We need to talk about everyday partisan violence
Phelosha Collaros |
TEDxABQ
• July 2022
Until recently, my mother didn’t talk about her family’s experiences during La Violencia. This same unmentionable is the backdrop of Disney's Encanto. My grandparents were in a politically mixed marriage and struggled to find safety as their country reached extreme polarization, where over 200,000 Colombians died and Bogota burned. Colombia is a dark mirror that can help us recognize the exploitation of partisan identity by conflict entrepreneurs, the descent into dehumanization, and the road to violence. But the Colombian people also reveal the meaningful connections that save us in the bleakest of times: humanity, empathy, and acts of grace.