A hearing to consider legislation which would encourage restrictions on military recruitment in Georgia public schools has been rescheduled to Wednesday, March 10, 3-5 pm at the Georgia State Capitol Cloverdale Legislative Building.

A hearing had been scheduled on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 to discuss a resolution introduced into the Georgia Senate which would encourage Georgia school boards to restrict military recruiters’ activities in public schools and inform parents and students of their rights to opt-out of having their personal information passed to recruiters. This hearing has been postponed. Here is a message from Caitlin Barrow, an Atlanta activist working on this issue:

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but the hearing on Wednesday has been postponed until further notice. All hearings have been postponed in the house and senate until the state works out the budget for the upcoming year. The good thing about this is that it gives us more time to organize around this resolution. We will make sure to keep you updated as to when the next hearing is and until then please call your representatives and ask them to support this very important resolution.

For more information, visit AFSC-Georgia’s blog post.

On January 14, 2010, the Congregation Children of Israel hosted Keeping the Dream Alive: Why Dr. King Still Matters, an interfaith service of celebration organized by the Progressive Religious Coalition of Augusta.

This was not a CSRA Peace Alliance event, but many members attended, and one member, Anibal Ibarra, recorded much of the proceedings and posted the following videos to YouTube.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7

Art as an Agent for Change produced a video describing the handouts we gave away at the parade, which were a great success. Raisin our Voices for Peace, Justice and Equality!

Before the parade, we had a brief introductory video. Later, the heavy rain prevented use of the video.

Here a few pictures from the parade.

Details to join are at the end of this post.

The CSRA Peace Alliance, in cooperation with Art as an Agent for Change of Milledgeville, GA, has secured a spot as a group in the MLK parade this year. It is a wonderful opportunity to continue the peace advocacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Our contingent is walking.

Lineup begins at 11 AM, and the parade starts at 1 PM. There is an organizational meeting after which I should have more details.

The Parade will start at Dyess Park Community Center, located at 902 James Brown Blvd. The parade will proceed south on James Brown Blvd., then west onto Wrightsboro Road, north onto Augusta Ave., east onto Laney Walker Blvd., north onto 11th Street, and east onto D’Antignac Street.

More information about the parade is available at http://www.augustaga.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DID=2250.

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Weather forecast:

Cloudy with occasional rain during the afternoon. High 57F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.

CSRA Peace Alliance is entry #100. We assemble on the east side of 8th St between Hopkins St and D’Antignac St. Guidelines from the parade organizers:

• PLEASE DRESS WARM! WE WILL RUN THE PARADE RAIN OR SHINE.
• PLEASE HAVE YOUR PARTICIPANTS THERE ON TIME – THERE WILL BE NO PARKING AT DYESS AND AT 11:00 A.M. ALL ROADS FROM CARRIE STREET TO 8TH AND LANEY WALKER TO WALTON WAY. WILL BE CLOSED TO ALL VEHICLES.
• PLEASE KEEP THE PARADE MOVING – WE ASK THAT ALL DANCE GROUPS, ETC NOT STOP ALONG THE ROUTE, BUT ONLY IN FRONT OF THE VIEWING STAND WHICH WILL BE LOCATED AT LANEY STADIUM.

• PLEASE FOLLOW THE SUGGESTED ARRIVAL TIMES LISTED BELOW FOR PARADE ENTRIES

1-20 11:45 AM
21-60 11:00 AM
61-81 11:15 AM
81-UP 11:30 AM —-CSRA Peace Alliance

The CSRA Peace Alliance is hosting a free screening of the documentary film Rethink Afghanistan.

Location: Wallace Branch Library at 1237 Laney Walker Blvd, Augusta, GA 30901
Date: 7:00 PM on Tuesday, February 9, 2010.

The CSRA Peace Alliance co-sponsored Lee Ballenger’s talk on the Central American Free Trade Agreement on November 10, 2009.

Video excerpts courtesy of Anibal Ibarra:

Part 1 (5:02), Part 2 (4:05), Part 3 (4:05), Part 4 (5:16)

Close the School of the Assassins in Columbus, GA!

Mike Hearington of Atlanta, GA shares these pictures.

A number of members of the CSRA Peace Alliance have traveled to Israel and Palestine over the last two years. Each has prepared a brief slide show presentation, and then they will form a panel for a group discussion.

Location: Meeting room on the second floor of the Augusta-Richmond County Library at 902 Greene St 
Date: 7:00 PM on Tuesday, January 12, 2010.