Dear Friends,
This month's update brings lessons from organizing by women at the U.S.-Mexico border and from the San José Peace Community in Colombia, as well as new revelations of U.S. involvement in Colombia's long-running war, and women pressing for full participation in negotiations to end that war.
 By Susana Pimiento
Many of us drive every day, giving little thought to how our cars are made, what are they made of, who makes the different components, under what labor conditions, and what struggles the workers wage. In Piedras Negras, Mexico, I got a glimpse of the struggles of women working at factories that make electrical wiring harnesses for major car companies, and on the amazing organizing and empowering efforts they are undertaking which could serve as inspiration for organizing by low-wage workers here in the United States. Read more.
 By Luke Finn
The Peace Community of San José de Apartadó is located in the mountainous zones that define the borders between the departments of Antioquia and Cordoba, in the region of Urabá, infamous even within Colombia for its violence. It was formed in 1997 along strict internal regulations. There are other Peace Communities in Colombia, but the San José community has the highest profile. In part its emblematic status is due to the level of brutality and hostility it has faced from both paramilitaries and state forces over its 17-year history. It has been subjected to repeated massacres and other abuses. Why such hostility toward what is in essence a small farming community attempting to remove itself from violence? What does this hostility reveal about the aggressors and the state of Colombia? Read more.
 By Gina Spigarelli
On December 21, the Washington Post published a detailed investigative report by Dana Priest on covert CIA and NSA operations, still underway in Colombia, to kill high-ranking officers of FARC and ELN guerrillas. That the United States transferred massive covert military aid to Colombia is disconcerting. Even the legal funding for Plan Colombia has been historically controversial due to human rights abuses committed by the military. But the Post describes how U.S. intelligence, together with Colombian forces, carries out targeted killings in Colombia similar to U.S. drone attacks in Pakistan, Afghanistan and other countries. It may not be surprising, but we should ask ourselves how to respond. Read more.
.png) By Mariel Pérez and Dana Brown
Women must be equal players in the processes of securing truth, justice, reparation, and the guarantees of non-repetition necessary to putting an end to the decades-long armed conflict in Colombia. President Juan Manuel Santos in November announced that a woman would finally secure a place among the all-male negotiating table between the government and the FARC guerrillas. Santos’ announcement was welcome news to civil society organizations in Colombia, particularly women’s groups advocating for increased participation of women in the establishment and implementation of any accords. Read more.
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