Struggle for Democracy: Colombia / La Lucha Por La Democracia: Colombia

REGISTER HERE: https://bit.ly/LuchaPorColombia

“Today all women win,” said Francia Márquez soon after becoming Colombia’s first Black woman vice president. The election of Márquez and Gustavo Petro represents a historic triumph for the Colombian left, who defeated far-right political forces and gained control of the presidency for the first time ever.

– How did organizers in Colombia build a political force like the Pacto Histórico capable of defeating an authoritarian party backed by the US?

– What is at stake economically, socially, and ecologically for Colombia as this new political leadership takes office?

– What must be done to ensure their success and how can the US left act in solidarity with the Colombian people?

Join Center for Political Education, Afro Resistance, Casa Cultural “El Chontaduro,” and Grassroots Global Justice to discuss the Colombian left’s triumph over right-wing authoritarianism in the country’s recent national elections.

Speakers for this event include:

Marcia Olivo previously served as director of Miami Workers Center, a community organization dedicated to organizing women of color and moving forward a Femme Agenda. She was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, at the age of 21 she immigrated to the United States. Within two years of arriving to the United States she began to work as a Community Organizer. Marcia Olivo is now a leader dedicated to improving the lives of working class communities in Miami.

Debaye Mornan is a social worker and a researcher on issues of race, gender, and violence in urban territories, as well as in the management and development of social projects for vulnerable populations, especially women and youth. She also focuses her work on the defense and promotion of human rights from an anti-racist and anti-patriarchal perspective, particularly in the field of the right to education, organization, and participation of black and Afro-descendant youth.

Margaret Kwateng is the National Green New Deal Organizer at Grassroots Global Justice, where she is working with members to build toward a regenerative feminist economy. Prior to joining GGJ, Margaret worked for years as a community and labor organizer in working class communities of color and with rank and file nurses. In 2014, she co-founded Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson, a multi-issue community organization in upstate New York.

“Hoy todas las mujeres ganan”, dijo Francia Márquez poco después de convertirse en la primera vicepresidenta negra de Colombia. La elección de Márquez y Gustavo Petro representa un triunfo histórico para la izquierda colombiana, que derrotó a las fuerzas políticas de extrema derecha y obtuvo el control de la presidencia por primera vez.

– ¿Cómo construyeron les organizadores en Colombia una fuerza política como el Pacto Histórico capaz de derrotar a un partido autoritario respaldado por Estados Unidos?

– ¿Qué está en juego económica, social y ecológicamente para Colombia con la toma de posesión de este nuevo liderazgo político?

– ¿Qué se debe hacer para asegurar su éxito y cómo puede la izquierda estadounidense actuar en solidaridad con el pueblo colombiano?

Únase al Center for Political Education, Afro Resistance, Casa Cultural “El Chontaduro,” y Grassroots Global Justice para analizar el triunfo de la izquierda colombiana sobre el autoritarismo de derecha en las recientes elecciones nacionales del país.