L.A.S.C. wny

09/21/2023

Afro-Latin Dance

08/30/2023

Canisius Peace Coffeehouse event, Mon Sept 25; 7-9pm at Science Hall at Canisius University; the adjacent parking lot has entrance at 1901 Main Street, Buffalo.
Free showing of ‘Boricua Soy Yo’ a new documentary on Puerto Rican history and cultural identity, introduced by its director, Rocco Anastasio!

08/21/2023

The Semilla party and Arvelo won the Guatemalan elections! From RightsAction.org: "by rooting out corruption and reinvesting in public institutions, the Semilla movement aims to build a national system of free, universal health care; strengthen K-12 education; support agroecology and small-scale farming; expand access to credit and jobs programs; and encourage the democratic participation of long-marginalized sectors of Guatemalan society.

07/24/2023

Guatemalan authorities are trying to subvert upcoming elections there. Please make public statements and bring all pressures to bear on the Guatemalan authorities to ensure that the electoral process proceeds transparently and peacefully to the August 20 run-off vote, and that the Semilla Party is allowed to participate fully with no further attacks of any kind.

07/24/2023

Here is Diego Rivera's mural of the 1954 US coup that ousted the government of Arbenz. Foreground: CIA director Allen Dulles shakes hand of coup “leader” (selected by the US) Colonel Castillo Armas. Allen’s hand rests on bomb with face of US President Dwight Eisenhower. Behind Allen, brother John Foster Dulles, head of State Department, and John Peurifoy, Ambassador to Guatemala, hand cash to Guatemalan military commanders. A Catholic priest officiates over slaughter of Mayan and other poor Guatemalans. Exploited workers carry United Fruit Company bananas.

06/26/2023

Menendez spearheads policies that bring death and destruction to the people of Cuba and Venezuela. Activists were arrested for peacefully demanding he lift these policies

06/26/2023

Gail Walker and others were unfairly arrested last week in the office of Senator Menendez; they came to talk with him about normalizing relations with Cuba, but he was afraid to meet with them. Here is a link:

Menendez spearheads policies that bring death and destruction to the people of Cuba and Venezuela. Activists were arrested for peacefully demanding he lift these policies

06/15/2023

Our friends at Justice for Migrant Families have a project to help migrant families arriving in Buffalo.

06/06/2023

ROCLA invites all of Western New York to a party in Rochester, with food and music, honoring a tradition of solidarity with Latin America!

06/06/2023

FRIDAY, JUNE 23rd at 5PM in ROCHESTER. 50th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION and RICE & BEANS DINNER! (The Roundhouse Pavilion, Genesee Valley Park, Moore Rd.) The Rochester Committee on Latin America welcomes you to their Celebration and Rice & Beans Dinner honoring White Dove Award winner Daniel Kovalik, author and activist, and Kaiser-Mott Award winner Richard Rosen. Music by the Trinidad-Tobago Steel Drum Band and entertainment by Alma de Mexico Folkloric Dance. Learn more and RSVP at rocla.org.

05/03/2023

Here's the link to the YouTube recording of the session if you missed the live Zoom event earlier this evening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E978LpT66h0

04/06/2023

Providing opportunities for the underserved and marginalized to be healthy, educated, and whole.

04/06/2023

VIVE needs help, because of changes in US/Canada asylum policy. Due to the recent decision to close Roxham Road (a pathway to seek asylum in Canada), as well as increased suffering around the world, our Vive Shelter is overwhelmed. Families and individuals who planned to seek asylum in Canada, will need to remain in the U.S. as their asylum case moves through an overwhelmed system. With many forced to remain here, even more are knocking at our door. We have utilized every other avenue we know of--other shelters, hostels, 211--and are running out of options. We need your help.

We are seeking assistance in the form of monetary donations and Tops or Wegmans gift cards. We are in the process of securing alternative housing and will need funds for transportation and to pay rent. A gift card will go a long way in providing groceries once families are moved in. Please help today: use the donate button on our website at www.jrchc.org

We are happy to answer any questions: please email our Director of Advocacy, Catharine Grainge at [email protected]

http://www.jrchc.org/?

Providing opportunities for the underserved and marginalized to be healthy, educated, and whole.

03/24/2023

Ask President Biden to direct the State Department to remove Cuba from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism immediately.

As one of his last acts as United States President, Donald Trump placed Cuba on the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, the SSOT. This created incredible hardships for the Cuban people, especially during the Covid pandemic, and on top of the 243 sanctions he had already imposed.

