Georgetown Latin American Foreign Affairs Association

12/01/2020

School of Foreign Service - Georgetown University

Today, student leaders, alongside Georgetown CLAS and McCourt School of Public Policy - Georgetown University, hosted H.E. Michelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Former President of Chile, to discuss human rights and women's leadership in Latin America in the age of COVID-19. Responding to questions from moderator and CLAS Director Fr. Matthew Carnes, Bachelet explained the importance of recognizing that the pandemic had exacerbated the hardships faced by vulnerable groups — including women, Indigenous people, people of color and the poor — and outlined how her team is responding to the pandemic. She also took students' questions, sharing her recommendations for supporting social justice movements fighting for human rights in Latin America. SFS Dean Joel Hellman thanked Bachelet for her insights, saying she was an inspiration for Georgetown students committed to public service.

Thank you to student groups LAPA Georgetown, Georgetown Women in Public Policy Initiative and Georgetown Latin American Foreign Affairs Association for organizing this engaging and insightful event!

10/05/2020

Georgetown Latin American Foreign Affairs Association

06/23/2020

Georgetown’s LatAm Council mourns Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and the many lives that have been taken at the hands of the police across the country.

As a graduate student organization, we acknowledge that systemic oppression and violence against black and brown bodies in the United States has persisted for centuries, and we commit to deepening our fight against these systems that endanger the lives of black and brown members of our community. As we grapple with the upcoming realities of the fall semester amidst a global pandemic and combating racial injustices, we have been carefully evaluating how we as an organization intend to move forward.

We stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and with the black and brown communities on our campus, in the District, and across the nation. We recognize that we have the power to use our voices in such a time of strife, and commit to engaging with anti-racist initiatives in the coming months and upcoming Fall 2020 semester.

To this end we will:

1. Collaborate with other graduate student organizations to host events that specifically target the themes of systemic and institutional racism, and include lessons on anti-racism both in the United States and in Latin America.

2. Partner with black, Latinx, and other minority student groups to host and attend events that directly support the Black Lives Matter movement and combat systemic racism.

3. Share multilingual resources via social media platforms, organization-wide meetings, and events that provide information on dismantling institutional prejudices.

In this time of crisis and radical social change, it is important for students and student organizations in the higher education space to speak out against racial injustices as many of our members, colleagues, staff, and professors have been directly affected by them. We will hold LatAm Council accountable for educating ourselves and others in the community on how to become greater advocates for justice.

In service,
The elected board of LatAm Council

03/05/2020

Just a reminder that our immigration dialogue will take place today at 4 in Arrupe Hall. All are welcome!

01/12/2020

Happy New Year! Now that everyone is settling into classes for the spring semester, Latam Council wants to introduce our new leaders for 2020! If you are interested in being on the executive board or learning more about Latam Council, please reach out to us here on Facebook or at [email protected]

11/12/2019

Google Forms - create and analyze surveys, for free.

The LatAm Council application for nominations is here!

Interested in leadership? Connecting across Georgetown's graduate programs on Latin America issues? Join the LatAm council!

Follow the link below and apply by November 20th 2019!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSezaf7Ec21Wkd-Ff2gBQ7Uppx-yDlV1OfmZgR5VXK1E9PeadQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Questions? Please email [email protected]

Create a new survey on your own or with others at the same time. Choose from a variety of survey types and analyze results in Google Forms. Free from Google.

11/04/2019

Check out out our panelist, Ria Bailey-Galvis. She is a Senior Analyst for the Government Affairs and Public Policy team at Google!

11/01/2019

Latam Council Career Panel

Let's welcome our first panelist - David Tagle (MSFS)

David currently serves as the *Honduras Desk Officer in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs* (WHA) Office of Central American Affairs (WHA/CEN). In this capacity, he is the lead officer overseeing the planning and execution of U.S. foreign policy toward Honduras. David began his career supporting democracy and human rights programs in Latin America and the Caribbean, first as an implementer with a D.C-based non-profit organization and then with the Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL). While working in DRL’s Office of Global Programming, David managed programs supporting civil society and human rights in Cuba. Upon being awarded the Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF), David began work as a Staff Assistant in the WHA Front Office. During his time as a Staff Assistant, he provided critical support to the Bureau during a transition in Administrations. As part of the PMF, David served as a Program Officer in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) on the Mexico desk. In this capacity, he coordinated INL’s foreign assistance programs in Mexico, specifically working to expand INL’s police professionalization and counter narcotics efforts throughout the country. He also served in the INL section at Embassy Tegucigalpa in the spring of 2018 where he coordinated programs aimed at preventing and reducing crime in Honduras, and improving Honduran National Police effectiveness in investigating major crimes.

Come and invite others as we post other panelists!

Georgetown University's Latam Council will be presenting a career panel for students interested in careers related to Latin America.

