Global Exchange Gift Membership Package

We all have our own ideas on what the Holidays are all about. Family. Laughter. Good will.

Corporate greed and commercialization? They certainly don’t make the list.

It’s time to take back the Holidays.

The true meaning of the season cannot be packaged in a box. Instead of taking part in the corporate craziness, why not get the loved ones on your list something that brings them the true meaning of the holiday season?

A Global Exchange Gift of Membership is the perfect gift! You can give the gift of Fair Trade, peace, justice, people power, and human rights. You pick the gift and we’ll take care of the rest.

6 Gift Memberships to choose from:

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When your family and friends unwrap their Global Exchange Gift Membership, they will join a compassionate community of dedicated activists working for peace, justice and human rights.

We’ll send out the membership card and gift package, plus keep your recipient in the loop about Global Exchange programs and events with our newsletter and e-mail action alerts.

Order your gifts by December 14th at midnight to guarantee delivery by December 24th 2012.

Wishing you joy, justice, and peace this Holiday Season!

Now to set the mood, here’s a little poem written by Global Exchange Generation for Justice member Andy Klase:

Click on the poem to see larger version on Facebook

P.S. If you live in the Bay Area or DC, please be sure to join us for our Fair Trade Store holiday event on December 6 from 5pm – 8pm. Shop for all your Fair Trade gifts, meet our staff, and if you’re a member double your discount (20% for one night only.)

Photo Credit: Code Pink

The following update is based on a press release issued by Code Pink. You can read the entire press release here.

CODEPINK Group Travels to Gaza to Bring Aid and Witness Devastation From Israeli Assault

In the wake of the ceasefire brokered by Egypt, a 20-person delegation of American journalists and peace advocates is traveling to the decimated territory to witness the hardships now facing the 1.7 million residents, deliver emergency aid and call attention to the need for a longer-term strategy to achieve peace and justice for Palestinians.

The delegates include CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin; former State Department official and retired Col. Ann Wright, and Voices for Creative Nonviolence co-coordinator Kathy Kelly.

“The U.S. government allowed Israel carte blanche for eight days while it pounded more than 1,000 sites in Gaza, disproportionately killing civilians,” noted Wright. “Americans of conscience must witness and report back on the heavy price exacted by our support of Israel, so that taxpayers back home will call for a more humane, productive use of their hard-earned dollars.”

A total of 162 Palestinians were killed during the attack. An estimated 73 percent were civilians, including more than 25 children. Five Israelis were killed. “We mourn the loss of lives on both sides,” said CODEPINK cofounder Medea Benjamin, “but we think it’s important to recognize the that the Palestinians have suffered much greater losses, and that the Israeli armaments used in the attack were financed largely by the United States, which sends Israel $3 billion in military funds every year.”

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Continue here to read the complete Press Release.

TAKE ACTION!

• Follow along: Delegation members will post reports on twitter, facebook and on www.codepink.org.
• Support GAZA! There are a number of actions you can take to support Gaza listed here.

As I write this, the petition over Walmart opening on Thanksgiving has garnered more than 30,000 Signatures (and counting!). Not to mention, Walmart workers across the US calling for a strike in an effort to end the retaliation against workers who speak out for their rights.

Our friends from The Story of Stuff released this new one-minute video parodying Black Friday, which features footage of shoppers behaving badly set to a classic holiday tune. It’s a wee bit disturbing, but worth a watch!

The Story of Stuff folks encourage viewers to “Choose Family over Frenzy.” That sounds a lot more pleasant to me! Visit their website to support striking Walmart workers and to share your mall-free holiday plans.

Here’s what Chie Abad, Global Exchange’s Sweatshop Policy Analyst (and former sweatshop-worker) wants shoppers to think about this Black Friday:

I want shoppers to be conscientious about what products they buy and think about how those products were made, where they were made, and who made them. I want people to consider the working conditions of workers who make the products and sell the products. Companies should be accountable for the working conditions of its workers.

One of the Global Exchange Gift Membership packages

Your Alternative Gift Choice to Avoid Black Friday

Instead of buying mass-produced products from big-box stores this holiday season, consider avoiding the mayhem by giving the gift of Global Exchange membership to folks on your gift list. It’s the same price as a regular annual Global Exchange membership, but it comes with extra Fair Trade gifts!

