Join CISPES and other Latin America solidarity organizations for the Fouth Latin America Solidarity Conference: "Alternatives to Empire". The conference will take place from April 13- 15 in Chicago, along with a major action against the McDonalds Corporation organized in conjunction with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. For more information go to www.lasolidarity.org

Threading it Together: Movement Building 1980-2007
CISPES offers a popular education-style workshop about tactics, strategies and visions of the solidarity movement within the United States through an interactive jeopardy game and discussion afterwards.

This workshop offers the opportunity to learn and discuss solidarity movement history with the rabblerousers who were there, as well as bringing new ideas and strategies from youth and student activists. What can we learn from the different times in our solidarity movement history? How are the contexts different and therefore our strategies different? Where do our movements need a makeover and why? What are our goals in our communities and movements, and how can we help each other work towards those goals more effectively?
Saturday, April 14, 3:15pm — 4:15pm, Room 4

Inside and Outside: Grassroots Solidarity Collaborating with Unions and Policy Groups
This workshop will expand an important discussion: how can grassroots organizations involved in the Latin America solidarity movement work productively with unions and DC-based policy groups to effectively challenge current U.S. foreign policy. Recently, movements against trade agreements like CAFTA have shown great potential for unity but also have exposed an often-painful tension that exists between LASC member groups and Washington-based policy organizations.
The Portland Central America Solidarity Committee (PCASC) is an example of a grassroots group which has used local strategies to pressure around international issues, expanding a vision of internationalism and class consciousness often absent within both labor unions and policy groups. We‘ll look at how groups like CISPES and PCASC assert grassroots strategy into policy debates, shifting the discussion back to local struggles in solidarity with our partners in the Global South.
Saturday, April 14, 4:25pm — 5:25pm, Room 6

What would a unified Latin America Solidarity Movement look like?
The discussion will encompass analysis of the most pressing issues of U.S. intervention in Latin America, followed by a brainstorm of campaigns that might unite all of us in our solidarity work. Finally, given that the idea of a campaign will need broader consultation and work than just this hour and a half discussion, we will discuss a process the LASC could use to move forward on creating and implementing a movement-uniting campaign.
Sunday, April 15, 9:00 — 10:00am, Room 1

Conference Location:

University of Illinois (UIC) College of Medicine

1853 W. Polk St. (corner of Polk and Wolcott)