Latin America
Action Program (LAAP)
The Latin America Action Program of the AFSC
New England Regional Office works in partnership with immigrants
from Latin America as well as with peace and solidarity groups
in New England to:
- protect immigrant rights,
- enhance community economic,
- development of immigrant
communities,
- preserve Latin American culture, and
- establish solidarity with Latin American peoples
Protecting Immigrant Rights
Since 1984 The Latin America Action Program (LAAP) has worked
to protect the rights of thousands of Latin American immigrants
living in Greater Boston.
In 1990, a discrimination suit settled between the American
Baptist Church (ABC) and the United States government granted
temporary protection to immigrants from El Salvador and Guatemala.
Now, under new rules they must apply for political asylum.
To assist ABC class members in their application processes,
LAAP has trained paralegals to help them understand the political
asylum application and suspension of deportation processes
and to prepare their legal cases.
Through community organizing and educational meetings, LAAP
provides advocacy for the nearly 250,000 Salvadorans and Guatemalans
belonging to the ABC class. Unlike political refugees from
Cuba and Nicaragua, who were granted permanent residency in
November 1997, refugees from El Salvador and Guatemala continue
to face discrimination and deportation.
LAAP's mission is to work for immigrants' rights, as well
as racial and social justice. Our mission is to build an inclusive
multicultural movement.
Economic Literacy and
Popular Education
Working in conjunction with AFSC's Latin American program
staff around the country, LAAP, through workshops and radio
programs, helps newcomers understand the implications of economic
globalization for Latin American communities both at home and
in the United States.
Involving the Community
With participation from community members, the LAAP focuses
on economic literacy, community leadership development, and
community economic development. Our activities include workshops,
economic analysis, and periodic publications.
Cultural Preservation
 Identifying
with cultural roots increases people's self-esteem, school
success and sense of self sufficiency. Latin Americans living
in the U.S. are losing their identities as Latin Americans
by denying the importance of the Spanish language and some
of their own cultural values.
Each summer, the LAAP organizes a summer festival called "Sharing
the Journey" in Boston. In addition to bringing together
people from across Latin America residing in the Greater Boston
area, the festival features delicious ethnic food and traditional
Latin American music!
LAAP produces "Raíces Americanas," a weekly
radio program about Latino culture. A quarterly newsletter
reports on the most important topics discussed in the radio
program.
Latin America
Solidarity Work
"Youth are the future and hope of El Salvador. Trained
and valued, they can make this country bloom. If we do not
address their needs, however, they could be the force that
tears it down."
David Hernandez, Youth Leader
We help to organize meetings with Greater Boston solidarity
groups in which we identify, discuss, and take action on issues
regarding social and political developments. To this end we
organize trips to Latin America to monitor human rights violations
and electoral processes, as well as the implementation of peace
accords; we sponsor tours and organize educational events with
and for people from Latin America.
The LAAP's Latin America Gift Program collects material aid,
such as sports equipment and school supplies; we also provide
small grants for youth organizations in Latin America. The
program's theme, "Taking Hold: Youth, Democracy and
Civic Participation," describes LAAP's support for
grassroots organizations in Latin America that encourage the
participation of young people in their communities' development,
and address the root causes that lead to poverty.
AFSC Coffee
and Cocoa Project
 Give
your daily cup extra potency; drink fairly traded coffee and
cocoa. The American Friends Service Committee, in partnership
with Equal Exchange, offer a simple way to transform a daily
ritual into a socially conscious action. Coffee is the second
most traded commodity on earth after oil, and is a vital source
of revenue for the nations that produce it. Americans alone
drink one third of all coffee produced worldwide.
The American Friends Service Committee Coffee Project works
by cutting out the middle people who often profit most from
the purchase of the beans. Small farmers' coops sell directly
to Equal Exchange, who in turn, distribute the coffee. The
coffee can be purchased in vacuum-packed packages by the case
by your Meeting for use at fellowship hours or fundraising
events.
For more information, see:
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