There are six membership packages to choose from, including “Support a Farmer” and “Stand for Human Rights.” You pick the gift and Global Exchange takes care of the rest. Each gift membership includes:

• One-Year Membership to Global Exchange;
• Special Gift Certificate;
• Fair Trade Gift(s) that represent Global Exchange’s work towards a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world.

To see what Fair Trade gifts are included in each package, check them out online here.

TAKE ACTION:

Ask Chie Abad to speak to your school or church about how you can create a Sweat-free community. Invite her at Chie@globalexchange.org

• Read this new report: Socially responsible shoppers concerned about the conditions of all workers around the world should check out the new comprehensive report from Free2Work, “The Story Behind the Barcode: Apparel Industry Trends from Farm to Factory.”
• Learn more about the Walmart strike: Corporate Action Network website has a video of Walmart workers speaking out.

Are you a Global Exchange supporter? Yes? Well then, you are pretty incredible, it’s true.

Throughout our near-25 years we’ve been proud to share the esteemed company of thousands of passionate, bold, and dedicated people, like you.

Your volunteering, your steady contributions, your protesting (at home and on the streets), your consideration for socially responsible travel, your Fair Trade shopping and your faith in justice – all of these actions mean the difference between dreaming a better world for people and the planet and actually making it happen.

To express our gratitude, some Global Exchange staff members gathered together recently to come up with a way to thank the people who make all of our work possible. 

The result is this short n sweet video filled with messages of thanks that come from the bottom of our hearts. We hope you enjoy it! (Oh, and keep an eye out for Abad’s cameo – Global Exchange’s friendly Labrador – who got caught with his tongue out!)

Does the gratitude train stop here?

Not at all!

This week, we’re also sharing stories of a few (five, to be exact) of the amazing individuals, like you, who make our work possible:

• Matt Ramsden, member and supporter, who keeps buying prize drawing tickets even though he has not won yet, all to support the work he cares about.
• Jenny White, superstar volunteer, chocolate lover, and scourge to corporate lobbyists.
• Jennifer Carino, former employee turned Global Exchange Monthly Supporter.
• Lea Murray, took a Reality Tour to Venezuela and came home inspired to share what she’d seen.
• and Lyla Seo, puts her values first when she shops Fair Trade at our San Francisco store.

There you have it, two different mediums, one important message, to say:

Thank you.

P.S. If you want to see all of the thank you pictures from the video (plus a few extras!), you can check them out at your leisure on our Facebook page.

A Bright Candle in the Darkness

In mid-August 2012 the Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity – led by the mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers of Mexicans murdered and disappeared during the drug war – began its sojourn across the United States. Starting from the Pacific shoreline where the wall dividing the U.S. from Mexico meets the sea, the 120-person Caravan traversed 5,700 miles holding events in 26 cities and generating extensive coverage in most of the major U.S. media markets.

On the U.S. side hundreds of people affiliated with more than 220 Caravan partner organizations – many of whom had never before worked together – joined forces to organize, support, host, feed, house, transport and finance the Caravan. A broad array of religious, police, Latino, labor, African-American, human rights, survivor, parent, artistic, peace, university, and other organizations from the U.S., Canada and Mexico endorsed the message of the Caravan. They worked with NGOs who broke policy ‘silos’ to draw the connections between U.S. drug, immigration, gun, prison, public health, Latin America, criminal justice and the twisted priorities of the drug war that continue to frustrate reform efforts.

Peace Caravan participants sharing their stories

Mexico’s peace movement arose to address a national emergency of criminal violence, institutional corruption and a moribund judicial system all combined to create a maelstrom of death and impunity. The survivors of violence, at the heart of the Caravan, have all borne searing tragedy and personal desolation. Nevertheless they stand up, speak truth and courageously work toward a future of peace, with justice and dignity for their country. By giving names and faces to just a few of the more than 65,000 dead; they’ve broken paralyzing fear and silence – mobilizing a broad movement for peace by bringing hundreds of thousands of Mexicans into the streets while engaging the government at the highest levels.

