Harry and Loretta Sthrasky

Harry Sthrasky met Loretta Merkel in Wisconsin, when Harry was in the seminary and Loretta was a junior sister. They started traveling to Latin America in the late 1960s through a religious student group, Students to Latin America (SLAM). Later, both left their religious orders and married in 1970, continuing to be involved in service and political activism in Latin America, including the campaign against repression in Brazil. They moved to Washington, D.C., in 1971, for Harry’s job as director of the library and research with the Latin American Bureau of the U.S. Catholic Conference. On his first day of work, Harry met Marcos Arruda, who had just moved to the United States. The two became friends, and along with Loretta and a few other activists in the D.C. area, formed the Committee against Repression in Brazil (CARIB). They quickly became involved in organizing a demonstration to protest the visit of President-General Médici to the Nixon White House. CARIB served as a public face for Brazil-related activities that involved organizing public protests, building links to progressive members of Congress, and supporting the Bertrand Russell Commission on Torture and Repression in Brazil, Chile, and Latin America. As part of the campaign to protest the official visit of President-General Médici to the United States, Loretta agreed to be photographed in simulated torture scenes that were displayed in front of the White House. Harry Sthrasky served as the U.S. liaison to the commission and coordinated its U.S. activities.