Nidiria Ruiz Medina, a Colombian community organizer, educator and women’s peace activist, spoke to students on Oct. 11 about the organizational process that contributes to the defense of territory and human rights.
She spread the message that individuals should be equal with one another so each person has a better understanding with one another moving forward. Medina started an association called the AINI Women Foundation of Spring Flowers.
Medina said she started the organization because sexism took place in her past and was under government structures. She said she started this movement because women were not seen as being capable of leading movements and/or processes in society and are instead considered “the minority.”
“It was pretty cool that she was able to take action for a big issue that is somewhat still occurring today,” Oswego State sophomore Elissa Martinez said. “Not only Nidiria is fighting for herself, but she is fighting for others who were in the same position as she was.”
Martinez said she believes people live in a rough world. She
“I think it’s amazing how much one person that stands up for themselves can lead to more and more people following her footsteps and leading to fight for what’s right for human and social rights,” Martinez said. “There are wonderful, intelligent women out in this world, and I believe many of them can make an impact to those right now and in the future.”
Just shortly after the movement was issued, it became part of the CONPAZ network or Communities Building Peace in the Territories. The CONPAZ network is all about building and maintaining peace along with other organizations that embrace nonviolence to defend life, land and dignity. The four words this network follows are justice, truth, reparation and no repetition. They are made up of afro-Colombians, indigenous and mestizos, who live mostly in rural areas, while some are located in urban areas.
“There are a total of 160 processes, 14 departments that have a total of 60,000 members in the network,” Medina said. “60 percent of those are either children, adolescents and/or young adults.”
Sports and culture have been tools to emphasize discipline and respect for one another, developing peace and sharing with all members to make society a better place to live in, Medina said.
Medina said this group has been developing proposals of its own education that has an understanding on how human development works. It goes from its beginning stages through rural peace for children.
Medina also pointed out that COMPAZ proposed for peace, which it called The Six Points of Peace Movement. Those points are comprehensive land reform, political participation, bilateral cease fire, solution to the problem of illicit drugs, reparation of victims and endorsement. She said if people follow these six things all around the world, the world would be a better place.