Javier Sicilia

One of these courageous survivors is the Mexican poet, Javier Sicilia, who stepped forward to give voice to the movement. In March 2011, Sicilia’s son Juan Francisco and six companions – who had nothing to do with the drug trade – were asphyxiated by cartel thugs. In response, Sicilia announced he would give up writing poetry to voice his pain and to give space to the voices of tens of thousands of other victims of Mexico’s brutal war.

In the summer of 2011 the new Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity (MPJD) organized two major Caravans from Mexico City, one to the north and another to the southern border of Mexico. They sought to connect with, console, assist and organize victims of the war.

Both Caravans were followed by televised dialogues between President Calderón and the survivors. But it quickly became clear that Calderón was impervious to advice and that that even if he were open to a new direction he would be unable to change course as long as the “Made in USA” drug war ideology held sway in Washington. That’s why Sicilia and his movement called for a third Caravan through the United States to focus on changing the errant U.S. policies on the drug war, arms trafficking, money laundering, military aid and immigration that feed Mexico’s nightmare.

All along the road the Caravan members spoke boldly and used creative non-violent actions to dramatize the issues while seeking common ground on which to build the difficult, bi-national road to peace. In San Diego, CA Mexican mothers who had lost sons or daughters embraced American mothers who had similarly lost children to violence, drugs, or prison. The mothers called out their common humanity in the first of many candle-lit vigils.

Caravan for Peace participants in front of Sheriff Arpaio’s war on drugs tank. Phoenix, AZ 2012

In Phoenix, AZ the Caravan picketed the local jail and later sat down with notorious Sherriff Joe Arpaio to question his humiliation of undocumented Mexicans. In El Paso, TX the mayor met with Caravan leaders and then successfully urged the city council to pass a resolution supporting the Caravan and its goals. This action is a clear sign that the city that shares the border with Ciudad Juarez, the Mexican city hardest hit by the drug war, understands military escalation is futile and leads to more deaths and insecurity.

Javier Sicilia holding a gun chopped in half

In Houston, TX a team from the Caravan filmed a purchase of a .357 Magnum pistol with cash and no ID at a gun show. At the same show, Caravan supporters purchased an AK- 47 that survivors later symbolically destroyed: cutting it into pieces which were encased in cement and later delivered as messages to officials in Washington.

Melchor with James Evans, Democractic Rep (MS), in front of Caravan for Peace bus parked by the State Capitol Building in Jackson, Mississippi.

In the south-east, where the Caravan was primarily hosted by African-American organizations, the drug war’s role in the mass incarceration and criminalization of whole communities came to the fore. It is not just that the U.S. has 5% of world’s population yet 25% of the world’s incarcerated or even that the number of drug offenders has increased twelvefold since 1980. It’s worse: African-Americans who comprised just 13.6% of the U.S. population in the 2010 census represented 39.4% of the U.S. prison population in 2009. Michelle Alexander, the brilliant author of The New Jim Crow, who has analyzed these issues at great depth, thanked the Caravan for prying open the debate and furthering her better understanding of the way Mexicans are suffering from the same forces that have damaged the life prospects of so many in African-American communities.

Along the Caravan’s entire path, the “caravaneros” – citizen ambassadors of Mexico’s peace movement – built new friendships and alliances, and left indelible marks in countless thousands of hearts. The collective moral force and creativity of the Caravan generated vast coverage in both Mexican and U.S. media; more than 750 unique electronic and print stories with a combined reader and viewership of more than 500 million.

Hence, even before we reached Washington D.C. and fanned out across the capitol for dozens of meetings with Congress, State Department officials, think tanks, university audiences, and in television studios, thinking about drug war strategy was inexorably pushing its way onto the U.S.- Mexico bilateral agenda at a critically important moment of political transition in both countries.

President Obama’s September 20 replies to Univision’s questions about changing drug war strategy reflect both progress and the distance the movement behind the Caravan still must travel. Obama conceded that U.S. demand for drugs drives violence and corruption in Mexico and the need for public health strategies to treat addiction and reduce demand. Unfortunately, the President went on to praise Calderón’s disastrous military campaign, calling it “courageous” and then making clear that he intends no immediate break with reigning prohibition and drug war orthodoxies.

