Carney Latin American Solidarity Archive (CLASA)

Welcome to the Padre Guadalupe Carney Latin American Solidarity Archive (CLASA), a rare collection of Spanish and English books, human rights reports, independent newspapers and newsletters, and social justice papers. CLASA also broadens its message of social justice to the Detroit Mercy community with speakers and exhibits of art, photography, and archive documents. Most events take place on the McNichols Campus.

Our archive houses more than 25 years of work by individuals and organizations working in solidarity to aid the people of Latin America. Learn about the life of our namesake, Padre Guadalupe, who disappeared in Honduras in 1983. Read about the history of the archive and visit our online catalog. Visit our YouTube channel for videos of our past speakers. Donations are welcome.

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    Past Events

    Fall 2023  Events

    Opening Image for CLASA Fall 2023 Events with a photo of Fr. Carney.

    In fall 2023, we gathered on Sept. 16 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the disappearance of our namesake, Fr. James "Guadalupe" Carney. We gathered in Lansing-Reilly Parlor and watched a livestream of the Mass in Honduras that was dedicated to Fr. Carney's memory. Fr. Mark George, an artist who lives in the Jesuit Community here Detroit,  attended the SHARE delegation to El Salvador. On Nov. 1, Fr. Mark shared what he learned on the delegation. He was joined by educator Mary Anne Perrone, who helped to organize the delegation. On Nov. 8 we heard from Fr. Joe Mulligan who joined us via Zoom from his home in Nicaragua, where he has been serving the disabled and Christian Base communities for over 35 years. He spoke on the Gospel of Luke. On Nov. 15, we heard a talk by National Catholic Reporter journalist and lifelong Catholic Worker Claire Schaeffer-Duffy, who spoke on "Conversations on Nonviolent Action in a Time of War." Schaeffer-Duffy researched nonviolent movements in Ukraine that engaged in activities to defend the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.   The event was co-sponsored by Mercy Peace Forum and the Peace History Society.

    Fall 2022 & Winter 2023 Events

    In September, CLASA co-sponsored the visit of Marianne Comfort, who spoke on the "Care of Creation in a Throw-Away Culture” (as part of Founders Week). Comfort works on the Justice team of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. In October, CLASA was a major sponsor of the Great Lakes Bioneers Detroit conference. On Nov. 9, CLASA participated with three other Mercy universities and the Peace History Society to host an online panel on the topic of: “Critically Concerned: Catholic Women Religious and the Nonviolent Quest for Peace and Justice…” including speakers Jean Clark, OP; Diane Guerin, RSM; Eileen Markey; and Carole Sargent. Nov. 16, 2022, CLASA hosted Fr. Joe Mulligan, S.J., who shared his presentation on "'Each country also belongs to the foreigner:' Church doctrine on property as applied to migration today." We also commemorated the 33rd anniversary of the deaths of the Central American University (UCA) Martyrs of El Salvador. Detroit Mercy students presented Mary Anne Perrone’s play about the martyrs. On Nov. 21, 2022, CLASA hosted Pambana Bassett of Witness for Peace Solidarity Collective in Cuba, and Julia Thomas (a journalist) to talk about the effects of the blockade of Cuba.In Winter of 2023, we participated in the Mercy Peace Forum again, to hear: “Joanne Sheehan: Nonviolent Activist for Peace & Justice…” On March 28 we co-sponsored a screening of the documentary film, “The Letter’” about Pope Francis’s encyclical, Laudato Si. Elizabeth Garlow, co-founder of Francesco Collaborative spoke about the film and her work on ecological economics. On March 29, we hosted Dr. Jennifer Hart and her talk, “Conceptual Schemes and the Decolonization of African Studies…” On April 17, CLASA hosted "Defying Canons: an examination of the philosophy of two Caribbean women," by Khimaja Connell of University of the West Indies - Mona Campus. On April 19, we hosted the UCA Jesuit Martyrs Fundraiser Dinner featuring Jose Artiga, Founder and Director of SHARE Foundation. Our event began with music by Julie Beutel, Bob O'Brien and Charles Green, and an introductory talk by Carrie Nantais, Interim Vice President for Mission Integration, "Remember the Joy;" and Karla Rivas shared her memories of her graduate studies at the UCA. We were able to raise $8,000 for the UCA Jesuit Martyrs Scholarship this year. On April 20 we held two events. First, Karla Rivas, an award-winning Journalist from Radio Progreso in Honduras spoke about violence against women. In the evening, we were joined by Elaine Carey, former director of CLASA, who reflected on how the Carney archive began. Then our guest speaker, Reynaldo Dominguez, spoke on the environmental effects of mining on the Bajo Aguán. After the Honduras events, we co-sponsored the Healing Wall event in CLAE.

    Collage of events at the Bioneers 2022 conference ranging from learnshops, city tours, to students in the dining hall

    CLASA was also a sponsor of the Great Lakes Bioneers Detroit conference that took place Oct. 14-15, 2022

    Over 400 people attended the two day environmental justice conference, with 230 of those being Middle and High School students. Of those students, 125 of them came from Southwest Detroit schools: Detroit Cristo Rey, Holy Redeemer, and Academy of the Americas. Other student groups came from University Prep Math and Science, Davis Aerospace High School, Boggs School, and Mt. Clemens High School. We had bilingual translation during the student talk-back session. It was a great day of learning and adventure, as students went to five tour destinations around Detroit to learn more about the environment and participated in ten learnshops on campus. See the Great Lakes Bioneers or Facebook page for a report (and photos) of the conference.

    Winter 2022

    UCA Jesuit Martyrs Fundraiser Dinner Photo Gallery

    See photo highlights of our 2022 UCA Jesuit Martyrs Fundraiser Dinner, which was held on Tuesday, April 5, 2022. CLASA successfully raised over $7,000 for the scholarship!

    Clasa events fall 2021 winter 2022 presentation cover with group of people standing together

    View UCA Fundraiser on Google Slides

    CLASA had four events each in fall 2021 and winter 2022, a total of eight events. We began by celebrating Founders Week with Sr. Mary Kay Dobrovolny, a Sister of Mercy, and Mary Anne Perrone discussing their recent trip to Honduras to explore the human rights situation there. After Founders Week we co-sponsored a talk by Sr. Simone Campbell on Sacred Listening. CLASA co-sponsored the Great Lakes Bioneers conference. The last event in fall 2022 was hosted by Assistant Professor of Philosophy Danny Marrero, who discussed Rights attributions to Rivers with a focus on Colombia. In winter 2022 we hosted Sr. Ana Maria Pineda, José Artiga and Fr. Joe Mulligan and discussed the recent beatification of El Salvadoran Jesuit, Rutilio Grande, S.J. After this discussion we hosted Strangers No Longer for two events, one on Zoom and one in person, focusing on women’s immigrant circles. The women shared their stories of struggle. The in-person talk in April featured Daris Bartolon from Guatemala. We ended winter 2022 events with our annual UCA Jesuit Martyrs Fundraiser dinner. Our keynote speaker was Tizziana Carmona. Also speaking was Fr. Rick Cassidy and student Olivia Vitale. The Ballet Folklórico México Lindo performed twice with colorful costumes. We raised over $7,000 for the scholarship! 

    Fall 2020 & Winter 2021 Events

    CLASA Zoom webinar events fall 2020 and winter 2021

    View anniversary event on Google Slides

    In Fall of 2020, CLASA held an event for the anniversary of the deaths of the Jesuit Martyrs, Nov. 16, 2020. There were two main guest speakers, Joe Mulligan, S.J. (in Nicaragua), and Padre Melo S.J. of Honduras. They were joined by José Artiga and Amy Arundel. In Fall CLASA also co-sponsored several events, including a “Nuns on the Bus” event especially for Michigan, with Sr. Nina Simone being the main speaker. The well-attended Zoom event was called a "Town Hall for Spirit-Filled Voters," co-hosted by the IHM Sisters. CLASA also co-sponsored a talk (with Catholic Studies) by Julie Pycior on Thomas Merton. Also, CLASA co-sponsored and co-hosted four Zoom webinars offered by Great Lakes Bioneers Detroit (in lieu of an in-person conference which couldn’t be held due to coronavirus precautions). Victor Carmona, Nick Schroeck, Jason and Maecy Zarate and Sr. Gloria Rivera featured in three of the four webinars, and the remaining webinar had several High School and University students organized by Caleb Scheys, discussing their research on the environment.

    In Winter of 2021, we hosted several events in March (Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day) co-sponsored with the Women’s and Gender Studies program. On Thursday, March 11, we hosted Foro de Mujeres por la Vida (Honduras) with Carolina Sierra and Andrea Paz (leaders), who spoke on “Defending Women’s Rights and Stopping domestic and State-sanctioned violence against women.” The Zoom meeting featured Karla Lara singing a song, Sin miedo and two Sisters of Mercy, Kathleen Erickson and Diane Klyne also spoke about the work of the Foro. On March 25, University of Windsor Professor of Philosophy Catherine Hundleby spoke on "Feminist Approaches to Argument." The Philosophy Dept. co-sponsored this event. On March 29, University of Nairobi Author and Researcher Mary Njeri Kinyanjui, Ph.D., spoke on "Utu Feminism: Towards an African feminism."

