Mexico’s drug violence and the role of the US are focus of forum at Rice’s Baker Institute Aug. 27

MEDIA ADVISORY

David Ruth
713-348-632
david@rice.edu 

Jeff Falk
713-348-677
jfalk@rice.edu

Mexico’s drug violence and the role of the US are focus of forum at Rice’s Baker Institute Aug. 27

HOUSTON – (Aug. 21, 2012) – Poet Javier Sicilia, founder of Mexico’s “Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity,” will take part in a discussion on the human cost of current U.S. and Mexican drug policies at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy Monday, Aug. 27.

Who:               Javier Sicilia, poet and founder of Mexico’s “Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity.”

What:             Vecinos Lecture Series: “Mexico’s Drug Violence and the Role of the United States: A Conversation with Poet Javier Sicilia.”

When:             Monday, Aug. 27, 8:30-10:30 a.m.

Where:           Rice University, Baker Hall, Kelly International Conference Facility, 6100 Main St.

After drug traffickers murdered his son in Mexico last year, Sicilia founded the “Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity.” Since then, he has been traversing Mexico accompanied by a caravan of families also affected by the country’s drug violence. Their goal is to challenge leaders to take responsibility for the violence and human suffering they argue is caused by existing government policies.

This summer, Sicilia is leading a similar caravan through two dozen U.S. cities, from San Diego to Washington, D.C, to raise awareness about Mexico’s national emergency and the role the United States plays in it.

Rice University’s Baker Institute, Américas Research Center, Department of Hispanic Studies and Office of Public Affairs will host a conversation between this social activist and a panel of Rice experts to discuss the current state of Mexico’s and the United States’ drug policies, as well as to shed light on the human cost of these endeavors.

The Baker Institute experts joining Sicilia will be:

• William Martin, the Harry and Hazel Chavanne Senior Fellow in Religion and Public Policy and Fellow in Drug Policy.
• Tony Payan, Scholar for Immigration and Border Studies.

The event is free and open to the public. To register, visit www.bakerinstitute.org/events/vecinos-lecture-series-mexicos-drug-violence-and-the-role-of-the-united-states-a-conversation-with-poet-javier-sicilia. A webcast of the event will be available at http://bakerinstitute.org/webcasts.

Members of the news media who want to attend should RSVP to Jeff Falk, associate director of national media relations at Rice, at jfalk@rice.edu or 713-348-6775.

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Founded in 1993, the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University in Houston ranks among the top 20 university-affiliated think tanks globally and top 30 think tanks in the United States. As a premier nonpartisan think tank, the institute sponsors more than 20 programs that conduct research on domestic and foreign policy issues with the goal of bridging the gap between the theory and practice of public policy. The institute’s strong track record of achievement reflects the work of its endowed fellows and Rice University scholars. Learn more about the institute at www.bakerinstitute.org or on the institute’s blog, http://blogs.chron.com/bakerblog.