Un Poquito de Tanto Verdad

Every system of oppression I've ever had any experience with has been based on the prevalence of lies, be it the belief that people with as much melanin as me are only 3/5 human or that women's brains are smaller and less developed than men's brains. The truth is a precious commodity, one often limited by the powers that be for the purpose of maintaining the status quo.

Un Poquito de Tanto Verdad, or A Little Bit of So Much Truth, is a documentary that begins on June 14, 2006 in the state of Oaxaca when the teachers went on strike. This was a strike like any other in that the teachers were demanding what one would expect: new text books, free breakfast for students who couldn't afford it, money to repair the dilapidated schools, and a cost of living wage increase. Ulises Ruiz Ortiz, Governor of the state of Oaxaca, refused to negotiate on any level. The People thought about this, the fact that this elected official, theoretically servant to the People's desires and needs, flat out refused to even consider meeting the teacher's request...which were really just basic human rights for their students. The People said fuck this, and fuck Ruiz. They organized. APPO (Asamblea Popular del Pueblo de Oaxaca or the Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca) joined in solidarity with the teachers in striking. But what they did that was ground breaking and amazing is that they took over several radio and TV stations, as all the media is government controlled, and for once, they were able to tell their side of the struggle and to talk about the truth.

My program, in conjunction with some other programs held a screening of this film last night and it was phenomenal. Afterwards we had the opportunity to have a conversation with Jill Friedberg, the film's director, as well as some students who happened to be in Oaxaca when all the shit went down. The film was incredible and gut wrenching. We all sat there watching as someone's abuela holding a bouquet of daisies got bombed with tear gas and beaten by the federal police. We watching as the People threw rocks and lit cardboard on fire...while the federal police, in their riot gear swooped down upon them armed with guns, tear gas, and night sticks. We watched the body count rack up, from the man who died of a heart attack on the march from Oaxaca to Mexico City to the people who were simply disappeared without a trace.

What my mind kept coming back to, is how familiar this plot is. Didn't we see this in Guatemala? South Africa? I mean, fill in the blank with the name of a country, change the names of the ruling party and the proletariat, maybe even a few of the demands, but isn't it all the same? Aren't we still people with more than enough of everything to go around and yet with not enough humanity to feel the shame of letting children go hungry, teachers go unpaid, and grandma's be beaten in the street. What bothers me the most, and is, as my friend C recently pointed out, a salient and reoccurring sticking point for me, is that all of this is happening and the whole time the government is lying their asses off. Sound familiar? When I turn on NPR or CNN, BBC, or God forbid Fox news, what percentage of what I see will be the truth? I don't have a # figure, but I can tell you without a doubt that it is not enough.

Recently, my friend's grandmother passed away. We spent this morning talking about grief and how people overcome loss. While he was speaking, I couldn't help thinking about all the people in Oaxaca who have died or were tortured and disappeared since June 14, 2006 and how if I were one of them, my spirit would not rest easy because even now, their truth is denied. They died for a cause that the government claims is little more than a group of thuggish guerrillas vandalizing store fronts. It makes me crazy. While not everyone agrees with the Truth and Reconciliation Committee, at least those people know what happened.

I wonder about this country. When we look back at this particular juncture in our history, will the voices of our decent be remembered? Will the truth of those of us disagreeing with the current administration be reduced to a small group of radicals making outlandish demands like that our government be held accountable for starting un-provoked wars in other countries or condoning the continuing pollution and denigration of our natural resources. Where is MLK now? Safely martyred and relegated to a hallmark moment during the shortest month of the year. Who is left to tell our truth now? I say, we are. US. You and ME. And I want to say a special thanks to Jill Friedberg for helping the people of Oaxaca to tell a little bit of so much truth. Now it's up to us to tell our truth.