    On April 8, 2021 we hosted the online version of our annual UCA Jesuit Martyrs Fundraiser dinner. Our keynote speaker was Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., who spoke on "Remembering Dean [Brackley] for Tomorrow." We had music contributed by the band from the Centro Arte para la Paz in Suchitoto, El Salvador. We also had a talk by Laura Ash-Brackley, the sister-in-law of Dean Brackley. Others briefly spoke as well. We had almost 100 attendees and we were able to raise over $6,000 for the scholarship. On April 14, 2021 we aired the talk by Humphrey Ojwang, Ph.D., “Pedagogical Value of Indigenous Knowledge for Food Security: Learning from Women Sages in East Africa.” Ojwang is a senior research fellow at the Institute of Anthropology Gender and African Studies at University of Nairobi, Kenya. Please visit the CLASA and GLBD you tube channels to see videos of the above mentioned events! 



    Fall 2019 and Winter 2020

    CLASA fall 2019 and winter 2020 past events slideshow

    View 2019-20 on Google Slides presentation.

    In July of 2019, at the National Jesuit Student Leadership conference held on our campus, CLASA co-hosted a panel with Strangers No Longer on the topic of immigration. Our students, Luz Ramos of Guatemala and Vania Noguez, were part of the panel. Gail Presbey, CLASA director, led a workshop on understanding justice issues in Central America. In the fall semester we hosted Dr. Murilo Seabra of Brazil to discuss how social media ads affected the recent Presidential election in Brazil. For Oct. 2, 2019, we celebrated the 150th birthday of Gandhi by hosting Fr. Peter Doughterty, recipient of the Jamnalal Bajaj award for fostering Gandhian values in 2010. He is founder of Meta Peace Team —active in Michigan and elsewhere to lessen violence. Later in Oct. we had Ethriam Brammer share some of his poetry and other writings, addressing the theme “Beneath the Barbed Wire: Banned Verses and Translating Transnationalism.” Also, Angelica Cancinos, Guatemala Program Director for International Samaritan, spoke on “Why People are Leaving Guatemala.” Finally, in November, Bernard Matolino from University of KwaZulu Natal gave three talks. One talk was on his book, Afro-Communitarian Democracy; the other two talks looked at the issues of racism and homosexuality in the context of South Africa. Also in the fall, working with Swords into Plowshares gallery in downtown Detroit, we put up a display of art from the young artists of Suchitoto, El Salvador, and the Centro Arte para La Paz. The exhibit was up for three months, between Oct. 2019 and Jan. 2020. Many people saw the art works and several were purchased, raising funds for the art center.

    In winter, our first event, Jan. 15, 2020, focused on the medical crisis in Venezuela. We were visited by Kevin Young, history professor at U Mass Amherst. He showed his documentary film, "Venezuelans under Siege" about current suffering caused by lack of medical supplies during the US blockade. Young also visited the following day with the history class, Modern Latin America, to share highlights from his book, Blood of the Earth: Resource Nationalism, Revolution, and Empire in Bolivia (University of Texas Press, 2017). In early Feb. we hosted "Youth Leaders Across Borders," young people from Mexico (Leni Alvarez) and El Salvador (Fernando Jose Trejo Guevara) who are engaged in organizations and community art projects. Their speaking tour was organized by Alianza Americas (Amy Shannon) and Strangers No Longer. The following week we hosted activist and author Kathy Kelly (co-founder of Voices for Creative Nonviolence) who spoke on "Resistance to the 'Forever Wars.'" Her talk focused on Afghanistan, Iraq, Gaza and Yemen. In March and April, we had three planned events canceled, due to the coronavirus pandemic and the closing of the university. We continued our fundraiser for the UCA Jesuit Martyr’s Scholarship, which helps students from poor families in El Salvador to attend the UCA, the Jesuit university in San Salvador. Without our event, we did not raise as much money as usual, but we did raise over $1,000 which we sent to the scholarship fund.


    Winter 2019

    CLASA winter 2019 events slideshow

    View Winter 2019 Google Slides presentation.

