CANCELLED: Building Latin American Solidarity in the US through LASC

Submitted by banbose@afgj.org on April 27, 2007 - 1:54pm.
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This session will be on: June 30, 2007 - 3:30pm

It will be held at: Choir Room room at the Trinity United Methodist Church

View schedule

Organization Description

The Latin America Solidarity Coalition (LASC) is an association of national and local US-based grassroots Latin America and Caribbean solidarity groups, many of which have long histories of working with grassroots organizations throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. LASC’s goal is to define common goals and shared strategies for these groups. LASC’s work circles around several hemisphere-wide issues as well as country-specific topics. We operate and structure our work from a solidarity model: we operate on the principle of self-determination; it is not up to us to determine what our partners in the Global South should or should not do. Nor is it up to us to determine the strategies and methodologies they use. We determine our strategies based on the needs of our partners in Latin America and the Caribbean. As a movement we must have ongoing critiques of our internal power dynamics, especially regarding the issues of race, class and gender. In our research and analysis, and in presentation of that research and analysis, we will take into account the affects on men, women, and society distinctly, recognizing that most research and analysis of "society" excludes the experience of women. We must always attempt to put a "human face" on our work – that the policies we are working for or against affect real people to whom we have a connection. We recognize how many issues are inter-connected and that there is potential to make links between Latin America solidarity issues and the work of local community groups.

Proposal Demographics

identify as people of color
are immigrants (not born in U.S.)

Session Description

The workshop will discuss the “solidarity model,” what is our role as US-based organizations in supporting governments and social movements in Latin America and the Caribbean that are offering alternatives to US empire, and what are our priority campaigns to challenge in our own country US economic and military hegemony in the hemisphere.

The LASC’s mission and campaigns incorporate all three of the USSF’s Cross-cutting themes. The workshop would hope to draw participants who formally or informally represent organizations working in solidarity with Latin American and Caribbean groups and to excite their organizations to join in shaping and carrying out the mission of the LASC. The workshop will be conducted in English with oral translation into Spanish for those who need it. We will have printed materials to distribute in Spanish and English.

The biggest adversaries or challenges to our work are capitalism and US militarism. The LASC has concrete grassroots organizing proposals in the following areas:
• human rights
• democracy
• militarization
• environment
• rural/agricultural concerns
• globalization
• trade
• labor
• immigration
• indigenous issues
• women’s issues
The priority campaigns around which the LASC has unity are:
1. Stop US Military and Economic Intervention in Latin America
2. No to Plan Colombia
3. No to the FTAA
4. US Bases out of all of Latin America
5. Close the School of the Americas / WHISC
6. Stop the Direct Assault on people of color and the poor in the US and Latin America through the phony war on drugs
LASC strategies are all grassroots based and range from educating the movement, public, and Congress, to direct action.


First Name

Banbose

Last Name

Shango

Contact E-mail

banbose@afgj.org

Proposing Organization

Alliance for Global Justice/LASC

Organization Website

www.lasolidarity.org

Position or Title

Venezuela Solidarity Network Regional Coordinator

Contact Telephone

202-544-9355

Alternate Telephone

202-340-5623

Event Day

Saturday, June 30th (Strategizing the Achieving of Another World)

Contact Address

1247 E St., SE

Format

Panel & group discussion

Contact City

Washington

Keywords

Economies
Anti-corporate power
Capitalism
Cross border trade
Cross sector movement work
Hemispheric relations (see also North-South relations)
Movement building

Audience Number

25-50 people

Contact State

DC

Contact ZIP

20003

Person Reviewing

jerome