The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 13

sTorIes oF Peacemakers

SOA Watch Moves Convergence to
US/Mexico Border
Staff	note:	The	BPFNA	is	trying	to	organize	a	delegation	to	be	present	
at	the	SOA	event	described	below.	If 	you	are	interested	in	being	a	part	of 	
this,	contact	LeDayne	McLeese	Polaski	at	ledayne@bpfna.org	or	Nathan	
Watts	at	Wattsn1013@gmail.com.

T

his October, you are invited to join School of the Americas
(SOA) Watch in Nogales, AZ, for its first bi-national
convergence at the US/Mexico border. The purpose of
the event is to demand a fundamental shift in US foreign policy.
The annual SOA Watch vigil has traditionally been held in
front of the gates of Fort Benning, gA, the site of the infamous
School of the Americas (also known as the Western Hemisphere
Institute for Security Cooperation, WHINSEC). This year the
vigil has been moved to the militarized US/Mexico border.
This Border Convergence will take place October 7-10,
2016, in Nogales, AZ and Nogales, Sonora, MX. The
change of the location is part of an expanded effort against
US militarization at home and abroad.
At a time when refugees are fleeing US-sponsored violence
in Latin America, and as anti-immigrant rhetoric continues
to poison the public discourse in the US election this year, it
is important for people of conscience to take a stand and to
offer a different narrative.
The SOA Watch movement began in the 1908s as a
response to the civil war in El Salvador and the Central
America Solidarity Movement in the US. The patterns of
violence and forced migration established during the dirty
wars of the 20th century have continued unabated into the
21st century as a direct result of US economic and security
policies in Mesoamerica, as well as the US-led Drug War.
A statement from SOA about the upcoming event says,
We	 plan	 to	 build	 grassroots	 power	 to	 challenge	 the	 racist	 status	
quo	and	then	to	take	action.	We	will	highlight	US	intervention	in	
Latin	America	as	one	of 	the	root	causes	of 	migration.	We	will	raise	
awareness	to	these	issues	and	inspire	action	for	social	change	by	staging	
protests,	cultural	events	and	nonviolent	direct	action	against	racism,	
xenophobia	and	US	militarization	at	home	and	abroad.

closure	of 	the	School	of 	the	Americas,	and	to	work	towards	a	world	
that	is	free	of 	suffering	and	violence.	
We	cannot	forget	that	many	of 	our	immigrant	brothers	and	sisters	
are	survivors	of 	US-sponsored	atrocities	in	Latin	America.	In	calling	
attention	to	the	militarization	of 	the	border,	we	continue	to	demand	an	
end	to	state-sponsored	terrorism	and	violence	against	our	communities	
on	both	sides	of 	the	border.
Below is a schedule of events:
Friday, October 7
*	Vigil	at	Eloy	Detention	Center,	12	noon-2	pm
*	Welcome	in	Rio	Rico	(US)	&	Nogales	(MX),	6-8	pm
*	Concert	in	Rio	Rico	(United	States)	&	Nogales		
	 (Mexico),	8-11	pm
Saturday, October 8
*	Veteran-led	march	in	Nogales	(Sonora/Arizona),	
	 8-10	am
*	Rally	at	the	border	wall,	10	am-12	pm
*	Workshops	in	Rio	Rico	(US)	&	Nogales	(Mexico),	
	 2-8	pm
*	Interfaith	Ceremony	at	the	border	wall	&	candlelight	
	 vigil,	6:30-7:30	pm
*	Cross-border	concert,	8-11	pm
Sunday, October 9
*	¡No	Más!	No	More!	&	Presentes	at	the	border
	 wall,	9:00	am-12:00	pm
Monday, October 10
*	Vigil	for	José	Antonio	&	Elena	Rodriguez	
	 (time	&	location	TBA)
*	Celebration/Day	of 	Indigenous	Resistance	
	 (time	&	location	TBA)
-For	 more	 information	 about	 the	 convergence,	 go	 to	 www.soaw.org/
border.	Our	thanks	go	to	former	BPFNA	board	member	Nathan	Watts	
for	compiling	this	announcement.

This	 year's	 vigil	 in	 Nogales	 is	
a response to the
present-day call to
solidarity. The border	mobilization	in	
Nogales	is	one	more	
way	to	fight	for	the	

Baptist Peacemaker

OCT-DEC 2016 13
http://www.soaw.org/border http://www.soaw.org/border http://www.soaw.org/border
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016
