Chasqui Recognitions: Giddings-Lovejoy Presbytery Honors the Past While Calling into the Future
Mark Strothmann, Joining Hands in Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy
Chasquis were the message runners of the Inca Empire.
On August 10, 2013, 74 friends and colleagues of the Joining Hands Partnership in the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy came together in St. Louis for a dinner to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of partnership with Peru through Joining Hands.
The Joining Hands journey began in 1998 when the Presbyterian Hunger Program and the Worldwide Ministries Division of the Presbyterian Church (USA), following a vision for partnerships between those benefiting from the wealth of the world and those suffering from its poverty and hunger, invited presbyteries to participate in a new initiative which became Joining Hands.
The Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy was one of the first to respond with informational gatherings in 1999 and the first organizational meeting in 2000. Thus began our partnership with Peru.
Our celebration focused on both our rich history and exciting future. After enjoying a delicious dinner, we honored leaders from the past 15 years with “Chasqui Recognitions.” Chasquis were the message runners of the Inca Empire. In a system of coordination and cooperation, they were able to deliver messages from one end of the empire to the other. What better symbol of our collaborative journey could there be?
The honorees were:
- Craig Cheatham, investigative reporter for KMOV-TV in St. Louis who produced award winning reports on lead contamination in La Oroya, Peru and Herculaneum, MO.
- Lionel Derenoncourt, the first Coordinator of Joining Hands for the Presbyterian Hunger Program.
- Dr. Hunter and Ruth Farrell, PC(USA) Mission Co-Workers. When in Peru, Hunter was the first Companionship Facilitator for the Joining Hands Peru Partnership; Ruth helped to create the Bridge of Hope Artisan Network.
- Carolyn Newcomb, who opened up a “fair trade corridor” from Peru to St. Louis and was the Coordinator of the first Bridge of Hope Artisan Fairs in our presbytery.
- Dr. Fernando Serrano, the leader and designer of the first independent health study of LaOroya which was conducted by the St. Louis University School of Public Health in 2005.
- The Rev. Alexa Smith, a journalist whose coverage of the situation in La Oroya helped to educate the church.
- Dr. Lisa Martino Taylor and Steve Taylor. Lisa researched contamination in La Oroya and Herculaneum and testified at a Peru congressional hearing about Doe Run; Steve was our PR advisor.
- Jack and Leslie Warden, leaders in Herculaneum who advocated for the clean-up of lead contamination from the Doe Run smelter there. Jack collected soil samples from the streets which forced a buyout of houses; Leslie testified about Doe Run before the Peruvian Congress.
Each honoree received a certificate and pututu (conch horn) which were used in the Inca Empire to announce the arrival of a chasqui at the end of their run. As everyone blew on their pututu and tried to make a noise, great fun was had by all.
Even as we celebrated the past, we looked forward to the future. The keynote speaker for the evening was the Rev. Jed Koball, the current Companionship Facilitator in Peru. He spoke about the current context in Peru and on-going struggle in La Oroya caused by lead and heavy metal contamination and greed. The Peruvian government has told Doe Run that they cannot receive extensions on their environmental obligations; meanwhile the smelter is operating at partial capacity under a bankruptcy order. The Renco Group, owner of Doe Run, has sued the country of Peru, under the terms of the US-Peru Free Trade Agreement, for loss of investment income. This outrageous action has spurred a “No Greater Rights” campaign, which focuses both on the Renco Lawsuit and the on-going efforts to establish new free trade agreements such as the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) now under secret negotiation. The campaign takes the stance that the rights of foreign corporations and investors should not supersede those of Peruvian citizens to establish economic policy and environmental regulation.
As we look to the future of our partnership, we are guided by our love for and commitment to the people of Peru. Our years with Joining Hands have taught us that the very same trends we have witnessed in Peru are also happening throughout the world.
We had a great turnout to the event, which is a testimony to the impact that Joining Hands has had, not only on the members of our Presbytery, but in Peru and even beyond.
When we first became involved in Joining Hands, we never thought that we would become international trade activists, but that has become our calling. We seek trade reform so that international commerce benefits all people, not just the wealthy. We seek transparency in trade negotiations so that decisions are not made behind closed doors. On this point, the most urgent need at this moment is to contact members of the United States Congress and urge them to oppose “Fast Track,” a mechanism where Congress forfeits its constitutional responsibility to regulate trade. “Fast Track” also limits congressional debate, prohibits changes to provisions and allows for only a “yes” or “no” vote on the entire agreement.
Our anniversary celebration was like a grand family reunion as we recalled memories of past successes, but it is also a call into the future so that we continue to advocate for the health and justice of the people of Peru and the world.
