ReDA - Research, Education, Dialogue, Action

RESEARCH EDUCATION DIALOGUE ACTION

REDA THE PUBLICATION OF THE DALLAS PEACE CENTER

JULY 2012 PHOTO BY YINAN LI

THE DALLAS PEACE CENTER works for peace through justice in North Texas and around the world.

DALLAS PEACE CENTER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & REDA EXECUTIVE EDITOR KELLI OBAZEE MANAGING EDITOR PATTY BATES-BALLARD ART EDITOR RHONDA VARSANE DPC PHOTOGRAPHERS WALID AJAJ, PATTY BATES-BALLARD 2012 BOARD MEMBERS PRESIDENT REV. RYAN KOCH VICE PRESIDENT/TREASURER JOHN FULLINWIDER SECRETARY DR. QAISAR ABBAS REV. DIANE BAKER MAVIS BELISLE SADDYNA BELMASHKAN LEN ELLIS SARA MOKURIA SAM NANCE ERIC REECE AFTAB SIDDIQUI REV. L.CHARLES STOVALL ZARA TARIQ

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Contents

Civil rights attorney Shahid Buttar to speak in Dallas July 12, 2012 ............................................................................... 3 Join the Dallas Peace Center ........................................................................................................................................... 5 ONE MAKES A DIFFERENCE ............................................................................................................................................. 6 Citizenship workshop serves 115 applicants .................................................................................................................. 7 Leymah Gbowee reminds Dallas audience to “keep walking” ....................................................................................... 9 Dallas City Council to debate frac’ing: Your voice is needed ........................................................................................ 11 Ambitious goals for DISD include equity in discipline .................................................................................................. 13 Lifting the veil on a secret trade deal: The TPP ............................................................................................................ 15 Waleed Rashed shares secrets of the Egyptian Revolution.......................................................................................... 17 Northaven United Methodist Church: A voice for compassion, peace, justice, and reconciliation ............................. 18 Dallas LGBT community and allies rally against North Carolina anti-marriage amendment ....................................... 21 Peace Pole dedicated at First Unitarian Church of Dallas ............................................................................................ 22 Making a difference for the people of the Nuba Mountains in Sudan......................................................................... 23 Houston janitors’ fight for justice exemplary of working people's struggle across Texas and the nation ................... 25 The meaning of July fourth for the Negro .................................................................................................................... 27 Peace begins with me ................................................................................................................................................... 31 Softest Soft.................................................................................................................................................................... 32 Asian American children most likely to be bullied ....................................................................................................... 33 Justice requires action to stop subjugation of Palestinians.......................................................................................... 35 Summer Peace and Justice Calendar ............................................................................................................................ 37 Women spring for peace and justice ............................................................................................................................ 38

REDA (Research, Education, Dialogue, Action) is the quarterly publication of the Dallas Peace Center. REDA is published in September, November, February, and May. Please click here for submission deadlines. To submit content, please submit an inquiry to reda@dallaspeacecenter.org.

The Dallas Peace Center 5910 Cedar Springs Rd. Dallas, TX 75235-6806 214-823-7793 www.dallaspeacecenter.org

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Civil rights attorney Shahid Buttar to speak in Dallas July 12, 2012

By Patty Bates-Ballard

Do you remember the military-industrial comHe again faced inequity when he had to leave plex warning President Eisenhower issued in college after his family lost their house in a fi1961? Activist attorney Shahid Buttar believes nancial crisis. He was able to return and then the 21st century’s version is the enter Stanford Law School. He domestic intelligence-industrial was at Stanford on September complex.

11, 2001, when the World “We must guard against Trade Center and Pentagon the acquisition of unwarwere attacked. “Nine-eleven Buttar will be the Dallas Peace ranted influence, whether forced me to escalate my activCenter’s summer lecturer on Jusought or unsought, by ism,” says Buttar. A member of ly 12 at the Bridge Bistro in the military-industrial a very small group – students downtown Dallas. He will simplicomplex. The potential for at elite law schools who have fy a very complicated picture by the disastrous rise of misan awareness of social justice connecting the dots between the placed power exists and issues -- he felt a responsibility unprecedented recent removal will persist.” “to get loud,” he says. of constitutional protections through surveillance, racial proAfter law school, Buttar entered – President Dwight filing, torture/rendition, detenprivate practice, which gave tion, government secrecy, and Eisenhower, 1961 him the opportunity to champithe considerable corporate profon some justice issues – he its they generate. litigated one of the first marriage equality cases. But he poured his volunShahid Buttar had an awareness of inequality teer time into a full spectrum of justice issues, from an early age. Members of a liberal reform advocating for reproductive rights, an end to movement of Islam, his family fled Pakistan the Iraq war, labor rights, and more. He says seeking religious freedom when he was a his efforts were so broad that they pulled him young boy. “The idea that we are going to lose away from some of the issues he cares most freedom here, in the country that introduced about. freedom to the world is just unacceptable,” says Buttar, pictured below.

