Set during El Salvador’s civil war, Maria’s Story follows María Serrano — a mother, community organizer, and guerrilla leader whose courage illuminates the human side of conflict. This powerful documentary offers a window into the daily struggles and resilience of those living through war and displacement.
Join Geoff Thale, former President of the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), for a discussion on El Salvador’s complex history — from the roots of its civil war and U.S. involvement, to the country’s peace process, democratic reforms, and more recent challenges of gang violence and migration.
With over three decades of experience in human rights and policy advocacy, and a background as a high school teacher, Thale brings a uniquely grounded perspective for educators seeking to understand the historical and social context behind the refugee and immigrant experiences of many Central American students today.
Please note: The film will not be screened during the event. Participants are welcome to view Maria’s Story beforehand (available free on Vimeo); familiarity with the film will enrich the discussion but is not necessary to participate.
About the Film
It is El Salvador, 1989, three years before the end of a brutal civil war that took 75,000 lives. Wife, mother and guerrilla leader Maria Serrano is on the front lines of the battle for her people and her country. With unprecedented access to the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) guerrilla camps, the filmmakers dramatically chronicle Maria’s daily life in the war as she travels from village to village organizing the peasant population and helps plan a major nationwide offensive that led the FMLN into the historic peace pact of 1992. Skirting bullets and mortar attacks, recounting a childhood of poverty and abuse by government troops, Maria brings viewers to the heart of the fight for a more just society.
It first aired in the PBS P.O.V. series and has been celebrated for foregrounding a woman’s voice in a conflict often narrated by outsiders.
Geoff Thale is an expert on human rights and U.S. foreign policy issues related to Latin America. He follows issues throughout the region, but has a particular interest in El Salvador and Cuba.
Thale worked at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) for twenty six years, before retiring in 2021. WOLA is a leading Washington D.C.-based non-profit organization conducting research and advocacy to advance human rights and social justice in the hemisphere, with a focus on U.S. policy and its impact. Thale started as a WOLA associate on issues related to Central America and U.S. policy. He served as WOLA’s Vice-President of Programs for 14 years working with senior staff on advocacy strategies and program development, and then served as President of the organization for two years.
A long-time activist, he came to WOLA in 1995 to work on Central America issues with a particular focus on El Salvador and Nicaragua, following issues of human rights, citizen security, and economic opportunity in the region. He also founded the Cuba program, supporting normalization of relations between the United States and Cuba, and facilitating dialogue between Cuban society – academics, religious leaders and others – and their counterparts in the United States and elsewhere.
During his time as Vice-President of Programs, he worked with program staff on issues related to Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, and citizen security and drug policy.
Thale has been involved in El Salvador issues since the 1980s. As a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin, he was active in the local Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador, and was involved in efforts to establish a sister city relationship between Madison and the town of Arcatao in northern El Salvador. He worked for a national organization that supported displaced Salvadoran communities seeking to return home, and first visited El Salvador in late 1986. He was the founder and Executive Director of the El Salvador Policy Project in Washington, DC, which followed the Salvadoran peace process. He has brought numerous Congressional delegations to the country, and testified repeatedly before Congress on El Salvador issues. He has written extensively on El Salvador, including on the emergence of street gangs and the U.S. and Salvador responses to gang violence. He continues to travel to El Salvador, last visiting in November of 2024.
Before attending UW-Madison, where he earned a Master’s degree in Industrial Relations, Thale was a high school teacher in New England. He grew up in Milwaukee.
This event is co-sponsored with the Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies Program (LACIS) at UW-Madison.
