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2002 November 9, 2002 The Annual IDF Peace with Justice Fall Dinner a Success! October 10, 2002 IDF Talk by Colombian Human Right's Defender Eder Sanchez September 23, 2002 Osama Saba speaks on how "The Occupation is Killing Us All" June 20, 2002 Activist Forum Hosts Kathy Sims of Center for Women In Transition May 1, 2002 Common Ground Food Co-op Hosts Fair Trade Community Forum February 26, 2002 Activist Forum Hosts Mike Doyle of CCHCC and PIFI February 12, 2002 Kathy Kelly of Voices in the Wilderness Speaks at the IDF
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Annual IDF Peace with Justice Fall Dinner a Success! On Saturday November 9th over 175 people attended the IDF Peace with Justice Fall Dinner to enjoy delicious food, win raffle prizes, support the programs of the IDF, network with other activists, and hear Marino Cordoba's story of struggle and survival. Also, over 250 postcards were signed and will be sent to our elected officials demanding that the US end military aid to the Colombian Government. Additional postcards are available at the IDF office (610 E. Springfield in Champaign). For more information on Colombia, click here. If you would like to make a donation to Marino Cordoba and his organization, The Association of Displaced Afro-Colombians (and you speak Spanish) you can email Marino directly at macobe2001@yahoo.com. If you speak English you can email Ruth Goring at leafpoet@aol.com and she will communicate to Marino for you. Videotapes of the dinner are also available, call 352-8721 and ask for Meridith. Finally, Marino Cordoba will be speaking November 15-17th at the School of the Americas Protest in Fort Benning, Georgia. Marino, a victim of an SOA graduate, will join thousands in calling for the closure of the SOA/WHISC. Additional information can be found at www.soaw.org. Again, thank you all! Together we help keep the struggle for peace with justice alive. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped with ticket sales, set-up, cooking food, and serving! Also thank you to all the local businesses who donated raffle prizes and food to the dinner! Co-sponsors of the IDF Fall Dinner included: 85% Coalition, African American Cultural Program, Amnesty International (Student Chapter), Anti-War Anti-Racism Effort (AWARE), Channing-Murray, Colombia Task Force of First Menonite Church, Common Ground Food Cooperative, Democratic Solidarity Committee, El Centro Por Los Trabajadores, El Pueblo Unido, Feminist Majority Alliance, Graduate Employees Organization, Illinois Student Environmental Network, Independent Media Center, La Casa Cultural Latina, Mexican Students Association, Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative (PRC), School for Designing a Society, Students for Improving the Lives of Animals (SILA), South Asian Collective, Students for World Improvement (Urbana High School), U-C Friends Meeting, University YMCA, Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) C-U Chapter, and the Women's Direct Action Collective (WDAC). IDF
Talk by Colombian Human Right's Defender Eder Sanchez Eder Sanchez, a lawyer and activist from Colombia, spoke at IDF in Wisegarver Hall on Thursday, October 10, 2002. Sanchez is currently on a speaking tour in the U.S. to discuss the current situation in Colombia and how U.S. policy affects Colombian civilians. He discussed in detail his personal struggle in Putamayo, Colombia, where the "war on drugs" is being focused. He described the effect of fumigation, which the government hoped would eradicate the coca plant (where cocaine is derived from). The fumigation causes skin problems and wipes out other crops along with the coca plants, causing a shortage of food. Despite the fumigation in Putamayo, coca plant production has not been derailed. Sanchez also discussed the threats from the Colombian military, the paramilitaries, and the FARC (rebels) on the lives on ordinary Colombians. The event was very informative on how drastically U.S. policies affect and hurt Colombians. Biography: Eder Jair Sanchez, a lawyer, is the leader of the National Association of Peasant Farmers (ANUC). For the period spanning 2000-2003, he is serving as a delegate to the Departmental Assembly of Putumayo. Between 1995 and 2001, he headed up a team that developed proposals for manual eradication of illicit crops in Putumayo. At present, he is the promoter of the Association for Social Pacts for Voluntary Manual Eradication of Illicit Crops in Putumayo.
