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EXPRESSED ON LATINA VOICES AND ITS GUESTS DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE OPINIONS OF HCV TELEVISION OR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.ON LATINA VOICES, TWO OF HOUSTON'S BEACONS OF LIGHT, A RWANDA GENOCIDE, CHILD SURVIVOR, AND A VENEZUELAN POLITICAL PRISONER AND VICTIM OF HOSTAGE DIPLOMACY, THEIR STORIES OF OVERCOMING UNSPEAKABLE ATROCITIES AND UNIMAGINABLE ADVERSITY, AND NAVIGATING THROUGH PROFOUND DARKNESS TO LIGHT, FINALLY REACHING A STATE OF HAPPINESS, ALBEIT NEVER FORGETTING, AND ALWAYS REMEMBERING.
AND REMAINING HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES.
THE COMMONALITIES OF JEAN CELESTINE LAKIN AND VO EXTREME SUFFERING, SURVIVING ACTS OF INHUMANITY, BOTH WITH COMPELLING TESTAMENTS TO DETERMINATION, CONVICTION, FAITH, HOPE, SURVIVAL, AND HUMAN RESILIENCE.
I AM HOST AND PRODUCER, TEXAS SUPER LOUIS SOPHIA GUE LATINA VOICES IS ABOUT UNIVERSAL TOPICS FROM A LATINA PERSPECTIVE, LET'S ENGAGE, EDUCATE, AND EMPOWER WITH TRUE, SMART TALK.
SEAN'S MEMOIR, A VOICE IN THE DARKNESS MEMOIR OF A RWANDAN GENOCIDE.
IT'S NOT JUST AN ACCOUNT OF OUR SURVIVAL, IT'S A BEACON OF HOPE, PERSEVERANCE, AND I THINK THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF FORGIVENESS.
SEAN, FIRST YOU THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENCE AND FORMIDABLE DEDICATION TO HUMANITY.
CLEARLY, AS YOU AUTHOR ON THE LAST PAGE OF YOUR BOOK, THERE IS A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR STORY, THE IMPETUS FOR THIS BEFORE WE ASK JORGE ABOUT HIS UPCOMING BOOK.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.
SO SURVIVING RWANDAN GENOCIDE AND WRITING THAT EXPERIENCE IN THIS BOOK WAS, UH, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE, THEY ASK, WAS HE CATAL CATHOLIC? UH, WAS IT, UM, DID HE HELP YOU HEAL? AND PART OF IT, IT WAS, BUT ALSO WAS THAT EXPERIENCE THAT WAS A LITTLE BIT TOUGHER TO NAVIGATE AND PUT ON PAGE.
UM, SO THIS BOOK REALLY CAPTURES BEFORE THE GENOCIDE, LIVING WITH MY FAMILY, HAVING THAT LOVING EXPERIENCE FROM MY PARENTS AND MY, UH, SIBLINGS AND, UH, MY RELATIVES.
AND THEN IT DIVES INTO THE GENOCIDE OF RWANDAN GENOCIDE AGAINST TOOTSIES, AND THEN AT THE END OF THE GENOCIDE, OBVIOUSLY, AND HOW I'VE BEEN HERE IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE WORK THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO, UH, IN THIS COUNTRY AS WELL.
NO, IT'S, IT'S, AND THE SYNOPSIS IS INCREDIBLE, ABSOLUTELY WORTH READING.
AND YOU DO, YOU TALK ABOUT THE VOICE IN THE DARKNESS, BUT LIGHT AT THE END BECAUSE THERE'S NO CHOICE.
BUT, BUT THE LIGHT, AS WE, AS WE KEEP GOING, AND SO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THE BOOK, JORGE, IN YOUR BOOK, A WORK IN PROGRESS, 1775 DAYS OF A CAPTIVITY, SURVIVAL AND GROWTH, YOU ALSO REFERENCE YOUR QUEST FOR THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL.
SPEAKING OF YOUR JOURNEY OF BRUTAL AND EXTREME IMPRISONMENT, PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL TORTURE AND VIOLATIONS, REALLY OF THE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS, THE COURAGE LIKE HERS TO TRIUMPH OVER DESPAIR, HOPELESSNESS, AND REALLY A FORCE FOR CREATING VALUE.
YOU SPEAK OF VALUE, A LITTLE OF YOUR JOURNEY AND THE IMPETUS FOR THE BOOK YOU'RE WORKING ON.
