CSRA Peace Alliance

Footage from Augusta Pride, June 19, 2010

ayman — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 23:06:22 +0000

CSRA Peace Alliance member Anibal Ibarra took some footage of Augusta Pride Day on June 19, 2010. The video is 7:27 minutes long. At about 1:40, there’s an interview with the mother of young man who was murdered in Greenville, SC in 2007 because he was gay. At the end of the video, Anibal has still shots which show the CSRA Peace Alliance booth.

If You Are for Peace, Come to the July 10 Peace Retreat!

ayman — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 20:57:42 +0000

On Saturday, July 10, 2010, the CSRA Peace Alliance invites area activists to the Inaugural Peace Retreat.

Iraqi Peace Actvists in Iraq/”The Response” (Gitmo-inspired drama), Tue, July 13, 7 pm

ayman — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 20:10:44 +0000

Double feature!!!

Screening of documentary “Mesalla: Iraqi Activists for NonViolence.”

This documentary follows Iraqis in 2006 who organized under the banner of LaOnf, “nonviolence.”

This documentary is distributed in the United States by September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows.

The documentary is almost 50 minutes long.

The event begins at 7 pm on Tuesday, July 13, at the Wallace Library on Laney Walker Blvd in Augusta, GA.

2nd feature to begin immediately afterwards

The Response

“The Response” is a courtroom drama based upon the actual transcripts of the Guantanamo military tribunals - Combatant Status Review Tribunals (CSRTs). It stars Kate Mulgrew (Star Trek), Peter Riegert (Animal House), and Aasif Mandvi (The Daily Show). It has been screened at the Pentagon, the DoJ, West Point, at law schools and universities across the country, and most recently on Capitol Hill for members of Congress and their staffers.
It is 30 minutes long.

Think Outside the Bomb, Monday, June 7, 2010, 7 pm

ayman — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 20:16:23 +0000

June 7, 2010, 7 pm, Aiken Unitarian Universalist Church

World’s largest youth network for nuclear abolition! Visit the web site of Think Outside the Bomb.

Flier and handbill

Click here for details.

Pictures from the event:

More pictures from the event on the Think Outside the Bomb National Roadshow blog.

Video of the puppet show!

Think Outside the Bomb Puppet Show with Mr. Lab from CSRA Peace on Vimeo.

Screening of Film “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo”

ayman — Mon, 24 May 2010 21:43:18 +0000

What: Screening of Film “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo”

When: Tuesday, June 8, 2010 7:00 PM

Where:
Inner Bean Cafe
139 Davis Rd
Augusta, GA 30907
(706) 364-3752

***Flash: Producer Andy Worthington is scheduled to call to give an update and answer questions at 8:30 pm after the screening. ***

The film is by Andy Worthington, a journalist and historian, based in London. He is the author of The Guantánamo Files, the first book to tell the stories of all the detainees in America’s illegal prison (published by Pluto Press/Palgrave Macmillan), and the co-director (with Polly Nash) of the new documentary film, Outside the Law: Stories from Guantanamo. For more information, visit his blog at http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/.

For information about the film, visit http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/outside-the-law-stories-from-guantanamo/.

Learn more here:
http://www.meetup.com/CSRA-Peace-Alliance/calendar/13582255/

Footage from Peace in the Streets

ayman — Mon, 17 May 2010 02:26:40 +0000

Excellent presentation by Joey Traina on how the Peace in the Streets campaign can reduce violence.

Video courtesy of Anibal Ibarra

Human Trafficking Awareness, August 10, 7 pm

ayman — Tue, 11 May 2010 13:30:18 +0000

Note that this event has been rescheduled from July 13 to August 10, 2010.

Come hear a presentation on how people in today’s United States are suffering in slavery and what you can do to help.

