LatinaLista — The relationship between the United States and Latin America is one that only grows stronger by virtue of the immigrants coming from those countries to settle in the U.S. Too many times the reason for the exodus of Latin American immigrants from their native countries is a direct result of the impact of American foreign policy.
Whether it’s a trade agreement or political policies, the US has had an ongoing hand in influencing life south of the border. For that reason, many Latin Americans have always felt they had a right to voice their opinions about American foreign policy. The only trouble was they weren’t being heard in Washington until 1983 when the Latin America Working Group (LAWG) was founded.
Comprised of a coalition of over 60 major religious, humanitarian, grassroots and policy organizations, LAWG helps advocate for the people of Latin America by promoting to US politicians policies that advance human rights, justice and peace.
But LAWG doesn’t only reach out to politicians. They also are active in providing critical information to activists across the United States to expand the role that U.S. citizens can play in debating U.S. foreign policy.
Whether it’s calling Congress to lift the ban on travel to Cuba or emailing President Obama to help stop the gun smuggling from the US into Mexico, LAWG combines a mission of helping the people of Latin America with partnering with US citizens to get the job done.
The organization sends out email alerts and a newsletter to better inform people how they can help by lending their voices to foreign policy debate.
According to LAWG:
We should be lending a helping hand to our Latin American neighbors, rather than making the focus of U.S. policy arming and training the region’s militaries. We should be building bridges, not building walls. For more than 25 years, LAWG has opened doors for our Latin American partners–so that their voices can be heard in Washington–and we’ll continue to engage you and the American public to be better neighbors towards Latin America.
