Sowing Struggle: Social movement and the future of corn in Tlaxcala, Mexico

Luz will speak about her 20 years of experience constructing autonomy, organizing outside the electoral system, and resisting genetically modified corn while protecting millennia-old varieties. Her talk will have important lessons for anyone interested in women’s, environmental, peasant, and labor movements.

CNUC was established in the early 1990s and has since worked tirelessly to demand government accountability, defend family farms, and build a strong community. CNUC has a long history of disposing of corrupt leaders, democratizing community budgets, coordinating community-driven infrastructure projects, including peoples’ history in education, and expanding access to healthcare.

CNUC’s most recent work focuses on reviving traditional composting techniques, education on the dangers of genetically modified seeds, and dignifying the culture of corn and seeds that Tlaxcaltecans have nourished over generations. CNUC is also an adherent to the Zapatistas’ Sixth Declaration, an international network of organizations struggling against neoliberalism and for autonomy from the grassroots.

Sponsored by the SLU Social Work Association, SLU College of Public Health and Social Justice, SLU Political Science Department, WUSTL Social Justice Center, GMO-Free Midwest, Mexico Solidarity Network, and the Inter-Faith Committee on Latin America.