Across the Americas: A Toolkit for Change – Sponsored by Witness for Peace Southwest

Saturday November 4th, 2017 – 2 – 6pm, L.A. Workers Center, 1251 S. St. Andrews Place, Los Angeles, CA 90019

2:00pm -2:15pm – Registration and Refreshments

2:15pm – 2:30pm – “Across the Americas: A Toolkit for Change”, Latin American and Caribbean struggles for self-determination and sovereignty in context by Witness for Peace Southwest. How can we strengthen our movements against US economic, political and social aggression? How can we build solidarity between grassroots movements across the Americas, Diasporas and other migrations? How can we be accountable to movements across Latin America and the Caribbean from our community spaces in the US?

2:35pm – 3:05pm – “Demanding Nature: How natural resource issues and climate change are pushing social change in Latin America” – workshop facilitated by Rachel Brunhke, high school educator and Witness for Peace Southwest Regional Board Member  

3:05pm – 3:15pm – Announcements and icebreaker – WFP Mexico International Team 2017 Report on Mexican grassroots movements in Oaxaca, roots of migration, organized resistance to US economic models and US solidarity from team members Saraí Jiménez and Laura Krasovitzky

3:15pm -3:45pm – “Cuba: Impacts of US Foreign Policy on Cuba” – presentation with Lee Schlenker and Cat Walker, Witness for Peace International Team Members in Cuba w/ Q&A moderated by Malia Everette, founder of  socially responsible travel company Altruvistas and Southwest Regional Board Member

3:50pm – 4:50pm – Documentary screening of “Berta Vive!” with Honduran filmmaker Katia Lara, the documentary follows the life and work of Berta Caceres, Lenca indigenous leader of Honduras and co-founder of the Civic Council of Indigenous and Popular Organizations of Honduras (COPINH), in the wake of Berta’s assassination March 2016 w/ Q&A moderated by Melissa Cox, WFP National Delegations Coordinator, long-time filmmaker and former WFP International Team member in Colombia.

4:50pm – 5:00pm – Announcements and icebreaker – WFP Colombia International Team 2017 Report on Colombian grassroots movements, US based solidarity and recent civic strike in Afro-Colombian and Indigenous majority territory in Buenaventura, Colombian Pacific Coast from team members Gilberto Villaseñor and Samantha Wherry

5:00pm – 5:30pm – “Resistance to State Repression and Corporate Privatization in the Context of Honduran 2017 National Elections” and congressional updates on HR 1299 Berta Caceres Human Rights in Honduras Act with Bryan Rogers, WFP International team member in Honduras

5:35pm – 6:05pm – “People’s Power and Participatory Democracy in Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution: Solidarity in Times of US Intervention”– Robin Garcia, Ph.D candidate at Claremont Graduate University in Cultural Studies and WFP Southwest regional board member and Jeanette Charles, WFP Southwest Regional Organizer and Decolonial Delegations Program Coordinator

6:10pm – 6:15pm – “Across the Americas: A Toolkit for Change” closing

6:15pm – 10:00pm – Dia de los Muertos Celebration: conversation, dinner, dance, music and food

WFP invites all community members and participants to partake in the LA Workers Center’s annual Dia de los Muertos celebration honoring ancestors from across the Americas, African Diaspora and Indigenous nations. There will be a variety of community food vendors with traditional dishes for sale accompanied by live musical acts, dance and follow-up conversation with our event speakers and workshop facilitators.