In solidarity with Central American Refugees (CAR), Homies Unidos is putting together the third Central American Youth Leadership Conference. The main purpose will be to ensure that these refugee youth feel welcomed, to celebrate and promote Central American art and culture, provide health resources and on-the-spot referrals, facilitate a legal resources workshop, showcase their stories and experiences, build a supportive community, and create opportunities for positive feedback and self-esteem-building.
Join us for the kick off by honoring our youth and volunteers in last years conference.
Join us at 6:30 for a panel discussion with unaccompanied minors from Homies Unidos’ Central American Youth Council, who will talk about their experience. They will share their stories and work they are doing now to help others as they integrate into our community, schools and homes.
The School of The Americas(SOA) Watch Vigil is held every year in November. This year, it is being held from November 21-23. Thousands of individuals come together at the gates of the SOA and commemorate martyrs in
Latin America who lost their lives; such as the Jesuit priests in El Salvador and thousands of Guatemalan indigenous people due to training of Latin American military battalions trained by the U.S. SOA in Columbus, Georgia. Through our presence at this vigil, Homies Unidos members will learn to be advocates for Human Rights, hear from survivors of torture, and meet courage’s men and women who have been fighting to stop militarization in Central America during the 1980s. They will take part in a panel to speak of their ordeal as unaccompanied minors and the connection of U.S. continued involvement in destabilizing of the region.
Meet Jonathan at the School of the Americas Watch Vigil
These youth also took part of our Joven Noble rites of passage program and the Youth Leadership Training during the summer. They were the main organizer of the Central American Youth Leadership Conference this past September 19th. They are now forming the Central American Youth Council in which they will be working to address issues of Central American youth.
This is Homies Unidos 2nd participation of the vigil; in 2014 we took three youth. We drove back and stopped in different places to speak with community organizer working in labor issues in New Orleans, Immigrant issues in Arizona. Daniela Ojeda, one of the past participants, will be educating the new participants on her experience and will be join in us. Click to learn more
Concert “VOS SOS MI CANTO” dedicated to children detained in the centers of migration. On October 4th we will start 5:30PM with a Immigration forum. We have organize two shows, 7PM and 9:30 pm, with the collaboration of distinguished Central American artists (see below), we will also collect basic necessities that children need in a detention center we are partnering with, the proceeds of the concert will be used for training and transportation .for more info
On Monday December 17, I was notified by my attorney Amy Jacks of the intention of the government to dismiss the R.I.C.O (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) case. I immediately called my family and told my wife Delia, between sobs of relief. I then called the people who have been at the forefront in my defense through the We Are Alex campaign. I have not slept well this couple of days but soon I will. I applaud the government for making the right decision to dismiss the case. I am innocent of these charges and told the government they had made mistakes since I was indicted 3 and half years ago. I feel confident that the government will make the right decision as to re-filing the case.
On behalf of my family, community and close friends I extend the gratitude to all the people who have stood next to me and believed from the beginning that this case was a distraction from the work that has been the focus of Homies Unidos. We have not stopped the work, which is greatly needed in our community, but our funding has suffered since my indictment. We expect that we will get more support for the programs which have been reduced significantly since the indictment.
I will look back at this day and will be forever grateful of all who stood firmly next to me in this extremely difficult time and provided support to my family when they most needed it. I have taken my work seriously and with integrity and will continue to do so in the years ahead.
Judge Dale Fischer may sign the order dismissing my case any day or wait until January 16 at 2:30 when we had schedule the hearing of the motions.
You may contact 213-383-7484 for more information.
Peace,
Alex Sanchez