Webinars: News & Updates

This Thursday, December 12 at 3 pm ET CISPES will be hosting an important conversation about political persecution in El Salvador today, including political imprisonment, a repressive tactic not seen in El Salvador since the days of the civil war.

Bukele has made persecution of his political opponents, the grassroots opposition, and the independent press a hallmark of his regime. Just this week, police raided the homes of several journalists and artists, taking computers, hard drives, USB drives and other personal property - without even giving them a reason why. 

The raids confirm that Bukele’s widespread violation of due process and human rights is not limited to a supposed war on corruption or on gangs but is used to attack critics.

We are fortunate to hear from two leaders in the struggle to free political prisoners: Lourdes Palacios, coordinator of the Committee of Relatives of Political Prisoners and the Politically Persecuted (COFAPPES), and Ivania Cruz, attorney with the Human and Community Rights Defense Unit (UNIDEHC). 

They will share information about several high-profile cases of political prisoners - including recent victories and ongoing challenges - and the important role that international solidarity campaigns have and will continue to play in the struggle for their freedom.

The webinar will be in Spanish (available via streaming on YouTube and Facebook). For interpretation to English and/or to join the Q&A, please register to join on Zoom here. 

Given that Trump has promised to persecute his political enemies and threats are on the rise against domestic dissent, we hope this conversation will offer timely, useful insights on effective organizing and solidarity. In the face of threats of mass deportations, it’s also critical that we understand the cruel realities of policing and prisons in El Salvador for asylum seekers and other immigrants who may be targeted. 

It’s been an election like no other: polarizing, ugly, passionately contested. The results suggest a realignment of U.S. politics and a rightward shift in national policies and priorities. Yet most our greatest concerns were invisible during the campaigns.

Join Cleveland Peace Action for a panel and audience discussion, in-person and on Zoom, of the election and its implications for our work. They will address Palestine, the growing risk of nuclear war, the iron grip of the military-industrial complex, climate change, Latin America and immigration, and party politics.

register here for the online version: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMscO2pqTMvGdLzi1Afgi0RwdSyNiHeQb5y#/registration

Where is trade policy headed — and what is the role of trade justice activists — now that Donald Trump has won control of the White House?

A global 3-day conference on nonviolent resistance in the face of invasions, occupations, and military violence.

You say you’re against war, but what’s the alternative? Managing conflict nonviolently is one of the three core strategies of World BEYOND War’s alternative global security system. But when the rule of law and diplomacy are failing and violence is underway, both seasoned activists and newcomers alike often question whether unarmed resistance can be effective against military invasion, occupation, and war. Throughout three days of virtual panels, training, and discussion sessions, #NoWar2023 will make the case for the efficacy of nonviolent resistance as a tool for conflict resolution, highlighting case studies from around the world of unarmed civilian based defense against invasions, occupations, and dictatorships.

Hosted virtually on the Zoom Events platform, World BEYOND War’s #NoWar2023 annual global conference brings together peace and anti-war individuals and organizations from around the world to share, reflect, strategize, and organize towards the abolition of war.

View the agenda and schedual at: https://worldbeyondwar.org/nowar2023/#nowar2023schedule

Get your tickets at: https://actionnetwork.org/ticketed_events/nowar2023-virtual-global-confe...

You're invited to join World BEYOND War, United4Change Center (U4C), the Rotary Peace Fellowship Alumni Association (RPAA), and Peace First for a 5-Part Webinar Series Focused on Reimaging Peace and Security in Latin America & the Caribbean.

The series will provide spaces for reflection and dialogue, feature leading experts from the region, and connect, train, and support young leaders to carry out high-impact peace projects aimed at addressing urgent community needs on the ground.

What: Webinar Series: Reimaging Peace and Security in Latin America & the Caribbean
 

Webinar 5: Showcase of Youth-Led Initiatives, Wednesday, September 20, 2023, 6 – 8 pm ET

Webinar 5 provides young people with a platform to present the processes and outcomes of their youth-led peace projects to a wide, international, audience.

Webinar 4 includes an online training session aimed at building the capacity of young people around peace projects and project management. This training session will feed into the development of youth-led peace projects.

Who is the webinar series for? The webinar series is for those interested in peace and security issues in Latin America & the Caribbean. It will be of much interest to those working in the fields of peace education; peacebuilding; youth, peace, and security work in general, and to young leaders in particular. The webinar series may also appeal to those working on similar issues in different parts of the world.

The webinars will feature speakers in their native language and include simultaneous interpretation and translation services in Spanish, Portuguese, and English.

Join Equal Exchange and Joe Maxwell from Farm Action for a deep dive on the Farm Bill and how you can make a difference!

The Farm Bill—a massive piece of legislation that is revisited every five years—provides a unique opportunity to raise our voices and press our political leaders for change. It covers everything from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) to subsidies for corporate agribusiess to many other programs that either help or hinder access to locally grown, healthy, sustainably sourced crops and humanely raised animals.

Joe will provide background on the farm bill and share Farm Action’s time-sensitive strategy to encourage meaningful change in this next bill. Collaborating with Farm Action, there is a unique opportunity to engage in this critical campaign to advocate for justice in a dangerously consolidated industrial food system. Together, we can make progress and build a more diverse and independent future that will work for farmers, workers, the planet, and you!

Registration at: https://equalexchange.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZctf-yupj0oHNX_fShK3i_VO...

Join a discussion of the latest developments in key regions of the world with several authors of the new anthology: SANCTIONS: A Wrecking Ball in a Global Economy. 

Case Western:

Our Think Tank is centered around the theme of “A Balm for What Ails Us: Respect. Renew. Reimagine.” Our goal is to provide space for envisioning what liberation looks like for communities historically and currently marginalized by oppressive systems. We know that we cannot envision until we have healed, and we cannot heal until we have acknowledged our history. Our ambition is to foster conversations and reignite passion for social justice across the Cleveland community. We hope you will join us.