El Salvador Study Abroad 2010: The Wall of Truth and Memory

The Wall of Truth and Memory is a monument located in a park in San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador, that displays the names of about 30,000 women, men, and children who were massacred or are still missing from 30 years ago when the civil war began. Families of missing persons came together and built a place where they can come and remember their loved ones. Hundreds of thousands of lives were lost in the war so the wall is missing thousands of names that yet need to be engraved. It was so overwhelming to walk and read all those seemingly unending names and many times, whole families were murdered. Its so hard to realize that many of the families with family members missing are still holding on to hope, but its wonderful that they have a place to come and pay their respects. All of these people were killed for an unjust cause; because they stood up and demanded equal rights and so they gave up their lives for the sake of equality and justice. How many of us would actually do this? Many were assassinated for being influential individuals that advocated for the poor and equal rights, yet others were murdered for being no apparent reason- just because perhaps they were at the wrong place at the wrong time. No video or picture could capture the feeling of when you are actually standing there reading ALL those names and knowing that they were mistreated and killed for wanting equal rights- that's all. They didn't want to take over the government, they didn't want to harm anyone else. They just wanted Justice, but another human being filled with hatred and rage, mercilessly killed them or captured so that to this day they are still missing and their families may never see them again. They'll live the rest of their lives wondering if their loved ones are still alive. This country has suffered so much, yet they remain hopeful. Wow...