Review previous webinars in 2022
December 3, 2023. Nicaraguan Migration: Myths & Reality
With Spanish – English Interpretation / Con interpretación español – inglés
English:
In this webinar, we address misinformation about Nicaraguan migration and shed light on the reality of the life of a migrant to the United States. John Perry, author/ journalist, discusses Nicaraguan migration to Costa Rica and the US, analyzing trends over time and examining the factors that may be contributing to the current increase in Nicaraguan migration to the US. Lenin Munguía shares his firsthand experience of migrating three months ago from Managua, Nicaragua, to the state of Maryland and his life in the United States.
Other material from the speakers: Slideshow presentation by John Perry
Español:
En este seminario web, abordamos la desinformación sobre la migración nicaragüense y arrojamos luz sobre la realidad de la vida de un migrante a Estados Unidos. John Perry, autor y periodista, habla sobre la migración nicaragüense a Costa Rica y Estados Unidos, analizando las tendencias a lo largo del tiempo y examinando los factores que pueden estar contribuyendo al aumento actual de la migración nicaragüense a Estados Unidos. Lenin Munguía comparte su experiencia de primera mano al emigrar hace tres meses de Managua (Nicaragua) al estado de Maryland y su vida en Estados Unidos.
October 22, 2023. Church & State in Nicaragua:
Probing the Relationship
Español
This webinar confronts allegations that the Nicaraguan government is conducting “a cutthroat campaign to silence its opponents, targeting religious orders, Catholic institutions, and media in addition to ordinary people of faith….” (Newsweek, Oct. 3) The speakers also provide troubling evidence about some church leaders’ anti-government activities. Many excellent questions from attendees are also addressed, following the presentations, during Q&A.
Featured speakers:
Dr. James J. Phillips is a former Jesuit who is seeking a better understanding of religious communities – especially how the Jesuits have arrived at their present position in Nicaragua. He has authored two books on Honduras (2015 and 2022), as well as articles about Nicaragua where he lived for several years during the contra war and has visited many times since.
Becca Renk has been a community development worker in Ciudad Sandino, Nicaragua, for 22 years, and a delegation coordinator through Casa Ben Linder, a solidarity project of the Jubilee House Community. She has written several articles on the church in Nicaragua, based on her experience and research.
Other materials provided by the webinar speakers:
James Phillips – Notes on Church and State in Nicaragua
Becca Renk – Notes on Church and State in Nicaragua
Becca Renk – Slideshow on Church and State in Nicaragua
September 24, 2023. The Nicaraguan
Community Policing Model
Above photos: Nicaraguan police ensuring safety during the July 19
Revolution anniversary celebration in Managua
How do the Nicaraguan police sustain one of the lowest crime rates, and highest levels of citizen trust, in all of Latin America? A key answer is their much-heralded community-based model. This 90-minute webinar, with Spanish – English interpretation, focused on these key topics:
- What is the Nicaraguan Community Policing Model?
- What special programs and approaches are used to protect women from violence?
- What were the experiences and activities of the police during the 2018 coup attempt?
Featured Speakers:
- Commissioner General Jaime Vanegas Vega, Inspector General of the National Police
- Commissioner General Martha Ligia Solórzano, Chief of the Boaco Police Delegation, Department of Boaco
Slide presentations by the webinar speakers:
The Model to Protect Women from Violence
Nicaraguan Police Experiences & Activities during the 2018 Failed Coup Attempt
July 23, 2023. Why Is Nicaragua Important in Today’s World?
Featured speakers were members of delegations in Nicaragua for the 44th anniversary of the Revolution. They all were currently in Nicaragua or had just visited there: Susan Lagos, Arturo Nacher, Agustin (“Gus”) Guerrero, Mairead Skehan Gillis, Danny O’Brien, Camila Escalante, Larry Fisk, and Erika Takeo.
