Kentucky Interfaith Taskforce on Latin America

 and the Caribbean (KITLAC)

Community Unity Peace & Justice Organizations

Community Unity Peace and Justice Calendar

Louisville  Community Contacts & Resources

Kentucky Commonwealth Contacts & Resources

National & International Contacts

Media Contacts & Resources

Statement of purpose

The Kentucky Interfaith Taskforce on Latin America and The Caribbean, a 501(c)(3) non profit organization, was formed in 1996 as a collective for various local groups working on Central and Latin American issues.  Beginning in the 1980s with increased concern for the effects of U.S. policy in the region, KITLAC and its predecessors have been working in solidarity with the people of the region on issues of militarism, human rights and economic justice.

KITLAC meets on the second Wednesday of the month at 7:30 PM in Nelson Hall  (Administration Building) of the Presbyterian Seminary, 1044 Alta Vista Road.

Current officers:

Mission 

• Raise awareness of the political and social realities experienced by people in Latin America and the Caribbean

• Focus education on U.S. policy issues that adversely affect the people of Latin America and the Caribbean

• Respond directly to the needs and concerns of the people of Latin America and the Caribbean

Objectives  

• communicate news and analysis of the changing situation in Latin America and the Caribbean through public events and online resources

• support and organize delegations to Latin America and the Caribbean that explore the living situations of the majority poor of these countries

• cooperate with national organizations in political actions to influence U.S. policy

• maintain and extend an action alert network and education relating to national legislation

• organize speaking tours for national and international solidarity groups

• participate in material aid campaigns that benefit the poor of the region

Examples of recent projects 

• Sponsor participants who live in rural Peace Communities in Colombia that have pledged themselves to nonviolence in Colombia’s civil war.
• Work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a community-based immigrant farm-workers organization in southern Florida. Their members are largely Latino, Haitian and Mayan Indian immigrants working in low-wage jobs. In 2001 the CIW launched an successful national boycott against one of the biggest fast food corporations: TACO BELL, a major buyer of Florida tomatoes. They followed this campaign with another success with McDonalds in 2006. They are now focusing their efforts towards the Burger King.
• Support human rights observer delegations to Chiapas, Mexico.
• Support participants in the Guatemalan Accompaniment Project. who live and “witness” in communities threatened with oppression and human rights abuses
• Coordinate local response to devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch
• Participate in Pastors for Peace Caravans taking material aid to the region while educating churches and communities along the way
• Organize interfaith commemorations and prayer services remembering those murdered by U.S. supported violence in the region such as Archbishop Oscar Romero
• Participate in campaigns to cancel the debt of poor nations and to end sweatshop and child labor abuses
• Facilitate Sister Parish/Community programs with churches in the region
• Work on local Latino and immigration issues
• Organize to close the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia

Useful Links

 Activist and Solidarity Organizations

• Campaign for Labor Rights is a bridge between local activists and major organizations initiating campaigns for labor rights around the world and here at home.
• Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES)  works within the solidarity and anti-corporate globalization movements to build a cross-border movement confronting the injustices of the neoliberal economic model that is ravaging El Salvador and much of the globe.
• The Ecumenical Program on Central America and the Caribbean (EPICA) is a voice advocating for social and economic justice and self-determination of the peoples of the Americas. 
• Foundation For Human Rights in Guatemala -Chicago maintains a comprehensive list of solidarity resources online as well as current articles and interviews.
• The Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA (GHRC) is a non-profit, humanitarian organization founded in 1982 to monitor, document and report on the human rights situation in Guatemala. GHRC/USA also promotes advocacy for and aid to victims of human rights violations in Guatemala.
• The Latin America Working Group (LAWG) is a coalition of religious, human rights, policy, grassroots and development organizations. Since 1983, the coalition has been striving for U.S. policies that promote peace, justice and sustainable development in the region. 
• Mexico Solidarity Network. is a coalition of organizations struggling for democracy, economic justice and human rights on both sides of the US-Mexico border.
• Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA) emerged as one of the first organizations to voice strong and continuous criticism of the U.S. government's complicity in the human rights crimes commited during the civil war in Guatemala.  NISGUA is still a strong and steady grassroots voice for responsible U.S. policy in the region.
• School of the Americas Watch is a group dedicated to closing the US Army School of Americas, based in Fort Benning, Georgia, which trains Latin American soldiers in combat, counter-insurgency, and counter-narcotics.
• UN High Commission on Human Rights Latin American and Caribbean Region Quarterly Field Report.
• US Labor Education in the Americas Project is an independent non-profit organization that supports economic justice and basic rights for workers in Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico. US/LEAP focuses especially on the struggles of those workers who are employed directly or indirectly by U.S. companies.
• The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) promotes policies by the United States and multilateral institutions that advance human rights, democracy and social justice in Latin America.
• Witness for Peace is a faith-based, politically independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to acting in accordance with principles of nonviolence. They undertake advocacy campaigns and nonviolent actions, and accompany people seeking justice. WFP offers delegations and volunteer work opportunities.