    This winter semester, CLASA hosted nine speakers for 10 events. On Feb. 6, we hosted Kim Redigan and Elliot Adams from Meta Peace Team who spoke on “Walls and Wars or Nonviolent Resistance? The Work of Meta Peace Team in Palestine and at the U.S. – Mexico Border.”  On Feb. 19-21, CLASA hosted Asha Mukherjee, Ph.D., Visva-Bharati Central University, Santiniketan, West Bengal, India. She gave three talks: “The History of Jainism and the Moral and Social Implications of Jaina Logic” was held on Feb. 19. On the morning of Feb. 21, she spoke on “Women, Dharma and Social Justice in India: Utopia and Reality.” In the afternoon, at Lansing-Reilly Hall, she spoke on: “Rabindranath Tagore on comparative study of religions.” In March, CLASA joined with the Chavez-King-Parks Program to celebrate Cesar Chavez Day by hosting a speaker on Mar. 25, José-Antonio Orosco, professor of philosophy, Oregon State University – Corvallis. He gave two talks, one each about his two recent books, "Cesar Chavez and the Philosophy of Nonviolence," and "Toppling the Melting Pot: Immigration and Multiculturalism in American Pragmatism." On April 4, with Sr. Peggy O’Neill, a Sister of Charity who has lived in El Salvador for 30 years and is director of Centro Arte para la Paz, we held an opening for a display of art works from her center at the McNichols Campus Library. In the evening of Apr. 4, CLASA held its annual fundraiser dinner for the UCA Jesuit Martyrs Scholarship. Joe Reilly provided music, and Sr. Peggy was the keynote speaker. The following week, we co-sponsored the talk at Gesu Parish on Apr. 9 (and the Law School) from Sr. Magda from Alianza Americas who spoke about the current immigration crisis. On Apr. 10, we hosted a film screening for "The Nuns, the Priests, and the Bomb," about nonviolent resistance to nuclear weapons. Afterward, a panel including Kim Joy Bergier, Sharon O'Hara-Bruce and Sr. Elizabeth Walters, IHM, discussed the film.

    This winter semester, CLASA hosted nine speakers for 10 events. On Feb. 6, we hosted Kim Redigan and Elliot Adams from Meta Peace Team who spoke on “Walls and Wars or Nonviolent Resistance? The Work of Meta Peace Team in Palestine and at the U.S. – Mexico Border.”  On Feb. 19-21, CLASA hosted Asha Mukherjee, Ph.D., Visva-Bharati Central University, Santiniketan, West Bengal, India. She gave three talks: “The History of Jainism and the Moral and Social Implications of Jaina Logic” was held on Feb. 19. On the morning of Feb. 21, she spoke on “Women, Dharma and Social Justice in India: Utopia and Reality.” In the afternoon, at Lansing-Reilly Hall, she spoke on: “Rabindranath Tagore on comparative study of religions.” In March, CLASA joined with the Chavez-King-Parks Program to celebrate Cesar Chavez Day by hosting a speaker on Mar. 25, José-Antonio Orosco, professor of philosophy, Oregon State University – Corvallis. He gave two talks, one each about his two recent books, "Cesar Chavez and the Philosophy of Nonviolence," and "Toppling the Melting Pot: Immigration and Multiculturalism in American Pragmatism." On April 4, with Sr. Peggy O’Neill, a Sister of Charity who has lived in El Salvador for 30 years and is director of Centro Arte para la Paz, we held an opening for a display of art works from her center at the McNichols Campus Library. In the evening of Apr. 4, CLASA held its annual fundraiser dinner for the UCA Jesuit Martyrs Scholarship. Joe Reilly provided music, and Sr. Peggy was the keynote speaker. The following week, we co-sponsored the talk at Gesu Parish on Apr. 9 (and the Law School) from Sr. Magda from Alianza Americas who spoke about the current immigration crisis. On Apr. 10, we hosted a film screening for "The Nuns, the Priests, and the Bomb," about nonviolent resistance to nuclear weapons. Afterward, a panel including Kim Joy Bergier, Sharon O'Hara-Bruce and Sr. Elizabeth Walters, IHM, discussed the film.


    Fall 2018

    CLASA fall 2018 events slideshow

    View Fall 2018 Google Slides presentation.

