Support Rigoberto (Rigo) Agustín's cancer fight!

Dear friends,

On October 29, Rigo passed surrounded by his family. I am still devastated by this loss, and without words. But I would like to share the words of Rigo's daughter Alicia and of Steve Lemoine and Tim Kantz, both great friends and comrades of Rigo's. Thank you all for allowing me to share your words.

Bob Reinauer

"Without your help Dad would not have had a dignified death; he had everything necessary so that he would not suffer, and there was hope. Your support has also now helped with funeral and burial expenses." Alicia Agustín

"Although I hadn’t seen him in a number of years, I will most definitely and sincerely miss Sergio, who is one of the people in my life who has most touched my heart and my mind. I think of him as a bit of a gadfly, in that he had a truly curious and open mind. He certainly held his own strong opinions about things, which you could absorb more through observing him than listening because he did not preach. He had a wonderful humility and precious child-like approach to life and human relationships such that he was always open to new information. His own thought process was never ossified. At the same time, his lifelong commitment to fighting for social and economic justice never wavered. There is so much I could and would like to write about Sergio. How he and Aurora (and so many others of course) risked their lives to pick up arms against a criminal dictatorship that was destroying and dehumanizing their people. How he continued to fight after the war was over to build an egalitarian community in the altiplano, Santa Anita la Union. How he made connections with so many people from so many walks of life with a natural progression of vision to a global community of solidarity. About what a great sense of humor he had. About how he was a feminist in a machista society, seeking to live on equal terms with Aurora and being fiercely supportive of his wonderful daughters of whom I know he was immensely proud, given their own commitments and strengths of character. I was privileged to be able to spend a day with Sergio in NYC circa 2007 and show him to sites he wanted to see like the NY Stock Exchange and the UN building. I’ll try to post as soon as I can some photos I have from that trip. I have one of Sergio standing next to the giant bronze bull on lower Broadway. I always loved that juxtaposition of Sergio the guerrilla comandante schooled in communitarian Marxism standing next to that grotesque monument to capitalist greed. I have other photos of Sergio inside the UN Building. That was only about 10 years after the UN-moderated Guatemalan peace accords were signed. We were able to walk around the General Assembly Hall and I can remember thinking that Sergio should really be there addressing a full assembly himself. My most fond memory of that trip, however, was going into a NY diner for lunch and having a Latina server who clearly took pleasure in helping Sergio feel more at home, and getting to experience some of that wonderful Sergio charm in return. All the work and all the struggles continue. We are left without one of the greatest leaders among us. But he left to the world and to so many of us personally and individually an extraordinary legacy of truly human compassion, love, and comradeship." Tim Kantz

"It is with a heavy heart that I take a moment to express my deep sadness following the loss of someone as significant as you. Your disappearance leaves an immense void in our lives. Your incredible human wisdom and valuable presence will remain forever engraved in our memories. Your ability to bring light and wisdom into our lives was simply extraordinary. Your departure leaves a great void that is difficult to fill, and we feel the absence of your human warmth every day. Your goodness, wisdom, and kindness have impacted so many lives, and we will always cherish the precious memories we shared. Your influence will never be forgotten, and you will continue to live on through our memories and our hearts. You were more than a friend, you were an invaluable source of knowledge and kindness. Your loss leaves an immense void, and you will be greatly missed. Rest in peace, dear friend. Your light will continue to shine in our hearts for eternity. With all (our) love and (our) loving thoughts." Steve Lemoine

Queridos amigos,

Rigoberto Agustín Ramírez (Rigo), un pequeño productor y exportador de café, organizador, educador y amigo de muchos, ha sido diagnosticado con cáncer de hígado y necesita ayuda financiera para pagar el tratamiento y poder volver al trabajo vital que ha sido apasionante. haciendo durante décadas. Conocí a Rigo en 1999 durante mi primer viaje a Guatemala y desde entonces hemos sido buenos amigos y colaboradores. Junto con su hija, Alicia Agustín, he organizado este esfuerzo de recaudación de fondos para ayudar a Rigo y su familia a cubrir el costo del tratamiento del cáncer. La quimioterapia y los costos asociados serán de $17,500, lo cual es prohibitivamente costoso para un pequeño agricultor en Guatemala.

Rigo siempre ha sido un líder en la creación de organizaciones que trabajan para mejorar las vidas y los medios de vida de los indígenas guatemaltecos y las comunidades campesinas mientras construyen puentes de solidaridad con las personas en los EE. UU., Canadá y Europa. Después de que terminara la guerra civil de 36 años de Guatemala con el acuerdo de paz de 1996, Rigo y su compañera, Aurora Vicente Jives, regresaron a su pueblo natal, el pueblo maya mam de Medio Monte, pero encontraron el pueblo totalmente destruido. Afortunadamente, gracias a las disposiciones del acuerdo de paz, la familia, junto con otros, pudieron comprar una finca cafetalera abandonada, Santa Anita La Unión. A pesar de los desafíos de rehabilitar la finca abandonada y luchar contra la roya del café en 2012, han estado vendiendo sus granos de café localmente bajo la marca Kutz Kut.

Rigo es cofundadora de dos organizaciones impactantes, la Asociación de Mujeres de la Colomba Rural y la Red Kutz Kut, que a través de la producción de café genera empleo para hombres y mujeres jóvenes en Santa Anita y las comunidades aledañas. Desde 2019, Rigo ha guiado a Kutz Kut en la formación de alianzas estratégicas con organizaciones como USAID, CARE, CICAM, PNUD para lanzar iniciativas de desarrollo local. Justo antes de su diagnóstico, Rigo y yo estábamos organizando visitas a varias universidades aquí en los Estados Unidos para que él y su nieto Javier hablaran con grupos de estudiantes sobre el trabajo que están haciendo con los trabajadores jóvenes y las estrategias de desarrollo rural. Esperamos que el tratamiento de Rigo sea exitoso y podamos reprogramar este importante trabajo para el próximo año académico.

Rigo ha perdido algo de peso y está experimentando algo de dolor. El tratamiento debe comenzar pronto, dentro de las próximas dos semanas si es posible. Su capacidad para comprometerse con un curso de tratamiento dependerá de la cantidad de fondos recaudados, así que por favor dé tan pronto como pueda.

Rigo, sus hijas Alicia, Pamela y Aurora, su cónyuge Aurora y yo no podemos agradecerles lo suficiente por su apoyo financiero y por compartir este enlace de GoFundMe en sus redes sociales. ¡Gracias!

Alicia Agustín and Bob Reinauer