Candlelight vigil at East Los Angeles Church for Caravan for Peace

But let’s keep in mind something else the President said earlier in the same interview. Change in Washington comes from the outside, not from inside. It is our job to keep the Caravan’s candles burning and organize that change.

TAKE ACTION!

Travel the Caravan in pictures: All along the Caravan route, photos were being snapped. You can check them all out on Flickr or on our Facebook page where we have some arranged by region; Southern CA, Southwest, Texas, and Southeast and Chicago. 

John Brennan

Having recently returned from Pakistan meeting with drone victims, on November 4 my partner Tighe Barry and I were having a leisurely Sunday morning breakfast. The discussion turned to John Brennan, Obama’s counterterrorism chief and the key person making decisions about drone strikes. We wondered if Brennan ever had a chance to meet innocent drone victims, as we did, and feel their pain.

Medea Benjamin

“Maybe we should go to his house and talk to him,” quipped Tighe. We laughed at the absurdity of the idea but decided to do a little bit of research. Fifteen minutes later, we were out the door, driving to a Virginia suburb an hour south of Washington DC. I had no idea if it was really John’s address, but it was a lovely day for a drive—and Tighe was willing to indulge me.

Exiting the freeway, we came to an area of rolling hills, green grass and private horse farms. As we approached what we thought might be John Brennan’s street, we were sure it was a mistake. How could this be? It was a nondescript upper middle class neighborhood, with children playing in the yards—no security, no government vehicles. The house was in a cul-de-sac sandwiched between two other houses, without so much as a fence surrounding it.

I decided to go knock on the door to make sure we were wrong.  A middle-aged, white-haired guy in a casual sweater and jeans opened the door, accompanied by someone who l assumed was his wife.

Could this really be John Brennan? The same man who championed “enhanced interrogation techniques” under President Bush? The same man who now decides, on “terror Tuesdays”, who will be on the CIA kill list? The guy who developed the Orwellian “disposition matrix”—a blueprint for disposing of terrorist suspects for at least another decade?

I hesitated. He looked much younger and thinner than I remembered, and he looked like such a nice man. And would someone who spent his career in the CIA and was the nation’s counterterrorism czar be answering his own door?

“John?,” I asked. “Yes,” he replied tentatively. I continued, still doubting that he was really John Brennan. “I’m sorry to bother you at your home on a Sunday, but I wanted to talk to you about a recent trip.”

“A trip?”, he asked, squinting his eyes and cocking his head to the side. “A trip to where?” “Pakistan,” I answered. “Ohhhhh,” he said.

What he really meant was, “Oh shit.” For it was at that moment I realized he was indeed John Brennan, and he realized that I knew exactly who he was.

“How did you know where I live?,” the spy-extraordinaire asked. I was suddenly nervous, knowing this was a man who put people on kill lists. Thinking quickly, I told him I had friends in the neighborhood who gave me his address.

He asked for a business card, and I ran back to get one from the car—where Tighe was waiting. We exchange looks, OMG!

When I went back and handed the card to Brennan, he glanced at it and muttered, “Ah, CODEPINK. I thought that’s who you were.” The last time we met I was being dragged out of the Woodrow Wilson Center by a 300-pound security man while yelling “I love my country! You’re making us less safe. Shame on you Mr. Brennan.”

I knew I didn’t have much time so I start(ed) talking fast—telling him I had just returned from a delegation to Pakistan meeting with drone victims, how heartbroken I was to hear their stories, how terrible it is that these drone attacks are causing so much suffering to innocent people and turning the entire Pakistani population against us.

He insisted that it wasn’t true, that we weren’t harming civilians. “But we met with people who lost their children, their fathers, their loved ones—we have photos of little children….” I wanted to say so much more. I wanted to tell him about the journalist Karim Khan who lost his son and brother or about 16-year-old Tariq Aziz, who was killed when trying to document drone strikes. I wanted to talk to him about the statistics provided by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism that say conservative estimates of civilian casualties add up over 1,000.

“It’s just not true,” he repeated, dismissively. “You are being manipulated.”

