This event is presented in collaboration with the Department of Anthropology, the Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies (CLS) Program and the Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies (LACIS) Program at UW-Madison.
Irma A. Velásquez Nimatuj is Maya-K’iche’ journalist, activist and social anthropologist. She has been at the forefront of the struggles for respect for indigenous rights and culture in Guatemala and in Latin America. She is part of a long line of struggle and resistance in her community. In 2002 she was instrumental in making racial discrimination illegal in Guatemala. She is the author of several books on the rights and challenges of Indigenous Peoples and women. She has also published poetry books. Dr. Nimatuj wrote a weekly newspaper column for el Periódico de Guatemala during 20 years and has served on UNICEF, UN Women and the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous issues. In 2020 she was awarded with LASA/Oxfam America-Martin Diskin Memorial Lectureship. From 2016 to 2022, she served as a visiting professor at various universities in the United States. She was also featured in the documentary film, 500 Years, by Skylight Pictures for her role as an activist and expert witness in war crime trials.