The Caravan for Peace is a movement of activists making their way across the US to promote peace and dignity for all victims of Mexico’s drug war. Javier Sicilia, the leader of the Caravan, is a poet and peace leader whose son was murdered in the drug violence in March of 2011. Inspired by this tragedy, Sicilia has been speaking out, bringing to light the urgency of the peace movement.

The importance of creating this conversation within the US is not lost on the caravan’s leaders. An end to drug prohibition, a policy widely discussed in Latin America, is a phrase hardly uttered in US political circles, while at the same time communities of color continue to be disproportionately incarcerated for drug-related offenses in this country. And while the prison industrial complex thrives in the US, guns continue to be funneled to our neighbors south, exacerbating the militarization of Mexico’s law enforcement and ‘Drug War’ strategies.

The Caravan seeks to awaken these issues in American consciousness and bring to light the inherent links between the social fabrics of Mexico and the US.  Traveling across the country and across the border, the Caravan seeks to build a discourse of peace and justice as well as a movement of international solidarity. Ending in DC in September, just 6 weeks before US Presidential elections, this movement is meant to not only create a conversation, but also to bring to fruition policies of peace and dignity for all those, internationally, who are affected by the violence in our transnational drug war.

For specific dates and times of the Caravan’s stop in Chicago, see the Caravan for Peace website here !