Spring 2009 Programming
Thursday July 9
co-sponsored by Community Action on Latin America, The Madison-Camaguey Sister City Association
Reception party for 20th Annual Pastor for Peace Caravan to Cuba
7:30 PM at Just Coffee Coop - 1129 E Wilson St
This year has seen positive changes in U.S. - Cuba relations. The Cuban-American community has seen the easing of travel restrictions to the island. We believe that it is the right of everyone to freely travel anywhere in the world. This is why we are supporting two Madison delegates who will be traveling to Cuba in the next few weeks.
For 20 years, Pastors for Peace has been leading the movement for the freedom to travel, to provide material aid and stand in solidarity with the people of Cuba. This year's reception will feature Caravan veteran Ellen Bernstein.
Join us to celebrate with the music of Son Mudanza and Sonidos Suaves. The hat will be passed to support our delegates.
This summer we are very excited as the Pastors For Peace Caravan to Cuba will be stopping in Madison on Thursday July 9th. President Obama has taken initial steps to ease restrictions on Cuba and Cuban-American citizens can now travel and visit their family on the island. We believe this is a year of opportunity in the effort to normalize relations with Cuba. Two delegates from Madison will be joining the Pastors for Peace Caravan to deliver material aid and make a statement of solidarity to the Cuban people.
With this in mind we will be working on collecting material aid for the people of Cuba, writing op-ed pieces, letters to the editor and to our elected officials and raising community awareness and involvement on this issues. In the works are a fundraising party before the caravan arrives and a reception party for the Caravan as it comes through Madison - our guest Speaker this year will be Ellen Bernstein, author of Healthcare in Cuba: Dedicated to Health and Healing in Cuba and Throughout the Worldand veteran of countless caravans to Cuba.
To begin our efforts we will holding two planning meetings at Rainbow Bookstore, the meetings will last 45 min to an hour and will be followed by the screening of a movie on Cuban issues and the first caravan:
Cuba Caravan Reception Planning Meetings
both at 7 PM at Rainbow Bookstore - 426 W. Gilman St.
Wednesday, June 3rdmeeting followed by screening of:
"Who's Afraid of the Little Yellow School Bus" - documenting the first Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba
Wednesday June 17th meeting followed by screening of:
"Mission against Terror"a look at the case of the Cuban Five, imprisoned in the United States for attempting to stop terrorist attacks against Cuba.
We will begin collecting material aid on the week of June 8th. Our friends at Lakeside Press have generously offered to be the collection site for the solidarity shipment to the Cuban people. More details and full list of requested material aid will be forthcoming. For more details, you can write to info@calamadison.org or leave a voice-mail message at 608-251-3241.
Information resources:
"Deterrence by Death: Human Rights Abuses in Immigration Detention Centers"
A special program will be presented at Edgewood College from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, June 20, 2009 by Madison human rights activists Leila Pine and Rachel Rodriquez, who have spent time at the Arizona-Mexico border. They will report back on the forced family separations, human rights abuses and more than 5,000 deaths of men, women and children trying to survive and provide for their families.
The program, which will include slides of activities at the U.S.-Mexico border, is cosponsored by Centro Hispano, LUChA, CALA, MUM, WNPJ, Edgewood College and Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice. It will be held in the Anderson Auditorium in the Predolin Building at Edgewood College, 1000 Edgewood College Dr., in Madison.
The free program is open to the public. Spanish interpretation will be available. For more information call 233-5566 or lpine@tds.net.
CALA, PEREGRINE FORUM, MADISON INFOSHOP, Immigrant Workers Union, HOV present
Solidarity with Venezuela Movie showing
FRETECO: Factories Occupied/Under Workers' Control
Tuesday, May 26th, 7pm at Rainbow Bookstore.
A new film on the Venezuelan Revolution. Produced by Vive TV in
Venezuela, this new documentary on FRETECO explores the movement of
occupied factories and workers' control in Venezuela.
>From the Mitsubishi auto plant to the Inveval valve plant; from the
Gotcha T-Shirt factory to the INAF hardware factory, workers tell their
stories and explain why they came to the realization that demanding
nationalization under workers' control is the only way forward.
With examples explaining how factory and workers' councils function,
the role of the communal councils, and the movement for "trade unionism
of a new type".
Discussion led off by John Peterson
John Peterson is the National Secretary for the U.S. Hands Off
Venezuela Campaign. He is on the National Steering Committee of the
Venezuela Solidarity Network and the National Assembly to End the Wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has spoken on these and other subjects
across the U.S. as well as in Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, Canada, Spain,
Britain, Italy, New Zealand, Belgium and France.