    On Friday, September 28, 2018, we listened to our special guest speakers from Brazil, Paula Santos and Mel and Guellwaar Adún. They shared with us the story of the movement of Black arts and culture in Brazil. This included a poetry reading by Mel and songs by Guellwaar, an overview of the arts scene, and the sharing of the story of how they started their own press, Editora Ogum's Publishing House. On Wednesday, October 3, Jesuit Father Joe Mulligan spoke on “My Involvement in the Struggle for Justice and Peace.” He shared his life of active nonviolence from the days of the Vietnam War to today. Students were impressed as he challenged them to think about their life’s priorities in light of the call to work for justice. On Wednesday, October 10, Sr. Mary Ellen Brody of the Sisters of Mercy spoke on "Reflections on Mercy, Spirituality, and Justice." Sr. Mary Ellen shared her spiritual insights which she gleaned, in part, from her nine years as a missionary in Honduras. She was then joined by Dr. Gail Presbey, Director of CLASA, and the two of them described their participation in a recent human rights delegation to Honduras in May of 2018. They went to support Padre Melo (Ismael Moreno, S.J.) as well as the work of the Sisters of Mercy in Honduras. (See the link to Dr. Presbey’s letter on the CLASA main page). On Wednesday, October 24, Dr. Beth Blissman spoke twice on, "U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Pathway to Empowerment?" She is the Loretto Community Representative to the United Nations. She updated the audience on the progress made towards ensuring that all women and girls around the world get the nutrition, health care, education and opportunities they need to flourish. On October 25, Dr. Blissman led faculty and staff in a workshop co-sponsored by the Institute for Leadership and Service on the topic of community engaged learning. CLASA also co-sponsored several events, including the talk by on Tuesday, Nov. 6 by Dr. Bill Cook on “Two Men Named Francis,” that is, Francis of Assisi and Pope Francis. We also co-sponsored with the English Department the Tuesday, November 13 talk on “Immigration: Personal Stories” with special guest Sarah Alvarez, founder and director of Outlier Media, and a family seeking asylum that is sponsored by the Gesu Parish.


    Winter 2018

    CLASA winter 2018 events slideshow

    View Winter 2018 Google Slides presentation.

    CLASA hosted another art exhibit in the McNichols campus library. We displayed the paintings of Joseph DeWindt, father to our dear departed history professor Edwin DeWindt. There was a reception and a silent auction on Wednesday, January 31, 5 to 7 p.m. All 25 paintings were auctioned, and it raised $1,675 for the History Department. Thank you to Anne DeWindt for donating the paintings.

    On Tuesday, January. 30, we hosted Oscar Castaneda, a Community Organizer with Action of Greater Lansing. Dr. Castaneda shared his personal experience with immigration, his analysis of the causes of anti-immigrant sentiment and the story of his participation in the campaign to have Lansing be declared a Sanctuary City. On Wednesday, February. 7, we hosted “Sanctuary Then and Now” -- with the Gesu Catholic Church Sanctuary Team and a Salvadoran family. Cesar and Carmen described why they left their beloved El Salvador, their experience as immigrants in SE Michigan, and their hopes for their future. Bill O’Brien and Jim Sweeney of Gesu Catholic Church (neighbors to University of Detroit Mercy) described why Gesu decided to offer support to the family – and their efforts to build a Catholic network of congregations committed to immigrants and to Pope Francis’ challenges to Catholics to support refugees and immigrants. On Monday, February 26, CLASA was one of many of the university’s co-sponsors for Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, author of the 2016 National Book Award-winning Stamped From The Beginning: A Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America.

    On March 12, 2018, CLASA hosted Patrick Brosnan, executive director of Chicago-based  Brighton Park Neighborhood Council. His center has many helpful programs for the immigrant community. On March 16, we hosted a talk on the significance and lessons to be learned from the Vietnam War, given by Emeritus professor Fran Shor, on the 50th anniversary of the My Lai massacre and the 53rd anniversary of the self-immolation of Detroit based activist Alice Herz. The event was co-sponsored by Phi Alpha Theta (History Honor Society). On March 26 (at the Law School) and March 27 (at the McNichols Campus) we hosted Professor Dawn McCarty of University of Houston Downtown, who lives at Casa Juan Diego, the Catholic Worker house in Houston. She works with immigrants both in Texas and Mexico.

    On Thursday, April 5, we hosted our annual UCA Jesuit Martyrs Fundraiser dinner with keynote speaker Francisco Mena Ugarte, director of CRISPAZ (Christians for Peace in El Salvador). The event which had, as usual, about 100 attendees, raised over $5,000 for the scholarship. In addition to Mena’s moving talk, we also heard from Richard Brackley (Dean Brackley’s brother) and Jack Podsiadlo, S.J., who knew Dean Brackley well. We also heard from Tom Florek, S.J., as he introduced a video taken of one of the mothers of a scholarship recipient. The event began with a moving dance performance from Danza Guadalupana. Event co-sponsors were University Ministry, Gesu Peace and Justice Committee and the Jesuit Community at University of Detroit Mercy.