10/31/2019

Latam Council Career Panel

Hi, the Latam Council Career Panel is next Wednesday!! Make sure you RSVP below on Eventbrite! See you there!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/latam-council-career-panel-tickets-78812778141?aff=ebdssbeac

Georgetown University's Latam Council will be presenting a career panel for students interested in careers related to Latin America.

09/25/2019

LatAm Council is is looking for two (2) first year graduate students in SFS to serve as an Events Coordinator and Treasurer.

The Events Coordinator sets an agenda of events and help organize logistics. They also coordinate LatAm Council events and coordinate with other groups for co-sponsorship of events.

The Treasurer is in charge of the financial affairs of the LatAm Council, maintain the organization’s budget, keep accurate financial records, and submit budget requests to Georgetown University Graduate Student Organization (GSO) and all relevant organizations.

The Treasurer must receive all relevant financial training as mandated and provided by GSO and SFS student organizations.

If you have any questions regarding responsibilities, time commitment, etc. please feel free to email Marvin Wiley at [email protected]

Please send nominations to Marvin by next Monday, September 30th, 2019 at 5:00pm.

04/04/2019

On Saturday at 12:30pm, we'll be showing American Too and The Unafraid.

Check out our panelists below!

04/03/2019

Check out our panelists for Las Sandinistas on Friday, April 5th!

Fr. Matthew Carnes, S.J., is an associate professor in the Department of Government and the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, and he currently serves as the Director of the Center for Latin American Studies.

Maria Fernanda Perez Arguello (MALAS'15) is Associate Director at the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, where she leads the Center's work on Mexico, USMCA (i.e. NAFTA), and Central America, and contributes to projects on China- Latin America, regional trade integration as well as disinformation in Latin America. During her time at the Council, she has co-led the Center’s Central America Task Force, managed the Center's trade portfolio, and programmed events in Asia for US policymakers.

Mary Ellsberg, Executive Director and Founding Director of the Global Women's Institute at the George Washington University. Dr. Ellsberg has more than 30 years of experience in international research and programs on gender and development. Before joining the university in August 2012, Dr. Ellsberg served as Vice President for Research and Programs at the International Center for Research on Women. Dr. Ellsberg’s deep connection to global gender issues stems not only from her academic work, but also from living in Nicaragua for nearly 20 years, leading public health and women’s rights advocacy. She was a member of the core research team of the World Health Organization’s Multi-Country Study on Domestic Violence and Women’s Heath, and she has authored more than 40 books and articles on violence against women and girls. Dr. Ellsberg earned a doctorate in epidemiology and public health from Umea University in Sweden and a bachelor's degree in Latin American studies from Yale University.

We will also be joined by a special guest, attend the screening to find out who it is!

04/02/2019

This Thursday is our opening night of the Georgetown Latin American Film Festival. We'll be showing Viva el Vedado, a documentary about the Vedado neighborhood in Havana, Cuba, directed by Stanley Staniski.

Reception: 6:00pm ICC Galleria
Screening: 7:00pm ICC Auditorium

Panel Discussion Includes:
Dr. Eric Gettig, Adjunct Assistant Professor, SFS Georgetown University
Amb. Jeffrey DeLaurentis, SFS Centennial Fellow and former Chargé d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba
H.E. José Ramón Cabañas Rodríguez, Ambassador of Cuba to the United States
Stanley Staniski, Director of Viva el Vedado
Mary Wilkie Ebrahimi, Producer of Viva el Vedado

04/02/2019

It's an exciting week at Georgetown University for a Latin Americanist! LAPA, the Latin American student organization at the McCourt School of Public Policy is hosting a two-day conference focusing on fighting corruption in Latin America. Please check out their event page, and join us at Georgetown!

Don't forget to RSVP for the 6th Annual Georgetown Latin American Film Festival, at https://glaff2019.eventbrite.com

Join us April 5 and 6 at OMNIA IV. This year’s topic is Fighting Corruption in Latin America. We’ll be publishing our panelists soon! For more info, contact us at [email protected]

FB event:
https://www.facebook.com/events/2621258287891236/?ti=icl

03/27/2019

On Saturday, April 6th, during our 6th annual Georgetown Latin American Film Festival, We will also be screening the following film, 'American,Too'.

'American, Too' is a short documentary film, told through the lens of a first generation Honduran-American filmmaker and master's student at Georgetown University. The film explores the identity of young people from the Central American diaspora. In the context of negative rhetoric from the U.S government along with changing policies that affect hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Central America.

03/26/2019

As part of our 6th Annual Georgetown Latin American Film Festival, On Saturday, April 6th at 12:30pm in the Healey Family Student Center (Film Room), we will be screening 'The Unafraid'.

'The Unafraid' is a feature-length documentary that follows the personal lives of three DACA students in Georgia, a state that has banned them from attending their top state universities and disqualifies them from receiving in-state tuition at any other public college. Shot in an observational style over a period of four years, this film takes an intimate look at the lives of Alejandro, Silvia, and Aldo as they navigate activism, pursuing their right to education, and fighting for the rights of their families and communities. The Unafraid shows us what it means to grow up both American and undocumented in the United States.

