Indigenous Peoples in Guatemala Victim of Employment Racism

New Yorker: Why Chevron Will Settle In Ecuador

 

This week in the magazine, I tell the story of an eighteen-year legal battle between a New York lawyer, Steven Donziger, and Chevron, over alleged environmental contamination in the Amazon. Late yesterday, this ongoing saga took a dramatic and possibly decisive turn, when an appeals court in Lago Agrio, Ecuador, upheld an $18 billion fine against Chevron—the largest judgment ever awarded in an environmental lawsuit. Chevron condemned the ruling last night, calling it “another glaring example of the politicization and corruption of Ecuador’s judiciary.”

 

ICT: Indigenous Peoples in Guatemala Victim of Employment Racism

 

In a study conducted in November by the Association for Research and Social Studies (ASIES), an NGO, and the Presidential Commission on Discrimination and Racism Against Indigenous Peoples in Guatemala (CODISRA) titled “Racism and racial discrimination in the business sector” highlighted just how serious racism is in the workforce of Guatemala. In a country who’s overall population of 14 million is close to 40 percent according to official statistics, many of the indigenous people and mestizos (mixed race) are admitted paid less for their services. According to an article in the Guatemala Times 52 percent of business owners interviewed in the study admitted this fact and in sectors like retail the number jumped to 56 percent.

 

What Do Museums, Comic Books, Skateboarding and Soda Pop Have in Common?

 

The Arizona State Museum (ASM) is tackling a very hard assignment: how to talk to teenagers about obesity. Nearly one-third of adults and children in the United States are overweight or obese and that rate is nearly double among American Indians/Alaskan Natives. Half of Native American children born today will develop type 2 diabetes, and the death rate for Native Americans with diabetes is three times higher than the general U.S. population. At ASM we look for opportunities to connect to contemporary issues, providing perspective, engagement and a safe haven for community members to learn about and reflect on how these issues affect their lives. The epidemic of obesity and attendant health problems afflicting our Native American community is not something we can ignore.