WELL, THE, UH, BEYOND THE, UH, THE FACT OF THE, UH, SITUATIONS THAT I LIVED, UH, THROUGH MY ALMOST FIVE YEARS OF CAPTIVITY, THERE IS, UH, THERE IS A PROCESS THAT WE FOLLOW AND THAT PROCESS WE FOLLOW IS, UH, BASICALLY THE ANSWER ON HOW I SURVIVED THE ORDEAL.
UH, AND THAT IS, UH, I THINK WHAT IS RELEVANT BECAUSE IT'S, UH, IS THE RESPONSE, AND THAT GOES FROM, UH, THE POINT OF, UH, HAVING AWARENESS ON THE SITUATION AS IS NOT, UH, THROUGH ILLUSION OR ANY BIAS, ET CETERA.
SO IT'S THE SITUATION, BECAUSE THE SITUATION IS A SITUATION.
WHAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE IS THE WAY WE APPROACH THE SITUATION.
AND THAT APPROACH GOES ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE END OF THAT TUNNEL WHERE THE LIGHT IS.
BUT THIS IS, IN OTHER WORDS, HOW TO DESCRIBE THE, UH, THAT IMPERMANENCE IS WHAT RULES THE UNIVERSE, ALL PROCESSES IN UNIVERSE AS A, A BEGINNING AND AN END.
AND THAT IS ONE OF THE MOST CRITICAL POINTS TO HAVE, UH, IN YOUR, IN YOUR MIND, IN YOUR CONSCIENCE AND YOUR HEART, JUST TO HAVE
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THE CONVICTION THAT THE, THE, THE ORDEAL HAS AN EXPIRATION DATE AND NOT, YOU KNOW, ALTHOUGH I DON'T KNOW WHEN IT'S GOING TO FINISH.SO WHEN YOU HAVE THAT PICTURE, NOT ONLY IN YOUR MIND, ALSO IN YOUR, INTERNALLY IN YOUR HEART, SO THAT THAT IS WHERE THE, THAT LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL APPEAR.
WHAT'S AMAZING IS, AND WE'RE GOING TO BE BACK IN A MOMENT, BUT IT IS THE, THIS TOO SHALL PASS AS INORDINATELY CHALLENGING AND OVERWHELMING AND DRACONIAN AS IT MAY BE.
BUT WHAT TOOLS DO YOU UTILIZE TO APPROACH THAT AS YOU GO FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT? IT'S SOMETHING THAT OUR AUDIENCE CAN ALL UTILIZE.
WE'LL BE BACK WITH LATINO VOICES IN A MOMENT.
OVER 1 MILLION INNOCENT WOMEN, MEN AND CHILDREN WERE SENSELESSLY, SLAUGHTERED WITH RAPE USED AS A WEAPON OF WAR.
SHE WITNESSED THE TRAGIC LOSS OF MOST OF HER FAMILY, FLED VIOLENT MILITIAS WITH HER TWIN 3-YEAR-OLD SIBLINGS, FORCED TO SURVIVE IN THE WILDERNESS FOR MONTHS, ULTIMATELY IMMIGRATING TO AMERICA AT 14 IN HER ADULTHOOD, SHE'S EARNED A MASTER'S DEGREE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC POLICY POST A DEGREE IN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS.
TODAY, SHE'S A CELEBRATED HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATE, CHAIRWOMAN OF A FORMIDABLE FORCE AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING, RECENTLY TESTIFYING THAT CHILDREN ARE NOT FOR SALE, GLOBAL EFFORTS TO ADDRESS CHILD TRAFFICKING, MANAGER OF DISABILITY SERVICE AT LONE STAR AND CO-FOUNDER WITH HER PARTNER IN LIFE, PAUL LAKIN OF AN INNOVATIVE NGO 1 MILLION ORPHANS, PROVIDING SUSTAINABLE EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT TO SOME OF THE MOST VULNERABLE CHILDREN ACROSS THE GLOBE.
WHAT A LIFE, AND YOU'RE SO YOUNG, SEAN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEGACY OF HOPE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT INTRODUCTION.
I HAVE, I FEEL LIKE, UH, LIFE EXPERIENCE FROM, AS A CHILD, I REALLY SORT OF LIKE SEEN LIFE FROM MY PARENTS, THE WAY THEY MODELED, UH, LIFE AS EXAMPLE OF GIVING TO OTHERS.
AND I WANTED TO ALWAYS BRING IT TO HUMANITY BECAUSE THAT'S HOW IT WAS MODELED TO ME.
