 Friends,
At one point in your life or another, you probably had to move: pack up your things into boxes, throw away the old stuff and start over again in a new house, new town or new country. Maybe it was a relief to get rid of certain things. Maybe you cried. Maybe you found an old photo and laughed at how silly you looked "back then." In Colombia, almost 5 million people didn't have the luxury of packing up anything or deciding what they would like to take with them and what they would leave behind. They fled their homes because they feared for their lives. As one peace community member told an FOR team member recently: "This lot here where we are standing has been my family's since I was a child. Then came Urrá (a dam) and massive displacement. People were offered a very small amount of money for their homes; those that wouldn't sell were threatened by paramilitaries. They killed lots of people. We fled from here in 1995 to a town nearby. But it was also dangerous there, and there was no work." Today, as part of the National Days of Prayer and Action for Colombia, we are asking you to take action. We want Colombia to be a place where people leave their homes only because they choose to do so. We have the right to make this demand because our tax dollars are buying helicopters and guns for Colombia's war; helicopters and guns that strip Colombians of their right to stay or go in their homes as they please. Call your congressional representative today to demand a change in U.S. policy toward Colombia! How to Make an Effective CallCall the capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be put through to your member of Congress. (You can look up your representative here.) Ask the receptionist if you can speak with the foreign policy aide. If he/she is not available, leave a message. Call script: "I am a constituent of Representative ________ calling to urge her/him to stop U.S. funding of helicopters and guns in Colombia, which only contribute to the worst humanitarian crisis in this hemisphere, add fuel to the fire of Colombia's conflict and diminish the security of U.S. and Colombian citizens alike. "The U.S. needs to help solve rather than contribute to this massive humanitarian crisis. A concrete action that Representative ________ can do right now is to increase aid for internally displaced people and refugees in Colombia, and to co-sponsor House Resolution 1224, which supports displaced Afro-Colombian and indigenous people's rights. "We need to promote a negotiated end to the conflict, not fund the military and sign base agreements that will only result in more violence. We need to create opportunities for small-scale farmers and workers, rather than passing a harmful free trade agreement. We need to face the fact that the aerial spraying program from Plan Colombia has not reduced coca production, has been a cause of displacement for many Colombian families, and needs to be fully ended. Colombians are calling for peace. Please join me in supporting their call by making these changes to U.S. policy today." (We're focusing on the House of Representatives right now because of House Resolution 1224, but if you want to call your senators too, just take out the part about the resolution in the script above.) Over the last few days, thousands of people like you have taken action for Colombia through Face the Displaced gatherings and displays in over 10 cities across the U.S and have shared both photos and videos of their efforts. In May, our partners in Washington D.C. will deliver hundreds of Face the Displaced posters to members in Obama's administration. We'll keep you updated on how your message is making its way to the White House! Join our free webinar on US Colombia Policy Monday, April 26: FOR is presenting a special webinar at 2:00 PM Eastern with John Lindsay-Poland, discussing Colombian human rights, U.S. policy, military bases in Latin America, and what you can do. Thanks for your continued commitment to build a world in which all of us enjoy the same kinds of basic human rights.
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