27 November, 2018 – WCPUN/What Moves You? in collaboration with Cinema Tropical and NYU’s Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies are pleased to present En el Septimo Dia, a film by Jim McKay. Opening Remarks by the New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, post-screening Panel Discussion with filmmaker, Jim McKay; actor, Genoel Ramirez; New York Immigration Coalition representative, Kemah George; moderated by WCPUN Executive Director, Shamina de Gonzaga. 6:00 pm at NYU’s King Juan Carlos Center.

15 November, 2018 – WCPUN/What Moves You?, Cinema Tropical, and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at NYU, are pleased to present a special edition of the INDOCUMENTALES immigration film and conversation series, with David Riker’s 1998 film LA CIUDAD. Following the screening, filmmaker David Riker, and Rev. Schuyler Vogel of the Fourth Universalist Society, which is actively working for the rights of immigrants in New York City, will engage the audience in a conversation on NYC perspectives on immigration, past and present, moderated by WCPUN Executive Director and INDOCUMENTALES co-founder, Shamina de Gonzaga. 6:00 pm at NYU’s King Juan Carlos Center, 53 Washington Square South.

09 November, 2018 – WCPUN Executive Director, Shamina de Gonzaga, and International Rescue Committee Board Member and Former UN Assistant Secretary-General, Gillian Sorensen were invited to address the Unitarian Universalist Association at the United Nations. Hailing from across the US,  UUA members expressed support for Sorensen and de Gonzaga’s call to remember the interconnectedness between global issues and national interest, and focus on developing inclusive approaches to problem-solving.

08 November, 2018 – WCPUN Vice President and Chairman of the UNA-USA Council of Organizations, Aaron Etra, hosts a briefing for civil society representatives with Peter Yeo of the Better World Campaign and the UN Foundation, on the implications of the US Midterms for US-UN relations. Peter Yeo emphasized the importance of constituent voices in engaging new members of Congress to understand the work of the United Nations, and its relevance to issues on their agenda.

01 November, 2018 – Artist and WCPUN Cultural Adviser, Gema Álava ‘s work is exhibited and discussed at the Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM)  in the context of the 11th Creative Time Summit, entitled On Archipelagos and Other Imaginaries—Collective Strategies to Inhabit the World, which focused on the concept of “coalition” and utilized the archipelago as a framework to delve into Miami’s historical connection to the Caribbean and, by extension, to Latin America and the entire world. Gema Alava’s work was presented in dialogue with the work of artists Yucef Merhi and Rodolfo Peraza in a panel led by curator, Elvis Fuentes, about how the work of these three artists encourage conversation about the importance of transparency in times of digital communication. Read more

29 October, 2018: Mayor of the City of Miami Beach, Mr. Dan Gelber, and his Cabinet met with longtime sustainability champion, former Executive Director of ECOMB, and newly appointed WCPUN Representative for South Florida, Luiz Rodrigues, and WCPUN Executive Director, Shamina de Gonzaga, to discuss his plans to reduce single-use plastics in Miami Beach. The current ordinance prohibits plastic straws from being used/distributed at all city-owned properties and by any private business that leases public spaces, such as sidewalk cafés, and provides for a phase-out approach. While plastic straws represent the 5th most commonly found item in the oceans, other single-use plastics that that could be phased out include plastic utensils, plates, cups and food containers. A pre-emptive state law currently prohibits cities in Florida from banning plastic bags. However, this law is being presently challenged by the City of Coral Gables. Mayor Gelber expressed his willingness to do everything possible to make progress in this area and invited concerned groups to propose tangible action points for his consideration. A recent WWF report noted: “This is the ‘last generation’ that can save nature,” and found that 90% of sea birds have plastics in their stomachs, compared with 5% in 1960, and about half of the world’s shallow-water corals have been lost in the past three decades. Read more