The League of Women Voters – Whitewater Area Book Club is beginning the new year with a new study emphasis. We will be delving into the history of Central America and how it relates to current immigration policies in the United States. Published in 2022, our study book will be Central America’s Forgotten History: Revolution, Violence, and the Roots of Migration by Aviva Chomsky, professor of history and coordinator of Latin American Studies at Salem State University. In the pursuit of answering the question, “How did we get here?,” Chomsky focuses on the struggles for social and economic justice in Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras by tracing the roots of displacement and migration from the Spanish conquest to the present day influx of refugees seeking asylum today.

The League will launch the study with a February program, open to the public, to share information to enhance our community’s cultural competency and acceptance of Whitewater’s newest Nicaraguan immigrants.

The Book Club sessions will be held on Thursdays, February 23 (Part I – A Crisis with Deep Roots), March 30 (Part II – Revolution in the 1970’s and ’80’s) and April 27 (Part III – Killing Hope). The first session, led by Dr. Dwight Watson and Deb Gamble, will be held on Zoom. Books will be available at the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library, or can be ordered through The Book Teller, Amazon or on Kindle.

Please contact Deb Gamble (shebagam@gmail.com) with questions or to sign up for the Zoom meeting. Please join us; we have a lot to learn.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues and influences public policy through education and advocacy. Visit our website at https://my.lwv.org/wisconsin/whitewater-area, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @lwvwhitewater.

Editor’s note: The above press release was received from the League of Women Voters – Whitewater Area.