[music] KAYLA KUO: The Milwaukee Anti-War Committee, we are a grassroots organization that was founded in November of 2022 and the goal of the Milwaukee Anti-War Committee is really to fight US militarization and war abroad, but also the violence that we're facing here in the US as well.

For example, we have, or we are experiencing really expensive groceries.

We know that health care is an issue, education, housing too, and yet even while people are suffering and are struggling, our government is continuing to funnel millions of dollars to attack other countries.

And so the goal of the Milwaukee Anti-War Committee is to educate people on, you know, why it's important to fight back from here in the US because we even suffer at the expense of the war machine, not just communities abroad.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: What about who is a part of your organization?

KAYLA KUO: We don't really have too many students, a lot of the students that we do work with though are part of Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

In terms of, you know, the composition of MAC members, a lot of us are working-class people that have full-time jobs and are doing this, you know, on the side because it's something that we believe in and we care about and really just like how important it is for community to stand together, whether it's to stand up for student rights, for immigrant rights, for reproductive justice.

It's really important that we're able to unite and fight back.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: In the United States, people think that this capture of the President of Venezuela is an act of abuse of power.

It is an invasion and it is totally out of the international laws.

Some others oppose to that.

What is the position that Milwaukee Anti-war in this United States-Venezuela situation?

KAYLA KUO: Within the Milwaukee Anti-War Committee, we know that it is illegal to kidnap a sitting president and so our call has been to release President Maduro.

Whether or not people, you know, in Venezuela like him, it should not be the US that is intervening in that country.

And really in response to the escalations against Venezuela and the military aggression that we have seen, the Milwaukee Anti-War Committee launched a campaign for the month of January called No War on Venezuela, which was a month of direct actions, specifically no US intervention in Venezuela and really for the US to get its hands out of the entire Latin American region.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: Where do you see the situation in Venezuela going from the point of view of your organization?

KAYLA KUO: You know, I can't really predict what we're going to see.

We know that Trump has claimed that he wants to control Venezuela and so at least for the Milwaukee Anti-War Committee, we're going to continue to fight back so that, you know, Venezuela has its right to self-determination and to sovereignty and it can figure out, you know, how it wants to use its vast wealth of oil resources.

And that's not something that the US should ever decide.

And so no matter what, I think we will still continue to protest as long as the US is intervening in Venezuela.

We will be there protesting for the US to get out and out of Latin America more broadly.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: Kayla, one of the tools that your organization uses is to put pressure on representatives.

What are you doing regarding this issue with Venezuela?

KAYLA KUO: When we were launching our No War on Venezuela month of action, Representative Ryan Clancy was there.

So, you know, we're working with representatives when we can, but we also know that direct action and pressure on the government is, you know, going to be most effective.

And so we're ready to, you know, escalate where needed if, you know, our voices aren't being heard.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: And do you think people in Wisconsin are getting involved and are making their voices to be heard in front of our political representatives?

KAYLA KUO: Over the past year, I have seen way more people get mobilized and want to take action, which I think is so important.

I think we're seeing a lot more people come out, whether they're, you know, students that are protesting for the first time and walking out of the classrooms or, you know, even older folks that haven't protested ever before or in a while.

And so I think it's really important for everyone to figure out, you know, how they can get involved.

We can do a lot more when we're working together.

And I think that's where a lot of the people power comes from.

PATRICIA GÓMEZ: In the history, students, very strong forces on creating change.

Do you think we are moving towards that or are we, at this moment, of history, separated?

KAYLA KUO: I don't think that we're separated.

I think across the globe, they were kind of the ones that were lighting a fire across the country for people to fight for Palestine and to divest from Israel and for the U.S.

specifically to stop channeling weapons, fighter jets, and essentially like any sort of defense contracts that were going towards Israel and against the Palestinian people.

And I think that was just a very clear moment that students