Faculty and Students Join Forces to Support Peace Efforts in Colombia

Tuesday, May 21, 2024

From left to Right: Angela D. Nichols, Ph.D., Lina Sofía Vásquez, Brooke Zimmerman, Isa Marin, Salomé Díaz Gómez and Andrés Ramírez, Ph.D.

Andrés Ramírez, Ed.D., Laura Sofía Gallo, Angela D. Nichols, Ph.D., Lina Sofía Vasquez, Salomé Díaz Gómez, Brooke Zimmerman, Aura Cuasquer Ordoñez, Gabriela Quintero, Cleo Miyake, and Sofía Blanco.

In 2022 and as part of the historic peace agreement in Colombia, La Comision de la Verdad (Truth commission) released a series of extensive reports at the end of their three-year investigation into the human rights violations committed during the 52+ years of civil war in Colombia. A few summary documents from the commission have been translated into English. The Center for Peace, Justice and Human Rights (PJHR) in association with the Hispanic-serving Institution research interest group at Florida Atlantic leads an effort to translate the extensive reports into English. One undergraduate student in Colombia, two faculty members and four undergraduate students at Florida Atlantic are part of this project.

By engaging in this project, this initiative supports the commission’s objective to promote the dignity and recognition of the victims as the translation into English will expand the potential readership of these monumental reports.

PJHR Project leaders in Colombia

The project is led by Angela D. Nichols, Ph.D., (dress), interim director of the Center for Peace, Justice and Human Rights, and associate professor in the Department of Political Science, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters. For the last five years, Nichols’ research in human rights and conflict focused on the Colombian context. She is currently working on a book that examines the experiences, contributions and consequences of women in the FARC-EP, Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia–People's Army, which made up at least 40% of the guerrilla forces at the time of demobilization. Her book “Impact, Legitimacy, and Limitations of Truth Commissions” examines how truth commissions contribute to peace and human rights following periods of conflict or mass abuse. Nichols has published articles in the Journal of Conflict Resolution, International Studies Perspectives, Conflict, Security, & Development, Dynamics of Asymmetric Conﬂict, Civil Wars, and TRAMES: A Journal of the Humanities & Social Sciences. Readers can also find her research in The Conversation and Political Violence at a Glance.

Nichols research has advanced through connections with the Florida Atlantic Hispanic-serving Institution research interest group, which is co-directed by Andrés Ramírez, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education.

Ramirez Ramírez’ affiliation with this project is both professional and personal. Professionally, his research interests align with upholding the rights of most disadvantaged groups, particularly as they relate to the linguistic rights of language minority speakers. He has published multiple book chapters and articles, and has presented his research more than a dozen countries around the world. Personally, he and his family were recognized as official victims of the Colombian conflict as his 15-year-old brother, David Marcelo Ramírez, was assassinated on Feb. 12, 1992. As a retaliatory action for David’s denial to be part of the conflict and cause harm to anyone, recruiters from illegal groups that had infiltrated his school as staff members targeted him and ordered to finish his short life. As a way to honor his sacrifice and life ethic, and by petition of Andrés Ramírez, the research group decided to start the project with the translation of the truth commission’s report on children titled “It is not a Lesser Evil: Girls, Boys, and Adolescents in the Armed Conflict (No es un mal menor: Niñas, niños, y adolescents en el conflicto armado).” A final draft is slated for summer 2024.

Student Leaders

My name is Aura and I was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia. On spring of 2024 I graduated with my Bachelor's in Biomedical Engineering from the Los Andes University in Colombia, and this fall I started my Master's degree in Biomedical Engineering at FAU. As a Colombian, I know the importance of the JEP documents in the history of my country, and understand the value of the testimonies of the victims. I believe it is crucial that everyone has access to and understands these testimonies. I'm excited to be a part of this project and help make these documents available to a wider audience. "
- Aura Cuasquer Ordoñez

“I was born and raised in Colombia, and I know the impact of violence and war that the country has experienced. One of my goals has always been to help others and make a difference in the world, and in this case especially for my beautiful Colombia. I am proud to belong to this project, to contribute to the consolidation of peace and resilience of the Colombian reality and to feel the personal satisfaction of helping to make a change in my country, which is still rebuilding its future. "
- Laura Sofía Gallo

“Athough I did live in Colombia for a long time, I quickly learned about the injustices brought about by the civil unrest prevalent throughout my country. Being able to bring the stories and lived experiences of those affected is something truly profound, and I look forward to being able to use my skills within literature and political science to bring this project to life," Gabriela Quintero, FAU High School student, born in Bogotá, Colombia. "
- Gabriela Quintero

