(Re)Introducing the Isthmic Solidarity Project

Sunrise on the Volcan El Hoyo by Tim Foster

The Isthmic Solidarity Project is now a collaborative of people based in northern Abya Yala with roots in the isthmus known as Central America. We come together as people living on the frontlines of North American imperialism, motivated by our history and our desire for a better world. We are displaced and forced to move from our homelands due to conditions of colonialism, extractivism, neoliberalism, racism, patriarchy, and other oppressive conditions. Coming together as a diasporic collective based in the Global North practicing solidarity and liberation work is the continuation of our people's resistance for generations. We are excited to work with other co-cospirators and to join the rich solidarity efforts that have emerged over diasporic history.

About a fifth of all Central Americans are living in the diaspora, as migrants in other countries not their own and unwelcoming of them. Most of us are based in countries in the Global North such as the United States, Canada, England, and Spain –– the same countries that pillage our lands, destroy our communities, and enslaved our ancestors. They continue to extract from our land and people to fatten their profits as much as possible. We have been actively prevented from living stable lives and been denied the right to practice autonomy for ourselves and communities. This has has led to the very need to leave our homelands to other places that have also been stolen from Indigenous peoples.

At the same time we come together, the latest iteration of immigration raids have been terrorizing our communities. While these raids are uniquely cruel, this isn't the first time. We remember Barack Obama as the "Deporter in Chief" who expanded kidnappings and surveillance and Joseph Biden as a genocidaire cop who pandered to xenophobia. We remember when the desert and the river were used as natural weapons to cruelly kill people in their desperation to build a better life against all barriers. We remember when third-country agreements were signed and when the Darien Gap became the next natural weapon they must endure. We remember how thousands of children, parents, and young adults lost their lives during a trek, at the border, or at immigrant concentration camps. 

We have been denied the right to choose to stay in our home, or anywhere else, with dignity. The newly formed right-wing "Shield of Americas" group formed by the U.S. is the newest imperialist alliance emerging from the Monroe Doctrine, where the United States decided to extract everything they can from their neighbors. Hondurasgate has exposed their shameful plan of political violence and manipulation throughout the region to continue to infringe the peoples' autonomy for capitalist benefit. This struggle began before the Monroe Doctrine, with the first arrival of colonizers hundreds of years ago.

Liberation work is intergenerational and we are continuing a legacy of resistance, preservation, and love that began hundreds of years ago. As people based in the Global North, while we continue to resist direct attacks on us here and in our homelands, we recognize the privileges that we have and will use them to disrupt oppressive conditions. We salute and honor the struggles of campesine, working class Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities, women, and queer and trans people in the Isthmus and around the world. The Global Majority continues to teach us about the long term commitment required of us in the midst of ecological destruction, genocides, and oppression, using ancestral wisdom and truths to guide our daily practices and learning. 

We will continue to build solidarity not just within communities from Central America, but also other diasporas and frontline communities in the Global North and beyond.

We are excited and hopeful about the Project's work. We come from a diversity of backgrounds and skills; we are creatives, learners, artists, and active community members working for a better future. We know we are stronger together and have already found the power of having each other during a hard time. We have many ideas and energy for offerings to the wider digital community ISP has and hope that it will be more engaging, involved, and consistent. We are open to ideas and feedback as we start locking in and begin to work on projects.

In solidarity,
the members of the Isthmic Solidarity Project