Amazingly, the State Department reasserted the SSOT designation on February 27. Worldwide, heads of state and leaders in public, religious and civic sectors have called for Cuba to be removed from the SSOT. Cuba was placed on the list supposedly because of its role in negotiations between the Colombian government and the ELN guerrilla groups, but even the President of Colombia has said there is no justification for Cuba being on the SSOT.

Contact the President, Vice President, get help with a Federal Agency, or ask a question about WhiteHouse.gov.

03/18/2023

The administration is asking the public what we think about this rule and will consider our comments before issuing the final version. Please add your voice to tell them how this rule will harm asylum seekers.

03/18/2023

Some background for this petition from LAWG:
On February 21st, President Biden introduced a transit ban that denies access to asylum at the border for those who can’t prove they applied for and were denied access to asylum in a country through which they traveled. The only exception is if they have made an appointment at a port of entry using the CBP One app. The reality is that these asylum seekers must have access to a smartphone, electricity, read English,Spanish or Kreyol, and be lucky enough to get through on the glitchy app that only has a certain number of appointments available. We know from speaking with our partners that this is not true for many asylum seekers at our border. Or, they must wait, sometimes where their lives are in danger, and apply for asylum in countries with weak or nonfunctional asylum systems

On February 21, 2023, the Biden Administration proposed a new rule that will establish a near-total ban on access to asylum at the U.S. southern border. The rule denies access to asylum for those who can’t prove they applied for and were denied access to asylum in other countries through which the...

02/26/2023

LASC Coffeehouse, Mon. Feb. 27. 7-9pm at Canisius Science Hall. Jesuit Values at the Border, presented by Canisius students on last summer's project with Kino Border Initiative, at Nogales Mexico/Arizona.

02/20/2023

Music event Friday March 3, featuring our friend Jean Dickson, fundraising for Justice for Migrant Families.

11/19/2022

LASC Peace Coffeehouse-7-9 pm Monday, Nov. 28,
Colombia's Future : Optimism & Realism
Canisius College Science Hall, near Main & Delevan metro

Speaker: Camilo Romero, co-founder of ReGeneracion, a peace-building initiative launched in Colombia and working globally. Camilo organized student and consumer campaigns as union organizer for Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores. He also leads Story-Healing Workshops, including a recent one in Buffalo; and Esperanza Altazar will help report on that.

While adjacent parking lot is closed during construction, use street parking along Main Street or in the parking lot at the M&T bank.

Please note the change from our original speaker for this date, Hon. Betty Calvo-Torres.

10/23/2022

Funding & supporting human rights & justice, land & environment defense struggles in Guatemala & Honduras

10/23/2022

October Peace Coffee House at Canisius College in Buffalo
GUATEMALA: MINING & MAYAN RESISTANCE
When: October 24, 7pm-9pm
Where: Canisius College, Science Hall, 2001 Main St, 14208

A talk around the new book: TESTIMONIO-Canadian Mining in the Aftermath of Genocides in Guatemala
Speaker: Grahame Russell, co-founder of Rights Action. Since 2005, Rights Action has supported Mayan communities against transnational mining abuses.
TESTIMONIO includes a series of testimonies from Guatemalan indigenous community defenders, plus analysis and reporting from lawyers and activists, journalists and scholars.

Books available at the event, thanks to BURNING BOOKS: https://burningbooks.com/
Published by Between The Lines:
https://btlbooks.com/book/testimonio, https://www.testioniothebook.org
Rights Action: [email protected], https://www.rightsaction.org

Funding & supporting human rights & justice, land & environment defense struggles in Guatemala & Honduras

10/23/2022

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2022 AT 12 PM – 2 PM
"Cual es tu Paz?" Story-Healing Workshop
Lincoln Memorial United Methodist Church-Buffalo, NY

ReGeneración welcomes you to our Global "What is your Peace?" Story-Healing Workshop hosted safely and in-person in Buffalo honoring the resilience of community for Day of the Dead! (Español abajo)
Conflict and its collective resolution applies to each of our families and all of our communities, especially during this coronavirus pandemic and consciousness-raising on Black Lives Matter. Each of us carries trauma from our own lives and that of generations before us. Our workshop is an opportunity to explore creative and interactive methods of rage and reconciliation.
Our workshop will center around community building with those in attendance through story-telling and performance. We will begin with introductions of each participant and explain the origins of ReGeneración as a movement for empowerment of those who have been invisibilized for generations. We will then discuss our children's book project - "Cual es tu Paz?" - and form small groups to act out "sociodramas", spontaneous performances that challenge us to utilize all parts of our selves to identify, confront, and resolve conflicts within our environment.
You are invited! And you are welcome to bring a friend. Zoom link & password will be provided after you confirm participation here. (If you don't use Facebook, just message us at +1 510 717 4227)
More details on ReGeneración and what we are doing, take a look:

Healing and community through creative story-telling! Sanación y comunidad al contar nuestra historias!

