Let's Talk Human Rights

By Ximena Silva-Aguirre '24

“We are stronger when we create space to include voices that have been silenced and experiences that have been erased due to discrimination of any kind.” -Cristosal 

Cristosal is an organization that started in 2000 when two friends came together and decided that they wanted to build a greater connection between North America and El Salvador. Since then, Cristosal has committed to defending the dignity of human rights and maintaining justice. The concept around how to properly help refugees has changed and to ensure that they have a well rounded reintegration in society, their needs need to be met in a different way rather than just immediate. Cristosal has recognized that addressing injustices at the root is key to preventing more violations of human rights. As a queer Latina with immigrant parents, I identify with many of the communities that Cristosal aims to aid in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Not only do they focus on helping these communities directly but by publishing their research they promote conversations about human rights around the world. 

Before I started my internship with Cristosal I had just come back from my trip in Guatemala where I stayed in Quetzaltenango for six weeks learning Spanish and teaching English/human rights to young girls in a federal house who had legal cases with the state. Through facilitating tough conversations and pushing language barriers, I have spent a major part of my summer questioning my identity. I had some meetings with my supervisor at Cristosal prior to my trip and was really nervous to engage in humanitarian work this summer. Cristosal’s overarching message lingered with me throughout my trip and I found myself writing a poem while staring at a volcano that expressed how I felt before my internship and after. I brought all my newfound knowledge into my internship with Cristosal and used it to channel my passions. I have been fortunate enough to work for half the summer with Cristosal remotely, finding myself immersed in issues pertaining to El Salvador such as impunity due to war crimes, forced displacement, immigration, and LGBTQ+ rights. 

Some of the research that I conducted for Cristosal revolved around comparing LGBTQ+ rights in the U.S, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. I was tasked with asking and answering questions that challenged systems in place that infringed on people’s Human Rights. For example, why is this community targeted with extreme violence? What resources are in place to help aid the community ? How does society's misconception of queer people contribute to harmful biases?  These were a few of the questions that I came across while researching for Cristosal. In my research I came across many disturbing stories and statistics regarding the violence that queer people faced in the community but having conversations about what I read with the staff allowed me to digest what I was being exposed to. Cristosal helped me make observations regarding some of the patterns that these countries had in terms of how they handled LGBTQ+ rights. 

“The people who we serve teach us how best to respond to the needs of victims in ways which empower and invite them to become a part of the movement for human rights.” - Cristosal 

I know that I hold some privilege being born in the United States. Instead of spending time feeling like I’m not really American or Mexican, I am going to use the tools that I have been given to advocate for those in need. During my time at Cristosal I was blessed to have an amazing mentor named Bryan Varela; he provided me with all the guidance I needed to do research regarding LGBTQ rights. I learned a lot about the legal factors that allow one's rights to be violated and ways that we can fight back. Being able to help Cristosal create agendas for spaces of dialogue to be conducted in the U.S, specifically in Chicago has left me inspired to create spaces of dialogue in Dayton to promote Cristosal’s message. 

Ximena Silva-Aguirre is a Flyer Promise scholar and a Human Rights major with minors in Latin American studies and Spanish. She is from Chicago, Illinois where she has lived her entire life. She is committed to her community and has found passions in advocating for immigrants and human rights. Ximena is involved on and off campus such as being a member of Alpha Psi Lambda, El Orgullo Latino, and engaging with the MEC community. She has dedicated her summers to traveling abroad whilst expanding her spanish speaking skills and knowledge on diverse communities around the world. Post-grad Ximena plans to go to graduate school in Dayton or Chicago to pursue a masters in higher education and student affairs.