In addition, he is also Chief Editor of the Marxist journal
Socialist Appeal and correspondent for the popular "In Defence of
Marxism" (www.marxist.com)
Saturday, May 9th
Mother’s Day Peña
5:30pm-8:30pm
at Centro Guadalupe, 1862 Beld St., Madison
sponsored by Centro Hispano and Community Action on Latin America
Celebrating the struggles of mothers in Latin America and in our country.
Music, poetry and popular theater!
See you there!
RELIEF FOR CUBA FUNDRAISER PART I: Feat. DJ Kingspin
9pm-2am at Madison
Avenue 624 University Ave.
Sponsored by:
IFCO/Pastors for Peace, Community Action on Latin America, Madison-Camaguey
Sister City Project
Donation:
$10
Free
before 10pm
All
proceeds will go toward relief supplies for the people of Cuba
NOTE: THIS IS THE FIRST OF TWO PARTIES! THE FIRST IS MAY 9, THE SECOND IS MAY 15
Pastors for Peace offers concerned US citizens an opportunity
to demonstrate and enact an alternative foreign policy based in justice and
mutual respect. More than 50 Pastors for Peace Caravans have traveled to
Mexico, Central America and Cuba - delivering life-giving aid, and organizing
at home for a more just policy toward our neighbors in the hemisphere.
Our goal is to provide material aid to Cuba and to
protest the US trade embargo on the island. ALL PARTY PROCEEDS WILL GO TOWARD
THE A CARAVAN THAT WILL DIRECTLY BENEFIT THE PEOPLE OF CUBA (clothes, medical
supplies, construction materials, and musical equipment for artists) and a
Madison delegation to travel with a national caravan to deliver the materials
and build stronger Cuban/American relationships.
Join us again for part II:
Friday, May 15
9pm-2am
Cardinal Bar
418 E. Wilson St.
DJ David Muhammad
http://www.pastorsforpeace.org/
Mon. April 27th
12:00 Noon UW-Madison, Rm. 206 Ingraham Hall.
"Changing Venezuela by Taking Power: The History and Policies of the Chávez Government"
A talk with Gregory Wilpert, German-American Freelance Writer & Sociologist.
Sponsored by Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies (LACIS). Info? #262-2811
7PM, Rainbow Bookstore, 426 West Gilman, Madison.
Greg Wilpert will talk again about his book for all who cannot be on campus at noon.
Hosted by CALA and Rainbow Bookstore.
Listen to (27min) or download (25MB) an interview with Greg Wilpert on Third World View. This program originally aired on WORT 89.9 FM on April 26, 2009 and streamed at http://www.wort-fm.org.
Wednesday, April 1stThe Student Labor Action Coalition and the Immigrant Workers Union present a film screening of...
Made in L.A.(Hecho en Los Angeles)
7:00pm - 9:00pm - 104 Van Hise Hall, UW-Madison campus
1220 Linden Dr.
To be followed by a discussion on local immigration issues led by the Immigrant Workers Union.
About the film:
"An excellent documentary... about basic human dignity."
-THE NEW YORK TIMES
“A rousing true story of solidarity, perseverance and triumph.”
-VARIETY
“A valuable and moving film – entertaining as well… precious.”
-LOS ANGELES TIMES
María, Lupe and Maura are three Latina immigrants struggling to survive in Los Angeles sweatshops. But one day, determined to win basic labor protections, they embark on a three-year odyssey that will transform their lives forever. Compelling, humorous, deeply human, Made in L.A. is a story about immigration, the power of unity, and the courage it takes to find your voice.
In English and Spanish with bilingual subtitles.
Thursday April 2, 2009 Video and presentation -
Paying the Price: Migrant Workers in the Toxic Fields of Sinaloa.
6:30pm @ 1121 Humanities - UW Campus
Have you ever wondered how the vegetables from Mexico at you local grocery store are grown?
Melody Gonzalez, Fair Food Across Borders National Coordinator (from the Student/Farmworker Alliance, ally organization of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers) will be presenting a Chiapas Media Project/Promedios Video.
It is estimated that there are over one million migrant farmworkers in Mexico. The majority of these farmworkers come from the southern states of Mexico like Oaxaca and Guerrero. These families are forced to leave their communities, among the poorest in Mexico, because they have no other way to survive. They leave their communities from four to six months a year to work in the fields of northern Mexican states like Sinaloa, where they encounter deplorable and over-crowded housing, exposure to toxic pesticides, child labor, and sub-poverty wages. What makes their situation more severe is that when they return back to their they have barely saved enough money to survive until they have to return to work in Northern Mexico six months later.
In northern states like Sinaloa, Sonora and Baja California there are thousands of transnational agribusiness companies producing a wide variety of products from tomatoes to watermelons. The majority of the fruits and vegetables from these northern states are for export to the U.S. and Canada. These companies make great profits from these migrant farmworkers, and the companies who buy from them, like Wal-Mart, reap even greater profits from this "cheap" labor across the border. The lack of regulation and enforcement of human rights in trade agreements like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) facilitate and perpetuate this exploitation.