UH, MY PARENTS WERE, I GREW UP IN A FAMILY OF A CHRISTIAN FAMILY WHERE THEY JUST EMBODIED THAT HUMANITY, WHERE THEY WENT OUT OF THEIR WAY TO SUPPORT THE POOR, UH, FEED THE, THE CHILDREN WHO ARE IN OUR COMMUNITY, PUT 'EM IN SCHOOL.
SO THERE WAS REALLY LIVING IN RWANDA WHERE WE WERE DIVIDED BY, YOU KNOW, ETHNICITY.
MY PARENTS SORT OF LIKE CROSSED THE OTHER, UH, SIDE.
THEY WANTED TO SEE THE HUMANITY IN PEOPLE DESPITE, UH, THE DIFFERENCES.
AND SO THE GENOCIDE CAME, UH, KNOCKING ON OUR DOORS WHEN I WAS, UH, JUST A 9-YEAR-OLD, MY PARENTS DIVIDED US IN GROUP OF THREE.
I ENDED UP WITH THOSE, UH, THREE YEAR OLDS, UH, TWIN SISTERS, AS YOU MENTIONED.
AND WE WERE JUST IN THE BUSHES HIDING FOR OUR LIVES.
I WATCHED MY FATHER BEING KILLED WITH MACHETES AND CLUBS IN THE STREETS.
WATCH MY, I SEEN MY MOTHER'S, UH, WITNESS HER, UH, DEAD BODY WITH OUR ONE, UH, THREE WEEK OLD LITTLE BROTHER AS WELL.
AND SO, REALLY, THE GENOCIDE WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED UNTIL THERE WAS THIS, UH, PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN, IDEOLOGY OF HATE.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I'VE BEEN FIGHTING FOR, UH, EVER SINCE.
SURVIVING THE GENOCIDE, TO BE ABLE TO WALK ACROSS THE AISLE AND SEE ANOTHER HUMAN BEING, UH, SEE THAT THEY HAVE VALUE, SEE THAT THEY HAVE, THEY WISH, THE SAME THING THAT WE WANT, WHICH IS LOVE AND BEING ACCEPTED.
SO RACISM IS SOMETHING I TALK ABOUT A LOT.
AND, UM, I, AS I ADVOCATE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, REALLY TO REMIND PEOPLE TO EMBODY THAT HUMANITY.
WELL, IT'S THE HUMANITY, BUT THE HATRED THAT YOU'VE SEEN.
AND IT'S, UM, IT'S INORDINATELY, SOBERING.
JORGE, YOU HAVE ALSO SEEN MM-HMM
HATRED AND HUMANITY AT ITS WORST.
JORGE, YOU, ALONG WITH FIVE OTHER EXECUTIVES OF SITKO PETROLEUM CORPS, LATER KNOWN AS THE SITCO SIX, WERE POLITICAL PONDS CAUGHT IN THE TRACTION MORASS OF A GEOPOLITICAL CONSPIRACY.
YOU SPENT YEARS IN TWO OF THE WORST PRISONS OF, IN ZU INVEST, INFESTED WITH RATS AND ROACHES, SOME CELLS WITHOUT A BATHROOM OF WATER FOR TWO WEEKS AT A TIME, OR CELLS WITHOUT WINDOWS OR VENTILATION.
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, HOUSE AND SENATE, THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE, THE SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY FOR HU, UH, FOR THE HOSTAGE AFFAIRS,
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US AMBASSADORS, AND THE WHITE HOUSE, INCLUDING THE SECRETARY OF STATE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.AND ULTIMATELY, TWO PRESIDENTS WERE ENGAGED IN THIS INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO FREE THE SITCO SIX.
YOU'RE ORIGINALLY FROM VENEZUELA, A FORMER OIL AND GAS, AND, UH, EXECUTIVE AND ENTERPRISE ARCHITECT AND ARTIST, A MARATHON RUNNER, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, HIS VICTORY IN QUOTATIONS AMONG THEM RUNNING THE HOUSTON MARATHON ON JANUARY 15TH, HE HAD RECEIVED CAPT, UH, RELEASED FROM CAPTIVITY OCTOBER 1ST, THE BOSTON MARATHON ON APRIL 17TH, AND TRAINING FOR THE UPCOMING MARATHON FOR FREEDOM OF DC.
HE IS ALSO HIGHLY EDUCATED AND TALENTED WITH A DEGREE IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING FOR SIMON RA UNIVERSITY AND AN MBA FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI POST-RELEASE.