10/11/2022

Billy Bragg, British activist musician, on Elmwood Ave. Wednesday Oct. 12 at 1pm!

10/11/2022

October LASC Peace Coffeehouse, in person!
Speaker: Grahame Russell, co-founder of Rights Action.
Since 2005, Rights Action has helped Central American communities against trans-national mining abuses. His new book is a series of testimonies from Guatemalan indigenous leaders, lawyers, and activists.
Canisius College Science Hall at Main & Delevan near the NFTA metro station. Please Note: one parking lot is closed during construction, but there is street parking along Main St or in the parking lot by M&T Bank.

10/03/2022

7pm, Wed. Oct. 5, zoom event by ROCLA and LASC.
Ana Cortez is a PhD candidate in Political Science at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. Her research focuses on the interactions between evangelical organizations and the State in creating public policy. Ms. Cortez holds a master’s degree in Human Rights and Citizenship, and a B.A. in International Relations and Social Sciences. She is a researcher for the Center for Metropolitan Studies and has extensive experience in designing and managing social and advocacy projects.
Event sponsored by: Rochester Committee on Latin America and Western New York Peace Center – Latin America Solidarity Committe

09/29/2022

Intersections of Climate Change Impacts; Stand in Solidarity with Cuba.
Speaker Jessica Fernandez Casañas
Cuba has been severely impacted by Hurricane Ian and the power grid is fully knocked offline, so the speaker for this eent, Jessica Fernandez Casañas, cannot attend. There will be a rescheduled date in October.
Jessica Fernandez Casañas is head of the Climate Change Department of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment of Cuba! Ms. Fernandez will discuss the Republic of Cuba’s plan for climate mitigation and resilience, and then have a Q&A about how people in the United States can look forward and create cooperative relationships with the people of Cuba as the impacts of climate change are felt all around the world. This event is being co-sponsored by Massachusetts Peace Action. There will be a Spanish interpreter present at the event.

« All Events This event has passed. POSTPONED: Climate Change Impacts: How Massachusetts Can Stand in Solidarity with Cuba Wed September 28 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm EDT « The Taiwan Policy Act — What’s That? All In! Preventing Nuclear War Means Defending Democracy » Cuba has been severely impacted...

09/22/2022

September LASC Coffeehouse, in person!
7-9 pm Monday Sept. 26. Canisius College Science Hall
WNY & Immigrant Detention: how to help
Speaker: Carra Stratton, of Justice for Migrant Families, on the Batavia Detention Center and how to volunteer to help those held and released.

Canisius College Science Hall at Main and Delevan near the NFTA metro station. Please Note: one parking lot is closed there during construction, but there is street parking along Main Street or in the parking lot by the M&T bank.

09/07/2022

https://rocla.org/events/trampling-on-democracy-us-foreign-policy-toward-latin-american-nations/

Use this link to join the free ROCLA email list and get access to this event.

09/07/2022

Here is an interesting zoom program from Massachusetts Peace Action (MAPA).

08/26/2022

“A richly sensory, deeply observed recreation of a piece of the world whose flavors range from wheezing buses to violent storms to yellow orchids and chiclet gum to the bitterness of desire and the death of children and the cruelty of war. Elaine Chamberlain sees it all—and smells and tastes it ...

07/28/2022

"Nicaragua, Anniversary Of A Revolution" Webinar, August 2, 2022" at 5 p.m. Click on this link to register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dM5x3npBS-OLIuoKUBUAUQ


On July 19, Nicaragua celebrated the anniversary of its revolution that overthrew the US supported dictator Anastasio Somoza. A delegation of US activists were in Nicaragua to celebrate with the Nicaraguan people. Hear two member of the delegation speak about the event, the progress and struggles of the Nicaraguans and their role today in Latin American and international politics.
Speakers:
Margaret Kimberley
Dan Kovalik
Time
Aug 2, 2022 05:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)
https://nepajac.org/unac_072622.html