Despite getting caught in Chicago’s rush-hour traffic, Rigoberta Menchu was greeted with a warm welcome when she arrived on campus Friday evening nearly an hour late.

The winner of the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize received a standing ovation before she spoke to an overflowing audience of more than 400 at Fisk Hall.

A Nobel laureate internationally recognized as an advocate for social reform in her native Guatemala, Menchu spoke about raising awareness of human rights as well as pressing issues that confront her home country.

She has emerged as one of the prominent spokespersons for indigenous and women’s rights in Latin America.

As a member of the Committee of the Peasant Union, Menchu organized protests on behalf of Guatemalan peasants to improve their working conditions, led efforts to educate indigenous communities in the face of opposition from the government and became a voice for the conscience abroad in the struggle against oppression. Her struggles have received the attention of the international community.

Through a translator, Menchu expressed her concern over the plight of Guatemalans struggling to recover from Hurricane Stan, which hit the area earlier this month.

“Guatemala has never faced a disaster like this,” Menchu said in Spanish.

She described the destruction and suffering left in the wake of the hurricane as an infringement on human rights, made possible by the greed of those in power.

Her talk included a call for donations to assist hurricane survivors – those tens of thousands left homeless.

Menchu also recounted some of the problems that encourage injustice in Guatemala.

“In my community, there are thieves. In my community, there is violence,” she said.

She attributed many of the problems to organized crime, corporations and other internal groups that take advantage of political and economic circumstances.

To address this, new laws should be instituted to replace laws that help the corrupt, she said.

Much has changed in Guatemala, Menchu said. The government’s attitude toward indigenous people’s rights and quality of life has improved.

Menchu illustrated this point with an example of a successful public health program in a healthcare-deprived region. The program, now two years old, includes 81 doctors who serve 46,000 patients.

“It is very important to understand Guatemala’s situation is very different from ten years ago,” said Menchu, who switched from Spanish to English.

Menchu spoke in English in an attempt to properly convey her opinion of Guatemala’s situation. Throughout Menchu’s talk, shaky translation hindered the effectiveness of her message, students said.

“(Menchu) was extremely intelligent (correcting the less-than-passable translation), coming from an indigenous background without a formal education,” said Tony Abata, a Weinberg sophomore.

At another moment during her talk, Menchu corrected the translator, which prompted applause from the audience.

Menchu’s visit was sponsored by the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.

“When the possibility of bringing Menchu suddenly came up a few weeks ago, the department seized it as an opportunity to expose Northwestern faculty and staff to a towering figure in Latin American culture,” said Jorge Coronado, a professor in the department.

“Through supporting a speaker of her stature, we were able to bring together students on campus, several academic units – and a large presence from the Hispanic community in Chicago.”

The talk attracted a wide range of people, including many residents of neighboring communities in addition to students. Many were attracted after reading the story of her struggle in a book, “I, Rigoberta Menchu.”

“I came to hear her speak because I had learned about her in Spanish class,” said Amy Chen, a Weinberg freshman. “It’s great when the people and events you hear about in class become real and tangible, more than just facts and stories.”

Others were left inspired by Menchu’s message.

“Menchu is the voice of indigenous America,” Abata said. “She is the living proof of the endurance of hope – the power for a single person to change everyone and everything around them. What more does a person need to start finding out what they really believe in?”

Reach Stanley Wong at [email protected].