    On Monday, April 9, 2018, we hosted Mary Anne Perrone (Educator and former Principal of Our Lady of Guadalupe Middle School) who gave a “Report from an Interfaith Delegation to Honduras: The Honduran elections and a Crisis of Legitimacy” based on the experiences of an interfaith group, including members from the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice Team, SHARE Foundation and Friendship Office/Honduras. Perrone reported on the findings of the delegation’s visit. On Wednesday, April 18, we hosted a panel discussion, "Radiation Knows No Borders: A Citizen Panel & Forum On Reactor Emergency Preparedness." The event was organized by the Alliance to Halt Fermi-3, moderated by Keith Gunter, and co-sponsored by Peace Action, DC-area Beyond Nuclear, and CLASA. On Monday, April 23, we hosted a talk, “AFL-CIA: U.S. Labor Intervention in Chile and throughout Latin America, then and now” by Prof. Ruth Needleman, Labor Studies professor emerita from Indiana University.


    Winter & Fall 2017

    CLASA winter and fall 2017 events schedule

    View 2017 Google Slides presentation.

    In the winter of 2017 we hosted sixteen speakers and a musician, and we held 8 speaking events, a fundraiser dinner, a library exhibit, and an information table, as well as having co-sponsored one speaking event at which I was a speaker. Our first event was “REFUGEES AMONG US,” held on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017, 5:15 p.m. Chemistry 114. The presenters were: 1. Kevin Piecuch, an attorney and executive director of the Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center; 2. José David Valladares Trujillo, who has applied for asylum (his message was translated by Sister Nina); 3. Nina Rodriguez CSJ is a Catholic Sister who has lived and worked with the immigrant community in Southwest Detroit for most of her life; 4. Karen Donahue, RSM, a Sister of Mercy who has sponsored a weekly vigil at the ICE offices in Detroit for the past nine years and who attends services at the jail with immigrants who have been arrested and await deportation.

    On March 20, 2017 we held the Fundraiser Dinner for Dean Brackley S.J.’s UCA Jesuit Martyrs Scholarship Fund, to enable Salvadoran students to attend Universidad Centroamericana (UCA), the Jesuit University in El Salvador. The event was 6:30 – 9 p.m. in the Ballroom. Our special guest speakers from El Salvador were Kevin Yonkers-Talz (Director of Casa de la Solidaridad) and Julio Perez (Director of the Romero Program at the Casa). Music was provided by Ismael Duran. This fundraiser dinner raised $8,200 for the UCA Jesuit Martyrs Scholarship Fund. On Tuesday, March 28, Bargman Room of the McNichols library, 6 – 8 p.m., CLASA co-sponsored the Cesar Chavez Day celebration, sponsored by the King-Chavez-Parks S.T.A.R. Program (Janis Strickland, organizer of the event) and the Hispanic American Student Association (HASA). The speaker was Jeff Stewart of Immigrant Workers Project; with additional speakers Tom Florek, S.J. and Gail Presbey, Detroit Mercy.

    On Wednesday, March 29, 2017 4 p.m., Sergio Pacheco of Mexico Solidarity network was skyped in to the new CHP high-tech multipurpose room so that he could share his projects with the students at Detroit Mercy. Tony Nelson of Mexico Solidarity Network was here on campus to facilitate the technology and translate for Sergio. He shared the story of the Tlanezi Calli public housing project in Iztapalapa, Mexico City, and its many educational projects, as well as its democratic structure. Sergio had hoped to come on tour in the US but his visa was denied.

    Mary Walle researched and wrote “The Blood Stops Here: Democratic Citizenship, Faith Communities, and the Question of Human Rights in Detroit’s Sanctuary Movement,” consulting the Carney archive and interviewing area participants. She presented her talk on Detroit’s Sanctuary movement twice, once from 2 – 3:15 and once from 4 – 5:15 pm, both in Briggs 317. A companion exhibit in the display cases in the McNichols Campus Library lobby highlighted the history of Detroit’s Sanctuary movement. Students from HIS 4670 Latinos in the U.S. created the display, drawing upon documents from the Carney Archive. The exhibit was on display from March 30 to May 15, 2017. Luis Zaldaña, Macomb county Hispanic Ministry director, spoke on “Supporting Undocumented Immigrants in Macomb County,” on Friday, March 31, 2017 11 a.m. in C&F 209. Luis Zaldaña works for the Archdiocese of Detroit and has a special ministry to the Hispanic community of Macomb County. He shared accounts of the local struggles of the migrant community here in our State.

