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.
In the United States, the term “socialism” has been widely misunderstood and used to discredit even modest reforms. This symposium will explore achievements and missteps in implementing socialism in China, India, Scandinavia, and Latin America. It will weigh socialism’s value in addressing global challenges of climate change, economic inequality, and human rights abuses.
Registration is free. Register for both the in-person and virtual symposium by emailing dussourd@buffalo.edu. The Symposium Flyer is available here, and Symposium Poster here.
In-person attendees must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination and photo ID to enter 10 Capen Hall.
9:30 – 11:30 UNDERSTANDING SOCIALISM: ACHIEVEMENTS AND MISSTEPS
“Socialism in China: Past and Future” Ying Chen, Assistant Professor of Economics, New School for Social Research
“Experiments with Socialism in India: Comparing Kerala and West Bengal” Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst
“Would Democratic Socialism Be Better?” Lane Kenworthy, Professor of Sociology and Yankelovich Chair in Social Thought, University of California San Diego
11:30 – 12:30 LUNCH
12:30 – 1:50 SOCIALISM AS A RESPONSE TO GLOBAL PROBLEMS
“Eco-Socialism and the Green New Deal” Robert Pollin, Distinguished Professor of Economics; Co-Director, Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts Amherst
“Why 21st Century Socialism Will Focus on Democratizing Workplaces, not Government Economic Interventions” Richard Wolff, Visiting Professor, The New School; Professor Emeritus of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst
2:00 – 3:20SOCIALISM AND HUMAN RIGHTS
“Latin America’s ‘Left Turns’: Socialism, Democracy, and Social Citizenship Rights” Kenneth Roberts, Richard J. Schwartz Professor of Government, Cornell University
“Rethinking Economics for Social Justice: The Radical Potential of Human Rights” James Heintz, Andrew Glyn Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst
3:20 – 3:30 CLOSING REMARKS & WRAP-UP DISCUSSION
Sponsors: Alison Des Forges Memorial Committee; University at Buffalo: Departments of Comparative Literature, History, Political Science, and Africana and African-American Studies; Gender Institute; Humanities Institute; James Agee Chair in American Culture; Office of the Vice Provost for International Education, The Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy; Jack Walsh in Honor of Connie Walsh.
This symposium honors the life and work of human rights activist Alison Des Forges (1942-2009).
