Major changes in the U.S. Congress. A new government in Colombia that’s more open to dialogue, but threats against human rights defenders and community leaders still on the rise. Pressure building to move forward with a harmful U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.
With everything that’s going on right now, we can tell that we’ll need a lot of help from you to promote peace and justice in U.S. policy towards Colombia this year. So while you’re filling in your calendar for the next six months, we wanted to make sure you get these Colombia to-dos on the list:
- February—Get connected! “Like” our Facebook page “Stand for Land Rights in Colombia,” where you’ll get regular action alerts and news updates from Colombia and Washington and be able to talk about what’s going on with other activists like you! Read our new report Breaking the Silence: In Search of Colombia’s Disappeared. Then, look out for the petition we’re about to launch to stop movement on the Free Trade Agreement and pass it along to your networks.
- March—Attend the Ecumenical Advocacy Days conference on March 25-28th, where four women pastors from Colombia and the United States will present on “Women Resisting Militarization through Faith Communities in Colombia” alongside women leaders from Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Haiti. Click here to register!
- April—Join thousands of activists, students, and people of faith throughout April in the National Days of Prayer and Action for Peace in Colombia. Organize your family, community, or church to create messages of solidarity that we’ll be sending to communities facing violence in Colombia and participate in the National Call-in Day on April 11th to advocate for U.S. policies that will alleviate, not exacerbate, Colombia’s crisis.
- May to August—If you’re in the Midwest or on the West Coast, attend or host Remember Me, the exhibit that is bringing the voices of the Colombia’s silenced to communities around the United States. LAWG staff will be speaking about Colombia at installations in select cities on the West Coast. If you’re interested in hosting, let us know now!
Now, don’t worry if you can’t check every box. We know you’re busy. But we’re excited to have lots of opportunities to collaborate with you this year and we hope you are too!
