The Fight to Protect Vieques & Culebra by Marisa de la Villa Imagine young children playing outside at recess and adults forced to go about their daily routines as automatic weapons were heard going off in the nearest town plazas [1]. Vieques Island, Puerto Rico (Jun. 26, 2000) -- The guided missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) fires her aft MK 45 5-inch/54 caliber lightweight gun mount during training held in the Puerto Rico operating area. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Shane McCoy.  This was just an average occurrence in Vieques, Puerto Rico. Not too many years ago, the rallying cry rang out:  ¡Que se vaya la marina!  The Puerto Rican people were clear in their message—“we want the U.S. Navy out!” Boricuas would chant this loudly, hoping the U.S. military would stop the bombing of Vieques and Culebra, two municipalities in the Puerto Rican archipelago. Many people are aware of the 1999 protests on Vieques island, where the accidental death ...

  Maxima Acuña:  a Peruvian Farmer Fights for Environmental Justice by Valeria Yraita-Zevallos Picture yourself living peacefully in a rural region, living off your crops and without disturbing the surrounding environment. Then suddenly you are awakened by the knocking and violence of police officers and mining employees to vacate your home. Scary right? Well, this isn’t a hypothetical, it is the true story of Maxima Acuña de Chaupe, the woman who never sought to become an activist, but had no choice but to become one.              Maxima Acuña is a Cajamerquina, a woman from Cajamarca, Peru. In 1994, she purchased a plot of land with her husband in the northern highlands, known as Tragadero Grande [1] . Acuña lived off her land independently with her husband and children, growing potatoes and raising cattle for milk and cheese. Unfortunately, her life took a turn in 2011 when the mining companies Newmont (U.S. Col...