Fasting to Close the SOA

October 30, 2012 will be a day of fasting for SOA Watch; a time to organize fasts in your community to bring attention to SOA/WHINSEC victims and an opportunity for each of us to commit ourselves to closing this place of injustice. Local fasts nationwide can educate the public about the School of the Americas / WHINSEC, the reality of U.S. foreign policy towards Latin America, and the upcoming November Vigil at the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia (November 16-18, 2012).

If you are fasting as part of a group or by yourself on October 30, please click here to pledge your participation in the 2012 Fast to Close the SOA: http://SOAW.org/fast

Below you will find a few suggestions of possible public fast locations or events you could plan in your community on or around Tuesday, October 30, 2012. We encourage you to be creative in planning your fast or events, and keep us informed of what's going on out in your region! Some fast or event locations could include:

• Outside a district Congressional office that has not supported legislation to close the SOA/WHINSEC
• On your university's campus
• At a community center

Other ideas:

• Organize a screening of Somos Una América, Tom Bottolene's documentary ¡NO MAS! The 20th Annual Sunday Vigil, or Tomas Laffay's 14 minute film Today was a Victory / Hoy Fue Una Victoria, which focuses on the November Vigil as a rallying point and a place to network for many grassroots organizations struggling for social justice in our Americas (all three titles are available on the same DVD).
• Distribute SOA 101 informational flyers and palm cards about the November Vigil.
• Schedule a meeting with your Congressperson
• Hold a "fast-in"
• Dedicate a religious service at your place of worship
• Wheat paste posters around your community
• Support the campaign with a fundraising party
• Get your event picked up by local media outlets
• Mobilize others in your community to join the trip to the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia in November for the vigil to close the School of the Americas (SOA/ WHINSEC) and to resist U.S. militarization.

Good luck with your planning! If you have questions or suggestions, please call the DC SOA Watch Office at 202-234-3440

Share the info about the fast on your Facebook page or your Twitter account!

If you are going to organize a public fast, e-mail us at info@soaw.org

Close the SOA Fast!
When we fast in front of Federal buildings, we can raise awareness about one of the great evils that our government sustains. We can invite those who witness our fast to flood the White House comment line with phone calls at 202-456-1111, to express our opposition to the continued operations at the SOA/ WHINSEC. We can use our fast to show the media and the public that the U.S. government needs to be held accountable.


You can participate in this one-day fast by organizing a place for you and your friends to fast together, or by fasting individually.

If you are fasting as part of a group or by yourself on October 30, please click here to pledge your participation in the 2012 Fast to Close the SOA: http://SOAW.org/fast