When he became the executive director of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee in 2009, he says he felt the different pieces of his life finally came together.

Buttar will speak in Dallas on July 12 to explain his work to defend the U.S. Constitution. As a constitutional scholar and civil rights lawyer, Buttar believes that the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution, which limits government interference in the lives of law-abiding Americans, has become a shadow of its former self. For example, the National Security Agency (NSA) has established the ability to track and data mine every email in the country without any privacy controls. “This is the very definition of an unreasonable search,” says Buttar. “Our government is monitoring Americans wholesale

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search of homes and seizure of computers, phones, and papers of 14 peace activists in 2010. Stephanie Weiner (pictured at left), peace and labor activist and 2007-2008 Wright College Adult Educator of the Year, was one of those targeted.

without the constitutional requirement of individualized suspicion.”

Holder v. The Humanitarian Law Project, a 2010 Supreme Court decision, declared that peace and justice workers cannot provide conflict resolution training to terrorist organizations, even if the goal is to help groups learn to use peaceful means rather than violent means to achieve their ends.

The Washington Post among others said that the decision went too far because it held that any assistance whatsoever could help to "legitimate" a terrorist organization, and also could help the group conserve resources that could then be channeled toward terrorist activities.

Now, as a result, humanitarian organizations have been unable to bring aid to flood and famine victims in terrorist-controlled areas of Pakistan and Somalia.

The constitutional crisis started with the passing of the Patriot Act just months after 9-11, and has continued to worsen with each year, says Buttar. Several members of Congress and others have raised concerns about the FBI

The DPC’s 8th Annual Summer Dinner Lecture Thursday, July 12, 2012

Shahid Buttar

In 2012, Congress added a new provision to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that allows indefinite military detention of Americans based solely on suspicion. Written by Senators Carl Levin (D) and John McCain (R), opponents of the measure included the Pentagon, the FBI, the DNI, the White House, Chair of Intelligence Committee Diane Feinstein, Chair of Judiciary Pat Leahy, and a broad range of community groups from Occupy movements to the Tea Party.

Cautioning against splintered responses to these various governmental actions, Buttar wants Americans to understand how the actions have weakened several constitutional amendments at once.

Mindful of the hundreds of Americans have died over the centuries, first to establish and then to defend our rights, he says it is a conservative approach to preserve these rights.

One of the biggest hurdles Buttar faces is the common sentiment that, “I have nothing to hide, if it’s going to make me safer.” He is under no illusion that safety is at the core of these constitutional abuses. And he worries that the current state of constitutional abuses are not the high water mark. That’s not the nature of these things, he says. The only solution, he says, is for more Americans to “get loud” and begin to reverse the trend.

We hope you will attend the lecture to hear what you can do to get involved.

Venue: Marc Events 1130 Dragon Street Suite #120 Dallas, TX 75207 Reception 6:00 pm Dinner & Lecture 7:00 pm

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Join the Dallas Peace Center The values of Peace and Justice are consistently being challenged in our world today. They are challenged by the deep well of corporate monies in our elections, the targeting of undocumented immigrants, continued environmental degradation, and the renewed attack on our civil rights and liberties.

Your commitment to peace and justice in our city and our world has never been more important.

We invite you to put your commitment into action by becoming a member of the Dallas Peace Center. Only by joining with others can we form the critical mass needed to uphold the values of PEACE and JUSTICE. Together we will build a base to transform our local and global communities as we voice our dissent; refuse to cooperate; seek alternative solutions; and directly intervene when we must to ensure that the shared values of peace and justice are upheld for all. The Dallas Peace Center is where we connect to each other.

During this year’s membership drive we have a goal of 200 new members

by July 30. Together we can achieve this goal and help in the transformation of our society.

Your $35 individual or $65 family annual membership will ensure there is continuity in the work of the Dallas Peace Center. The Dallas Peace Center works for  A Nuclear Free World  Ending the Wars abroad and at home  Fairness and Equality that is afforded to ALL  Human Rights here in Texas  Connecting the Human Rights struggles in the U.S and the World, and  Empowering today’s Youth to charter their own destiny through Peace Education.

Join us at the July 12 summer dinner lecture, become a member online, or send a check to: Membership The Dallas Peace Center 5910 Cedar Springs Rd. Dallas, TX 75235-6806

Help deepen our advocacy work and capacity to influence our communities, so that the values of PEACE and JUSTICE are enshrined.

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ONE MAKES A DIFFERENCE The Dallas Peace Center’s Peace Education Program The Dallas Peace Center’s “ONE MAKES A DIFFERENCE” youth curriculum provides a strong intellectual and ethical foundation that encourages academic excellence, enhances self-esteem, increases community understanding and civic engagement, and inspires future global leaders.

The curriculum is inspired by the simple and profound belief that ONE MAKES A DIFFERENCE. The goal of the program is to encourage participants to piece together their personal stories and histories in a way that deepens their understanding of interconnectedness and peace. When young people have the opportunity to share their knowledge in a group, they can teach each other a lot. Each person in the group is a teacher, learner, and listener creating new knowledge and relationships built on trust.

The twelve two-hour sessions included in the ONE MAKES A DIFFERENCE program incorporate heart/mind coherence, self awareness, conflict resolution, non-violent communication, and civic engagement. Join us as we launch a program that empowers our youth to charter their destiny for success.

The ONE MAKES A DIFFERENCE program currently needs additional funding. You can be the ONE who MAKES A DIFFERENCE for young people in our community by making a donation today. To donate, click here, or for more information, email us or call 214-8237793.

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Citizenship workshop serves 115 applicants

By Douglas D. Interiano, Proyecto Inmigrante ICS

On behalf of Proyecto Inmigrante ICS, Inc., and the “Ya es Hora Ciudadanía” campaign, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Dallas Peace Center for all of your efforts at the U.S. Citizenship workshop Saturday, June 16th. Thanks to your help, over 115 applicants were assisted, and 75 applications were completed. The applicants also attended a voter education program so that they will be prepared to vote once their citizenship is finalized.

Your participation and knowledge truly made difference! And because you took the time out of your busy schedules to help guide our community through the important process of applying for U.S. citizenship, many of you were able to listen to inspiring stories and testimonies about how folks waited 10, 20, or even 30 years to apply for U.S. citizenship. We all were

moved to hear about the struggles they have faced in this country.

We truly believe that although you were inspired by these applicants, they too were inspired and motivated by knowing that everyone there volunteered their time to assist them through this process.

In addition to the Dallas Peace Center, a special thank you goes to the NALEO Educational Fund, Cathedral of Hope, G.O.T.V., R.I.T.A., International Rescue Committee, UNIVISION 23, UNIVISION Radio, Casa Durango Dallas, Catholic Charities of Dallas, Casa Del Inmigrante Fort Worth, Telefutura 49, HRC, and of course, to all our volunteers that made this event a great success!!!

Workshops are scheduled for July 7, 14, and 28. For more info, call 888-839-8682 or visit the website.

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July Runoff Election Statewide:

Governor: David Dewhurst & Ted Cruz U.S. Senator: Paul Sadler & Grady Yarbrough

Local:

5th Cong: Tom Berry & Linda S. Mrosko 33rd Cong: Marc Veasey & Domingo Garcia 25th Cong: Roger Williams & Wes Riddle 162nd Judicial: Phyllis Lister Brown & Maricela Moore Monday, July 23 Friday, July 27 Tuesday, July 31

Early Voting Begins Last Day to Vote Early Runoff Election Day

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Leymah Gbowee reminds Dallas audience to “keep walking”

By Diane Hosey, The Embrey Family Foundation The extraordinary Leymah Gbowee began her talk on the evening of May 23, 2012 on the SMU campus by reminding us of the ringing works of the African American abolitionist and humanitarian, Harriet Tubman, “If you are hungry, keep walking, if you are thirsty keep walking, if you want a taste of freedom, keep walking.”

There was a palpable energy in the Trigg Hughes auditorium where over 400 people came to listen to and see the 2011 Nobel Peace Laureate, a peace activist who led a women's peace movement in Liberia that brought an end to the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003. Ms. Gbowee’s face to face plea for peace that year to Charles Taylor, the brutal Liberian president, ultimately made possible the election in 2005 of the nation’s first female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, with whom Ms. Gbowee shares the Peace Prize.

