“Broad and Cavanagh . . . expose in granular detail and with great compassion the deadly, dangerous, and daunting legal and legislative juggernaut faced by those forced to defend and protect their most precious natural resource from the fallout of industrial greed and corruption.” —Booklist
“A fast-paced account of environmental justice and determination in the face of challenging odds.” —Library Journal
“Broad and Cavanagh are masterful storytellers. The words, deeds, and stories of people in El Salvador come alive so vividly in these pages to reinforce what we in the Poor People’s Campaign . . . know well: the most powerful defenders of water, of the environment—of justice across the board—are poor people.” —Rev. Dr. William Barber II, national cochair of the Poor People’s Campaign
“If you’re in need of some inspiration . . . look no further than this crucial and absorbing account of the ordinary people in El Salvador who won big against a seemingly insurmountable international mining corporation.” —Ms. Magazine
“It is rare, in the world of corporate power, to have a story where David beats Goliath. And rarer still to have one that reads like a fast-paced thriller.” —Adam Hochschild, author of King Leopold’s Ghost
“The authors helped build the network of international allies that spearheaded the global fight against gold mining in El Salvador, a fight premised on the argument that the mines would wreck the country’s rivers.” —Bill McKibben, The New Yorker
“When the story of the courageous Salvadoran people came to my ears, I was full of pride and hope. Indigenous peoples everywhere are fighting for their water, and enlightened governments are valuing water over foreign corporate control. Our work . . . is a parallel struggle, and we are inspired by the people from the south. The Eagle and the Condor meet again.” —Winona LaDuke, author of To Be a Water Protector
In their acclaimed book The Water Defenders, Robin Broad and John Cavanagh told the story of activists in San Isidro, El Salvador, who fought multinational mining corporation OceanaGold and won—protecting their drinking water and environment from irreparable harm—despite great personal danger. Now, Jon Sack’s captivating graphic adaptation brings the story to new audiences and with new urgency, as environmental progress and human rights remain under assault around the world. The book is also updated to address Salvadoran dictator Nayib Bukele's ascent and the subsequent arrests of five water defenders.
Initially excited by the company’s promises of jobs and prosperity, farmer Vidalina Morales, brothers Marcelo and Miguel Rivera, and others soon realized that the trade-off was catastrophic contamination of El Salvador’s main source of fresh water. Facing corporate machinations and violence, the ordinary people of San Isidro and surrounding communities built a transnational coalition that prevailed over powerful adversaries to score an environmental victory with worldwide repercussions.
Broad and Cavanagh draw on over a decade of research, interviews, and experience as allies and experts in international development to recount the harrowing saga. A blueprint for civic bravery and local-to-global activism, as well as a rich history of Central America’s political conflicts and people’s fights against environmental and economic exploitation, this story will inspire anyone who feels helpless against corporate malfeasance.
Robin Broad is a two-time MacArthur fellow and won a Guggenheim fellowship for her work surrounding mining in El Salvador. A research professor at American University, she served as an international economist in the US Department of the Treasury, in the US Congress, and at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Broad and her husband, John Cavanagh, helped build the network of global allies that spearheaded the fight against mining in El Salvador. They have coauthored several books together.
John Cavanagh is senior advisor for and former director of the Washington, DC–based Institute for Policy Studies, an organization that collaborates with the Poor People’s Campaign and other dynamic social movements to turn ideas into action for peace, justice, and the environment. Previously, he worked with the United Nations to research corporate power. Cavanagh and his wife, Robin Broad, helped build the network of global allies that spearheaded the fight against mining in El Salvador. They have coauthored several books together.
Jon Sack is a US- and UK-based artist and writer. His comic books include La Lucha, which is about violence in Juárez and the lawyers working to combat it, and Iraqi Oil for Beginners, about the complicated history of oil in Iraq, as well as My Fairy Godfather and Windows on the World.
Contents
Introduction1 White Men in White Suits (2002–2004)
2 A New Pact with the Devil (2005)
3 State of Siege (2006–2008)
4 Local Terror, Global Extortion (2009)
5 With a Fat Cat and Sun Tzu, the Resistance Goes Global (2010–2015)
6 Judgment Day at the Kangaroo Court: “El Salvador Always Loses” (2016)
7 Decision Time: Water for Life or Water for Gold? (2017)
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
