NATIONAL SOLIDARITY CONFERENCE ON VENEZUELA

NATIONAL SOLIDARITY CONFERENCE ON VENEZUELA

The International Action Center is urging everyone to support and participate in this important conference on Venezuela to be held in Washington DC the weekend of March 4.

You are cordially invited to a

NATIONAL SOLIDARITY CONFERENCE ON VENEZUELA

in Washington, DC, March 4-6, 2006.

In the wake of increasingly hostile rhetoric from the Bush administration against the democratically elected government of Venezuela, and in response to an ongoing pattern of interventionist actions by the U.S. government, individuals and organizations from all regions of the United States and Canada will come together to learn, share experiences, and develop strategies for strengthening solidarity with the Venezuelan people.

Special guests include:

- Andrés Izarra, President of teleSUR, a new television network committed to reflecting the reality and perspectives of the people of Latin America and the Caribbean.

- Phoebe Jones of Global Women's Strike Bolivarian Circle

- Deborah James of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch

- José García, founding member of the Oregon Bolivarian Circle, who will reflect on the Bolivarian experience from the perspective of a Venezuelan living in the United States.

- Father Roy Bourgeois of the School of the Americas Watch, who has fought long and hard for the cause of peace since the days of the Vietnam War.

- Bill Fletcher, President of the TransAfrica Forum

- Bernardo Alvarez, Venezuelan Ambassador to the United States

- Eva Golinger, author of The Chavez Code

- Bob Brown, Director of the Kwame Ture Work-Study Institute and Library

- Others invited but yet to confirm include Harry Belafonte, Rep. Jose Serrano, and Rep. Bobby Rush.

These featured speakers will be joined by many other leaders of activist organizations working to further the causes of justice and human rights throughout the Western Hemisphere. Come to Washington, DC to join the solidarity movement and to show the Bush Administration and the world that we stand with the Venezuelan people!

In addition to plenary presentations on the "U.S. Agenda for Venezuela & The Venezuelan Vision for the Americas" and on "Solidarity with Venezuela", multiple workshops will cover a range of topics including:

- The Bolivarian Missions (education, health care, cooperatives and full employment initiatives, indigenous rights, nutrition, land reform)

- ALBA (Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas) vs. ALCA (FTAA)/CAFTA: The move toward a new model of regional integration

- Women in the Bolivarian Revolution

- African-Venezuelans and the Bolivarian Revolution

- The Bolivarian Movement in the United States and Canada: How to get involved

- National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and USAID: Agents of destabilization

- Participatory Democracy and the 1999 Venezuelan Constitution

- Media bias in the United States and alternatives to corporate news

- People-to-People Exchanges (Sister Cities, Youth Delegations, Indigenous Communities, Academic Exchanges, Faith-Based Solidarity, Volunteer Work in the Missions, Art and Cultural Exchanges)

- Developing a Solidarity Action Plan & Emergency Response Network

There will be two full days of presentations and workshops on March 4th and 5th, followed by a Day of Action on March 6th during which conference participants will visit with members of Congress and carry out peaceful demonstrations to express opposition to current U.S. policies toward Venezuela and to highlight the need to show solidarity with the Venezuelan people.

The conference will take place at George Washington University (The Elliott School of International Affairs, 1957 E Street, NW Washington, DC 20052).

ADVANCED REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED

In order to learn more about the conference and to register, please visit: Latin America Solidarity Coalition's website at: http://lasolidarity.org/venezuelaConf.html

The Alliance for Global Justice, 1247 E Street, SE Washington, DC 20003 is serving as the Registrar for the conference. The office can be contacted at 202-544-9355 or via email at nicanet@afgj.org (The Nicaragua Network, a Project of the Alliance for Global Justice).

Registration Fees:
General $25.00
Students or low income $10.00

General Schedule:

SATURDAY

8:00 am - 9:00 am
Registration
9:00 am - 4:45 pm
Presentations & Workshops
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Cultural Event

SUNDAY

9:00 am - 9:15 am
Brief Opening Meeting
9:15 am - 3:00 pm
Presentations, Workshops, Plenary on Action Plan
3:30 pm
Cultural Celebration and Send-Off

MONDAY

All Day: Visits to Congressional Offices & Solidarity Demonstrations

Media representatives seeking information about the conference should contact the office of The Alliance for Global Justice at 202-544-9355 or via email at nicanet@afgj.org .

Partial list of groups co-sponsoring the conference:

Alliance for Global Justice
All-African People's Revolutionary Party
Artist' Network of the Americas
Bend-Condega Frendship Project
Bolivarian Circle - Oregon
Bolivarian Circle - Washington, DC
Campaign for Labor Rights
Cimarrones Capstone, Howard University
Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES)
Cuba Solidarity New York
FMLN-MD
Friends of the Third World
George Washington Univ. Progressive Students Union
Global Exchange
Global Women's Strike
Gray Panthers of Metro Washington, DC
Green Party
Green Party of the U.S.: Peace Action Committee
Hands Off Venezuela (HOV)
Hermandad Mexicana Latinoamercana/MAPA
Howard University Student Association
INTERCONNECT
International Action Center
International Socialist Organization (ISO)
Iranian Cultural Association Inc.
Latin American Solidarity Coalition (LASC)
Latin American Students Assn, University of District of Columbia
Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, New Orleans
Marin Interfaith Task Force on the Americas
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Metro Justice
National Lawyers Guild
National Network on Cuba
Nicaragua Network
No War on Cuba Movement
Ocean Press
Pan-African Roots
People's Hurricane Relief Fund
Philadelphia Cuba Solidarity Coalition
Quixote Center/Quest for Peace
Rochester (NY) Committee on Latin America
Rosewood I.C. Foundation
School of the Americas Watch
US Cuba Sister City Association (PA)
Young Socialists