In conjunction with Latino and Hispanic Heritage Month, Utah Tech University is expanding its “Remember the 43 Students” commemoration to honor the lives of 43 students from Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers College who disappeared southwest of Mexico City on Sept. 26, 2014.
As part of the incident, more than 100 Mexican police officers, soldiers and armed men ambushed five buses of students from the Rural Teachers College and another bus carrying a third-division soccer team. In addition to the 43 students who disappeared, six people were killed and more than 40 were wounded.
This year, UT’s tribute to the 43 students will include two art installations and two guest speakers.
“As the eighth anniversary of the atrocity approaches, standing in support of justice is even more important,” said Stephen Lee, organizer of the installation and dean of Utah Tech’s College of Humanities & Social Sciences. “I hope that visitors will engage the complex issues of political violence and economic inequalities with both their heads and their hearts.”
Portraits of each of the 43 students created by Scottish artist Jan Nimmo will be on display in the lobby of Utah Tech’s Dolores Doré Eccles Fine Arts Center. Nimmo, who traveled extensively in Guerrero prior to the disappearances to document the work of local artisans, created the series of portraits to raise awareness and emphasize the human face of the victims.
Returning from last year, 43 life-sized silhouettes will be on display on the second floor of the Holland Centennial Commons on the Utah Tech campus. Each figure will represent one of the students and include a short bio about the individual and information about the tragedy.
Both art installations will be on display Sept. 16-30 and will commence with an opening ceremony at 4 p.m. on Sept. 15 in the Eccles lobby.
Also as part of the tribute, investigative journalists Anayansi Diaz-Cortes and Kate Doyle will speak at 4 p.m. on Sept. 26 in the Zion Room, located on the fifth floor of the Holland Centennial Commons on the Utah Tech campus. Diaz-Cortes and Doyle are the lead reporters on the “After Ayotzinapa” podcast and radio program.
The “Remember the 43 Students” art installations and events are open to the community. More information about Utah Tech’s commemoration as well as the students’ forced disappearance are available at rememberthe43students.com.