The Caravan for Peace Honored the Victims of Failed Drug War with Grace, Love, and Dignity

Oct 10, 2012
1:06 PM

Dear Average American Who Has No Clue:

As the summer wound down and you were distracted with tales of staged conventions, private fundraising videos, Honey Boo Boos, Dance Moms, negative ads, and talking heads saying the same points over and over again, something very amazing happened in the United States. Yes, in places such as San Diego, Los Angeles, Tucson, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, El Paso, Laredo, McAllen, San Antonio, Austin, Houston, New Orleans, Jackson, Montgomery, Atlanta, Louisville, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, and Washington, DC. You probably didn't catch it, since none of the major networks took the time to cover it, but that doesn't matter. It happened, and we are all better for it.

What was it? The highly successful Caravan for Peace, a journey that raised awareness about the victims of a failed drug war and gave those victims a human face. Every day, we followed the Caravan and shared it with our Facebook community (BTW, 15% of all of Facebook likes are from Mexico). It led to thoughtful and insightful discussions from people all over the world about how we can get real about the drug war, a war we have been losing since the Nixon administration.

Social media was the outlet. We were thankful to all those who shared pictures, stories, and videos. Our favorite was one where the Caravan showed up on the banks of the "river of death" between Laredo and Nuevo Laredo. One part of Caravan was on the US side, while another delegation was across the river in Mexico. They were so close to each other, yet it felt so distant. We knew right there that the Caravan was doing all it could to literally break down the barriers in our minds. That one hit home.

Even though we didn't need the mainstream to follow the Caravan's progress, several stories did appear in outlets such as Democracy Now!, The Chicago Tribune, The Huffington Post, Univision News, The Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post.

So, dear Average American, take a moment with us to say GRACIAS MIL for what the Caravan accomplished. They were truth seekers who spread grace, love, and divinity.

The Caravan inspires us each and every day. Here's hoping it has woken you up. Finally.

Con mucho cariño,

Los Rebeldes

You can learn more about the Caravan here.