work to raise conciousness and support for popular people’s struggle while
addressing the difficulties of building autonomy in an urban venue. This paper examines
the relationship with these adherents to the Sixth Declaration and how they are defining
and practicing solidarity and autonomy in their own communities.
Disciplines
Inequality and Stratification | Military and Veterans Studies | Politics and Social Change
Recommended Citation
Banton, Corry, "Yo Voy Con La Sexta: U.S. Adherents To The Zapatista National Liberation Army's Sixth Declaration Of The Selva Lancandona" (2007). Capstone Collection. 21.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/21