Help Raise Funds to Send Folks to SOA

This month of November, from the 19th-21st, more than 20 folks from the Madison Campus Community will caravan down to Fort Benning, Georgia to join thousands from around the world in an annual vigil and protest. The reason for this annual vigil is to show resistance and opposition to The School of the Americas (SOA) and the innumerable injustices that have been direct results of this combat training school for Latin American soldiers.

The SOA, renamed the “Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation” in 2001 was initially established in Panama in 1946. It was kicked out of that country in 1984 under the terms of the Panama Canal Treaty. Former Panamanian President, Jorge Illueca, stated that the School of the Americas was the “biggest base for destabilization in Latin America.”

The SOA, frequently dubbed the “School of Assassins,” has left a trail of blood and suffering in every country where its graduates have returned.

Over its 59 years, the SOA has trained over 60,000 Latin American soldiers in counterinsurgency techniques, sniper training, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. These graduates have consistently used their skills to wage a war against their own people. Among those targeted by SOA graduates are educators, union organizers, religious workers, student leaders, and others who work for the rights of the poor. Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been tortured, raped, assassinated, “disappeared,” massacred, and forced into refugee by those trained at the School of Assassins.

We have been raising money for our transportation and lodging. PLEASE help us make this trip posssible for the folks from the Madison Campus Community!

How you can help us make this trip a reality:

1. We are selling lovely hand made Earrings for $10!
Ask the person who gave you this flyer about purchasing some.

2. We are hosting a SHOW/PARTY/FUNDRAISER
When: Saturday November 13th from 8pm-2am
Where: Fiesta 38 located at 604 South Park Street.
Price: Tickets are $10
*BUT, if you buy them NOW from the person who gave you this flyer you can get them for $7!

3. If you do not like or want to purchase earrings and you cannot make it to the party this Saturday we are also accepting donations!

Any way you can help is appreciated.
Thanks so much!

Find out more: http://www.soaw.org/

rap

"i hate sittin in class, listening to assholes
they insights on race like fishin in a blacchole
bacc home, cracc smokes our last hope
they been tryna locc us up since we was tadpoles,
we really die
while whites sit in schools and theorize
and herein lies the problem
those apart of it, in classrooms tryna solve em/ appallin
they like cops in the hood, who called 'em?"

Upset the Set-up

Stop the Rail to Jail Project Update:

First, we have been talking over the phone with county and city directors within the juvenile justice system. In this, we have been asking them specific questions about how much money goes into each area of the system. We want to know how much money is going into detention and community based programs like ComVida. This will help us and others see that more money is going into detention (an option that causes more harm than good for young people especially youth of color). Also in this, we are getting a feel for who the people are that make these decisions and whether or not they could be allies with us.

The next project that we are working on is getting in touch with program coordinators within the community that cater to young people in the Northeast and Southwest sides of Madison (these are regions of the city with the highest arrest rates). In this, we have specific information that we are looking for. Since most crimes having to do with young people take place during the after school hours we are wanting to see if community based programs are open and accessible to teens at this time. We want to know what programs are available, who runs them (whether people of color or people living within these neighborhoods), who they cater to (as far as youth demographics), and what their mission statement is.

Our last project revolves around connecting directly with the community. That is, we have set up a meeting with a high school group in town that is working in a restorative justice program. This meeting will give us a chance to ask these teens about their experience with the juvenile justice system and different community based programs around the city. We want to know the specific barriers they have and continue to face with the juvenile justice system as well as their experience of community programs (their likes, dislikes, and recommendations).

Goals:

During the month of November we are going to be working on two "deliverable" projects. The first will take data that we have gathered (from speaking with directors and coordinators of the juvenile justice system and community programs as well as high school youth) and compile it into an informational pamphlet. While the second will be a media project in collaboration with the ComVida group (in this, we have been thinking about putting together a public blog with extended information from our pamphlet and links to different community programs and other helpful information).

Foodies Group Project report-back

Hi all!

Here is what "the foodies" have been up to so far:

-We have been meeting with various community partners, UW Student Organizations, UW faculty, UW grad and undergrad students collecting information and data to create a meta-anaylsis on food justice within Madison (specifically the south park street area).

-We have been gathering data through library searches on medicinal herbs, especially use among the Hmong community

-We have been making connections, developing contacts, and networking like crazy to try and find out as much as we can

-We have had some really great meetings with the Community Pharmacy, Red Sage, Slow Food, organizers of various farmers markets, and nursing students

-We have been observing local farmers markets for products, vender, and buyer demographics

Our goals for November:

-Create a GIS map, citing alternative medicine providers

-Foster a community Dialogue

At this point out tentative date is December 2nd. The event will be held at night, and most likely in the memorial

union. please let us know if you would like to attend our participate! We are inviting various community

organizations whom center themselves around alternative forms of medicine.

-IRB approval

-Work independently on our meta-analysis

-Herb anthology?

Popular education workshops for remainder of semester - ideas/suggestions

(Disclaimer: I can't promise to get to them all, but we will try our best. Please comment, weigh in with new ideas as well as feedback on those expressed already).

Training on safe space

Interview training (point of clarification: Do you mean research interviews, not job interviews?)

Specialized PAVE workshop: colonization and violence prevention

What is popular education - historically, politically, indigenous underpinnings...?

Questions for classmates for second writing assignment

Questions for classmates for second writing assignment

Please comment to add your questions. Reminder: these are suggestions for people to add into their responses to the writing assignment due 11/24
*********************************************************************************

What has this class done to you? After you leave this class, how will you apply what you have gained?

Putting yourself in the shoes of those we help/ally with. How do you see yourself?

How can we support these projects even after we leave the class?

How can we document our work so that it can be effectively passed down to future cohorts of these projects?

What is your own history? (Life)

In what ways are you privileged?

What are things that make you uncomfortable about the work you are doing?

Ideas for retreat

Ideas for retreat (please comment!, note that Anjali and Beda have volunteered to help coordinate the retreat!):

Goals:
Closer connections with each other


Activities:
Trust building
Communication strengthening
Culturarte (art workshop as a way to document work/learnings)
Guided meditation (Rachel H has a good one)
Conversation on what to do with the rest of our life?