Chrissy White has been actively involved in doing advocacy work for Human Trafficking Awareness since 2006. She began doing volunteer work as a Public Relations Officer for Psalms, an advocacy group formerly Psalms Ministries, in Easley, SC. She then went on to host lectures, a film series, and presentations on Human Trafficking at Greenville Technical College where she also studied at. She received training on Human Trafficking from the Carolina Policing Institute and is now serving as the Assistant Organizer for the South Carolina Stop Human Trafficking meet up group, based in Greenville, SC. She currently works at a group home for abused, neglected, and exploited teens. Chrissy recently moved to Columbia, SC and is looking forward to continuing her advocacy work in the Midlands.

Ms. White will give an introduction to sex trafficking and labor trafficking, with their definitions and statistics revealing their extent. We will then watch a short film depicting human trafficking. Then we will have a short Q&A discussion about the film and closing remarks by Ms. White.

Ms. White will have a visual display of poster boards and literature from Rescue and Restore.

The goal of the presentation is to define and inform the audience on sex and labor trafficking, discuss local issues that relate to it, and inform the audience about how they can get involved in advocating against human trafficking.

The event begins at 7 pm on Tuesday, August 10, at the Wallace Library on Laney Walker Blvd in Augusta, GA.

Peace Delegation to Iran, Nov 5-20, 2010

ayman — Fri, 07 May 2010 11:59:13 +0000

CSRA Peace Alliance member Ellen Francis has been invited to co-lead a peace delegation to Iran, November 5-20, 2010. This will be her fifth trip to Iran in recent years and is sponsored by the Fellowship of Reconciliation. The other co-leader will be David Hartsough, a long-time peace activist and Quaker from San Francisco.

Anyone may apply to join the FOR delegations to Iran. There is a selection process, done by FOR, and they are looking especially for people who are committed to fostering peace with Iran and who have outlets to tell the story when we return to the US. This may be done in any number of ways: through presentations, lobbying, writing, interviews, teaching; one delegate was an artist who “told” her story through her artwork.

The trip itself is amazing: great food; warm hospitality; sightseeing of Iran’s ancient culture; meetings with religious leaders including Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Zoroastrian; other meetings as can be arranged and according to the interests of delegates on each trip. We usually visit Teheran, Isfahan, Persepolis, Shiraz, and sometimes villages along the way including the village of Natanz (near the nuclear facility). Our Iranian hosts and tour guides have been very attentive to our comfort and safety. One delegate told Ellen Francis: “This was the trip of a lifetime.”

More information is available from the FOR website: http://www.forusa.org/programs/iran. At FOR, they are in the process of redoing their website, so the information on the new Iran delegations may not be up, but there is lots of information on the past delegations. The application must be sent by email to Leila Zand, iran@forusa.org. Ellen Francis would be grateful if applicants could be in contact with her as well by e-mail to the CSRA Peace Alliance.
The cost is $4,000 plus airfare (but we’re doing some fundraising so we may be able to reduce the price and/or offer scholarships) and the deadline for applications for the November delegation is August 1st.

Gold Star Mother for Peace Elaine Johnson in Aiken, SC, May 10, 7 pm

ayman — Wed, 05 May 2010 17:25:08 +0000

After losing her son Spec Darius Jennings in Iraq, Elaine Johnson became active with Gold Star Mothers for Peace and a vocal critic of the Iraq War. She founded the Darius Jennings Charitable Foundation to continue her son’s dream of working with youth. She is also active with TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Programs for Survivors) and plans to travel to Iraq with FUTURE (Families United Toward Universal Respect).

Free to the public. Donations benefiting Elaine Johnson’s trip to Iraq accepted.

Preceded by an Aiken Peace business meeting at 6:30 PM.

Click here for details.

May 1 Rally for Immigrants Rights in Atlanta

ayman — Mon, 03 May 2010 15:39:31 +0000

Matthew Bosisio, Ayman Fadel, Anibal Ibarra and Denice Traina represented the CSRA Peace Alliance at the May 1 immigrants’ rights rally in Atlanta.

Here are some pictures, courtesy of Azita Ebrahimi.

Here are some pictures from Matthew Bosisio and Ayman Fadel.

Video courtesy of Anibal Ibarra: