Francia Márquez is an Afro-Colombian environmental and human rights activist and the Vice President of Colombia. She received the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2018 for leading a campaign against illegal mining in her community of La Toma, Cauca. Márquez is one of Colombia’s most prominent social leaders, closely associated with resistance, territorial defense, and the rights of women, Afro-Colombians, and Indigenous peoples. The views she shared on peace are outlined here.
Senator Aida Quilcué is an Indigenous Nasa leader from Tierradentro, Cauca, and a senator with Colombia’s Alternative Indigenous Social Movement (MAIS). She has held leadership roles within ONIC and CRIC and has led major Indigenous mobilizations nationwide. Most notably, she helped lead the 2020 Minga Indígena, which brought tens of thousands of peaceful protesters to Bogotá to demand action against violence in Indigenous territories. The insights she shared on peace and development towards the indigenous communities of Colombia are shared here.
Professor Lucy Herney is an Afro-Colombian educator from Timbiquí on Cauca’s Pacific coast with more than 40 years of teaching experience. Known affectionately as “Prof. Lucy” by her students, she has deep insight into how education functions in rural Colombia. Her work highlights how schooling can be transformed into a powerful tool for peacebuilding and positive social change. Her experiences with educational practice and schooling’s role in bolstering peace in Colombia are outlined here.
Mario Rodríguez was a FARC combatant for more than 15 years before demobilizing with the 2016 Colombian peace accords. Since then, he has helped establish a coffee cooperative with other former fighters to support their families through employment and social welfare. His story reflects broader efforts toward reintegration and community-based peacebuilding in Colombia. His insights on experiencing violence from both sides of the conflict are introduced here.