When Jews enter a new year each Rosh Hashanah, we feel a sense of renewal—a fresh start. The struggles of the prior year don’t vanish; it’s our energy and attitude towards them that changes. We get the chance to take stock and recommit ourselves to whatever lies ahead.
That’s why the story of Bufete para Pueblas Indígenas (BPI), or the Indigenous Law Firm, is so resonant right now. BPI is a courageous collective of Indigenous lawyers in Guatemala who represent communities of Indigenous Guatemalans fighting for justice.
To BPI lawyer Olivia Sienchavez, this work is forever ongoing. “For Indigenous peoples, injustice isn’t just a single, eye-opening moment,” she says. “We’re born into a perpetual state of injustice.”
Indigenous Guatemalans have survived generations—centuries upon centuries—of oppression at the hands of Spanish colonizers and, later, the Guatemalan military. They’ve endured land theft, racism, oppression, and even genocide. Olivia and her team of Indigenous lawyers in Guatemala know that wins in court can’t change history—but they can, slowly but surely, shape the future.
With Rosh Hashanah, we entered a new year knowing last year’s challenges haven’t disappeared. And with Yom Kippur, we examined how we could have tackled those challenges better. Now, let the story of Olivia and her team give you hope and strength to keep going in the year ahead.
Fighting against a “perpetual state of injustice” in Guatemala, Indigenous lawyers don’t quit.
More Stories of Hope
- On Thursday, September 24, at 4:30 pm EST, Tawanda Mutasah, our President and CEO, will join Andrew Sollinger, publisher of Foreign Policy magazine, for a fireside chat on faith, values, and universal human rights. You can livestream this session in real time, or watch the recording later.
- For women in India experiencing domestic abuse, there is often nowhere to turn. But AJWS partner Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan is changing that. Their program Hello Sakhi provides survivors a safe place to recover and even seek justice. Today, their helpline fields about 130 calls a month. Meet one of these brave women here.
Speak up with the AJWS Action Network
It’s been more than nine years since the ethnic and religious discrimination of Rohingya people in Burma escalated into genocide. The Burmese military killed thousands, and forced more than 700,000 Rohingya people to flee to Bangladesh to save their lives. Today, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees still live in limbo without adequate access to food, education, and basic rights. We know the United States can do more to stop this persecution by reversing its cuts to foreign assistance.
That’s why we’re asking you to speak out. More than 1,000 AJWS community members have already added their names to our letter to members of Congress, urging them to increase humanitarian assistance for the Rohingya people, support democracy in Burma, and more.
This is your chance to take action: Add your name right now.
We hope your High Holidays season has been meaningful, and you’ve had time to reflect and to be with friends, family, and community. And we hope that you—like all of us at AJWS—are feeling ready to continue our fight for human rights around the world in 5787.
Thank you for being with us, as always.
In solidarity,
Your friends at AJWS
