Lutheran World Relief (LWR) International Policy Analyst Luis Gilberto Murillo is scheduled to speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10 in the A.H. Anderson Social Science Center, room 101 at Gustavus Adolphus College on “Hope for Development in the Crossfire: The Afro-Colombian Quest for Peace.”
Murillo was governor of the predominantly Afro-Colombian department of Chocó from 1998 to 1999. In 2000, he was kidnapped and threatened with extortion and death. He was forced to flee Colombia with his family, receiving asylum in the United States where he began working in Washington, D.C., as U.S.-Colombia policy coordinator and later international policy analyst for LWR.
Murillo works to make the voices of marginalized Colombians heard in the policy debate in Washington, D.C. His work is part of LWR’s effort to build peace in Colombia through local projects backed by education and advocacy in the United States. His is one of the most active Afro-Colombian voices in the Washington, D.C., policy debate on Colombia.
The lecture is sponsored by the Gustavus Peace Studies program and Sal y Luz, a partnership of six Midwest faith communities in Iowa, South Dakota, and Minnesota, Lutheran World Relief, and three Columbian peace sanctuary churches founded upon the common goals of peace, solidarity, advocacy, and global education of the conflict in Columbia.
Murillo is available for interviews during the tour; contact C. John Hildebrand at 612-270-2224 or cjohnhildebrand@yahoo.com.
Headquartered in Baltimore, LWR has been responding to emergencies and disasters since its founding in 1945. Working through partners and global relief and development networks, LWR works in 35 countries to provide not only relief but to combat the causes of poverty and restore the dignity it robs from people’s lives. It advocates for Fair Trade that helps farmer and artisan families earn a better income. It teaches people to better care for themselves, their communities, and the environment. It teaches people how to be less vulnerable to natural disasters. It advocates with them for policy change that more fairly represents them. It counsels them after human and natural disasters and helps them recover with material aid and long-term programs. It does all of this exclusively with partners from the communities it serves.
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Media Contact: Director of Media Relations and Internal Communication Luc Hatlestad
luch@gustavus.edu
507-933-7510