June 6, 2010
Arizona Law Heats Up Immigration Debate
The early months of 2010 have been a roller-coaster of anticipation and tension within the immigration debate. A heat wave of anger erupted when Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed SB1070, a draconian and dangerous legislation that has sparked both swift and widespread responses. Click here to read more.
Haiti: Organizing for a Generous U.S. Response
In January 2010, a devastating earthquake shook Haiti, with an unfathomable loss of life. Nearly every member of the LAWG coalition found some way to help, through relief efforts in Haiti, long-term development efforts, human rights work or policy advocacy. An ad-hoc group has been meeting every week to ensure that our nation supports and funds a generous, Haitian-led, sustainable relief and long-term development effort in Haiti that helps Haitians rebuild and recover. Click here to read more.
Cuba: House Action or Status Quo?
On February 23rd, Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN) and Rep. Jerry Moran (R-KS) unveiled H.R. 4645, the "Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act," a hybrid bill that would unequivocally restore U.S. citizens' travel to Cuba while substantially strengthening U.S. agriculture's ability to sell their products to Cuba and put food on Cuban tables, by lowering the financial and transactional hoops Cuba must jump through to purchase U.S. agricultural goods. Click here to read more.
Colombia's Heroes
In January, I traveled to Colombia on a delegation to meet with communities resisting displacement in Northern Cauca and with communities of internally displaced people near Bogotá and Cali. I realized that in our advocacy we talk so much about "victims," when the word we really should be using is "heroes." Click here to read more.
Honduran Singer Karla Lara: "The country is different now."
During a concert in Washington, DC in April, Honduran activist and musician Karla Lara taught us about the values that are central to the movement of peaceful, civic resistance that has been ongoing since the June 2009 coup. "I wanted to bring the sense of hope and possibility here," she said. "The belief that a new America is possible, a different order is possible." Click here to read more.
Voces: Norma Cruz on Women's Rights in Guatemala
"I don't want you all to know Guatemala for the number of people killed. I want it to be known for the struggle that we are organizing to stop violence against women and to be an example for the world that we can do it. I hope the day comes when we will have zero deaths of women, not just in Guatemala, but in the whole world. " Click here to read more.
LAWG's Summer Reading: Lost and Found in Cuba and Waiting for Change
* LAWGEF Board member and co-author of LAWGEF's own Love, Loss, and Longing: the Impact of U.S. Travel Policies on Cuban-American Families, Jeanne Parr Lemkau has a new book titled Lost and Found in Cuba - A Tale of Midlife Rebellion.  Jeanne says the book is about finding freedom in the strangest places. A must read for Cubaphiles and Travelers alike!
Here is what Mavis Anderson, Senior Associate at LAWG, has to say about it: "I began the book because of my foreign policy interests, but I finished it because I loved getting lost and found with Jeanne. Her story of angst and adventure offers an intimate exposure to Cuban culture and the lives of Cubans struggling with the fallout of the U.S. embargo. The book is fresh--political without being wonky." Click here to check out the book's website.
* A year ago, at a summit of Latin America's leaders, President Obama hit a note that resonated well with his counterparts: "I pledge to you that we seek an equal partnership. There is no senior partner and junior partner in our relations."
After that hopeful moment, though, the new administration stumbled at the starting gate. 2009 was a rough year for U.S. policy toward Latin America and the Caribbean. Many governments accused the Obama Administration of inattention, vacillation on democracy and human rights, and arrogance, especially after it secretly negotiated a defense agreement with Colombia.
But there is still opportunity to reset the relationship. In our new report, Waiting for Change, released by the Latin America Working Group Education Fund, the Center for International Policy, and the Washington Office on Latin America, we take a critical look at the past year and explore possibilities for the future.
Click here to read it in English o haga clíc aquí para español.
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