The audience included students from Irma Rangal Leadership School for Girls, young women leaders participating in the Ignite Texas program, as well as an eager contingency of eighth graders from the Barack Obama Leadership School for Boys. Also present were young girls and teachers from the Maya Angelou High School for Pregnant and Parenting Teens.

Through a program called MasterPeace offered through 29 Pieces, the girls had created portraits of Leymah Gbowee that were presented to her at

the end of the program. The program was offered through the World Affairs Council of Dallas, The SMU Embrey Human Rights Program, as well as several funders and sponsors.

Ms. Gbowee (pictured above, left, with Vivian Castleberry and Lauren Embrey) directed many of her comments to the young people in the audience, who she reinforced as the most important peacemakers of the future. During the question and answer period she insisted they be allowed to all ask their questions and she directed her final remarks to them.

In response to a young man’s question, “What kind of hero do you feel you are: epic, tragic or comedic?” she responded, “I am a local girl working on many global problems. My job is to create a safe space so you all can be heroes in your time. Seeing children go hungry without any fu-

“What makes you angry here in Dallas? What keeps you up at night? The world is in a bad state. We need people to stand up. Ordinary people can lead extraordinary change in the world. Keep walking.”

- Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Leymah Gbowee

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ture in front of them is the worst tragedy any mother can face. In my country, I saw young boys your age and younger, given drugs, and guns and made to eat human hearts to prove their manhood. You can never wish war on your worst enemy. You must seek peace, and fight for social justice in peaceful ways and resist violence in its tiniest form wherever you find it.”

again.’ But we didn’t stop.”

The focal point of Ms. Gbowee’s talk was “Leading Change.” She shared her transformation as a reluctant leader to one who was emboldened by the courage of the women around her during the Liberian civil war.

Ms. Gbowee takes her role as a feminist leader and change agent with her wherever she goes, and told the crowd, “I can take off my shoes and run, even in Dallas Texas, if I see a man assaulting a woman. I am not limited to space and boundaries. Women’s rights are universal!”

She spoke of the need to use anger to speak truth to power, but not to use it for harm. “These women still had the zest for change. They sang and chanted and prayed and walked. They had no idea of activism. Every day we stepped out they said ‘they have taken their madness pills

She reminded us that the difference between Martin Luther King and Charles Taylor was the way they responded to their anger and how they chose to make change. One responded through non-violence, the other through mass murder, rape, and destruction.

She asked us all, “What makes you angry here in Dallas? What keeps you up at night? The world is in a bad state. We need people to stand up.

Ordinary people can lead extraordinary change in the world. Keep walking.”

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Dallas City Council to debate frac’ing: Your voice is needed

By Marc McCord, FracDallas

The state of Vermont recently banned hydraulic fracturing (“frac’ing”), the natural-gas-drilling technique that involves blasting chemical-laced water deep into the ground. Yet on August 1, the Dallas City Council will formally begin the process of discussing, debating and re-writing the Dallas Gas Drilling Ordinance so that the city can move ahead with its plan to consider pending gas drilling Special Use Permits (SUPs) and drilling permits within the Dallas City Limits.

The Task Force recommended allowing drilling on city parkland, an activity which would forever render that parkland unusable for recreation purposes because of the potential for deadly explosions, as well as uncontrolled releases of harmful gases and chemical vapors that can cause cancers, birth defects, early childhood development disorders, respiratory problems, mental health issues, male reproduction problems and numerous other known and as yet unknown health consequences.

The process will begin with a 30-minute briefing by a gas industry representative selected by Councilman Sheffie Kadane and a similar briefing by an environmental representative selected by Councilman Scott Griggs. The briefings will take place in the Council Briefing Room 6ES on the sixth floor of Dallas City Hall beginning promptly at 9:00 AM on Wednesday, August 1. The briefing is open to the general public, and all who are interested should plan to attend. Seating is limited to about 60 people.

At issue is whether and under what conditions natural gas exploration and production will occur in Dallas. Last year, the council postponed the process.

Starting in August, 2011, the Dallas Gas Drilling Task Force met for over eight months to review the issues and to advise the City Council on rewriting our antiquated gas drilling ordinance. The idea was to reflect what is known now about the science, safety, and cost-benefit of allowing hydrocarbon exploration in a densely populated urban area. Our zoning ordinances have previously prevented such activities.

