Rochester Committee on Latin America

ROCLA’s First Program of the 2016-2017 Season

Is This a Revolution? Reflections on Guatemala’s 2015:

A Remarkable Year of Public Protest and Political Upheaval

Presented by Paul Ciavarri

Wednesday, September 7, 7 PM
Downtown United Presbyterian Church
121 North Fitzhugh Street, Rochester, NY

For information: Grania Marcus, (917) 579-0199; Email

In a complex and complicated year of national elections (2015), Guatemalans were outraged by the corruption of their highest public officials. They took to the streets in dramatic shows of strength and courage, ousting their elected president. Was it a revolution? Has the political upheaval made a difference in other ways?

Paul Ciavarri, who taught English in Guatemala City throughout 2015, will take us on a journey through those turbulent days. Paul has long participated in labor and social justice movements, and is past director of New York Loves Mountains. He currently works in health care among farm workers in Orleans and Genesee counties.

The program is free and open to the public; the church is handicapped accessible and looped for the hearing impaired.