LAGOS/March 7 2004

from the Macalester Public Knowledge Base

You are receiving this email because you are currently subscribed to ¡Adelante!'s Frequent Subscribers list. To move to the regular once-a-month newsletter regime, please reply with MONTHLY on the subject line.

Lake Area Group Organizing in Solidarity for Guatemala Mar 7 (Su), 4:40-5:50. Cafe Amore, 917 Grand Ave, Saint Paul

Present: Sarah Humpage, Mark Anderson, Kay Yanisch, Ana Nájera-Mendoza, Yongho Kim

Introductions: Sarah Humpage and Mark were Nicaragua election observers. Kay and Chris founded LAGOS. Ana and Yongho are from Macalester.

Kay introduces LAGOS. LAGOS is one of eleven organizations around the country in support of Guatemala, providing the accompaniment project. NISPGUA is the umbrella organization. Accompaniment consists of visiting or living with a person who crosses the border returning to the refugee communities. (I think she said it was people returning to Guatemala once their asylum status ended). Most accompaniers are from Europe, US, etc.

Mark is in the Guatemala Solidarity Committee and is a biology teacher.

LAGOS does a number of fundraising events which consist of selling peace coffees at $10, getting grants (recently from St. Joan of Arc), and recently receive a large grant from the New Hampshire Committee, organizing the 3rd annual dance which takes place in May 1st. In the Fall of 2004, they will be facilitating the national meeting [of NISPGUA]. National meetings have been held in Michigan, New Hampshire, Colorado, and now it's Minnesota's turn.

LAGOS will hold a discussion group meeting on CAFTA; all are welcome to share what they know about this issue. It will take place in one of LAGOS's members' houses on March 23 (T), 7:00 PM, in 2929 43rd Ave S, Minneapolis (about 5 blocks to the northeast after crossing Lake Bridge - see map)

Ana may be going and Sarah, a LAGOS member who lives nearby campus may be willing to give her a ride. If you are interested in going and are looking for a ride, ask Ana for Sarah's contact info.

For the May 1st annual dance, it will take place in Patrik's Cabaret. It will start at 7pm, then a Bingo at 7:30, Performances at 8 to 10, and a dance at 10pm.

Then they mentioned the Political Theatre Festival and started talking about what foods to sell for fundraising, which was interesting but I didn't know what the ingredients meant. Then Mark laughed and said that we are not always talking about cake ingredients at meetings, but that it's one of those things that needs to get done. I had to leave the meeting early and I don't know what happened later.

Yongho