[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 177 (Tuesday, November 6, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1497]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE CAREER OF RIGOBERTA MENCHU TUM

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 6, 2018

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the career and 
achievements of Rigoberta Menchu Tum, who will be awarded with the 
Spendlove Prize by UC Merced. This prize honors an individual whose 
work exemplifies the delivery of social justice diplomacy and tolerance 
in the diverse local and global city. Therefore, it is both fitting and 
appropriate that we honor the achievements of Rigoberta Menchu Tum's, 
for her constant fight for justice and equality.
  Rigoberta was born in January 9, 1959 to a poor indigenous peasant 
family and was raised in the Quiche branch of the Mayan culture in 
Guatemala. As a child, she helped her family with farm work in the 
highlands and along the coast by picking coffee. Rigoberta's lifelong 
service to justice and equality began in her adolescence, where through 
the Catholic Church she became involved in social reform activities and 
became a prominent figure in the women's right's movement.
  Her reform work arose opposition in influential circles, who accused 
Rigoberta's family of partaking in guerilla activities. The accusation 
led to the imprisonment of her father. After the release of her father, 
he joined the Committee of the Peasant Union. Following in her father's 
footsteps, Rigoberta became a member in 1979.
  Rigoberta's long-lasting fight began when her immediate family was 
brutally murdered by opposition groups. Rigoberta than became 
increasingly active in the Committee of the Peasant Union. In 1980, she 
became a prominent figure in a strike organized by the Committee of the 
Peasant Union that aimed for better working conditions for farm workers 
on the Pacific Coast. Her involvement in demonstrations led her to join 
the radical 31st of January Popular Front, which strove to educate 
indigenous peasant populations in resistance to military oppression. 
Rigoberta has been the voice of indigenous rights and ethnocultural 
reconciliation, not only in Guatemala but in the Western Hemisphere.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I ask my colleagues to 
join me in honoring Rigoberta Menchu Tum for receiving the Spendlove 
Prize. Her advocacy has earned her international awards, including a 
Nobel Peace Prize in 1992, Prince of Austria's Award in 1998 and was 
named a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. I ask that you join me in wishing 
her continued success.

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