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Citizen of the Year Acceptance Speech: Fr. Jack’s Dream for Chimbote

On September 19th of 2003, the Chimbote Defense Front, a group of prestigious Chimbotanos, awarded Fr. Jack the distinction of Citizen of the Year. The following is the speech he delivered at that public ceremony:

I accept this award in the name of all those citizens whose desire it is to achieve a just and supportive society, and, in the name of all of those men and women whose daily practice it is to struggle against the social evils that degrade the dignity of human beings.

On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, leader of the fight to obtain the fundamental rights for African-Americans in the U.S., a society that at that time, legally protected segregation and discrimination, led a large march in the city of Washington, and before the monument of President Abraham Lincoln, he delivered his famous speech, known as: “I Have a Dream.”   He dreamed of a just and equal society, where human rights would be respected.

Forty years later, today, here in Chimbote, just like him, I too have a similar dream.   I hope that you all believe that it isn’t only the dream of Juanito.

Listen to my dream; imagine this can be our dear Chimbote of tomorrow.  I dream of a Chimbote that is free of drug consumption, where no one sells drugs because they do not have work.   Where the police receive just wages and don’t give in to the temptation of receiving bribes.

I dream a Chimbote where the adults have dignified work that satisfies their basic needs; where house wives or young women do not need to resort to prostitution in order to put bread on the table.

I dream of a Chimbote where children and youth can study in peace, be well fed, and do not drop out of school because of a lack of resources or due to the shame of not having enough money for regular “special” contributions, notebooks, or shoes.

I dream of a society where people with disabilities are fully accepted despite their physical and mental limitations.

I dream of peaceful neighbourhoods where the violence of street gangs doesn’t exist; where young people have a chance to pursue their own dreams of building a more just and fair society.

Where children, the elderly, and parents can walk at night without fear of being victims of assaults or robberies at home; where they feel free to leave their houses unoccupied to attend meetings, masses, social activities, or recreation.

I dream of a clean and green Chimbote, with an unpolluted bay.  I dream of a Chimbote free of the excesses of the drunken parties of “carnival;” free of parish fiestas that turn into scandals that attract delinquents, drug addicts, and alcoholics provoking fights, injuries or death of the participants.   The majority of those involved are from poor families who lack the means to pay for medical treatment.

I believe in a society where the values of respect for life, solidarity, and justice are taught in the churches, schools and universities, labor unions, civic organizations, police, armed forces, and the justice system.

Today, I have a vision of a society where the breach between the rich and the poor does not exist and where a person’s death is not caused by poverty or human indifference.   It is not the will of God that misery exists in Chimbote, nor is the deaths caused by the uncontrollable violence in our society.

I believe that this dream is not Utopian, but rather a reachable ideal for those of us who have the vocation to give life with our actions and to vigorously struggle against injustice; to be the voice of those who are not heard, to be the refuge of those that suffer, the defence of these marginalized, and the body of those who are tired.

I have felt the corruption and tried to correct it.   I have seen the suffering and tried to alleviate it, just like all of us who are in this social struggle and follow the words of the song Fisher of Men, “My weariness so that others may rest.”  In other words, may my efforts and work be the consolation and rest for others.

I also wish to recognize the work of the Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission, whose labor ratifies the importance of the truth in constructing a society free of abuses, violence, and corruption.

Finally, I accept this award invoking peace and justice for all because I am convinced that, “¡Sí, se puede!”  (Yes, we can do it!)