Dear Friends,
 On Wednesday, FOR Executive Director Mark Johnson will give two presentations in Columbia, Missouri on interfaith peacebuilding, militarism and humanitarian law.
Both events are free and open to the public, and we invite you and your community to join us for these conversations! For more information about either event, call (573) 449-4585 or e-mail jstack@formissouri.org.
Issues of humanitarian law growing out of the Supreme Court case Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project
Wednesday, April 27, 1:00 PM
Courtroom, Hulston Hall, Missouri University, Columbia, MO
View map and get directions, or view the event on Facebook
Mark will talk about the Supreme Court's decision last year to uphold a ban on U.S. organizations providing any support to groups labeled by the United States as "terrorist organizations," including support meant to allow groups to resolve conflicts peacefully.
The ACLU said the decision "thwarts the efforts of human rights organizations to persuade violent actors to renounce violence or cease their human rights abuses and jeopardizes the provision of aid and disaster relief in conflict zones controlled by designated groups." Just a few months later, the FBI raided activist homes in the United States, on the pretext that they were providing this kind of "material support" to foreign organizations.
Mark will reflect on these developments and their impacts on humanitarian organizations and international humanitarian law.
Creating a culture of peace: Responding to militarism, materialism and racism
Wednesday, April 27, 7:00 PM
Missouri United Methodist Church, 204 S. 9th Street, Columbia, MO
View map and get directions, or view the event on Facebook
Mark's presentation will focus on the Fellowship of Reconciliation's new campaign to Demilitarize Life and Land, as it relates to the national rallies that occurred on April 9 opposing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He will outline the work FOR does, aligning programs in Latin America and the Middle East with the roots of the "triple evils" that Martin Luther King, Jr. named -- militarism, materialism/poverty, and racism.
We look forward to seeing you at both of these events!
Ethan Vesely-Flad
Communications Director
Fellowship of Reconciliation |