YOU ALSO HAVE ENDEAVORED IN PUBLIC SPEAKING, DRAWING FROM YOUR SURVIVAL STORY AND ADVOCATE TO THE ATTENTION OF HOSTAGE DIPLOMACY.
AND YOU BRING OUR FAMILIES BACK CAMPAIGN, INCLUDING IN HOUSTON, THE JULY 4TH UNVEILING OF YOUR MURAL.
JORGE, SO MUCH TO SAY LIKE SEAN, KEY EVENTS IN THIS ODYSSEY OF CAPTIVITY.
WELL, THE, UH, IN FIVE YEARS, THERE'S A LOT THAT HAPPENED IN, UH, I CALL IT, UH, AN EVOLUTION.
THERE WAS A, A ATIVE ON, UH, HOW IT STARTED FROM, YOU KNOW, THE SHOCKING MOMENT, THE REALITY CHECK ON, YOU KNOW, THIS IS HAPPENING.
SO THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING.
AND THEN AT THAT MOMENT, THE UNCERTAINTY ON WHEN THIS IS GOING TO RESULT, WHENEVER YOU REALIZE THAT, UH, YOU ARE IN THE, IN THE MIDST OF A GEOPOLITICAL AFFAIR, AND THAT ADDS A, A HUGE COMPLEXITY.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, YOU START EVOLVING ON A PROCESS THAT TAKES TIME AND YOU SEE, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF ACTORS INVOLVED, AND, AND THERE'S A, UH, A POINT WHEN YOU KNOW, YOU REALIZE THAT YOU HAVE CONTROL OF NOTHING BUT THREE BASIC THINGS, YOUR MENTAL, PHYSICAL, AND SPIRITUAL HEALTH.
AND AT THAT MOMENT TO MAKE THE DECISION, IF I WANT TO SURVIVE, AND I MADE THE DECISION OF SURVIVING, SO I WANT TO BE FOCUSED ON THE THREE THINGS THAT I HAVE CONTROL.
AND THEN I STARTED WORKING ON, YOU KNOW, PRESERVING MY MENTAL, PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH.
ALTHOUGH I WAS IN THE MIDST OF, UH, PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL TORTURE, WHITE TORTURE, ISOLATION, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN, UH, LACK OF, UH, PROPER NUTRITION, ET CETERA.
BUT THAT IS A PROCESS THAT YOU START TO FOLLOW.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THE, YOUR INTERNAL DECISION OF SURVIVING AND THE, UH, EMERGING OR PUTTING US AS A TARGET, YOUR A MEANING OR A, A PURPOSE ON YOUR SURVIVAL.
AND MY PURPOSE AND MY MEANING WAS MY FAMILY.
SO BECAUSE I MADE THE DECISION OF SURVIVE FOR MY FAMILY, I WANTED TO GO BACK TO THEM STRONGER THAN EVER, HEALTHIER THAN EVER.
AND I'LL SAY, AND AND I, I WILL SAY, WE'VE GOTTA BREAK FOR A SECOND, BUT FAMILY IS ABSOLUTELY SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT.
AND THERE'LL BE AN IMAGE, YOU SEE THEM TODAY, BUT THERE'LL BE AN IMAGE THAT WAS TELECAST ACROSS THE WORLD AT ONE POINT, I THINK AT YOUR LOWEST 118 POUNDS.
AND THERE'S SO MUCH SUFFERING THAT I KNOW YOU DON'T DISCUSS, PROBABLY PURPOSELY AND NECESSARILY.
BUT, UM, WE'LL RETURN WITH MORE LATINA VOICES MOMENTARILY.
THANK YOU, PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH.
IN AN INTERVIEW FOR OUT OF MANY ONE, A PLE BI UNUM, PORTRAITS OF AMERICA'S IMMIGRANTS, TALKS OF THE BEAUTY OF IMMIGRANTS FOR OUR COUNTRY'S FUTURE OVER CLOUDED BY HARSH RHETORIC.
INDEED, ON OUR SHOW TODAY, WE'RE ALL BORN ELSEWHERE, ARGENTINA, RWANDA, VENEZUELA, PRESIDENT BUSH FEATURED JEAN IN HIS BOOK AND HIGHLIGHTED HER IN RECENT INTERVIEWS THAT HE'S HONORED TO CALL HER A FRIEND, FINDING HER HEARTFUL, HER TALK MAGICAL, HER SMILE, BEAUTIFUL, AND STORIES OF HIGH, HIGHER POWERS.