By this time, the woman who joined him at the door had become very agitated. “You shouldn’t be coming to our house on a Sunday. We rarely get to see him as it is. You should talk to him in an appropriate place.”

I pleaded. “I’ve tried many times to do that, but never receive a response.” I asked for a number where I could reach him to set up a meeting, but he refused. “I have your information, I can reach you,” he claimed, waving my bright pink business card in the air.

Worried that he might be about to call in the police, or the CIA, or maybe even a drone, I finally desisted and thanked him for his time. “I want you to know, John, that I am doing this from my heart, because I care about the lives of innocent people everywhere and I care about our country.” With that, he slammed the door.
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Medea Benjamin, Co-Director of Code Pink and Co-founder of Global Exchange, is author of Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control.

Since 2006 more than 600 garment workers have died in sweatshop factory fires while sewing clothing for giant fashion companies, like GAP, H&M, JCPenney, and Abercrombie.

Future tragic deaths could be prevented if companies like GAP would follow the lead of brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein, by agreeing to a fire safety program that includes worker input, transparency, and binding commitments to protect workers.

Garment workers point toward the burning That’s It Sportswear factory, a GAP supplier. 29 workers died in the factory fire on December 14, 2010, many falling to their deaths from the upper floors of the building because locked stairway doors barred their escape. (c) Andrew Biraj / Reuters.

Six months ago GAP publicly promised it would sign on to a worker safety program similar to the Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein agreement. Instead this month GAP reverted to the same old public relations stunts by announcing their own, corporate-controlled, fire safety program – one that includes no legal commitments to workers, no oversight by worker organizations, and no transparency. This is yet another version of GAP saying: ‘trust us; we care about our workers’ – like the programs they had in place when 29 workers were killed at their Bangladeshi supplier in December 2010.

Join Bangladeshi and international unions and labor groups that are calling on GAP to commit to a meaningful fire safety program that will protect the lives of the company’s sweatshop workers. Take action and send a message to GAP.

If you are in the Bay Area, take action with us. Join the rally at GAP’s flagship store in San Francisco. Former sweatshop worker, Carmencita Chie Abad will be speaking. Saturday, October 27 at 1pm.

Global Exchange Caravan for Peace interns Chelsea (left) and Louise (right) at a rest stop along the Caravan route

The following is a post by GX/Caravan intern Chelsea Brown, who is traveling with the Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity. Global Exchange Executive Director Carleen Pickard who traveled last week on the Caravan, describes Chelsea as the “calmest force behind the Caravan for Peace scenes.”

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As the Caravan for Peace rolls along its ambitious route of 25 American cities in 30 days, we have been participating in marches, rallies, protests, and vigils to raise public awareness about the immense number of lives lost to the drug war in Mexico and in the U.S. We seek to not only be seen, but to be heard: to raise our voices in unison so civil society and policy makers from coast to coast will know our demands.

Caravan chanter in Laredo TX. Photo Credit: Global Exchange

Here is a bi-lingual breakdown of our most common shouts so you can jump right in if the Caravan comes to a town near you, followed by a video of chants in action:

Some gritos (yells) the Caravan participants use originated with the initial mass mobilizations in Mexico of the Movimiento por la Paz (Movement for Peace), where bereaved families and civil society activists began to demand government accountability for the atrocities resulting from drug war policies.

Caravan for Peace chanters

Today members of the Movimiento continue to voice their outrage about the Mexican government’s failure to provide assistance in the search for the disappeared, chanting: “Vivos los llevaron! ! Vivos los queremos!” (Alive, they took them. Alive, we want them!) This grito corresponds with the posters that the family members of the victims hold with them, showing the faces of their sons, daughters, husbands, wives, brothers, and sisters that were kidnapped or forcibly disappeared, with no trace of their whereabouts.

Javier Sicilia and fellow Caravaneros chanting

Another popular chant is “Que queremos? Justicia! Cuando? Ahora!” (“What do we want? Justice! When? Now!”)  This refers to facts like only 2% of the crimes in Mexico are investigated and solved. This statistic is even more shocking given what Javier Sicilia frequently describes during speeches as the 72,000 murders connected to the drug war that have occurred during President Calderon’s term in office.