Osama Saba speaks on how "The Occupation Is Killing Us All" Over 100 people came out to the Illinois Disciples Foundation on the evening of Monday, September 23, 2002 to see Palestinian activist Osama Saba talk about how "The Occupation is Killing Us All." Born in Ramallah, Saba gave personal accounts of how the discrimination and violence affected the living standards in occupied Palestine. He also discussed on what he envisions necessary for the occupation of Palestine to end. After Saba spoke, David Green, a local member of "Not in My Name, briefly gave a statement of support. Not in My Name is an organization of Jewish people taking a stand against the Israeli government for a peaceful end to the occupation in Palestine. After this statement, the event opened for questions. Below, there are links for the ways to get involved that Saba mentioned in the event. Thanks to all who came out! 'Help
the Children of Gaza Go to School'project links: Olive
Picking in Beit Sahour and other Palestinian cities: Biography of Osama Saba: I was born in Jerusalem to Palestinian parents and lived in Ramallah on the West Bank where my family still lives. I left to Egypt in 1987 for college and after obtaining my bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering from University of Cairo I worked there for 2 years. After that I went back to Palestine where I worked for 2 years with the Palestinian ministry of health. In 1996 I came to University of Iowa as a Fulbright scholar to study for a Masters degree in biomedical engineering and ended up staying to do my Ph.D. in the same field (which I am currently working on). I participated in the Iowa International Fellow program and am a member and the president of the Palestinian student organization on campus. I spoke at a number of events on and off campus including the "Christian Witness For Middle East Peace and Justice" event sponsored by Middle East Forum and Friends of Sabeel-NA (Iowa chapters) held in both Des Moines and Iowa City, Iowa Cable Network sessions with several Iowa middle and high schools, visited some middle and high schools in Eastern Iowa, and been a guest twice on "Iowa Talks" a radio call-in show on the local university station WSUI. Activist
Forum Hosts Kathy Sims, Director of Center for Women In Transition On Thursday, June 20, a crowd of people braved the heat to attend another session of IDF's Activist Forum to learn about the life and work of Kathy Sims. Ms. Sims' presentation of "Women and Homelessness: A Lifetime Commitment" did not disappoint. Dan Fogt, Volunteer Coordinator at the Center for Women in Transition, introduced Kathy to the audience and she immediately jumped into the puzzle posed by the word "activist." When she first received the invitation to speak as an activist, Kathy said, she questioned whether or not her daily work could really be considered activism. Inevitably, she concluded that her daily work, which spills over into the realm of politics, education, and empowerment, is indeed activism. As Kathy stated, "Activism becomes necessary when fundamental choices are denied or limited." Nothing taught her the importance of self-determination for all people more than one experience with a man named "Harry." Kathy met Harry when she was working as a homeless advocate. Kathy brought Harry home with her and set about making calls to shelters to see who could house him. After Kathy had finally found a shelter that could house him and stopped to buy him the cigarettes he insisted he must have before he would go, Harry met Kathy with a stern "no." "No, I am not going there." Despite the frustration she felt, Kathy understood then that all people must have the right to make their own decisions, to self-determination, a principle that Kathy believes people do not understand when it pertains to homeless persons. Kathy took the audience through the struggle to acquire the original house for the Center for Women in Transition from the University of Illinois, the backlash felt from the community when they attempted to expand their service, and finally CWT's impending expansion into a third house. Her struggle to help others envision and enact realistic solutions to the problem of homelessness is a lifetime commitment. Kathy Sims has been the Director of the Center for Women in Transition (CWT) since 1989. The Center is a long-term shelter that provides support services and safe transitional housing to homeless women and their children to foster and sustain their self-sufficiency. Pictures from Activist Forum are available here. More information about Center for Women in Transition can be found at here: www.prairienet.org/cwt For more information about Kathy Sims or any of the programs she is involved in contact the Director of the Illinois Disciples Foundation, Meridith Kruse, at 217-352-8721, or email bmmk@soltec.net Common
Ground Food Co-op Hosts Fair Trade Community Forum On Wednesday May 1, 2002 International Workers Day, an audience gathered at the Illinois Disciples Foundation at 7pm for the Common Ground Food Cooperative's Fair Trade Community Forum. Speakers for the event included Bill Kelleher, UIUC Anthropology professor, and Jim Goetsch, an activist with Friends of the Third World. Preceding the forum a potluck and coffee tasting were held, and those present were encouraged to taste a delicious variety of Fair Trade coffees supplied by Friends of the Third World. The group then gathered to hear the speakers voice their experiences, concerns, and reflections concerning the concepts of Free Trade vs. Fair Trade. Jim explained that under current Fair Trade economic policies farmers, paid less than the cost of production for their crops, are relegated to abject poverty. However, when consumers purchase Fair Trade Certified goods they can be guarenteed that farmers were paid $1.26/lb of coffee and that environmentally sustainable practices were used. During Jim's presentation a short film, "Santiago's Story" was shown. The film documented the life of Santiago, a farmer benefiting from his involvement with a Fair Trade Cooperative in Nicaragua. During the question and answer session the audience discussed ways that members of the Champaign-Urbana community can encourage stores and coffeehouses to offer Fair Trade Certified products. Pictures from the coffee tasting and Community Forum are available here. The Common Ground Food Co-op's Fair Trade Coffee Website can be found here. Consumers Create Demand: Create A Demand For Worker Justice and Environmental Sustainability By Asking For Fair Trade Products Champaign-Urbana Fair Trade Guides, listing local coffeehouses that offer Fair Trade Certified products, are now available and can be obtained in various locations and at the Common Ground Food Cooperative, located at 610 W. Springfield. Locations
