La verdad es que ninguno de nosotros puede ser libre hasta que todos sean libres.
“The truth is, no one of us can be free until everyone is free.” — Maya Angelou
Once again, there’s so much going on that we’ll cover a couple of topics! They’re all related because they’re all about living in sync with the principles that we believe in – caring for #PeopleAndPlanet in #Truth and #Love.
The agenda of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named and his new administration includes mass deportations and horrendous bias against migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers. LASC (the Latin America Solidarity Committee of WNY Peace Center) is helping plan some events for Spring, on practical and moral issues around migration and asylum and WNY.
* Monday Jan.27, 7pm-9pm: LASC Coffeehouse, Science Hall at Canisius University. Justice for Migrant Families WNY’s Executive Director Jennifer Connor will speak on organizing and volunteering and accompanying, as well as rapid response, under the president’s new administration. There’s free parking along Main Street north of Delevan, and light refreshments, too. All are welcome.
* Monday Feb.24, 7pm-9pm: The LASC Coffeehouse will feature Bill Jungels, local videographer, on Migration, and Chiapas, Mexico: a story of families. It’s again at the Science Hall at Canisius University, with free parking along Main Street north of Delevan, and light refreshments. He’ll include video interviews from his Chiapas projects.
* Saturday afternoon April 5: LASC is organizing a large public event to be held at Montante Center at Canisius University, around the important local issues re migration and asylum, with local resettlement agencies and others participating, highlighting the work that needs doing. One part of the event will be a showing of a new half-hour documentary “Running to Stand Still: Migrants Search for Hope in the Promised Land,” including discussion with one of the film team, Heidi Ostertag, who is based just south of Rochester NY https://www.runningtostandstillfilmseries.com/www.worldwidedocumentaries.com/ There’ll be Q&A, with voices from Central America, the southern border, and local refugee resettlement being featured.
WNYPC Membership meeting: Feb 3, 6pm, 1272 Delaware Ave, 14209. Park behind main building. All are welcome!!
The Criminal Injustice system is another terrible institution, destructive to individuals and the community. The Center for Community Alternatives put together an excellent Justice Roadmap of NYS bills whose passage is important for human rights. Check it out! Please urge your state legislators to support the whole roadmap. Trips to lobby in Albany are also being planned (check out Community Not Cages trip on 2/4). You can find it all at communityalternatives.org.
The Ceasefire Agreement between Israel and Palestine/Hamas, brokered mostly by Quatar, is cause for cautious optimism, and has hopefully stopped Israel’s genocidal acts. However, the US Federal Government is still slated to give the Israeli Government $8 Billion in armaments, versus $770 per person to survivors of the LA fires. Just another of the many illustrations of how our budget reveals our priorities. (“The greatest purveyor of violence in the world is .. [our].. own government.. “ as Rev. Dr. King said.) You should check out the press conference for the Merchants of Death Tribunal, here.
So, there’s a mountain – or ocean – of work to do, but just remember, it’s a spiritual struggle, and we can get there: ¡Poco a poco, lo conseguiremos! ¡Si, se puede – Juntos!!!
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10th, 1948 and is regarded as a monumental step toward promoting global freedom and equality. Its goal was to establish a common standard for human rights that would apply to all people regardless of nationality, race, or religion in the wake of World War II. However, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been critiqued for its application which has historically favored Western powers and their geopolitical interests.
In addition to the adoption of the UDHR, 1948 saw the official implementation of apartheid in South Africa and the violent displacement of approximately 750,000 Palestinians during the Nakba. While the UDHR asserts the right to equality and freedom from racial discrimination, many Western countries were slow to condemn apartheid, and some even maintained economic and political ties with the regime in South Africa for decades. The international community’s delayed response to apartheid exemplified how Western interests sometimes overshadowed the universal application of human rights.
Similarly, the creation of Israel in 1948 led to the forced displacement of approximately 750,000 Palestinians. The UDHR guarantees the right to self-determination and protection from forced displacement, yet Western nations, particularly the United States, have historically supported Israel, often at the expense of Palestinian rights. The plight of Palestinians has been largely sidelined in global diplomacy, raising questions about the UDHR’s commitment to protecting all people equally. To make matters more tricky, there are no mechanisms in place to ensure that member states uphold the UDHR.
The UDHR’s flaws are also evident in the legacy of colonialism and imperialism. While the declaration champions the right to self-determination, many former colonial powers maintained political and economic dominance over their former colonies. Western nations frequently used their influence to shape the terms of decolonization in ways that preserved their economic interests.
The UN General Assembly consists of 193 member states and the UN Security Council consists of 15 member states, 5 of whom (including the United States) have veto power. This means that one member state can veto an action that is supported by the vast majority of the General Assembly. Historically, the United States has used its veto power many times to protect South Africa and Israel against past UN action. Apartheid in South Africa officially ended in 1994 in large part due to pressure from the international community.
The cost of Israel’s war on Gaza is tremendous and multidimensional. Officially, 41,700 innocent people have been killed — around half of them children. Approximately 1.9 million people, or 90% of Gaza’s population, have been displaced. In the first six months of war, over 70,000 tons of bombs were dropped creating over 40 million tons of rubble. It is estimated that there are over 10,000 bodies that remain unaccounted for, trapped under the rubble. As we mark the one year anniversary of Israel’s relentless and ongoing bombardment of Gaza, let us more closely examine the cost to Gaza’s agricultural infrastructure and the implications of its destruction.
Prior to October 7th, 2023, Gaza sustained a thriving agricultural infrastructure despite the land, air, and sea blockade imposed by Israel in 2007. In 2022, Gaza exported close to $45M in produce sales almost entirely to the West Bank (79% of exports) and Israel (19% of exports). Gaza’s main produce exports are strawberries, tomatoes, and cucumbers but many other crops are grown across Gaza such as olives. The deep connection that Palestinians share with the olive tree for its symbolic representation of resilience in the face of Israeli occupation alongside its many practical uses provide a key role for olives in the local economy. Over the past year, about 60% of Gaza’s farmland has been destroyed or damaged. Experts warn that Israel’s military hardware and extensive bombing will leave the soil infertile. This means that even after the bombs stop dropping, the people of Gaza will remain unable to feed themselves for many years.
Less than 4% of fresh water in Gaza is drinkable and proper hygiene and sanitation are nearly impossible. The United Nations and UNICEF estimate that the average person in Gaza has access to between 1 and 3 liters of water for day for all needs — this is between 5 and 10 times less than the amount of water needed to survive in emergency situations according to humanitarian standards. The shortage of food and water has contributed to the death of around 70% of livestock in Gaza, making it even more challenging for people to nourish themselves.
In 2021, Gaza produced approximately 4,700 tons of fish which is particularly impressive given that fishermen are only permitted to work within 12 nautical miles. Now, almost all of the boats in Gaza’s main fishing port have been destroyed and the pier is no longer functional. Fishermen who attempt to fish for food in the ocean risk being targeted and killed by Israeli forces who routinely open fire on people trying to find food on land as well as at sea. Not only has Israel restricted the access of humanitarian aid into Gaza, but they have also ensured that Gaza is unable to feed itself.
As of October 7th, 2024, Israel believes that there are still 97 of the total 251 hostages being held by Hamas, 64 of whom are believed to still be alive. Until there is a permanent ceasefire and tangible steps are taken toward peace, Israelis and Palestinians alike will continue to be unsafe. The active role of the United States in providing arms to Israel is not helping to stabilize the region — it is only contributing to violence.