Look below for more details regarding the event and specifics regarding the video and campaign!
Sponsored by Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (M.E.Ch.A) Community Action on Latin America (CALA) Popular Education Collective (LaPEC) and Son Mudanza
FAIR FOOD ACROSS BORDERS SPRING TOUR 2009
The Chiapas Media Project/Promedios announces our new bi-national advocacy campaign: Fair Food Across Borders. Fair Food Across Borders (FFAB) reveals the human rights abuses faced by migrant farm workers in Mexico who harvest many of the fruits and vegetables we eat here in the US.
The Fair Food Across Borders Campaign seeks university, cultural and community-based sponsors to host presentations for Spring 2009. The centerpiece of the FFAB campaign is the new CMP/Promedios video, Paying the Price: Migrant Workers in the Toxic Fields of Sinaloa. Paying the Price examines the impoverished lives of migrant farmworkers from the town of Ayotzinapa, Guerrero. We follow them from their community to their lives as migrant workers in a large Sinaloa agribusiness camp, Buen Año, where they pick exotic Chinese vegetables for export to the US and Canada. We see the hardships faced by these workers in their community of origin, largely abandoned by the local and state governments to the inhumane and slave-like working conditions they encounter in Buen Año. Paying the Price presents the polarized reality of how migrant workers are seen in Mexico: through the eyes of agribusiness representatives these working families are portrayed as merely an annoying, culturally backward necessity to be dealt with in order to reap their multi-million dollar profits.
Melody Gonzalez, FFAB National Coordinator (from the Student/Farmworker Alliance, ally organization of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers), will present Paying the Price. Presentations last between one-and-half to two hours, and include video screening and discussion about the role of agribusiness and internal migration in Mexico, NAFTA, and corporate and consumer responsibility in the US.
ECONOMIC STIMULUS WORKER TOUR
organized by Sweat Free Communities and supported by CALA and over 50 other organizations see below
Wednesday, March 25, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Madison Labor Temple 1602 S. Park St, Room 109, Madison, WI
Fighting sweatshops and building an economy based on good jobs
Hear from international garment workers and ethical U.S. businesses, and take action for positive change in 2009.
With the global economy reeling, now more than ever our tax dollars can and should support higher standards that level the playing field for U.S. workers and support worker organizing around the world.
Elizabeth Gutierrez Reyes worked 15 years in the Honduran garment industry before becoming an organizer and educator for garment workers through FESITRADEH, a Honduran labor federation. She has extensive knowledge of human rights violations at a factory for the popular Dickies brand, which supplies many U.S. cities and states, including Illinois, Wisconsin, and Milwaukee. Elizabeth is also a nurse.
Maritza Vazquez from Puerto Rico, works for Propper International, a major producer of military and law enforcement apparel that supplies San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington State, among others. Maritza and fellow employees are organizing to improve conditions in their factories.
This year, our elected officials will spend billions of our tax dollars on uniforms and other clothing for public employees like police officers and firefighters. Help do your part to ensure our tax dollars aren't spent in sweatshops and head to the Economic Stimulus Worker Tour in city near you.
Supported by:
AFSCME Council 40 * AFSCME Local 60 * Berkeley Commission on Labor * Berkeley Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club * Cardinal Stritch University * Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good * Chicago Fair Trade * Chicago Jobs with Justice * Community Action on Latin America - Madison * Coulee Region Progressives * Eugene Springfield Solidarity Network * Hesperian Foundation * Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice of South Central Wisconsin * La Crosse Coalition for Peace and Justice * La Voz de los de Abajo * Loyola University Oxfam * Marquette University Campus Ministry * Marquette University Institute for Human Rights * Marquette University JUSTICE * Martin Luther King County Labor Council * Marquette University * MEChA at Willamette University, Milwaukee Area Technical College * Milwaukee Clean Clothes Campaign * Milwaukee Fair Trade Coalition * Oregon Fair Trade Campaign * Presbyterian Hunger Program * Progressive Jewish Alliance * Salem Jobs with Justice * Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi * South Central Federation of Labor (WI) * Southern Oregon Jobs with Justice * Students for a Democratic Society * Students for Unity, Portland State University * Southern Oregon Central Labor Council * Southern Oregon University Media Collective * South Sound Clean Clothes Campaign * Sweatfree Northwest * United Steelworkers District 2 * UNITE HERE! * UO International Studies Department & UO Latin American Solidarity Committee * UO Multicultural Center * UO Step Up Oregon * UO Survival Center * US Labor Education in the Americas Project (USLEAP) * UW-La Crosse Multicultural Student Services * UWL Progressives * UWL Environmental Council * UWL Native American Student Association * UW-Milwaukee Peace Studies Program * UWM Engineers without Borders * UWM Students for a Democratic Society * UWM Trafficking Ends with Action * UW-Stevens Point Students for a Democratic Society * UWSP Student Government Association * Wisconsin Fair Trade Coalition * 8th Day Center for Justice
presented by CALA, the Madison-Arcatao Sister City Project and Centro Hispano
La Peña: 2009 - A year for change in El Salvador! Music and handicraft sale.6:30-9 pm at St Mark's Lutheran Church - 605 Spruce St.Free! For the whole family.
