HONDURAS

WHEREAS, in 2020, the people of Honduras suffered a cataclysmic year, marked by the tragedy of a global pandemic and back-to-back devastating hurricanes, Eta and Iota; thousands of children and families in Honduras have been displaced as rural communities were completely wiped out; and

WHEREAS, these hurricanes struck an already fragile infrastructure of crumbling schools, health clinics, roads, bridges, water lines and the loss of other essential services; families have been forced to stay in crowded shelters, placing them at greater risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19; the country is also dealing with widespread poverty, organized crime, gangs, political corruption and violence; and

WHEREAS, immediate emergency and humanitarian relief is needed for medical supplies, food, shelter and personal protective equipment to prevent the spread of COVID-19; and

WHEREAS, the United Teachers of Dade, in partnership with the American Federation of Teachers and Education International Latin America, has collected and shipped 50 boxes of supplies to Honduras’ national teachers association COLPROSUMAH; and

WHEREAS, these supplies, collected by more than 100 UTD stewards throughout Miami-Dade County, contained more than 1,700 pounds of dry goods, baby supplies, first aid supplies and educational materials for the teachers, children and families of Honduras; and

WHEREAS, the relief work carried out by UTD stands in the best tradition of AFT local and state federations, who have many times responded to the humanitarian needs of educators facing natural disasters, whether flooding in New Orleans, earthquakes in Haiti or the disastrous tsunami in Indonesia; and

WHEREAS, the teacher unions of Honduras have been exceptional partners with the AFT, including their collaboration on civic education programs and working with the United Teachers of New Orleans in the fight against privatization:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers’ officers and executive council express solidarity with the teachers unions and organizations delivering humanitarian relief to Honduras in the wake of the largest natural disaster to hit the country and the region; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT—working with our allies in Education International and Public Services International—will advocate against efforts of private corporations and edu-businesses to profit during the region’s post-disaster recovery; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will call on Samantha Power, the nominee to be administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, to activate the rapid-response team of the agency to assist Honduras in rebuilding housing, education, healthcare and infrastructure; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will continue to advocate for aid to address the causes of migration that have forced thousands of children and families from Honduras and the Northern Triangle of Central America (which also includes Guatemala and El Salvador) to seek refuge in the United States; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will call on Alejandro Mayorkas, the new secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, to redesignate Temporary Protected Status for immigrants from Honduras and others impacted from the region.

(Adopted 2/3/2021)