2003 SOA Watch/NE Rally in Philly - Click here to view more photos!
Saturday, March 27, 2004
Rally
to Close the School of the Americas/WHISC
Commemorating the life of Archbishop Romero and all Martyrs*
Time:
1:00 - 3:30 pm
Where: Steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum
(for directions click here)
(*On March 24, 1980,
human rights champion, Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador,
was targeted and assassinated by graduates of the U.S. Army
School of the Americas (SOA) - located at Fort Benning, GA and
renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation
(WHISC)).
Join with labor, students, people of faith,
and peace activists from around the region to commemorate his
life, to remember all victims of terrorism and oppression, and to
demand an end to all forms of violence!
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!
2003 SOA Watch/NE Rally in Philly - Click
here to view more photos!
What a line-up we have!!!
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), an Aztec Dance Troupe comprised of immigrant workers, will perform traditional and sacred dances from Mexico, and a Mayan Blessing will be offered by Genaro Jacinto Calel.
Speakers:
Fr. Roy Bourgeois:
Founder of School of the Americas Watch. Vietnam Veteran,
recipient of the Purple Heart. He has spent over four years in
U.S. federal prisons for nonviolent protests against the training
of Latin American soldiers at Ft. Benning, GA.
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. He travels extensively
working on human rights issues, including 8 trips to Iraq, a
recent trip in December to Colombia, and repeatedly serves as an
expert witness defending civil/human rights.
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. In Guatemala, she
interviewed Queqchi communities collecting testimonies of
massacres they suffered.
Robert McIlvaine: Steering Committee member of Sept 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. His son Bobby was killed on 9/11/01. Robert is a former teacher of the Acute Care Facility of Crozer-Chester Hospital where he worked with children and adolescence. Robert has spoken extensively about the war in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Dr. Denise Michultka:
A licensed psychologist, she has worked with survivors of war
trauma & torture for 16 years. She is currently the Director
of Liberty Center for Survivors of Torture in Philly and the
co-coordinator of the Corazon de Quetzal/Int'l Mayan League
(Philly).
Linda Panetta: Founder of SOA Watch/NE and
is an accomplished photojournalist. She has been working on
issues in Latin America for the past 17 years and recently
traveled to Afghanistan (2002) , jungles of N. Colombia (Dec.
2003) and Iraq (Jan 2004) to document and expose the US exploits
of the "War on Terrorism."
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.
Wendell Young III: President of UFCW Local
1776. Mr. Young has been a vocal critic of US foreign policy. He
has for years defended the rights of workers regionally,
nationally, and throughout Latin America.
Not Yet A Co-Sponsor? Please let us know if your group, or an affiliate organization would like to become a sponsor for the event. Contact SOA Watch/NE: 215-477-5892 or 215-473-2162.
Partial List of Co-Sponsors:
AFSCME District 47, Thomas Paine Cronin,
President
American Friends Service Committee
Boyle Energy
Brandywine Peace Community
Bryn Mawr - One World
Cabrini College
Call to Action
Catholic Peace Fellowship
CATA/Farmworkers Support Committee
Catholic Coalition for Justice and Peace
Christian Association - UPenn
Central Jersey Coalition for Peace & Justice
Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW)
Delaware County Pledge of Resistance
El Salvador Sister Cities- Los Amates & the Garden State
Green Party of Philadelphia
Guatemala Support Network
Haverford - Students Towards a New Democracy (STAND)
House of Grace Catholic Worker
International Mayan League
Jean Donovan Community Peace Center
Jobs with Justice
Lehigh-Pocono Committee of Concert (LAPOCO)
Long Island-School of Americas Watch
Mariposa Outreach Project
Martha House Catholic Worker
Maryknoll Lay Missioners
Mishkan Shalom
Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary
Optical Realities Photography
Pax Christi - Monmouth County
Peacekeepers Action Network
Philadelphia Catholic Worker
Progressive Student Alliance of NJ
Romero Center (Camden)
Romero Interfaith Center
Rowan University - Progressive Student Alliance
St. Anselm's Church-Social Justice Committee
St. Malachy’s Parish
St. Vincent's Church - Peace & Justice Committee
School of the Americas Watch/NE
Student Environmental Action Center
the Simple Way
Sisters of St. Joseph's
Sisters of Mercy
Spiral Q
UFCW Local 1776
U.S.- El Salvador Sister Cities
Veterans For Peace
Women in Black
Women's Int'l League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF) - Philly
White Dog Café
Wooden Shoe Books