“As a Rising senior at FAU High School, I plan to Major in Political Science, with specifics in International Relations & Affairs. I was born in São Paulo, Brazil, but grew up in urban areas of Florida and Puerto Rico, growing up sheltered and unaware of much of the history happening around me. Participating in this project is both teaching me about the lives these people have lived and giving me the amazing opportunity to spread their stories, and truth.”- Cleo Miyake, born in São Paulo, Brazil, raised in Puerto Rico."
- Cleo Miyake

“I am full of dreams and with hopes to get to know the world due to my own efforts but without forgetting where I came for. I think that’s why am here in Florida doing my undergrad in economics to have a bigger picture of the world and its economy. This is also why I am participating in this project: to get to share with the world a little of the reality of where I came from.” - Salomé Díaz Gómez, economics, born and raised in Colombia

“I wanted to be part of this project because my time in Colombia profoundly impacted me and has influenced my passions and goals in life. This project allows me to give back to a country that means so much to me, and will allow others to understand and study Colombia in new ways.” - Brooke Zimmerman, political science and Spanish, previously lived in Colombia and Mexico City

“This project means a lot to me because these reports transmit the emotions and experiences that the victims of the conflict went through, being in the middle of the crossfire. I encourage everyone to read these reports with an open heart and empathy for those affected. Many of the victims have opened their hearts to share with the world the truths about their lives, their past and a future that is yet to be built upon justice and peace. I am excited to be part of this project and thankful for the opportunity to bring to the world such important documents for my beloved homeland, Colombia.” - Lina Sofía Vásquez, social work, born and raised in Colombia

“I am a rising senior at FAU High School and plan to major in biomedical engineering. I was born in Cali, Colombia and have lived in the United States for ten years. The civil unrest in Colombia has profoundly affected my family and our loved ones. By taking part in this project, I aim to share similar testimonies through translations, hoping to forge a more harmonious and united community.” - Sofia Blanco, born in Cali, Colombia

“I believe we are the stories we know and tell. I like to imagine a world sensitive to the magic of the unfamiliar. The stories I know, particularly those of Colombia's civil conflict, have defined my time as an undergraduate English major at FAU. They underpin my research interests in 20th-century Latin American literature, postcolonial and posthuman ecologies, and oil and speculative fictions.” - Isa Marin, English, born and raised on Miccosukee and Seminole land, with Colombian heritage

“I am passionate about struggles related to the defense of human rights. I enjoy understanding Colombia's history and its political struggle. This project excites me because it allows the collection of testimonies and stories from different communities to be disseminated worldwide and heard.” - Juliana Ramírez Restrepo, social work, Tecnológico de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia

Did you know?

An estimated 1.4 million Hispanics of Colombian origin lived in the United States in 2021, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
Colombians in this statistical profile are people who self-identified as Hispanics of Colombian origin; this includes immigrants from Colombia and those who trace their family ancestry to Colombia.
Colombians are the seventh-largest population of Hispanic origin living in the United States, accounting for 2% of the U.S. Hispanic population in 2021.
From 2000 to 2021, the Colombian-origin population increased 183%, growing from 500,000 to 1.4 million. At the same time, the Colombian foreign-born population living in the U.S. grew by 113%, from 380,000 in 2000 to 820,000 in 2021.

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/fact-sheet/us-hispanics-facts-on-colombian-origin-latinos/

The text below is a translation sample of the first report the Florida Atlantic group worked on during the Spring of 2024. The original report in Spanish is called No es un mal menor: Niñas, niños, y adolescents en el conflicto armado (It’s not a Lesser Evil: Girls, Boys, and Adolescents in the Armed Conflict). The translation sample below corresponds to the first three paragraphs of the volume focused on children and adolescent victims in the conflict. The sample provides but a brief glimpse of the richness and extent of these reports. The final translation for this entire volume will be available during summer of 2024.

article translation

Systematic Review Project: Examining Undergraduate Students Academic Performance at Hispanic-Serving Institutions

Researchers Involved
María D. Vásquez-Colina, Ph.D.

Sofia Blanco and Abigail Sinu, undergraduate students

Laurie Rebar and Ken Frankel, Florida Atlantic library

Description
The project involves a systematic review of empirical sources examining academic performance variables as well as students’ characteristics for undergraduate students in Hispanic Serving Institutions in the United States. Data from this review come from empirical sources that were reviewed in bibliographic databases under a systematic review methodology.

Outcomes
AERA Youth Research Proposal

OURI symposium poster