Freedom and Human Rights for All!
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!!!
