by Ruth Isabel Robles
on September 05, 2012
  
Featuring:
Joy Olson
Executive Director, WOLA
Sergio Aguayo
Professor, Center for International Studies, El Colegio de Mexico (Mexico City)
Tom Diaz
Senior Policy Analyst, Violence Policy Center
(Speaker from the Caravan for Peace, TBD)
Lindner Family Commons
Elliott School of International Affairs
George Washington University
1957 E Street Northwest
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
To RSVP, please click here.
For more information, please contact Clay Boggs at
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Countless families across Mexico have been devastated by drug-related violence, with an estimated 60,000 drug-related deaths since Mexican President Felipe Calderón took office in 2006. In 2011, the son of Mexican poet Javier Sicilia was found murdered, presumably by organized crime gunmen. Out of this grief, a peace movement in Mexico has emerged. This influential movement has mobilized and united thousands across Mexico to call for an end to the violence, joining in cross-country marches, holding vigils and processions, and engaging in dialogue with Mexico’s highest political leaders.
On August 12, 2012, over 100 members of the Peace Movement crossed the border from Tijuana to San Diego to start a month-long caravan across the United States to raise awareness about violence in Mexico and to engage in dialogue with victims of violence in the United States.
The Peace Movement has identified U.S. arms trafficking to Mexico as a critical bi-national issue. According to the ATF, 70 percent of guns recovered by Mexican authorities and submitted for tracing in the past three years are of U.S. origin. The United States must do its part to stop the massive flow of weapons across its borders. If powerful assault weapons are readily available close to the border, they will continue to make their way into the hands of criminal groups.
Please join us for this timely and important discussion about the violence in Mexico, arms trafficking from the United States, and the role of the Peace Movement in a bi-national campaign to stem the flow of arms across the border.
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by Ruth Isabel Robles
on July 23, 2012
Estamos hasta la madre -- it means, “we’ve had enough.”
Last year, Javier Sicilia experienced a parent’s worst nightmare: his 24-year-old son, Juan Francisco, was murdered in Mexico’s deadly “drug war,” one of 60,000 men, women and children to fall victim to brutal violence in the past six years.
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by Ruth Isabel Robles
on September 04, 2012
Para la versión en ingles, haga click aquí.
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by Ruth Isabel Robles
on July 09, 2012
Mexico’s Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity (MPJD), led by Mexican poet Javier Sicilia, will tour the United States this summer in a Caravan for Peace (#CaravanaUSA). The Caravan will travel more than 6,000 miles to more than 25 cities, starting on Sunday, August 12th in San Diego and ending in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, September 12th.
The MPJD was born out of a father’s grief over his son’s death and a country’s pain for the 50,000 to 71,000 dead, 10,000 disappeared, and the thousands more displaced by President Calderon’s “war on drugs” which began in December 2006. In Mexico, the MPJD serves as a platform for victims of violence to share their stories and demand an end to this failed offensive against organized crime that has left a "trail of death, pain, and corruption in its path." Last year, the MPJD launched two similar caravans to the North and South of Mexico, where victims we able to express the consequences of the "drug war" in their own voices.
Read Javier Sicilia’s invitation to join the US Peace Caravan
Javier Sicilia and the MPJD hope the Caravan will spark a bi-national dialogue, in which victims on both sides of the border can share their collective pain and search for common solutions towards a much-needed peace. Through this dialogue, the Caravan hopes to “inspire U.S. civil society to stem the flow of illegal weapons into Mexico, to support humane and health-oriented alternatives to drug prohibition, and to demand more effective, non-violent security strategies.”
Want to get involved? Fill out this volunteer form or send an email to
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To view the Caravan’s route, click here.
To read the Caravan’s mission statement, click here.
To check out the Caravan's official website, click here.
Check out Global Exchange for more information.
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by Ruth Isabel Robles
on September 04, 2012
 For Spanish Flyer, click here.
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by Ruth Isabel Robles
on July 03, 2012
U.S. Peace Caravan Route-- San Diego to Washington, D.C.: August 12 - September 12
San Diego, CA – Sunday, Aug 12
Los Angeles, CA - Monday – Tuesday, Aug 13 - Aug 14
Phoenix, AZ – Wednesday, Aug 15
Tucson, AZ – Thursday, Aug 16
Las Cruces, NM – Friday, Aug 17
Albuquerque/Santa Fe, NM – Saturday, Aug 18
Santa Fe, NM – Sunday, Aug 19
Rest Day, Santa Fe, NM – Monday, Aug 20
El Paso, TX – Tuesday, Aug 21
Laredo, TX – Wednesday, Aug 22
Harlingen/Brownsville, TX – Thursday, Aug 23
McAllen/San Antonio, TX – Friday, Aug 24
Austin, TX – Saturday, Aug 25
Houston, TX – Sunday, Aug 26
New Orleans, LA – Monday, Aug 27
Jackson, MS Rest Day – Tuesday, Aug 28
Montgomery, AL – Wednesday,Aug 29
Atlanta/Ft Benning, GA – Thursday - Friday, Aug 30 - 31
Louisville, KY– Saturday, Sept 1
Travel Night to Chicago, IL & Rest Day – Sunday, Sept 2
Chicago, IL – Monday - Tuesday, Sep 3-4
Cleveland, OH – Wednesday, Sept 5
New York, NY – Thursday - Friday, Sept 6-7
Baltimore, MD – Saturday - Sunday, Sept 8-9
Washington, D.C. – Monday - Wednesday, Sept 10-12
Feel like getting involved? Fill out this volunteer form or send an email to
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