AS NOTED, ALSO, PRESIDENT TRUMP AND PRESIDENT BIDEN ADVOCATED PERSONALLY FOR THE RELEASE OF JORGE TOLEDO AND THE SITKO SIX, INCLUDING PROOF OF LIFE REQUESTS WERE MADE TO THE MADURO REGIME.
FIRST REFLECTION, JEAN, ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE MEETING PRESIDENT BUSH AND JORGE, WHY WAS THIS SO IMPORTANT TO THE US MEETING PRESIDENT BUSH HAS ALWAYS BEEN A DREAM OF
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MINE, WHICH WAS, UM, SOMETHING THAT I, IT'S A DREAM.UH, AND I WAS TOLD IN THE PAST TO PUT IT ASIDE, BUT I'VE ALWAYS, I ADMIRED PRESIDENT BUSH.
THERE'S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT HIM AND HIS FAMILY THAT I, I FELT LIKE THAT ENVIRONMENT OF HUMANITY, IT, IT SHOWED WITHOUT EVEN SPEAKING ABOUT IT.
SO I'LL TRAVEL TO DALLAS FOR SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT, AND I'LL SAY, I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A CUP OF COFFEE WITH PRESIDENT BUSH.
UM, MY HUSBAND LAUGHED, UM, BUT I THINK IT WAS 2020, RIGHT? RIGHT BEFORE COVID, UH, WHEN WE WERE INVITED TO COME AND HAVE, UH, A MEETING WITH HIM IN THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY.
AND IT WAS JUST SO BEAUTIFUL TO WALK INTO THE ROOM AND SEE HIM STAND UP WITH HIS BEAUTIFUL WIFE TO EMBRACE US TO JUST MADE US FEEL SO COMFORTABLE.
UH, WE FELT LIKE, YOU KNOW, LIKE OLD PHRASE THAT THAT IMAGE, HIM HOLDING YOUR HAND IS STUNNING.
THEY JUST HAVE, UH, IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL, UH, BEAUTIFUL HEART.
UM, HE CALLS ME A FRIEND, AND I, I WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, IT'S INCREDIBLE TO HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE, BUT ALSO TO BE RECOGNIZED.
I THINK A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE DO, WE GET OUT IN THE WORLD AND WE DO WORK THAT WE FEEL LIKE WE'RE SUPPOSED TO DO, AND WE DON'T REALIZE WHO'S WATCHING.
AND THAT'S WHAT I ENCOURAGE A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE TO.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE PUTTING A TALLY ON WHAT YOU DO, BECAUSE WHAT YOU DO, WHETHER IT'S BEING RECOGNIZED, UH, IT, IT'LL MAKE AN IMPACT.
AND SO AS A, UM, I WAS ACADEMIC ADVISOR THEN, UH, JUST REALLY WORKING IN EDUCATION AND TO RECEIVE A CALL FROM A PRESIDENT OF, YOU KNOW, FROM A PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES, I WAS JUST LIKE, WOW.
AND JORGE, THE WORLD WAS WATCHING, THE PRESIDENTS WERE WATCHING.
WHY WAS THAT INVOLVEMENT, AND WHAT DID IT FEEL LIKE WHEN YOU GOT THE CHANCE ON OCTOBER 1ST TO ULTIMATELY EXIT? WELL, UH, I THINK WE NEED TO GO TO THE, UH, UH, THE CORE OF THIS ISSUE, WHICH IS, UH, HOST TOUCH DIPLOMACY.
UH, AS, UH, PRESIDENT BIDEN, UH, UH, STATED, UH, EH, LAST YEAR, A HOSTAGE DIPLOMACY IS AN ISSUE OF NATIONAL SECURITY IN THE US BECAUSE IT'S A DIRECT ATTACK TO THE, UH, US CITIZENS AND THE US CITIZENS.
THE ABDUCTION OF THE US CITIZENS BY AUTHORITARIAN GOVERNMENTS, UH, ARE USED TO, UH, GET INTO A, A COERCION AS A FOREIGN POLICY STRATEGY FROM THESE COUNTRIES, UH, VIS-A-VIS THE, UH, THE US.
SO HOSTAGE DIPLOMACY IS A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY, UH, AND CRIME, A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY, ACCORDING TO THE ROME, UH, STATUTE OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT HAS THE SAME CATEGORY OF A GENOCIDE.
