Yo Voy Con La Sexta: U.S. Adherents To The Zapatista National Liberation Army’s Sixth Declaration Of The Selva Lancandona
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.