El veintidós de octubre/October 22nd

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De Carlotto in 2014, the year she found her grandson
after 36 years of searching. From npr.org. 
¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Estela de Carlotto (1930-      )!

Estela de Carlotto is the long-time president of the organization Las Abuelas de La Plaza de Mayo, which for more than 50 years has demonstrated for truth about those disappeared during Argentina's brutal military dictatorship. She has been considered for the Nobel Peace Prize multiple times. De Carlotto's daughter, Laura, was pregnant when she was kidnapped by the military junta in 1977. After she was killed, her baby, Guido, was adopted into a family to be raised (and not told of his identity). Between 9000 and 30,000 people were disappeared during Argentina's Dirty War (1976-1983), and some 400 babies were robbed of their identities and raised by (sometimes unsuspecting) families approved of by the dictatorship. De Carlotto speaks about the relief she felt upon joining the group (she was not one of the original founders): "Para mí, esa compañía, ese compartir con otras que tenían el mismo dolor, la misma lucha, fue un gran alivio, una integración profunda" (For me, this company, this sharing with others who has the same pain, the same struggle, was a huge relief, a profound integration). (Quote is taken from an excellent biography (in Spanish) on de Carlotto on buenosaires.gob.ar - she talks about her years as a teacher, her parenting style, and her human rights work. Much here could be used in a Spanish class!). De Carlotto, who often visits schools with Las Abuelas to talk about their work, also shares: "Memoria y educación están estrechamente ligadas a la libertad del pueblo" (Memory and education are tightly linked to the freedom of a people). In 2014, after 36 years of searching, de Carlotto was reunited with her grandson Guido (now Ignacio), who had presented himself to a Truth Commission after having doubts about his identity. See the press conference upon their reunion HERE. Read about it (in English) HERE. Read this excellent article (in Spanish) about de Carlotto's grandson five years after finding out the truth about his identity HERE. Students studying the various ways to fight for social justice may also be interested in investigating the 2017 public disagreement between Abuelas Hebe de Bonafini and de Carlotto. De Bonafini, who is the head of a more radicalized faction of Las Abuelas (she once threatened to blow up La Casa Rosada), publically called de Carlotto "a traitor" for working with the Buenos Aires provincial government. De Carlotto recognized that the statement was painful, acknowledged that she and de Bonafini have different methods, and reaffirmed their connection as mothers who have suffered great pain from losing a child to the government. Read more (in English) HERE.

For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

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