SO, UH, NOW THE ISSUE BEYOND, YOU KNOW, WHAT I SUFFERED, UH, IN MY CAPTIVITY OR, UH, HOW I DID TO SUR HOW I MANAGED TO SURVIVE, IS HOW TO FIND A PERMANENT SOLUTION TO THIS ISSUE THAT IS AFFECTING US ALL OVER.
SO, BECAUSE WE ARE USING, UH, EH, THE, THE, THESE GOVERNMENTS ARE USING THE, UH, US POPULATION AS A BARGAINING CHIPS TO PURSUE SOME, UH, PERSONAL OR, UH, COUNTRY RELATED BENEFITS IN, IN OUR CASE, IN THE CASE OF, UH, VENEZUELA AND THE US RELATIONSHIP.
SO THERE WAS A STORY ABOUT A VERY TENSE, UH, UH, RELATIONSHIP SINCE, UH, UH, HUGA CHAVEZ, UH, TOOK OVER THE, UH, PRESIDENCY OF VENEZUELA BACK IN 1998.
SO WHEN THAT WAS IN THE SITUATION EVOLVED TOWARD THE, I IMPOSE OF, UH, IMPOSING SANCTIONS, ECONOMIC SANCTIONS, UH, RESTRICTIONS TO, FOR TRAVELING TO THE US VISAS, ET CETERA.
AND IN THE MIDST, IT SEEMS THAT, UH, HOSTILE COUNTRIES TO THE US TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THIS IN ORDER TO GET INTO VENEZUELA AND, AND, UH, SET UP POSITION IN AN UNPRECEDENTED WAYS.
AND I'M TALKING ABOUT RUSSIA, CHINA, IRAN, UH, THEY ARE NOT FRIENDS OF THE US AND, AND, UH, SO IT'S, UH, UH, UH, OPEN THE DOOR FOR THIS, UH, HOSTILE COUNTRIES TO POSITION THEMSELVES IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME EVER.
THIS IS THE, THE, THE IMPLICATIONS OF HOSTAGE DIPLOMACY.
AND I THINK THAT WE AS A SOCIETY, AS A CIVILIZED WORLD, WE NEED TO RESPOND ACCORDINGLY TO THAT.
WELL, AND I'LL SAY, YOU SAID IT BEAUTIFULLY, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, AND WE'VE GOTTA SWITCH FOR OTHER, BECAUSE I WANT TO COVER FAMILY, BUT I WILL SAY, YOU WERE PAWNS, YOU WERE CAUGHT COMPLETELY UP, AND YOU WERE DOING YOUR JOB IMPECCABLY AS AT SITCO, BUT YOU WERE CAUGHT UP.
AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, PRESIDENT TRUMP, ALL THE OTHERS, PRESIDENT BIDEN, OF COURSE, AND OTHERS TOOK NOTICE
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AND REALIZED YOU NEEDED TO COME HOME AND DID EVERYTHING POSSIBLE.SWITCHING GEARS FOR A MINUTE, YOU MENTIONED FAMILY JEAN, YOUR HUSBAND FIRST HAS BEEN YOUR PARTNER, COMPANION, CLOSEST ADVISOR, WHILE ACTUALLY THE BOOK IS AUTHORED ALONG WITH PAUL SPENDING COUNTLESS OF HOURS WRITING THE BOOK WITH YOU, JORGE, WITH THE CHAOS AND CONFUSION OF THE EVENTS SURROUNDING YOUR ARREST, YOU HAVE POINTEDLY NOTED THAT YOUR FAMILY KEPT YOU ALIVE, SPIRITUALLY AND FIGURATIVELY.
AND I KNOW THIS, ENSURING DAILY WATER AND FOOD AND THE BRUTAL CAPTIVITY, WE'VE GOT LESS THAN THREE MINUTES.
HOW THE HECK CAN WE DO THIS FAMILY AS A CATALYST FOR INSPIRATION? SEAN, COUPLE OF THOUGHTS.
AND LET'S GIVE IT TO JORGE FOR ME, WITH, UM, THE SUPPORT OF FAMILY MEANS EVERYTHING.
UH, IT IS ACTUALLY THE REASON, UH, I FEEL LIKE I, I SURVIVED WHEN I WAS PAIRED WITH MY 3-YEAR-OLD TWIN SISTERS, I SORT OF LIKE JORGE, I LOST, I BECAME SORT OF, UH, I WAS LOOKING TO PROTECT MY 3-YEAR-OLD TWIN SISTERS COMPARED TO HOW I WAS GOING TO PROTECT MYSELF.
