During the 1980s, students and workers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst organized against the US government’s support for right-wing terrorism in Central America. UMass Amherst students tried to end CIA recruitment on campus and university ties to weapons contractors. When some were arrested and sent to court, they effectively turned the case into a public trial of the CIA. They also worked to end US military aid. This exhibition explores US intervention and collective struggle in Central America, and how UMass students attempted to create a more just future.
This exhibition is dedicated to martyred revolutionaries, from El Salvador to Palestine.
In Fall 2024, undergraduate and graduate students made this exhibition with Professor Diana Sierra Becerra. It’s part of the 2024-2025 Feinberg Series, “What are Universities For?: Struggles for the Soul of Higher Education.”
Student Researchers:
Madison Albano
Katlyn Durand
Sofia Rosa Tobia Gage
Ana García
Maya González
Liliana Rodríguez
Nick Speranza
Lauren Whitley-Haney
Graphic Designer for Panels: Jason Kotoch
Graphic Designer for Timelines and Infographics: Pedro José Durán
Special Thanks:
Many people and organizations made this exhibition possible:
Bromery Center for the Arts
Cambridge-San José Las Flores Sister City Project
Comite de Memoria Histórica de Sobrevivientes, Arcatao Chalatenago
Feinberg Family Distinguished Lecture Series
Fundabril
History Department
Public History Program
Museo de la Palabra y la Imagen
Robert S. Cox Special Collections & University Archives
Sean Conlon
Cathy Hoffman
Jess Johnson
Kirstin Kay
Victoria Eugenia Ramírez Acosta
Rosa Rivera Rivera
Jeremy Smith
Annie Sollinger
Judy Somberg
Rachel Wyon