    CLASA co-sponsored the Pax Christi Michigan Conference on April 1, 2017, at St. Simon and Jude Church, Westland, MI. CLASA co-sponsored the conference and set up an information table. On Thursday, April 6 at 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm in Life Sciences 113, we hosted a panel called “Nukes and Your Future? A Forum to Address Nuclear Weapons in the World.” Panelists were: Cynthia Stiller, Henry Ford College Associate Dean of the Science, Arts and Fitness Division; Dr. Frederic Pearson, Director of the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies at Wayne State University, and author of “The Global Spread of Arms” and “Arms and Warfare”; Dr. Alvin Saperstein, Professor Emeritus of Physics at Wayne State University; and Dr. Prasad Venugopal, Associate Professor Physics at University of Detroit Mercy. On Friday, April 7, 2017 in Briggs 005, Joan Smith spoke on “Volunteering in a migrant shelter in Guatemala.” Earlier, in February of 2016 we hosted Joan Smith who spoke about her motivation to work at Casa del Migrante in Guatemala with the Scalabrini religious order. That was before she did her service. This year she came back to give a report of her nine months’ volunteer experience.

    In August and September of 2017 CLASA collaborated with a calligrapher, our Engineering professor Dr. Nihad Dukhan, to hang an exhibit of his calligraphy throughout the first floor of the McNichols campus library. There was an opening reception on September 6, and Dr. Dukhan gave a special lecture, “Fruit of the Reed Pen,” on September 20. The exhibit and its opening was co-sponsored by the McNichols campus library as well as Students for Justice in Palestine, and the talk was co-sponsored by them and the Muslim Student Organization.

    On September 26 in Grounds Coffehaus we heard the music of the band “Comparsa Sur” featuring Ismael “Bandolero” Duran and singer Mariana Risquez. They played a concert in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, and the list of songs included hits from across Latin America. The band also remembered on this day the missing students of Ayotzinapa, Mexico. CLASA was happy to have the co-sponsorship of Student Programming Board for this event. On Sept. 28 we were happy to host an event of Michigan Coalition for Human Rights called “Project Safety Net: Detoxifying Hate on the Internet,” in LS 113. The moderator was Saeed Khan of Wayne State University, and panelists were Adonis Flores, Asha Noor and Barbara Jones.

    On October 28 we hosted Jeff Cohen, director of the Park Center for Independent Media and endowed chair/associate professor of journalism at Ithaca College. We had a Detroit premiere viewing of the film he co-produced called “All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, and the Spirit of I.F. Stone” (2016). We were happy to co-sponsor the event with Huntington Woods Peace Group and Progressive Arts. Jeff Cohen was able to answer questions after the film viewing. We ended the semester with two talks by John Barrie of Appropriate Technology Collaborative, on December 5. He spoke to students of Environmental Science about his ongoing projects with solar power and other alternative technologies in Guatemala.


    Fall 2016

    CLASA fall 2016 events slideshow

    View Fall 2016 Google Slides presentation.

    During Fall of 2016 we hosted and co-sponsored many excellent events. We were a co-sponsor of an MCHR event on Sun. Sept 11 at 4 pm, when noted author and editor of Sojourners magazine, Jim Wallis, spoke at Gesu Church. On Wed. Oct. 5 at 7 pm in Life Sciences 113 we hosted a panel discussing nuclear energy safety: “Fermi-1 at 50: We almost lost Detroit… Accidents can Happen.” This event which featured David Lochbaum, Director of the Nuclear Safety Project at the Union for concerned Scientists, also featured Paul Gunther, Director of Reactor Oversight at Beyond Nuclear, and Ethyl River, Campaign Coordinator of the Alliance to Halt Fermi-3. On Friday Oct 7 at 10 am, in Lansing-Reilly Parlor, Fr. Joe Mulligan spoke about the recent passing of Fernando Cardenal, SJ in Nicaragua, and how Fr. Cardenal's life fits in with liberation theology and the current situation in Nicaragua. On Wed Oct 12 at 5:15 pm in C and F 139 we had Gabriella Torres of SIPAZ talk about the role of women as agents for social change in Chiapas, Mexico. On Friday Oct 21 at 10 am in the President’s Dining Room, Julie Pycior of Manhattan College spoke about her new book, Democratic Renewal and the Mutual Aid Legacy of US Mexicans; and at 11 am the same day, she spoke about her interests in Thomas Merton and Dorothy Day.