AND, UM, THEY GAVE ME THE HOPE, UH, AND I WANNA ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO FIND HOPE IN WHATEVER THE SITUATION THEY MIGHT BE GOING, YOU KNOW, FOR, UH, OR THROUGH.
BECAUSE THE MINUTE YOU LOSE HOPE, EVERYTHING GOES DOWN SOUTH, REALLY, HONESTLY.
AND SO HAVING THAT HOPE, KNOWING THAT THERE'S A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL, UH, IN EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE, REALLY BRINGS UP, UM, UH, WHAT WE NEED TO DO AND TO ACHIEVE.
SO, I'M GRATEFUL FOR MY HUSBAND, WHO I MADE IN WASHINGTON STATE WHO REALLY ENCOURAGED ME TO WRITE THIS BOOK.
HE SAID, I, AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS A STORY FOR MY SIBLINGS, BUT THEN HE SAID, NO, THE WORLD NEEDS TO HEAR THIS.
AND SO HE'S BEEN AN ENCOURAGEMENT.
HE'S GRADUATING FROM LAW SCHOOL AND NEXT YEAR, SO I'M PROUD, INCREDIBLE FAMILY, JORGE.
AND WE'VE GOT SO LITTLE TIME FOR YOU TO SAY SO MUCH.
WELL, THE, THE, UH, THE BIG PICTURE SHORT IS MY FAMILY WAS THE MEANING AND THE PURPOSE FOR ME TO SURVIVE.
THAT WAS THE, THE REASON AND PURPOSE AND MEANING IS SO IMPORTANT FOR YOU WHENEVER YOU MAKE A DECISION TO SURVIVE, THEN, BECAUSE THAT IS THE WHY, WHY AM I GOING INTO A SURVIVAL PROCESS? AND WHEN I WENT THROUGH THAT PROCESS, THAT ENDED ON OCTOBER THE FIRST 2022, AND I WENT TO MY FAMILY.
SO I SAID, I SAID, YOU KNOW, I SAID TO MY WIFE, I, UH, FULFILLED MY PROMISE.
BY THE WAY, I SCREAMED WHEN KAMAN CALLED ME, SCREAMED MORE LATINA VOICES.
WHEN WE RETURN, WE ARE BACK WITH MORE IN A SEGMENT WE CALL SMART TIMES, AN EXPANDED CONVERSATION EPIDEMIC WITHIN THE PANDEMIC, THE US SURGEON GENERAL'S ADVISORY ON THE HEALING EFFECTS OF SOCIAL CONNECTION AND COMMUNITY JUST PUBLISHED THE 2023, OUR EPIDEMIC OF LONELINESS AND ISOLATION, A US NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN.
JEAN AND JORGE, GIVEN YOUR TRAGIC CIRCUMSTANCES 1 24 OR SO YEARS AGO, AND ONE THAT ENDED ABOUT A YEAR AGO, ADVICE FOR THOSE SUFFERING IN SILENCE, YOUR PATHS FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT ONCE AGAIN.
WE'RE GOING TO MIX IT UP A LITTLE BIT.
WE'RE GONNA START WITH
THERE IS SO MUCH LONELINESS, THERE'S SO MUCH DESPAIR.
THEY DON'T NEED TO BE IN A VENEZUELAN PRISON.
GIVEN WHAT YOU DID, WHAT ARE SOME OF A COPE MECHANISM? WHAT HAVEN'T YOU SHARED WITH US, JORGE? WELL, THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS, UH, THAT COMES INTO MY MIND, UH, AND, UH, COMES OUT OF MY EXPERIENCE.
THE FIRST ONE IS, YOU KNOW, YOUR MIND.
AND I THINK YOUR MIND COULD BE YOUR, YOUR BEST FRIEND OR YOUR WORST ENEMY.
AND, UH, IN A, A CRITICAL SITUATION LIKE THE ONE I LIVED, YOUR MIND COULD BECOME YOUR WORST ENEMY, CREATING DESPAIR, ANGUISH, AND DEPRESSION.
AND PEOPLE COMMIT SUICIDE IN PRISON BECAUSE OF THESE THREE BASIC REASONS.
AND, UH, THERE'S A, A, A, UH, A FUNDAMENTAL IN BUDDHISM THAT TELLS THAT WE NEED TO MAKE OUR SPIRIT THE MASTER OF OUR MIND, NOT OTHERWISE.