While the Caravan was in the Southwest, we were either close to or actually touching the border between the U.S. and Mexico. Many Caravan allied organizations in this region focus on immigration reform and holding the government accountable for the human rights abuses perpetrated against migrants. So some common gritos have been borrowed from those commonly used in the immigration reform movement, including “ningun ser human es illegal!” (no human is illegal!)  and the classic “el pueblo unido jamas sera vencido!”  (the people, united, will never be defeated).

Chanters on both sides of the Rio Grande chanting back and forth.

Another gritos session took place across a river, the Rio Grande, to be specific. At sunset on August 22^nd, after a 10 hour journey from El Paso, the Caravan went directly to the bridge that spans the river dividing Laredo, TX from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Mexican civil society groups gathered on the Mexico side, while across the narrow river we bellowed gritos of solidarity and of hope, including “Obama, eschucha, estamos en la lucha!” (Obama, listen, we are in the fight!)

Caravan participants at the Vigil for Peace in Brownsville, TX

A few nights later, we stood at the metal fence in Brownsville, Texas, the tip of the state where the border dips into the Gulf of Mexico. Into the darkness on the other side, members of the Caravan and local families yelled the names of loved ones lost to drug war-related violence: an endless roll call of pre-maturely dead. The entire crowd would respond with a shiver-inducing cry in unison “PRESENTE!” (PRESENT!)

The Caravan is traveling across the U.S. demanding peace with justice and dignity and an end to the senseless drug wars rending families and communities across the continent. We are present, we are united, and we will not be defeated.

Join us as we continue our gritos along the Caravan route. Below are ways you can take action in support of the Caravan for Peace, but first, here’s that video of chants in action that I promised you:

TAKE ACTION!

Follow the Caravan on…

• Twitter: @CaravanaUSA
• Facebook: Facebook.com/Caravan4Peace
• Hashtag: #Caravan4Peace #CaravanaUSA
• Caravan for Peace website:  caravanforpeace.org
• Global Exchange People-to-People blog: Caravan Road Reports or Subscribe via RSS to receive new posts automatically

CARAVAN PHOTOS

Check out Caravan photos from the road…

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/globalexchange
Facebook: Southern California photos. South-West photos. Texas photos.

LEND YOUR SUPPORT: Donations are still needed, now more than ever, to help fund this important trip. Will you give?

The Caravan for Peace consists of two full size buses carrying the caravanistas across the United States and, to date, one RV.

The RV looks funny tailing the buses wrapped with the Caravan for Peace banner and the Movimiento Por la Paz dove that has become iconic to the movement, because it’s one of those CruiseAmerica vans that clog campgrounds and National Parks every summer and are typically viewed as greedy, gas guzzling monsters contributing to climate change.

The buses make sense. The Caravan for Peace is itself meant to be a spectacle – our branding is visible and proud and at each rest stop or restaurant we offload and talk to anyone and everyone about our travel and our mission. The victims from Mexico spend time together, with U.S. riders and Mexicans and U.S. media, giving lots of time for coverage. Their solidarity with each other grows each day and people’s good-night hugs grow stronger when we get split up into home stays.

But even I’ve been thinking – an RV? Really?

I boarded our RV monster at 5am today (Wednesday) and for the next 10 hours en route from El Paso to Laredo, TX I’ve thought very carefully about its service to the Caravan for Peace.  As I’m part of the Committee in charge of the overall finances, I need to be mindful about it’s cost versus benefit to the Caravan. Can we keep it? Should we keep it?

Firstly, it’s used as a ‘peace room’. Organizers meet en route and review the day’s agenda, make changes to the schedule, come up with new ideas for actions as we approach cities and pieces fall into place (look out, Houston!). Reviews are also done of the previous days, so that we are sure to take our new experiences forward.

Javier Sicilia giving a mobile interview

For example, this morning we talked about the City Council meeting in El Paso yesterday, thought through the presentations by Javier and  Ruben Garcia of Annunciation House, and agreed we can be a little more clever in our messaging at the next opportunity to speak to elected officials.

