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Women across the world have historically come up with methods of resistance, whether in the face of patriarchy, colonialism, racism, or imperialism. Latin America, for example, has had its fair share of oppressive regimes, and some countries in the region, such as Honduras, are presently governed by arguably authoritarian regimes.
European anti-fascism movements have historically gotten a spotlight, but women from Latin America also have a strong history of resistance in the face of injustice and inequality, fighting back by joining resistance groups, writing, and spying, among other efforts. Numerous women have been punished for speaking out or for joining opposition groups that sought to depose authoritarians and install democracy, while others have been silenced, becoming part of the many oppressed voices of dissent. Women from Latin America have much to teach us about how to resist oppression and fascism.
Carol Rojas (Colombia)
In Colombia, armed conflict had been ongoing for more than 50 years. The Antimilitarist Feminist Network of Colombia emerged in 1996 in Medellín, critically addressing war and militarism, analyzing the capitalist patriarchal oppression, and seeking alternatives for community organizing and political actions from the street. It focuses on working-class communities and the education of those often neglected by authorities. The group aims to challenge and reform gender, race, and class norms.
Network member Carol Rojas explained why recent peace accords are important in her country: "It is like changing the rules of the game regarding participation and land access for many people who have been expelled from there, which is very important because the dynamics of the war have not allowed this to happen."
Without land or political participation, there can be no change for the poorest or least privileged people in Colombia. Therefore, the peace accords are very important for the country. She also explains the group's antimilitary stance: "We are antimilitary because around life in Colombia, militarism is a part of everyday things . . . it is part of young people’s life plans — for example: having a weapon, having power or territorial control, or the use of force.
"Regarding women, the militarism strikes them directly because they are part of the control that these actors exert in the territory. . . . the war must end with the idea of militarism that is not only the carrying of weapons, but all the everyday forms that continue to fuel the idea of war and of destruction among the people."
The Antimilitarist Feminist Network teaches us that movements can start in communities and through something as simple as education — it doesn't have to be about grand revolutions; it can be about small ones that promote growth over a period of time. While the violence in Colombia has been tragic, a peace treaty was signed in 2016, and though conflict still exists, the network continues to believe in its mission and do important work that will someday, hopefully, end in lasting peace.
Maria Carolina de Jesus (Brazil)
Maria Carolina de Jesus wrote about life in the favelas of São Paulo in the 1950s. She wrote about her daily struggles with poverty, racism, and sexism, and her writings culminated in the 1960 book Child of the Dark, a groundbreaking work that has been translated into more than 10 languages.
Originally a personal diary, De Jesus’s writing was discovered by a journalist who helped her publish Child of the Dark. Unfortunately, despite the success of the book abroad and subsequent writings, she didn't publish any more material after 1964, when Brazil suffered a military coup, after which the state cracked down on social criticism.
With the erasure of voices like hers from the public sphere — as well as the silencing of the struggles other black and indigenous people during the two decades of dictatorship — there is a persistent cultural belief that Brazil has moved beyond its racist past. This silencing also set a precedent that continues with Brazil's black and indigenous people, whose struggle continues and is still largely invisible in the media. And so again it is clear, resistance to dictatorships should highlight black and indigenous struggles.
Nieves Ayress (Chile)
Nieves Ayress was arrested soon after the coup by Chilean general Augusto Pinochet, in September 1973. She was incarcerated not long after, and experienced excruciating torture under the Pinochet dictatorship until her release, in 1976. Her story is remarkable because she was able to speak out while she was still in prison. Ayress wrote about the gendered violence and humiliation she suffered, and in 1974 fellow inmate Inés Antúnez found exile in Argentina and smuggled Ayress's writing out of Chile. Through Antúnez and her contact with the Women’s International Democratic Federation, Ayress brought international attention to her torture, exposing the brutality and violence of Pinochet’s regime. Ayress’s torturers tried to humiliate her so that she would be silent. She did not comply: She and her mother were outspoken even after she was freed and exiled, in 1976, and to this day Ayress speaks about what was done to her.
Ayress risked her life and sanity to disclose the details of her incarceration and torture. She continues to weave into her political work the crimes committed against her and the pervasiveness of sexism and misogyny today. Through her activist career, she continues to fight for human rights and against sexism.
Rigoberta Menchú (Guatemala)
Rigoberta Menchú, of the Quiché Maya, has fought all her life for widespread recognition of indigenous genocide caused by Spanish colonialism and crimes against indigenous peasants committed by the Guatemalan government during the 36-year civil war against leftist rebel groups. In 1979, her younger brother was captured, tortured, and murdered by a military death squad. The following year, her father died after being attacked by the military while campaigning for human rights, and her mother was captured, raped, and murdered. Menchú fled to Mexico, where she continued to highlight the genocide of indigenous people and demand justice for the crimes committed by the Guatemalan military.
In 1992, Menchú received the Nobel Peace Prize for her activism. After the war ended, in 1996, Menchú fought to bring the military to justice for the crimes committed against the indigenous people of Guatemala, and in January 2015, a Guatemalan court convicted a commander for crimes against humanity in the attack in which Menchú’s father died.
Menchú’s story is a reminder that indigenous people in the Americas have fought fascism since their land was violently stolen from them by settlers. Indigenous people know white supremacy and its forces intimately and painfully, so centering their struggle and methods, as she does, is essential.
Junta de la Victoria (Argentina)
Founded by female activists in Buenos Aires in September 1941, the anti-fascist women’s group Junta de la Victoria promoted solidarity among nations in the struggle for democracy, women’s participation in society, and a belief in pluralism of class, race, ethnicity, and political beliefs. The group’s conception of democracy was also tied to the enfranchisement of society's most vulnerable and the elimination of poverty. While many of the group's actions to support the Allies during World War II included things like raising funds and putting together first-aid kits, it also promoted women’s self-expression and toured the country promoting democracy.
The Junta de la Victoria emphasized international solidarity and support, as well as the acceptance of a diversity of backgrounds in the fight against fascism. Connections with like-minded groups abroad are essential, especially in the face of exile, which activists who try to combat fascism could face. And, as it was seen in August in cities like Boston and Berkeley, California, a plurality of support — ranging from liberal activists to religious groups that oppose hate to far-left organizers — against fascist demonstrations helps solidify the notion that white supremacy is intolerable.
Related: How Black Women Have Impacted Feminism Over Time
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