Thursday, September 07, 2006

Latin America Solidarity Coalition Conference: Alternatives to Empire

Latin America Solidarity Coalition Conference

ALTERNATIVES TO EMPIRE
April 14-15, 2007 - Chicago, Illinois

The 4th national Latin America Solidarity Coalition conference (LASC IV) will take place next spring in Chicago. US grassroots solidarity activists will be joined by activists and organizers from Latin America and the Caribbean to plan, evaluate and celebrate the growing US Latin America solidarity movement.

The Americas have a strong legacy of resistance. From the Mapuche struggle for land and autonomy against the conquistadors to the successful fight to force U.S.-owned Occidental Petroleum out of Ecuador earlier this year; from Simon Bolivar's struggle for freedom from Spain and slavery to the Cuban, Sandinista, and modern day Bolivarian Revolutions -- no decade has passed without seeing people coming together to fight subjugation. Millions of Latin Americans, dispossessed by Neoliberal Capitalism, imperialist looting, militarization and repression are defying the racist system of violence and domination with increasing frequency and effectiveness. Popular movements are gaining influence throughout the hemisphere.

Participants in the Latin America Solidarity Coalition conference will exchange information on the state of the campaigns against military, political, and economic U.S. Intervention in Latin America and the Caribbean and develop action plans. Art and culture, which is an integral part of grassroots movement building throughout the Americas, will be a strong component of the conference.

LASC IV will be a space for reflection and discussion about vision, strategy and tactics, with workshops featuring activists with decades of experience addressing some of the most pressing issues on the left. Where do we want to go and how do we plan to get there? What does it mean to be anti-capitalist in terms of our daily practice? How do we implement strategies that challenge current power structures without falling into the reformist trap? How do we build multi-cultural, multi-ethnic movements? And more...

SUPPORT THE ORGANIZING EFFORT
National and local grassroots organizations that practice the solidarity model of organizing and agree with the core principles of the Latin America Solidarity Coalition (see www.lasolidarity.org < http://www.lasolidarity.org > ) are invited to join the LASC and participate in planning and shaping the conference. Send an email to Info@LASolidarity.org to endorse or volunteer.

If you individually or organizationally are able to contribute financially to this project, please send a check or money order to LASC, c/o CISPES, P.O. Box 8560, New York, NY 10116. The organizing of a national conference like this is a huge undertaking and wouldn't be possible without the support of grassroots activists. Your contribution will help to cover the expenses for outreach materials, transportation costs, food, money for scholarships and equipment needs.

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