Selection from the July 23 webinar: Mairead Skehan Gillis, “What I learned about Nicaragua’s Campaign to Fight Poverty and for Human Development”
Mairead Skehan Gillis is a young activist social worker from Boston and member of Workers World Party. She traveled on a solidarity delegation to Nicaragua this month to learn about the current situation in the country and take part in the celebration for the 44th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution.
Selection from the July 23 webinar: Agustin (“Gus”) Guerrero, “My Recent Visit to the Caribbean Coast Autonomous Regions of Nicaragua”
Agustin (“Gus”) Guerrero is a socialist and anti-imperialist activist based in the East Bay Area of California. His current political work focuses on Palestine solidarity action, with interests in food sovereignty, rural development, anti-imperialism, internationalism, and class struggle.
June 18, 2023. The ALBA-TCP: First Fair Trade Agreement in the World & How the US Tried to Destroy It
The ALBA-TCP agreement is discussed by government representatives from three of its most anti-imperialist countries – which are also the three Latin American countries most openly targeted by the United States.
Featured speakers:
Cuba: Héctor Igarza Cabrera, Cuban Ambassador to Canada
Venezuela: Carlos Ron, Venezuela’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for North America and President of the Simon Bolivar Institute for Peace and Solidarity Among People
Nicaragua: Jesus Bermudez, Minister of Commerce
May 28, 2023. The View from the Ground: What We Experienced in Nicaragua in 2018
The speakers lived through the attempted coup, April – July 2018. They describe their experiences and how they have affected their current viewpoint and work.
Featured speakers:
Becca Renk, community development worker in Ciudad Sandino and delegation coordinator through Casa Ben Linder with the Jubilee House Community
John Perry, Masaya resident who writes about Central America for The Nation, Monthly Review, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, and others
Coleen Littlejohn, Managua resident, international development economist who has worked for local and international NGOs as well as the World Bank
Nils McCune, research specialist in agroecology and alternative economies, Regional Communications Specialist of La Vía Campesina North America
As people became more courageous, they began marches like this one, protesting the coup. Photo by Redvolución, early July 2018.
April 23, 2023. U. Maryland Students Study Agroecology in Nicaragua
Twelve students and faculty members from University of Maryland – College Park completed a fall-semester seminar course and a 2-week study abroad course to learn how Nicaraguans produce 90% of their own food, while emitting less than one eighth as much greenhouse gas per capita as the US, and while decreasing income and gender disparities.
Featured speakers:
Rick Kohn, Professor of Animal Science and research specialist on the environmental impacts and management of agriculture
Katya Beltran, a U. Maryland senior majoring in chemistry and criminology
Mariana da Silva, a graduate student in Animal Science
Franz Stuppard, student at the Institute of Applied Agriculture, retired from work for local & international NGOs & the World Bank
Virginia Borda, a senior majoring in environmental science policy and wildlife biology
March 12, 2023. Nicaragua: Standing Tall to the Wrecking Ball
Featured speakers:
Dan Kovalik, educator on International Human Rights at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and author of several books including the recently released Nicaragua: A History of US Intervention and Resistance
Nan McCurdy, editor of NicaNotes weekly published by Alliance for Global Justice, provides background on several prisoners, 222 of whom were recently released in Nicaragua and given passage to the United States.
Sara Flounders, a key leader of the International Action Center and the editor of Sanctions: A Wrecking Ball in a Global Economy by the SanctionsKill Campaign, a comprehensive overview of coercive measures imposed on over 40 countries, including Nicaragua, by the US and its allies
February 5, 2023. Journey of a Native Son
Featured speaker:
Camilo Mejía, a Nicaraguan citizen based in Miami, Florida, who joined the US military in 1994 and in 2003 publicly refused to return to Iraq, calling the US occupation of that country oil-driven, illegal and immoral. Since the US-financed attempted coup in 2018, Camilo has spoken out boldly to counter the disinformation campaign against his native Nicaragua.
L to R: Camilo Mejia, S. Brian Willson, Enrique Hendrix