    On Nov. 1 CLASA co-sponsored a Catholic Studies event called "The Reconstruction of the Social Fabric: The Tale of Two Cities: Tancitaro Michoacan and Detroit Michigan." This event brought up two Jesuits from Mexico, Fr. Jorge Atilano, S.J., and Fr. Gabriel Mendoza, S.J., directors of the Miguel Pro Human Rights Office in Mexico City, and they shared their work for justice, with Tom Florek S.J. translating and sharing his own perspectives on their project. On Thurs. Nov 3 at 5:30 and 6:45 pm, Margaret Potts spoke of her work with youth at the Standing Rock Reservation; and on Fri Nov 4 at 11 am Margaret Potts spoke about her work founding People over Pipelines, as she explained the environmental situation in light of pipeline construction in the Dakotas.

    On Nov. 17, Kim Redigan and Sr. Mary Ellen Howard RSM spoke on Detroit’s Water Crisis in the Ballroom. This University Ministry event was co-sponsored by CLASA. On Dec. 6 at 5:15 pm in Briggs 13 philosopher (from Brazil and Australia) Murilo Seabra spoke about his year living in the Amazon and reflections on indigenous philosophies of the Amazon. The Philosophy Dept. co-sponsored this CLASA event.


    Winter 2016

    CLASA winter 2016 events slideshow

    View Winter 2016 Google Slides presentation.

    Watch this slideshow for highlights of our Winter 2016 events: Collaboration with Swords into Plowshares (Jan- March), Laila Hamdan and Joan Smith on volunteering in Guatemala (Feb. 29), Eric LeCompte on Pope Francis’ Year of Mercy, and he and Jorge Chinea on Puerto Rico’s debt crisis (March 30), Irma Ilsy Vásquez Cardenas and Alejandro Monzón on indigenous rights in Chiapas, Mexico (April 4), Jose Idiáquez S.J. on contemporary Nicaragua, and he and Richard Brackley on Dean Brackley (April 5), Marilyn Fischer on Jane Addams’ peace activism (April 20), and Ruth Needleman on Brazil (April 25).


    Fall 2015

    CLASA fall 2015 events slideshow

    View 2015 Google Slides presentation.

    Watch this slideshow to see photos from 2015 CLASA events: Frida Berrigan on peace mothering (Feb. 4), Eben Levey on teachers in Oaxaca (March 16), Jeff Stewart on immigrant minors from Central America (March 20), Ismael Moreno Coto S.J. (“Padre Melo”) on human rights in Honduras and on Dean Brackley (April 7), Don Voelker’s art of Latin America (Sept-Oct), Joe Mulligan on Pope Francis’s visits and Romero’s beatification (Sept. 30), Jesse Freeston on his film “Resistencia” and Honduran land struggles (Sept. 30), Jorge Parra and Paige Shell-Spurling on the rights of injured workers in Colombia (Oct. 1), Dana Frank on Honduras (Oct 22), Berta Esperanza Alvarez Martens on race and gender in Cuba (Nov. 3 and 4), Jason LaFay and Alan Kaufman on Cuban youth and chess players (Nov. 4).


    2014 Events

    CLASA fall 2014 events slideshow

    View 2014 Google Slides presentation.

    Watch this slide show to see highlights from our 2014 CLASA events: Denise Griebler on the immigrant crisis and the film “Harvest of Empire” (Feb. 6), Matt Meyer on liberation in Africa (March 13), Danielle Poe on ending slavery in Brazil (March 27),  Gene Palumbo on Dean Brackley (April 8), Bishop Thomas Gumbleton on the film “Monsenor” on Archbishop Oscar Romero (April 10), Joe Mulligan S.J. on the Jesuit martyrs (Sept. 22), Laura Finley on preventing domestic violence (Oct. 2), Abdilatif Abdalla on Kenyan politics and culture (Oct. 28), Joe Tropea and Jerry Berrigan on the film “Hit and Stay” about the Catonsville 9 and the peace movement (Oct. 29), Anke Graness on ancient Egyptian philosophy (Nov. 25) and John Barrie on green technology for indigenous communities in Central America (Dec. 5).

Contact CLASA

CLASA welcomes your questions, comments, concerns, and tales to tell. If you'd like more information on CLASA, if you're an individual or organization who would like some mention on our site, or if you'd like to make a donation, please do not hesitate to email Gail Presbey, Ph.D., CLASA director, at 313-993-1124.

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