Blase Bonpane is "the most underrated humanist of the past decade."
- Los Angeles Weekly
Blase Bonpane, a tireless activist against U.S. intervention in Central America, is the Director of the Office of the Americas and a Senior Research Fellow at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs. He has worked on the ground for peace in many countries where U.S. policy is in question, in particular, in Latin America, Cuba and Iraq. He has led fact-finding delegations to El Salvador, Nicaragua, Cuba and more recently to Chiapas and Colombia. Bonpane is the recipient of numerous awards recognizing his commitment to peace and social justice, including several from the American Civil Liberties Union and a Certificate of Commendation for his pursuit of peace in Central America by the City of Los Angeles.
Bonpane is the author of two books, including
Guerrillas of Peace on the Air (South End Press), stemming from his experience as a Maryknoll priest in Guatemala during the 1960s. He was expelled from that country for his efforts on behalf of the poor and disenfranchised and is credited for initiating the historic dialogue in Latin America between Christianity and Marxism. His most recent book,
Common Sense for the 21st Century (Red Hen Press) is compilation of his powerful radio commentaries broadcast over national and international radio. He currently hosts radio program "World Focus" in Los Angeles on Pacifica network station KPFK.
