Peace Movement in Mexico Launches Multimedia Campaign to “Put Yourself in Another’s Shoes”

By Moravia de la O

The Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity, headed by renowned poet Javier Sicilia, and the artist collective “El Grito Mas Fuerte” (the Loudest Scream) launched a multimedia campaign on Monday to raise awareness about the human cost of the drug war in Mexico. The campaign, called “En los Zapatos del Otro” (‘In Another’s Shoes”), aims to give voice to the victims of the drug violence and to create an educated grassroots movement in Mexico to advocate for a change in the country’s security strategy

In a five minute video (Spanish only), Mexican actors and actresses read from a handful of testimonies of family members of the nearly 50,000 drug war victims. The powerful testimonies include those from Javier Sicilia and Nepomuceno Moreno, a human rights defender from northern Mexico who was assassinated in November of 2011.

These victims’ stories, and the tens of thousands of others whose stories have not been told, are a reminder that the US-backed militarized strategy to combating drug trafficking organizations in Mexico is failing. It is time that the American people stand in solidarity with the people of Mexico by demanding that our government stop funding this drug war. It is time that the people of the US put themselves in the shoes of our southern neighbors.