EVALUATION OF U.S. SPEAKER ON SOCIAL INCLUSION AND

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEGUCIGALPA 001833 SIPDIS STATE FOR IIP/T/SV (CAPONTE); IIP/G/WHA (JMANES; CBARONE); WHA/PDA (OHILTON) EMBASSIES FOR PAO/CAO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP KPAO HO SUBJECT: EVALUATION OF U.S. SPEAKER ON SOCIAL INCLUSION AND MULTICULTURALISM: RICARDO RENE LAREMONT, TRACKER #18034 REF: Tegucigalpa 143 SUMMARY: Dr. Ricardo Rene Laremont, Chair, Department of Sociology, State University of New York at Binghamton, lectured on Social Inclusion and Multiculturalism to six separate audiences in three cities in Honduras July 21-25, ¶2003. His presentations ranged on topics such as the Harlem Renaissance, the role of the U.S. Supreme Court in transforming society, affirmative action, legal practices in support of social inclusion and the creation of a culture of non-violence. The program was covered by the national medial. END SUMMARY. A) Description of the Activity: Dr. Rene Laremont conducted a successful four-day speaker program in Honduras giving presentations showing by specific, concrete examples how civil society in the U.S. brought about social change, the important role artists play in a country's development, the fact that access to power comes through education, and how the U.S. legal system has helped transform society. Dr. Laremont also participated in a TV talk show, gave several radio interviews, and was guest of honor at a small lunch hosted by the APAO with columnist. B) Date: July 21-25, 2003 Fiscal year: FY-03, Third Quarter C) Justification and Objective: To keep audiences focused on the importance of listening to communities carefully in developing programs of poverty reduction. In societies like Honduras where 80 percent live in poverty, Laremont stressed the importance of civil rights, the role of civil society in strengthening democracy, and racial and ethnic diversity. D) Tracker No. 18034; MPP Goals: MPP Theme: Democracy; Human Rights, and Mutual Understanding. Audience reached: Approximately 1,200 participants at six different conference venues, including representatives of the civil society and Garifuna NGOs; academic and cultural contacts; members of the Honduran Bar Association; students and professors from the law school at the National Autonomous University of Honduras; high school students and teachers; members of the media and general public. Dr. Laremont's appearance on an early morning TV program with nationwide audience and impromptu radio interviews reached hundreds of thousands more. E) Result/Impact: Excellent. The post fully met its objectives for this program. Dr. Laremont informed national audiences on how the U.S. deals with religious, racial and ethnic minorities in a multicultural society and the importance of community participation in public policies. Dr. Laremont spoke from his numerous investigations and own experience on how citizen participation leads to the transformation of society. The post had originally requested the speaker program to commemorate African-American Heritage Month, but postponed it to accommodate to Dr. Laremont's schedule. In the meantime, we successfully programmed U.S. filmmaker Dennis Watlington for African-American Heritage Month. On the afternoon of his arrival in Tegucigalpa, Ambassador Larry Palmer and the DCM briefed Dr. Laremont on the political and social conditions in Honduras. That evening at the National Art Gallery, he initiated his series of programs participating in the roundtable discussion "The Voice of the Excluded: Harlem, New York: A Case." He discussed how the Afro-Cuban movement and the Harlem Renaissance blended in America. He emphasized the importance artists play in forming a national identity and their role as political activists. The program also featured Dr. Tulio Mariano Gonzalez, Vice President of the National Development Bank and Garifuna leader, and Dr. Gloria Lara, cultural anthropologist and former Fulbright grantee, as panelists. The IRC director prepared a PowerPoint presentation with audio featuring renowned players of the Harlem Renaissance. The following day, Dr. Laremont participated in the early morning national TV program "Frente a Frente" where he discussed the role civil society plays in protecting civil rights and how the U.S. has promoted an inclusive society. The other invited guest was Dr. Ramon Romero, civil society advisor to Honduran President Maduro. On his second program day, Dr. Laremont spoke to a group of students and professors of the law school at the National Autonomous University of Honduras on how the U.S. Supreme Court has dealt with issues of race and class in the 19th and 20th centuries. He expanded on how the social demands of the time lead to changes, including new anti-terrorism laws in the U.S. That evening, he addressed members of the Honduran Bar Association on this topic and referred to specific cases where the Supreme Court has been sensible to political pressure. CG John Jones also participated and invited the Honduran lawyers to take action and see that the law protects all Hondurans not just the wealthy and pointed to the difference between "immunity" and "impunity." The following day, Dr. Laremont spoke on "Social Inclusion and Legal Structures: Multiculturalism" at a conference co- sponsored by the UNDP's "Forum for the Strengthening of Democracy." He discussed how nationalism is easy in a homogenous society but difficult in countries with different ethnic groups and how one can contribute to unite a society. He said nationalism doesn't have anything to do with the economy and that lack of resources is not an excuse to not work towards democracy. He also spoke on the issue of voluntary and involuntary migration and how America became a diverse society. That afternoon, Dr. Laremont traveled to La Ceiba on the north coast for a program co-sponsored by ODECO, an NGO working on the development and empowerment of the Honduran Garifuna community. Dr. Laremont met with a group of elders at the Garifuna community of Corozal where they discussed land-titling problems. In the evening, he adapted his standard presentation to an audience of high school students, representatives from the Garifuna community and civil society leaders. He emphasized the need to organize communities for any movement to be successful. The last leg of the program was in San Pedro Sula, Honduras' second largest city and industrial capital, where he was guest of honor at a luncheon hosted by the APAO with media columnists. In the evening, he gave his presentation on the Afro-Cuban movement and the Harlem Renaissance in the nearby city of El Progreso. This program enabled the post to co- sponsor an event for the first time with the Cultural Foundation of El Progreso. Throughout his program, Dr. Laremont addressed the issues of the role of the civil rights movement in changing laws and practices in the U.S. and how the U.S. became a multicultural society; how education contributes to build a more equalitarian society; how societies can move from inclusive practices to exclusive societies; and how Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. successfully employed non- violent means to achieve their goals to make social changes. The post highly recommends Dr. Laremont for future programs. An expert in his field, he invariably adapted his presentations to his audience. His warm personality, fluent Spanish, familiarity with the multi-ethnic communities in the region enabled him to discuss a wide range of topics with his audiences. F) Non-USG Sources of In-country Funding/In-kind Support and Amount: Some of the host institutions provided venues free of charge. G) Quality of U.S. Support and IIP Offices Involved: Excellent. Post would like to thank IIP/T/SV Carmen Aponte for proposing Dr. Laremont, who proved to be just the right person to meet our program objectives. Palmer