Gather: mourn / celebrate
Top: Civilians gathered in 1989 to ride out the final days of the Salvadoran war. For years, the US-backed regime had laid waste to the country in its campaign to destroy an insurgency. The rebels were fighting for human and political rights against a dictatorship that had launched scorched-earth military actions, kidnappings, and death-squad attacks against civilians and combatants alike. Soon after this photo, the regime’s “final offensive” defeated the rebels.
Below: A scene of peace and pleasure as people gathered in Montpelier, VT, to watch a parade marking the July 4th anniversary of America’s own fight for national independence, democracy, and the human and political rights of some of its people.
Perceptive of you to point out that the 4th of July celebrates the anniversary of human rights, etc. for SOME of the people. We often forget that detail.