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The Unfinished Sentences Testimony Archive
Teaching the Salvadoran Civil War using oral histories
UW Center for Human Rights● Founded in 2009 by decree of
WA State Legislature
● Mission: “...interdisciplinary excellence in the education of
undergraduate and graduate students in the field of human rights;
promoting human rights as a core area of faculty and graduate
research; and engaging productively with local, regional, national,
and international organizations and policymakers to advance
respect for human rights.”
Unfinished Sentences● UWCHR project supporting human rights
organizations in El Salvador
● Research, education, advocacy
Mural by Fernando Llort in
Arcatao, Chalatenango,
depicting 1980 Sumpúl River
massacre. Image by Rachel
Heidenry
El SalvadorA “case study” of Cold War conflicts and US foreign policy in Central America
● Civil War: 1980 - 1992
● 75,000 killed; 10,000 forcibly disappeared
● 85% of human rights violations by state forces
● $5 billion in U.S. military aid
● Advocacy by global solidarity & human rights movements
● Post-war legacies of impunity, violence
Video: “Unfinished Sentences: Justice” https://youtu.be/vpeGdYRvR1g
Unfinished Sentences● Human rights reports & videos documenting
historic crimes against humanity
● Analysis of declassified U.S. government
documents released via the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA)
● Public advocacy with national &
international partners
● Fully bilingual in English, Spanish
http://unfinishedsentences.org
Human Rights Reports
Historical Documents
Declassified U.S. Government Documents
Public Advocacy & Action
Testimony Archive● Collaboration with Historical Memory
Committee of Arcatao, Chalatenango
& Human Rights Institute of the
Universidad Centroamericana
● 48 individuals
● 172 excerpts, 7+ hours
● Spanish audio, English subtitles;
fully transcribed
● Lesson plans & other supplementary
materials
● Free & public online at
http://archive.unfinishedsentences.org
Testimony Archive Themes
Oral histories by survivors cover themes of:
● Grassroots narratives of conflict & social change
● Workers’ rights & political organizing
● Origins of war & violence
● Refugee experiences
● Survival, resilience, healing
● Historical memory
● Human rights & justice
Testimony Archive “trailer”:
https://youtu.be/pgTr5JEDMXg
Supplementary Materials● Lesson plans
● Maps
● Glossary
● Reading list
● Related documents & photos
● Reports and news updates at
unfinishedsentences.org
Declassified U.S. government document
related to Testimony Archive topics
Curriculum Standards
● WA State Essential Academic Learning
Requirements (EALRs):
○ Dig Deep: Analyzing Sources
○ Causes of Conflict
○ 11-12th grade US Foreign Policy, CWP, Civic
involvement
● AP/IB:
○ Document-based questions (DBQs)
○ Compare / Contrast
○ Continuity & Change
Common Core● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7
Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or
maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.6
Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same
or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their
respective accounts.
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.9
Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a
coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among
sources.
Lesson Plans● High School Social Studies
● College English & Humanities
● AP World History DBQ
● Sound Art
Available at http://unfinishedsentences.org/archive/lessonplans
Contribute to the Testimony Archive
Lesson plans wanted!
● Spanish (AP)
● U.S. and World History (AP)
● English/Humanities
● Arts
● ...and other subjects!
A limited number of stipends are
available for completed submissions.
With Support From:UW Center for Human Rights
http://humanrights.washington.edu/
Box 353650, Seattle, WA 98195
Phone: (206) 685-3435
Email: [email protected]
Unfinished Sentences
http://unfinishedsentences.org/
Phil Neff, Project Coordinator
Phone: (206) 221-2031
Email: [email protected]
Contact Us:
