Email Sent February 23, 2004:
Included in this
email:
I. Saturday, March 27 - SOA Watch/NE Rally & Commemoration in
Philly
Speakers include: Bishop Tom
Gumbleton, Fr. Roy Bourgeois; Aztec Dancers...
II. Regional Speaking Tour - Topics include: SOA, Colombia, Iraq
III. Legislative Efforts - Close US-based Terrorist Training
Facility
-----------
IV. Related Area Events:
a. Protest at Mexican
Consulate (12 noon) - (Wed Feb. 25)
b. "At the River I
Stand" documentary viewing - (Wed. Feb. 25)
c. War Resisters Merchants
of Death Campaign - A-Space (Feb 27)
d. AWOL Magazine CD Release
Party (Feb 28)
e. National Student Day of
Action - Books not Bombs (March 4)
f. First Friday-Painted
Bride Exhibit: "Collateral Damage…" (March 5)
g. LAWG Advocacy Days
(March 5-8)
h. Global Women's Strike
(March 8)
i. Dover to D.C. Memorial
Procession (March 14-15)
j. Global Exchange Speaking
Tour
---------------------------------------
I. Saturday, March 27
Rally to Close the SOA/WHISC and Commemorating the life of
Archbishop Romero and all Martyrs (visit www.soawne.org/March27Philly.html for additional info)
Let Your Voice Be Heard… No More Victims! No to
Impunity! Ya Basta! -- Yes! to Closing Down the US Terrorist
Training Facility - the SOA / WHISC!
Time: 1:00 - 3:30 PM
Location: Steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum
(For directions visit: www.soawne.org/ArtMuseumDir.html)
What a line-up we have thus far!!!
R & B sensation the Chestnut Brothers will have you
singing and dancing to many of their great hits, including
"Stop the Violence"; Ollin Yoliztli (meaning the
blood moving through the heart) is the name of an Aztec Dance
Troupe comprised of immigrant workers who will perform
traditional and sacred dances from Mexico, and a Mayan
Blessing will be offered by Genaro Jacinto Calel.
Confirmed Speakers include:
(more info about the speakers is available by clicking here).
Fr. Roy Bourgeois: - Founder of School of the Americas
Watch. He has spent over four years in U.S. federal prisons for
nonviolent protests against the SOA.
Bishop Tom Gumbleton: - (Detroit, MI) Served as the
President of Bread for the World for 8 years and is the founding
President of Pax Christi, USA.
Michael Hoffman: Recently returned from serving in Iraq
with the Marines. Current member of Veterans for Peace; is a
student activist and outspoken critic of the war in Iraq.
Maria Lemos: A native of Colombia she worked with homeless
children in a recovery program designed to reduce violence and
drug/alcohol addiction.
Dr. Denise Michultka: A licensed psychologist, she has
worked with survivors of war trauma & torture for 16 years.
Linda Panetta: Founder of SOA Watch/NE and an accomplished
photojournalist. She recently traveled to Afghanistan (2002),
jungles of northern Colombia (Dec. 2003) and Iraq (Jan 2004).
Wendell Young III: President of UFCW Local 1776. Over the
past several decades Mr. Young has defended the rights of workers
regionally, nationally, and also throughout Latin America in his
opposition to the SOA.
Sheila Webb-Halpern: Regional student outreach
coordinator. This past November Sheila helped to coordinate
dozens of students from the Philly region to go to the Ft.
Benning protest.
Not yet a co-sponsor? Please let us know if you or
an organization you're affiliated with would like to become a
sponsor of the event. Contact SOA Watch/NE: 215-477-5892 or
215-473-2162.
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II. Speaking Tour/Educational Workshops
Linda Panetta and Father Roy Bourgeois are on a speaking tour
together from March 23-26. Call now to check the date
availability and to schedule an engagement.
In addition to addressing the SOA, broader issues such as the
"war on terrorism," Iraq, and Colombia are covered in
the presentation. Linda recently returned from Colombia
(December 2003) and Iraq (January 2004) and is able to share
slides and photo enlargements which illustrate the affects of war
and occupation (to view some of the photos visit: www.soawne.org or www.OpticalRealities.org. Call 215-473-2162 for more
information or to schedule a talk.
We are always available! Trained human rights activists with
years of experience are available throughout the year to give
talks, educational workshops and/or nonviolence trainings.
Sample topics may include: the Effort to Close the SOA/WHISC; the
War on Terrorism... the SOA, Iraq & Afghanistan; the War on
Drugs in Colombia; Preparations for the November vigil; etc...
Presentations are often multi-media and many include photos
(slides), Power Point presentations or video clips. We can also
provide informative materials such as flyers, our
"Solidarity in Action" manual - a guide to assist you
in starting your own grassroots organization; as well as videos
and other tools to help you publicize your event, and put you in
touch with other regional groups.
Contact SOA Watch/NE for more information: (215) 477-5892 or
(215) 473-2162
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III. Legislative Efforts
Want to help end the War on Terrorism? Call your members of
Congress… Let them know that the SOA/WHISC is still a
very important talking point and that you demand its closure
NOW!
Need talking points… sample letter? Not sure what the
legislation to close the SOA says or who your member of Congress
is??? Visit our website: www.soawne.org - scroll down to the section entitled
"Congress" for answers to these questions. Need
additional info? Give us a call, we would be happy to help
you organize programs, vigils, writing campaigns, or bring a
speaker to your school, community center, workplace, etc.
SOA Watch/NE: 215-477-5892 / 215-473-2162
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Related Events:
a) Protest at Mexican Consulate against attacks on Indigenous
Communities in Mexico.
Wednesday, February 25 at noon outside the Mexican consulate
(Bourse Building - 21 s. 5th St.). Bring banners, flags, drums
etc.
flyer:http://defenestrator.org/ezlndemo.jpg
For more info on the protest contact onion@defenestrator.org
On January 23rd the Mexican Army evicted and burned down 23 homes
of Zapatista families in the community of Nuevo San Rafael in
Chiapas, Mexico. Following the assault on the village, the army
blocked off the area and refused entry to press and human rights
groups, and have detained Joshué Jiménez Cruz. This is the
first open attack by the military since President Fox took
office. Fox had promised to peacefully resolve the "Chiapas
question" in 15 minutes if elected president. Though
virtually all of the Zapatistas demands of the Mexican government
have remained unmet, the military presence near insurgent
communities had recently moved
out of sight; until this eviction!
The attack by the army occurred just after riot police attacked
another insurgent indigenous community: In the early hours of the
14th of January, riot police cleared out the city hall of
Tlalnepantla, Morelos at gunpoint- the building having been
occupied by the people in accord with the constitution of the
Consejo Popular Autónomo (Autonomous Popular Council) of that
town- resulting in the death of at least one farmer, and dozens
injured, missing, or fled into the mountains or to other
communities. Since then, the police are keeping the village
besieged, and restricting the passage of visitors coming with aid
for people who have been displaced.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
b) Screening "At the River I Stand"
Wednesday, February 25th
6-9 PM
Historic 1199c Union Hall
1319 Locust Street
In honor of Black History Month, join Jobs With Justice and the
Student Labor Action Project as we screen "At the River I
Stand" on Wednesday, February 25th at 6pm, 1319 Locust
Street (@ the historic 1199 Union Hall), Philadelphia, PA.
The viewing will be followed by commentary from Henry Nicholas a
life-long freedom fighter who offers us his personal experiences
as one of the leaders of the Civil Rights movement. Henry
Nicholas is President of AFSCME District 1199c, and has organized
with heroes such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar
Chavez. Come and meet religious, student, union and
community leaders as we remember the past and build for the
future!
Contact Jobs with Justice to RSVP (seating is limited) or to
Endorse this event @ 215-735-3615 or email at
phillyjwj@mindspring.com. Flyer is available at http://wildonionweb.com/files.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
c) War Resisters Merchants of Death Campaign
Friday, Feb 27 - 7:30pm
Free! (Donations accepted)
A-Space 4722 Baltimore Avenue W. Philly (contact info below)
Oskar Castro gives the latest on resistance to military
recruiters, the no child left behind act and the us military
madness. Oskar Castro is a poet and activist who works in
the youth and militarism department of the AFSC. This forum
is part of the Merchants of Death Campaign being done by the War
Resistors League.
For more info: http://www.warresisters.org/merchants_death.htm
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d) AWOL Magazine CD Release Party
The Clamor Magazine Music Festival -- Philly leg
Feb. 28, 2004, 8 p.m.
The Five Spot (2nd and Bank St. in Olde City)
Featuring: Philly's own dynamic duo Luminous Flux
Philly freestyle champ Reef the Lost Cause DC sensation Younglao
and band plus special guests.
Contact Walidah Imarisha <walidahi@hotmail.com> for
more information
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
e) March 4 National Student Day of Action-Books Not
Bombs
E-mail evan@evangreer.com or ivan@quixotic1.com for more
information.
It's hard to have "homeland security" when many people
in our community do
not have homes. It's hard to envision the "American
dream" when our jobs
move overseas. And as students, it feels a lot like no one really
cares
about us, as we see more than a billion dollars every day spent
on war
while we don't have enough books or teachers in our schools.
On March 4th, the National Youth and Student Peace Coalition is
calling
for a National Student Day of Action, featuring student walkouts
all
across the country and centered on the theme "books not
bombs." Here in
Philadelphia, we would like to see those walkouts culminate into
creative
direct action that attacks war and imperialism at the root of the
problem.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
f) Painted Bride Exhibit: "Collateral Damage:
Echoes in our Soul"
Missed the February "First Friday"?
You have one more chance to make the second and final First
Friday show
March 5 (5 - 7 PM)
Visit: http://www.paintedbride.org/
SOAW/NE director and photojournalist, Linda Panetta, is among the
many female artists displaying their work. "Our art is
a tool that shields us from becoming numb while looking hard at
human suffering from the safety of our homes," declare the
women of Peace by Piece, a group of artists whose work addresses
lives that have been devastated by war. Some of these artists
traveled to personally connect with people in the streets and
villages in Afghanistan, in the hospitals in Iraq and in the
occupied territories in Israel.
The title of the show -- Collateral Damage: Echoes in Our Soul --
opens a dialogue between the cold language of power and the
creative spirit. The euphemism "collateral damage"
creates a mental chasm between victim and perpetrator. The art in
this show refuses to accept that chasm and instead invites the
victims of war to touch our hearts, challenge our minds and move
us to creative action.
Curated by Lou Ann Merkle, Collateral Damage features sculpture,
linocut prints and multimedia works by Rachel Clark, Leah
Foushee, Dot French, Lorna Kent, Lou Ann Merkle, Sharon Mullally,
Wendy Osterweil, Linda Panetta, Marcia Ruth and Judith M.Simpson.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
g) Latin America Working Group Advocacy Days
Register now for: Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace with
Justice
"I WILL FEED THEM WITH JUSTICE"
March 5-8, 2004 - Washington, DC
www.advocacydays.org
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h) 5th GLOBAL WOMEN'S STRIKE - March 8, 2004
--
Philadelphia area activities being planned ... Contact:
215-848-1120 or email philly@crossroadswomen.net
Calling all men to join with women to
STOP THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT! INVEST IN CARING NOT KILLING!
The GLOBAL WOMEN'S STRIKE was born in 1999, when women in Ireland
decided to welcome the new millennium with a national general
strike. They asked the International Wages for Housework
Campaign to support their call, and we called on women all over
the world to make the Strike global on 8 March 2000.
The Strike came out of a long grassroots history, starting in
1952 with a little pamphlet called A Woman's Place and continuing
with Power of Women and the Subversion of the Community, now a
classic, in 1972, and Sex, Race and Class in 1973.* All
three made the case that the work women do for wages is a second
job, that the work we do in the home and in the community without
wages, producing all the workers of the world, and our struggle
to change the world, were invisible but central.
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i) Philadelphia Area Contingent
Dover to D.C. Memorial Procession
Sunday, March 14 - Monday, March 15, 2004
[walking and bus/van/car caravan]
A Trail of Mourning & Truth - Nonviolent Civil Disobedience
at the White House. For more details on involvement with
this event, contact brandywine@juno.com
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j) Global Exchange Speaking Tour
-- Fernando Suarez Del Solar, father of a U.S. soldier killed in
Iraq and voice of peace
-- Ella Cecilia Florez Alvarez, from a Colombian peace community
here for International Women's Day
-- Ghazwan Al-Mukhtar, an Iraqi engineer making connections
between oil and the war
Hosting a Global Exchange speaker is a great way to educate and
activate students and community members in your area.
For more information, about these or other compelling speakers
touring the U.S. this Spring, what's involved in hosting an
event, or to book an engagement, please contact Global Exchange
Speakers Bureau at: 800-497-1994 ext. 253
speakers@globalexchange.org
http://www.globalexchange.org/getInvolved/speakers/
-------------------
SOA Watch/Northeast
6367 Overbrook Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19151
215-477-5892
215-473-2162
info@soawne.org
www.soawne.org