in Our Community Offering Fair Trade Certified Products: Organizations
Co-Sponsoring the Fair Trade Community Forum Included: Activist
Forum Hosts Mike Doyle of CCHCC and PIFI On Tuesday February 26, 2002 Mike Doyle spoke about his lifetime of fighting for social justice in the Champaign-Urbana community at the IDF Activist Forum. Mike was introduced by Claudia Lenhoff, of Champaign County Health Care Consumers and Imani Bazzell, of Parkland College. Mike began his talk with the words of Frederick Douglass, "Power conceeds nothing without a demand" to emphasize his belief that unless people advocate for their rights those in power will continue their control. Throughout his talk Mike drew on concrete examples to illustrate lessons learned. He spoke about the need to work for real changes in people's lives and provide support to those just beginning social justice work. He also emphasized the importance of maintaining a balance in one's life to sustain the high level of energy needed to be an organizer. After his talk Mike took questions from the audience for about 45 minutes. For those who were unable to attend the talk, or are unfamiliar with Mike Doyle he has truly lived a lifetime committed to grassroots struggle. Mike Doyle is a co-founder of Champaign County Health Care Consumers in 1977. CCHCC is nationally known as an effective community-based social justice direct action organization. Doyle continues today as a Board member of CCHCC. Over the years, Mr. Doyle has helped establish, or has participated in, many campaigns and organizations, including Families Advocating Injury Reduction (FAIR), United Citizens and Neighbors (UCAN), and Illinois Center for Citizen Involvement (ICCI). In addition, Mr. Doyle founded and is Executive Director of Public Interest Fund of Illinois (PIFI), a statewide coalition of progressive nonprofits who, finding themselves excluded from funding by more traditional workplace giving programs, have organized to establish their own program for workplace check-off donations. PIFI is recognized nationally among progressive workplace giving coalitions, and Doyle recently received recognition for his service at the national convention. For more information about Mike Doyle or any of the programs he is involved in contact the Director of the Illinois Disciples Foundation, Meridith Kruse, at 217-352-8721, or email bmmk@soltec.net More information about Champaign County Health Care Consumers is available at: www.prairienet.org/cchcc More information about the Public Interest Fund of Illinois is available at: www.pifi.org Kathy
Kelly of Voices in the Wilderness Speaks at the IDF The Inspiring Work of Kathy Kelly and the Campaign To End US/UN Sanctions on Iraq On February 12th and 13th the Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative sponsored a visit by Kathy Kelly to the Champaign-Urbana community. In addition to helping start Voices in the Wilderness, a campaign to end the US/UN Sanctions on Iraq, Kelly has spent nine months in prison for planting corn on a nuclear missile silo, participated in the Gulf Peace Team located on the Saudi-Iraq border in 1991, and traveled to Iraq in direct violation of U.S. law fourteen times. Recently she was part of the "Breaking Ranks" forty-day fast in NYC calling for a dialogue that would bring about an end to the siege in Iraq. She also participated in the "Walk For Healing and Peace" from Washington DC to NYC which included those who had lost family members in the September 11th attacks but were opposed to their grief being turned into a call for war. Kelly's main event in Champaign-Urbana was an evening presentation at the Illinois Disciples Foundation entitled, "Confronting the Roots of Terrorism." In addition Kelly spoke at Urbana High School, Parkland Community College, both UIUC Law and Medical schools, the School for Designing a Society, and Cerebral Cafe. She was a guest on Focus 580 and Brent Hanson's WDWS radio program. Kathy also participated in an anti-war street demonstration on Prospect Avenue and attended Ash Wednesday Services at St. Patrick's Church. Throughout her presentations Kelly combined personal stories with credible statistics and critical analysis to vividly illustrate the devastation inflicted on the Iraqi people as a result of over ten years of brutal US/UN sanctions. She remarked at the inability of sanctions to remove Saddam from power and argued for funding towards education and health services to strengthen the democratic structures of Iraq. She also called on citizens of the United States to speak out against the suffering in Iraq and utilize nonviolent direct action to work for change. If you would like a video copy of her presentation please contact Meridith Kruse at 352-8721. Kelly also encouraged people to visit the Voices website at www.vitw.org for more information and specific ways to get involved. Co-sponsors of Kathy Kelly's visit to Champaign-Urbana included: 85% Coalition, Amnesty International (Student Chapter), AWARE, Central Illinois Mosque and Islamic Center, Channing-Murray, El Centro Por Los Trabajadores, Illinois Disciples Foundation, Muslim Student's Association, Parkland College Office of Women's Programs, Physicians For Social Responsibility, School for Designing A Society, St. Jude Catholic Worker House, Students for Palestine, U-C Friends Meeting, Unitarian-Universalist Social Action Committee, University YMCA, VVAW (C-U Chapter). |
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