Nov. 22-24: Converge at Fort Benning, Georgia

[Hendrik Voss]

Join thousands of torture survivors, migrants, artists, students, nuns, unionists, veterans, and social movement activists from November 22-24, 2013 at the gates of the School of the Americas (SOA; also known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, WHINSEC), where we reaffirm our resistance and our creativity in the face of Empire. The November Vigil is not just a protest, but also a place where we come together as a community to mourn, resist, strategize, debate, learn, celebrate, and heal. The vigil weekend includes concerts, theater performances, film screenings, as well as workshops and caucuses. We are excited for this year's program--the many workshops, musicians, and speakers who make the event possible--and we are steadfast in our resistance to militarization and Empire! Have you arranged your trip to Fort Benning? Check out the November Vigil website for more information. Need more information on how to get to the vigil? Check out our Transportation Information page, including our carpool resource, the SOA Watch Ride Board. This year, three upcoming presidential elections in Latin America have special significance for the movement to close the SOA/WHINSEC, as Chile, Honduras, and El Salvador stand up for democracy against the ongoing suffering that has befallen these countries after coups d'etat led by SOA graduates. Are you driving to Georgia for this year's vigil? If so... This year will also mark our sixth time joining local activists at a rally and vigil to shut down Stewart Detention, a for-profit immigrant prison located in Lumpkin, Georgia. With a capacity for over 1,700 detainees, Stewart is part and parcel of an agenda of a racist immigration policy that terrorizes migrant communities in the U.S. SOA Watch joins the fight against migrant detention, a system which incarcerates non-status migrants who often times are victims of U.S. sponsored militarization or economic exploitation. We need your help! Are you driving to Georgia for this year's vigil? If so, we want you to join us at the Stewart Detention Vigil at 10 a.m. Friday, November 22nd. Participants and organizers of the Stewart vigil will be meeting in the town square of Lumpkin by 10 a.m. on Friday. From there, we will march to the detention center for a solemn vigil. If you are in Columbus on Friday, and are able to help folks attend the Stewart Vigil, we are asking people to meet at the Columbus Convention Center (801 Front Avenue) at 8 a.m. on Friday. We will leave Columbus at 8:30. After the vigil, we will be heading back to Columbus at 1:00 pm. If you need a ride, or would like to offer a ride, please RSVP with myself (domi...@soaw.org), María Luisa (maria...@soaw.org) or (202) 710-2343, or Anton Flores (an...@alternacommunity.org). If you are planning to engage in direct action at the Stewart Detention vigil or the rally at Fort Benning, contact us at direct...@soaw.org Thank you for supporting the annual SOA Watch Vigil commemorating those who have been and are still being murdered by graduates of the School of the Americas. Take a stand for justice and speak out against empire and U.S. militarization in the Americas. Hasta la victoria, siempre, -Dominique Diaddigo-Cash SOA Watch P.S. Check out this great video of support from the Comunidad Fandanguera of Montreal, Canada: http://youtu.be/IiAaho-dc4k P.P.S. James O'Neill at High Rollerz Media created an awesome animated mobilizing clip for the November Vigil. Watch it and and share it with your networks: http://youtu.be/be0KKVgrhZg