The Task Force recommended allowing drilling within 1,000 feet of homes, schools, daycare centers, nursing homes, hospitals, places of employment, churches, parks and other protected use areas with a possibility of a waiver to as near as 500 feet. In fact, experts have documented adverse health effects for people living, working, or playing within two miles of a drilling site. Citizen input to the mayor and city council members is critical, and needs to happen NOW! FracDallas recommends a mandatory setback limit of at least 3,000 feet with no waiver option.

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The Task Force recommended allowing drilling within the floodplain of the Trinity River, which serves as the principle drinking water resource for over half of all Texas residents, including the City of Houston. The risk of contamination of the river and parklands within the floodplain caused by well blowouts, spills, leaks, transportation accidents, and other causes poses a risk to our health and safety that is not justified by the potential reve-

nues that eventually may come from allowing drilling in Dallas.

its from an industry that currently produces gas at a cost four times greater than its market value.

Many other issues are cause for concern, such as property devaluation, foundation damage to structures, loss of tax revenues, loss of businesses and jobs, loss of private land to eminent domain takings for pipelines and compressor stations.

These and other issues cannot be overemphasized, but the top three concerns are 1. Allowing drilling within 1,000 feet (or closer) to protected use areas, 2. Drilling parks, and 3. Drilling in the Trinity River floodplain

Please go to the City of Dallas website and send an email to the Mayor and ALL the Council members at one time with your comments and suggestions about how to re-write our gas drilling ordinance to put citizens’ safety and health above the speculative gamble on gas drilling revenues.

Again, we recommend a mandatory setback limit of at least 3,000 feet with no waiver option, no drilling in parks, and no drilling in the Trinity River floodplain.

Citizens need to impress upon the mayor and council members their concerns about these three major issues, while demanding that they put our health and safety, property values, infrastructure and quality of life ahead of speculative future prof-

There is no time to waste! Gas drilling will come up for a vote sometime this fall. Your voice is urgently needed to ensure that we get a new ordinance that protects us from the heavy industrial practice of hydraulic fracturing.

For more information, contact FracDallas at http://fracdallas.org ; fracquestions@gmail.com; or 214-998-4922.

Energy Tomorrow

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Ambitious goals for DISD include equity in discipline

By Mike Miles, DISD Superintendent

It is a tremendous honor to be selected by the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees to serve as the superintendent for this school district. While Dallas ISD’s graduation rates continue to rise and dropout rates continue to fall among every ethnic group, there is still plenty of work to do.

A few weeks ago, I presented to trustees a plan called Destination 2020, which includes an ambitious set of goals. First and foremost, our goal is that by the year 2020 Dallas ISD will have the highest percentage of students of any large district in the nation who are considered collegeand career-ready. In particular, by September 2020, we expect:  90% of our students to graduate on time  40% of our students attain a 21 or higher composite score on the ACT exam or SAT of 1110 on Reading/Math  75% of our students to be proficient on the “Year 2020 workplace readiness assessments”  80% of our students to enter college, the military, or a “career-ready job” straight from high school We will do this by emphasizing the following core beliefs that have been proposed to trustees:  Our main purpose is to improve student academic achievement.  Effective instruction makes the most difference in student academic performance.  There is no excuse for poor quality instruction. .

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 

With our help, at-risk students will achieve at the same rate as non-at risk students.

Staff members must have a commitment to children and a commitment to the pursuit of excellence.

We will focus on developing effective teachers and principals, supporting them with a professional and high-functioning central office, expanding leadership density within the district, and by engaging parents and the community. Doing all of these things is in the best interest of all students, parents and our stakeholders.

I know first-hand the power of public education. I grew up with a number of challenges in a family that would be characterized as socioeconomically disadvantaged. As the son of an African-American father and Japanese mother, I am all too keenly aware of equity and inequity among ethnic groups.

That is especially true as it relates to student discipline. While it would be my hope that no child would ever need discipline because of their individual focus and drive toward their education, the unfortunate truth is that sometimes they do. In those instances, it is my sincere commitment that discipline be administered equitably.

One of the changes to the district’s administrative structure is the addition of executive directors over school feeder patterns. This will provide an additional leader for parents to contact if issues surface, including those related to the possible improper administration of student discipline. I hope parents will avail themselves to this new structure. We are as committed as ever to making certain that all students are successful.

Again, I am very excited to be in Dallas and I look forward to meeting parents, students, staff members and the community during my tenure. Help us make Dallas ISD a great school district for all students.

