Fuenteovejuna did it

1985 at my school in Guadalajara, Mexico.

A friend and me posing in front of a poster we made to remember those atomic bombs.

I don’t remember her name now. She asked me if I’d help her do something to remember the atomic bomb drops on Japan. I though it sounded like a fine idea. The tracing on the paper is of me. I laid down, she drew it.

She originally thought of chalking up the sidewalks in front of the school, but since we were not Mexican citizens, we thought it better to do the poster and not deface anything.

I thought the poster was quite polite. No criticism, no blaming, just “remember this.”

Little did I realize that all MF hell was to break loose. BIG complaints from the students from California, mostly. It was the Reagan years. They ran right to the school director and demanded blood.

The director called us into the office individually to tell us we were to be suspended. After that got around, several of the Mexican teachers went to the director to stand up for us. The director stood down, so we were able to stay.

This pic was taken by one of the Mexican teachers shorty after our chewing out by the director. I was clowning to try to mitigate the stress. The poster stayed up for several days.

Many American students remained abusive to us for the rest of the term. The Mexican teachers treated us very well. Some of them even suggested further action. I loved them.

I learned a shitload that semester and my love for Mexico was growing fast.

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Image:

The two of us posing with life-size poster of a human form traced on paper with the words:

A shadow was all that was left of nearly 200,000 people who were killed instantly when the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan 40 years ago.

Remember history so as not to repeat it.

Hiroshima Nagasaki August 6th and 9th 40 years ago.