HOW I CAN MAKE MY SPIRIT THE MASTER OF, UH, MY MIND IS THE, UH, TAKING CONSCIOUSNESS THAT I CAN CHANGE THE ENVIRONMENT BECAUSE I AM PART OF THE UNIVERSE.
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SO THE INTERNAL TRANSFORMATION IN TERMS OF CULTURE, VALUES AND EDUCATION IS SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO CREATE THE, THE, THE, THE PILLARS OF MY STRUCTURE THAT IS GOING TO HELP ME TO SURVIVE.AND VALUES MEANS, EH, I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE MORAL OR ETHICAL THINGS.
FAMILY, FAMILY IS THE CORE OF YOUR BIAS, FAMILY, HOWEVER, IT'S DEFINED.
NOT EVERYONE HAS A TRADITIONAL FAMILY, BUT JUST SOMETHING OF SUPPORT FAMILY IS A BROADER CONCEPT.
AND SEAN, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT ARE YOUR WORDS OF WISDOM WITH WHAT YOU WENT THROUGH, UM, IN YOUR VOICE, IN THE DARKNESS TO LIGHT, REALLY THE, UH, THE WISDOM WAS FOR ME GROWING UP IN A FAMILY WHERE I WAS, UH, ABLE TO EXPERIENCE THE LOVE OF CHRIST, SORT OF LIKE, UH, IT MADE THE STRUCTURE SORT OF, UM, SINK IN A LITTLE BIT MORE.
THE ROOTS OF KNOWING WHO GOD WAS AS A CHILD REALLY, UH, HELPED ME THROUGH THE GENOCIDE.
I MEAN, WHEN YOU, YOU THINK ABOUT THE GENOCIDE, IT JUST, UH, AND BEING RAPED AS A CHILD AS WELL, BECAUSE AS YOU MENTIONED, UM, RANDAN IN RWANDA, THE RAPE WAS USED AS A WEAPON.
YOU WENT, COUNTED UP TO FIVE, UH, HUNDRED THOUSAND WOMEN BEING RAPED IN THE, YOU KNOW, IN THE GENOCIDE.
SO THAT CLOUDS YOUR, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE'S MIND.
AND AGAIN, SORT OF THE, THIS, THAT EXPERIENCE OF RANDAN GENOCIDE HAVING, EVEN IN OUR WORLD TODAY, THERE'S SO MUCH BROKENNESS.
BUT I ALSO FEEL THAT, UM, I WAS SHARING AT THE, UH, UH, CONGRESS, UH, WHEN CONGRESS SMITH ASKED ME THIS QUESTION, WE HAVE TO SORT OF LIKE, GET BACK, EVEN LIKE IN A CHURCH, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE LEAVING THE CHURCH, BUT THERE'S THAT, WE TALK ABOUT THAT FAMILY, EVEN WITH JORGE FAMILY IN A CHURCH GROUNDS YOU.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT IS MISSING TODAY.
IF I DO NOT HAVE THE FAITH THAT I HAD, I WOULD NOT HAVE SURVIVED THE GENOCIDE.
IF I, IF I DID NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO FORGIVE WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO ME, I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO THE THINGS I DO TODAY.
SO REALLY, FAITH CARRIED ME THROUGH THE BOOK, A VOICE IN THE DARKNESS.
THERE WAS THAT VOICE OF GOD THAT REALLY RE TOLD ME, GOD WOULD TELL ME, AND I WOULD HEAR MORE FROM THIS BUSH, GO TO THE NEXT, GO TO THESE PEOPLE, SHAKE THEIR HANDS.
AND SO THERE WAS THIS REALLY VOICE OF GOD THAT CARRIED ME THROUGH THAT VOICE IN THE DARKNESS.
AND I WILL TELL YOU, I'M, I'M EXASPERATING BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH TO SAY.
REFERENCING YOUR RAPE FROM ONE BUSH TO THE NEXT, JUST SURVIVING THE COMMONALITY, THE HIGHER, WHETHER IT'S BUDDHISM, WHETHER IT'S CHRIST, WHETHER IT'S GOD, SOMETHING OTHER AND LARGER THAN YOU, RIGHT? I THINK THE SPIRITUAL CONTEXT, WE THANK YOU FOR JOINING US ON LATINA VOICES.
I DON'T THINK IT CAN GET MORE INTERESTING AND MORE POINTED WITH TOPICS THAT MATTER TO ALL OF US.