03/25/2019

As part of our 6th Annual Georgetown Latin American Film Festival, On Friday April 5th at 6:30pm in the ICC Auditorium, we will be screening Las Sandinistas!

¡Las Sandinistas! uncovers the untold stories of women who shattered barriers to lead combat and social reform during Nicaragua’s 1979 Sandinista Revolution, and the ensuing US-backed Contra War, as these same women continue as leaders in the struggle against their current government's suppression of democracy and women's rights.

The film is centered around the personal stories of Dora Maria Téllez, the young medical student who became a major Sandinista General, and four of her revolutionary allies - Nicaraguan women who overcame traditional gender barriers and subverted stereotypes to lead rebel troops in battle and reshape their country with landmark social reform. ¡Las Sandinistas! exposes a watershed moment in history when thousands of women transformed society’s definition of womanhood and leadership before facing renewed marginalization by their male peers after the wars ended. Now, 35 years later, amidst staggering levels of gender violence in Nicaragua, these same women brave the streets once again to lead popular movements for equality and democracy.

03/25/2019

In anticipation of our upcoming 6th annual Georgetown Latin American Film Festival, we present you the first film that will be screening on Thursday, April 4th at 6:00pm in the ICC Auditorium.

“Viva El Vedado” presents the history of the Havana neighborhood of El Vedado from the last quarter of the 19th century through the Cuban Revolution and highlights its varied and outstanding architecture. Known as a cultural center of Havana, Vedado is particularly notable for its unique collection of Cuban architecture of the 20th century.

“Viva El Vedado” was made over two-and-a-half years by cinematographer and director Stanley Staniski and producer Mary Wilkie Ebrahimi who lived in El Vedado before the Revolution. The documentary features interviews with architectural historian Eduardo Luis Rodríguez and urban planner Secundino Fernández as well as with Gustavo López González, assistant director of the National Museum of Decorative Arts, located in El Vedado. The film’s goal is to introduce its audiences to the neighborhood’s remarkable architecture, its vibrant life, and the need for preserving Vedado as part of Havana’s heritage. It is a glimpse beyond tourist fantasies and stereotypes, a rare view of one of Havana’s most important neighborhoods.

03/22/2019

We are two weeks away from the Georgetown Latin American Film Festival! Please check out our excellent film line-up and join us for the opening reception April 4th, at 6pm in the ICC Galeria.

More information on our panelists will be announced next week!

03/20/2019

Georgetown LatAm Council Happy Hour TODAY from 4-6pm at the Epicurean. Limited Drink tickets available! Nos vemos alla!

03/19/2019

LatAm Council Happy Hour is tomorrow!! 4-6 pm at the Epicurean***Limited Drink Tickets Available*** See you there!!

03/08/2019

We hope everyone is having a safe, fun or productive spring break! Some of us are already back on campus. Hoya Saxa!

03/02/2019

The LatAm Council is busy preparing for the film festival in April. We are in need of volunteers!

We need volunteers for the following times:

4/4 Thursday: 5:30pm-9:00pm
4/5 Friday: 6pm -9:00pm
4/6 Saturday: 11am-4:00pm

It is required to attend a meeting the Sunday before the Film Festival on March 31st. Please post or send me a private message if you are interested in volunteering! Muchas Gracias!

03/01/2019

LatAm Council will be hosting a happy hour on March 20th from 4 - 6 pm at Epicurean and Company on Georgetown University's campus! Limited drink tickets will be available so come early! Have a safe and enjoyable spring break!

02/20/2019

The next Georgetown CLAS Happy Hour is this THIS THURSDAY February 21st at The Tombs from 7-9 pm. All are welcome to attend and if you have questions about Georgetown LatAm Council, members will be in attendance to discuss upcoming events and ways to get involved in all things Latin America! See you there!

02/12/2019

Buenas Tardes! We are all excited for the upcoming events and activities this spring! We have our annual Film Festival you don't want to miss and a happy hour where you can meet other people in SFS and the wider Georgetown community interested in Latin America! Please stay tuned for details and more information!

01/18/2019

Georgetown LatAm Council's cover photo

01/18/2019

Tomorrow is the LAST DAY to submit nominations for the 2019 LatAm Council! Email [email protected] by 5pm tomorrow, Friday, January 18th if you are interested or would like to nominate a Georgetown SFS Graduate student for President, Vice-President, Event Coordinator, or Treasurer.

01/15/2019

Reminder for Georgetown SFS Graduate Students, Georgetown CLAS, and anyone interested in Latin America: Run for a position on the Georgetown LatAm Council!
We will be electing a new President, Vice President, Event Coordinators, and Treasurer for 2019. If you are interested in running for a position or would like to be nominated, please email Amanda Chatupron-Lacayo at [email protected]. Nominations close on Friday, January 18th at 5:00pm.