Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America

Please consider making a year-end contribution to support CRLN's work on behalf of human rights, economic justice, and peacemaking in our hemisphere.

You can donate with a credit card online (www.crln.org/membership) or by sending a check to CRLN's office: 4750 N Sheridan, Ste 429, Chicago, IL 60640. It is your contributions that make our work possible.

Here is how CRLN is making a difference: 

Honduras: "Your Visits Save Lives" - On 28 June 2009 - the day of the military coup in Honduras - CRLN received an email asking CRLN to show up the next day at the Honduras Consulate in Chicago to publicly condemn the coup, and protest the forcible removal of duly elected President Zelaya from office.  Several CRLN board members and staff showed up.  Since then, CRLN has partnered with La Voz de los de Abajo (The Voice of Those from Below) in offering education & advocacy on behalf of organizations resisting the coup.  CRLN staff and board members have travelled to Honduras with La Voz four times since the coup.  During these fact-finding trips, we have been told by Hondurans that our visits save lives.  CRLN's last two luncheon speakers have been from Honduras: Jesuit priest Fr. "Melo" Moreno (2010), and Garifuna leader Miriam Miranda (2011).  CRLN raised over $4,000 for the Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH).  Twice CRLN has visited State Department officials in DC to bring a list of specific human rights violations to their attention.  CRLN served as national "field coordinator" for the a 31 May 2011 McGovern Congressional sign-on letter to Secretary of State Clinton calling for suspension of military and police aid.  The letter secured an unprecedented 87 House signers, including all seven Democrats from Illinois.  Though asked, no Republicans from Illinois joined in signing.

Colombia:  No to Free Trade; Yes to Fair Trade - In his 2011 State of the Union Address, President Obama announced that he would push forward the Bush era Colombia Free Trade Agreement in violation of his campaign pledge that he would not move the agreement forward so long as trade unionists were being killed in Colombia.  CRLN was part of a national conference call with over 100 organizations in April 2011 that led to local actions across the nation to make visible to President Obama opposition to this deeply unjust trade agreement, which would strengthen the rights of multinational corporations as it weakens labor rights, environmental laws, and diversified

local agriculture.  In response, CRLN organized a June 10 "mock funeral procession" at President Obama's national re-election campaign office at the Prudential Building to remind President Obama that 51 labor leaders were killed in Colombia last year.  The week before the vote, a CRLN delegation also met personally in Chicago with Congressman Mike Quigley, who was leaning toward voting for the Colombia agreement despite being a co-sponsor of the TRADE Act setting fair trade standards for all new trade agreements.  Though the Colombia agreement passed, Rep. Quigley joined Reps. Schakowsky, Davis, Jackson, Rush, Gutierrez, Lipinski and Costello in voting against it.

Immigrant Rights:  Chicago New Sanctuary Coalition - When the Chicago Metro Sanctuary Alliance (CMSA) merged into CRLN in late 2009, immigrant rights became a new program area for CRLN through the Chicago New Sanctuary Coalition (CNSC).  Over the past year CNSC has been supporting congregations as they journey together to become Immigrant Welcoming Congregations.  Through prayer, reflection, education, relationship building and action we collectively worked to bring that welcoming spirit to the wider community.  Jenny Dale, New Sanctuary Coordinator, has worked with Chicago area congregations to host educational programs, especially to support the work of undocumented youth as they risk deportation by publicly declaring that they are "Undocumented and Unafraid!"  On 23 October 2011, eleven congregations publicly declared that they are Immigrant Welcoming Congregations, committed to supporting and accompanying our immigrant sisters and brothers in the face of federal immigration policies that have led to

the deportation of nearly one million immigrants in the past two years.  In June, CRLN/CNSC in partnership with the Chicago Theological Seminary and the Illinois Conference-UCC Task Force on Immigration, offered our first "Bridges to Community" study tour to look at the realities of immigration here in Chicago. The 17-member group met with undocumented students, ICE officials, day labor organizations and other groups and prayerfully reflected upon how to work for immigrant justice in their congregations and communities.

Pedal for Peace - Organized under CMSA for 22 years, October's "2011 Pedal for Peace" became the second year that this humanitarian aid fundraiser was undertaken by CRLN since the merger.  This year, Pedal for Peace multi-organizational effort raised over $12,000 to fund small, grassroots, community projects in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Colombia.

Latin American Guests - CRLN frequently co-hosts the visits of Latin American human rights and religious leaders to Chicago.  Among the guests CRLN co-hosted in 2011 were the following:

• Bishop Juan Rojas, Bolivia, with the Northern IL Conf of the United Methodist Church
• Rev. Isett Sama, Cuba, with the Presbytery of Chicago Cuba Task Force
• Rev. Dora Arce, Cuba, with Lutheran School of Theology & Chicago Presbytery
• Rev. Modesto Mamani, Bolivia, with the Northern IL Conf of the United Methodist Church

(Pictured center-right with Sen. Durbin aide Sendy Soto center-left, CRLN staff & Chicago Methodist leaders)

• Maria Choc, Guatemala, with Guatemala Human Rights Commission-USA
• Zulia Mena, Colombia, CRLN's 2005 luncheon speaker just elected mayor of Quibdó, Chocó

DePaul Human Rights Interns - For the last six years, CRLN hosts and trains two DePaul University service learning students each week to draft and fax letters to Latin American government officials in response to Urgent Action Alerts CRLN receives from Amnesty International and other human rights groups. The majority of cases come from Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico.  According to professors, this project, which is supervised by CRLN human rights coordinator Sharon Hunter-Smith, has a profound impact on these students that are studying International Relations, Political Science, and Latin American history. 

Ecumenical Advocacy Days: Bringing Our Message to Congress - Ecumenical Advocacy Days in Washington DC presents an opportunity for CRLN members to bring the message from our Latin American brothers & sisters to our members of Congress from Illinois.  In 2011, seven high school students from  First United Church of Oak Park and St. Paul Lutheran Church in Lombard were part of the 28- member CRLN delegation.  CRLN called upon Congressional leaders to vote no for voting no on the Colombia Free Trade Agreement, to close the U.S. Army School of the Americas/ WHINSEC, and cut military aid to Colombia and Honduras.

(Please open the attachment below to see pictures with the text)