Come join us for a community gathering to kick-off the Madison delegation of international observers to the Salvadoran elections featuring the music of: Sonidos Suaves, Grupo Rubalcava and Son Mudanza, performing Latin American nueva trova, nueva cancion and bolero songs. Delegation participants Bob Skloot and Norm Stockwell (from WORT radio) will give an update on the upcoming presidential elections in El Salvador, where the former guerrilla group the left-wing FMLN is the frontrunner. Salvadoran crafts from the ChalateArte cooperative will also be on sale.
For more information on the delegation and the Salvadoran elections: www.mascp.org
Download PDF of flyer
Tuesday, February 17thsponsored by the Dane-Andres Eloy Blanco Sistering Alliance and CALADane County - Venezuela Sister County Meeting
6 pm - Rainbow Bookstore Cooperative - 431 W. Gilman StWorking to build solidarity and understanding with the people of Venezuela, the Dane-Andres Eloy Blanco Sistering Alliance (DASA) will meet to plan the upcoming visit of a Venezuelan delegate to Dane County as well our summer delegation to Venezuela.
for more information visit:http://www.dane-andres.org/
Tuesday, February 24Co-sponsored by CALA, Immigrant Workers' Union and Peregrine Forum¿Que Esta Pasando en Bolivia? What is Happening in Bolivia? Screening of the Movie "Cocalero"7 pm - 29 E. Wilson St #202
Join us to watch Cocalero, a documentary centered on the union formed by Bolivian farmers in response to their government's (which was urged by the U.S.) effort eradicate coca crops, and the man who would come to represent them, Evo Morales. Discussion about current events in Bolivia to follow.
Please Join us this coming Tuesday to welcome Honduran labor organizers. More information in article below on the recent victory of student and labor activists.
Tuesday, February 10th
Sponsors include: Student Labor Action Coalition, CALA, Student Progressive Dane, Working Class Student Union, AFSCME Local 171, the Immigrant Workers' Union (UTI), the International Socialist Organization, the WUD Society and Politics Committee, the Design Studies Department, Textile and Apparel Design Program, the Havens Center, the Campus Antiwar Network, and the Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice.
Sweatfree Campus Worker Tour
7 PM UW-Madison campus, Room B130 of Van Vleck Hall, 480 Lincon Drive
On October 8, 2008, Russell Athletic, a UW licensee, announced its decision to close its Jerzees de Honduras factory, which employs more than 1,800 workers in Honduras. Russell's decision to close the factory comes directly on the heels of efforts by workers at the factory to demand better wages and improved working conditions, making the closure a blatant violation of international labor standards and of UW-Madison's code of conduct for apparel producers.
Now, we have the rare opportunity to meet with two of the leaders of the workers' union, Norma Estela Mejia Castellano and Moises Elisias a Bovado, and to hear their story. This is not only a chance to show our solidarity with the people who produce Bucky Badger apparel, but also to come together and plan concrete actions on our campus in support of their organizing.
Saturday, January 31st
presented by Community Action on Latin America (CALA), Centro Hispano de Dane County and Grace Episcopal Church
La Peña Returns
6:30-9:30 pm at Grace Episcopal Church Guild Hall - 116 W. Washington Ave Free! For the whole family.
Come join us for a community gathering of Latin American music with nueva trova, nueva cancion and bolero songs. Donations will be accepted to support Grace Episcopal's Hispanic Ministry.
PDF of flyer in English and Spanish.
Monday, February 2nd
co-sponsored by CALA and the Madison Arcatao Sister City Project
Historic Election in El Salvador/Election observation delegation kick-off
7-9pm at the Village Cohousing - 1104 Mound St
Emily Carpenter, National Coordinator for U.S.-El Salvador Sister Cities will be talking about the upcoming presidential election in El Salvador. For the first time, the left-wing, former guerrilla army turned political party FMLN is the frontrunner in a presidential election. Come with us to discuss the latest in Latin America's turn to the left and help kick-off the Madison delegation of international election observers to this historical election.
Listen (28MB, 30 min) to an interview with Emily on WORT's Third World View from February 1, 2009.
for costs and other information associated with the delegation go to, see invitation letter below:
