We asked Sandra Alvarez, an organizer at Global Exchange, and her father, Renaldo Alvarez, to talk about how Sandra's life as a political activist has effected their family.
Sandra, you are planning a trip to Colombia. Give us some idea of the purpose of your visit and your expectations.
Sandra: One of the things that Global Exchange does is [send] delegations to other countries. And so one of the things we have kept in mind is doing a delegation to Colombia to build solidarity between labor unions in the United States and in Colombia because labor unions here have a lot of political power. The idea behind the delegation is that people would go to Colombia and see firsthand, talk with groups firsthand, government people as well, come back and issue reports and have made connections with different groups down there so that continuing work can be done.
As her parent, how do you feel about that?
Renaldo: We have been very open with her in that sense -- expressed with her our concern and opposition to her going but, of course, we respect her decision and her work as we have always done. We are concerned about her safety because Colombia is a place of a lot of violence, and the human right's workers are a target. So as parents we have to express that and she will have to decide as to what she does in that respect. But we have been very clear about that.
Sandra: I just have to clarify a little bit about where violence comes from because in Colombia study after study has show that the majority of violence comes from paramilitary groups and their connections to the government. But what gets put in the media is the guerrilla violence, which I agree that there is a lot of violence. And I in no way would condone that. That is why we are working to support the civil society in Colombia.
Have ever felt uncomfortable with what Sandra has chosen to do?
Renaldo: That is a good question. We were not. Someone interviewed me and the reporter asked me the question, "How do you reconcile your conservative view with your daughter's radical leftist leanings?" That was the first time I heard that term in relation to her. It took me by surprise. But then I responded, "We have expected a lot of her, and I do not consider her to be 'radical' or 'leftist.'" I see her working for a good cause. I see her dedicating herself to trying to help others who are not able to help themselves and that is the good aspect that I see in her life. "Leftist" and "radical" are terms that the media uses, incendiary terms, and we never thought of Sandra's work to be that way. I never thought of it until, as I said, this week. We have respected very much what she does -- we support her totally.
Sandra, how does your relationship with your family fit into your life as an activist?
Sandra: Well, in terms of the work I do -- their support for me is critical. If I don't have support from them, it is really hard for me to get through work. The times when we were dealing with the fact that I was planning on going to Colombia and they weren't supportive of that were very, very difficult. I had to really figure that out with them because if I didn't have their support it was really tough.
One of the really exciting things about my work is that my mom has been getting more interested in the things I am doing and joining me, you know. She was with me at the March and rally in support of the U'wa in Colombia. And that for me was really, really important. My father was with me on Tuesday at the women's rally and was supporting me there and my brother came out as well. He helped with first aid on Monday night after the police started teargassing and shooting rubber bullets at protestors at a concert. So everybody was like, "Wow, you got your whole family involved." That for me is a success. It inspires me to work. Because if I cannot communicate with my family who are closest to me, how can I expect to make any change or work with anybody else?
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Sandra Alvarez
Renaldo Alvarez
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