Second, it acts as Javier’s mobile interview room. There is never a moment – even while we are en route – without a reporter around and the RV acts as a quiet(ish) place to conduct an interview. After addressing the crowd in El Paso on Monday night, Javier was swarmed by reporters and could barely make it back to the RV.

Third, over and above the organizing and the planning, we organizers are learning too.

Gas pump for the RV!

This morning Oscar Chacon of National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities (NALACC) in Chicago talked through his vision of the Caravan ‘planting a seed’ for the future of successful progressive organizing, building on his decades of experience organizing immigrant Latino communities. Roberto Lovato of Presente.org supported our media strategy planning, advising on the delicate line to tell victims’ stories, but not exploit the story for the purpose of ‘getting the hit’. He later, and somewhat privately, takes Javier aside and records an interview with him about his poetry. And Janice Gallagher – an amazing woman leading most of the logistical planning for the Movimiento por la Paz continues to blaze our path forward, modeling calm and dedicated organizing.

So, I’m not sure. Do we keep this beast, which does provide a decent mobile meeting and interview space, and some solace between city stops? We’ll see.

TAKE ACTION!

Follow the Caravan on…

• Twitter: @CaravanaUSA
• Facebook: Facebook.com/Caravan4Peace
• Hashtag: #Caravan4Peace #CaravanaUSA
• Caravan for Peace website:  caravanforpeace.org
• Global Exchange People-to-People blog: Caravan Road Reports or Subscribe via RSS to receive new posts automatically

CARAVAN PHOTOS

Check out Caravan photos from the road…

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/globalexchange
Facebook: Southern California photos. South-West photos. Texas photos.

Lend Your Support: Donations are still being accepted to help fund this important trip. Will you give?

Javier Sicilia and fellow activists during Peace Caravan in L.A.

The Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity is on the road! Starting on Sunday August 12th, the Caravan lead by Javier Sicilia and Mexico’s Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity is traveling across the United States calling for an end to the drug war.

Who’s behind the Caravan? The Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity and Global Exchange are proud to partner with a broad, growing coalition of groups dedicated to changing our national debate on the Drug War.

More than 80 victims of Mexico’s drug war who traveled across the US/Mexico border to take part in the Caravan have been joined by others (including some Global Exchange staff and interns) north of the border to urge the U.S. public to rethink the failed strategies of the war on drugs. Victims of the violence in Mexico are speaking at stops along the way, to share their testimonies of suffering and courage.

John Lindsay-Poland of Fellowship of the Reconciliation getting tied up during action in front of L.A. city hall.

Global Exchange’s Zarah Patriana who is in LA with the Caravan described the scene today; “The weather continues to be hot, but the caravan marches on!”

Caravan participants gathered at City Hall for a portion of the day’s ‘s activities. A handful of activists including GX friend John Lindsay-Poland of Fellowship of the Reconciliation got tied up for an action in front of city hall representing the number of people who have disappeared — desaparecidos.

Earlier in the morning the L.A. City Council passed a resolution supporting the Caravana.

In the news…

There has been a ton of press coverage for the Caravan thus far. Here’s just a sampling:

• CNN: Mexican poet prepares U.S. peace march
• LA Opinión: Hollywood joins the Caravan for Peace headed by Sicilia (Spanish)
• The Nation: Can the Caravan of Peace End the War on Drugs?
• Los Angeles Times: Mexican activist, poet brings Caravan for Peace to U.S.
• AFP: Drug war ‘peace caravan’ woos Hollywood

Listen Up!

This Soundcloud audio clip from KPFA 94.1-FM in Berkeley is a great listen! Victims of US/Mexico Drug War Lead Caravan for Peace  

Picture this:

Check out some of the photos from the Caravan journey thus far on Facebook  or Flickr.

TAKE ACTION!

Follow the Caravan on…

• Twitter: @CaravanaUSA
• Facebook: Facebook.com/Caravan4Peace
  
• Caravan for Peace website:  caravanforpeace.org
  
• Global Exchange People-to-People blog: Caravan Road Reports or Subscribe via RSS to receive new posts automatically

Lend Your Support: Donations are still being accepted to help fund this important trip. Will you give?