Today, President Obama unveiled an expansive plan to tackle gun violence. For so many of us focused on ending the bloodshed that has devastated communities on both sides of the border, this is encouraging news.
We wanted to THANK YOU for adding YOUR voice to the groundswell calling for an end to gun violence. Earlier this week, the petition that many of you signed urging President Obama to better enforce and tighten lax U.S. gun laws that traffickers exploit to get guns and smuggle them into Mexico was delivered to Vice President Biden’s task force on gun violence . As you may recall, this is the same petition initiated by groups from Mexico’s Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity in partnership with LAWG and dozens of faith-based, human rights and anti-gun violence groups from both sides of the border.
by Lisa Haugaard and Jennifer Johnsonon January 16, 2013
As we continue our national conversation about gun violence in the aftermath of the Newtown elementary school shootings, let's also consider a plea from our neighbors in Mexico. One hundred thousand people -- yes, 100,000 people -- have been killed in the violence that has devastated Mexico in the last six years. Twenty-five thousand people have disappeared. Seven thousand bodies lie unidentified in morgues.
No question, Mexico’s new President Enrique Peña Nieto was faced with many profound and pressing human rights issues when he assumed office on December 1st. With human rights defenders and journalists enduring alarming levels of threats and attacks in Mexico, including targeted killings and disappearances by both state and non-state actors that have gone largely uninvestigated and unpunished, many are calling on Peña Nieto to commit to provide the political will and resources needed to protect defenders and journalists and prevent future attacks.
Just days before his inauguration on December 1st, Mexico’s president-elect Enrique Peña Nieto will make a short visit to Washington, DC to meet with President Obama and leaders in Congress to discuss the U.S.-Mexico relationship in the next sexenio. In a recent guest op-ed in the Washington Post, Peña Nieto made clear his desire to shift the focus of the bilateral relationship away from security concerns and the fight against organize crime towards trade and economic interests.
Wow. What an incredible year of activism we’ve seen from you.
As we all prepare to give thanks with family and friends later this week we wanted to ensure you knew how thankful we are for the tremendous difference you’ve made this year as a committed LAWGista. No matter the type of activism; from sending scolding emails to the Cuba desk at the State Department and the Office of Foreign Assets Control and to your Representative demanding that the U.S. enforce human rights requirements in Mexico to taking over social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter so that GM would hear out the members of ASOTRECOL, or the overwhelming amount of financial support we received for our Cuba program last week. Simply put, thank you.
You’ve made a world of difference and we’ll continue to fight for justice in Latin America, together.
To show you just how much we mean thanks, our staff put together this short and sweet video to drive the message home.
Save the Date & Kick off your Holiday Season in a Spirited Fashion!
Join the Latin America Working Group Education Fund staff, friends, and fellow Latin Americanists for our holiday happy hour at The Passenger in Washington, D.C.
Why: To support the Latin America Working Group Education Fund, mix and mingle with LAWGEF staff and fellow Latin Americanists, and kick off your holiday season in a spirited fashion!
The Latin America Working Group Education Fund will receive 10 percent of the total sales from our group during this special time. We hope that you will join us and bring along a few friends!
For more information, please check out our Facebook invite or contact Ruth I. Robles at
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or 202-546-7010 ext. 103.
See you there!
P.S. In the spirit of the holidays and OUR way to show appreciation of you all, the first 10 people to purchase a drink will receive a LAWG tote bag!
We were proud to join with YOU and so many partners and allies in hosting Mexico’s Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity here in our nation’s capitol last month. Highlights of their 3-day stop in Washington, D.C. included a TV-camera crowded press conference on the steps of a Capitol Hill church and a ‘lobby day’ where teams of victims and advocates deployed all over Capitol Hill to tell their stories to individual members and congressional aides. The historic visit ended with a moving vigil and march through Columbia Heights to a final event in Malcolm X Park, a dramatic poetry reading by the Mexican poet Javier Sicilia, whose reaction to his son’s murder sparked the movement, and a stirring speech by the legendary farmworker union leader, Dolores Huerta.
In September, LAWG and other partners hosted Mexico's Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity for their 3-day stop in Washington, D.C. In D.C. the Caravan was a success thanks to your support and that of the greater D.C. community. Watch this slideshow to learn more about how they spent their time in D.C.
Our Campaigns 
ovember 19, 5 – 8 p.m. 