DISD students celebrate Independence Day

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Lifting the veil on a secret trade deal: The TPP

By Brooke Harper, Global Trade Watch

The Dallas Peace Center recently helped lift the veil of secrecy on a new trade agreement called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement is a new trade agreement that currently is being negotiated behind closed doors between the U.S., Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brunei, Chile, and Vietnam. While over 600 corporate representatives serve as official trade advisors and have access to the text, members of the United States Congress, journalists, and civil society do not have access to the official texts.

From May 8th-May 18th international negotiators met in the small suburb of Addison, TX to negotiate a trade agreement that had far reaching implications.

From a deliberation text leaked to the media, we know that the Trans-Pacific Partnership would: 



Severely limit the human right of access to healthcare for the 99% of Americans who are not wealthy by imposing strict monopolies on patents and raising the price of lifesaving pharmaceuticals.

Encroach on internet freedoms by calling for internet service providers to police user

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



activity. TPP likely will stifle innovation as a result of the harsh sanctions that countries will be forced to adopt if they are a signatory to the agreement.

Weaken labor provisions and deny the right to work and security to the 99% through offshoring of jobs, banning Buy America and buy-local programs, and weak labor protections.

Undermine the hard fought reforms of the 99% by further elevating corporations’ rights above those of the 99% by allowing corporations to challenge domestic policies in private courts that skirt our domestic systems and regulations.

In order to educate our community about these issues, the Dallas Peace Center hosted a teach-in at the Center for Community Cooperation on May 9th.

Dallas Peace Center Director Kelli Obazee moderated the event that featured Lori Wallach of Public Citizen, Sanya-Reid Smith of Third World Network, and Celeste Drake of the AFL-CIO. Activists were able to hear about how the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement will affect people at home and abroad.

On Saturday, May 12th, Dallas Peace Center members joined with labor, environmental activists, Occupy, and other concerned individuals in a march to the InterContinental hotel where negotiators were meeting.

Over 300 people gathered with a message to the negotiations demanding “a new deal or no deal.�

As a result of these activities, the veil of secrecy was lifted. In the days following the negotiations, United States Trade Representative and former Dallas mayor Ron Kirk stated that negotiators have been hesitant to release the text because they worried that transparency could hurt the chances of final agreement, referencing the stalled Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).

Thanks to the coalition of groups that engaged in this action, international negotiators were able to hear from the American people that they do not support U.S. proposals that would hurt rather than help citizens at home and abroad.

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Waleed Rashed shares secrets of the Egyptian Revolution

By Janardan Yri, member of First Unitarian Church

On June 2, Waleed Rashed shared insights from his experiences as cofounder of the April 6 youth movement in the Egyptian revolution. Speaking at First Unitarian Church of Dallas, he laid out the nuts and bolts of an operation that leveraged digital tools, marketing techniques, and social engineering to gain prominence.

The April 6 youth movement began simply as a Facebook group in support of an industrial strike planned for April 6, 2008. As the date grew near, the group gained numbers. And as Mr. Rashed recounted, "Usually, after you've had a Facebook event page, you shut it down when it's done. But we said, guys, we have 67 thousand people.

Let's use this to do something in the country."

The revolutionaries decided to take their operation to the next level: from online to offline. Each was aware of the risk of being "sent behind the sun" – caught, beaten, and thrown into prison to rot. But they met despite the risks, posing as

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journalists to get past security into a media building where, they hoped, the threats against them might be minimized. "And when we meet in the beginning, we say, what do we want? The oldest one that day was 26. I was 23. And what do we want? We want to step down the regime. How to do that? I have no idea. It's like saying I want to be a businessman but I don't know even what kind of business I want to do. We don't know how to make a revolution."

They were driven forward in spite of their naivetĂŠ and inexperience by the potent combination of youthful vigor, an irrepressible thirst for change, and a feeling that they had nothing to lose.

"When the revolution comes from your inside, this is something you couldn't control. It's not an option. It's not something you can go to the supermarket and ask him, please, give me a revolution for five dollars. No, it's something from your inside. You couldn't control it."

This modern revolution had modern tools, but its growth depended on fundamentals as old as revolution itself: the people must thirst for freedom, and new leaders must inspire them to reach out and take it.

The revolutionaries came to consider themselves as salespeople.

Their customers were the people, and the product was change.

They had to understand the mentalities of the people, the regime, and the media. Only then could they achieve the maximum outreach. Only 10% of Egyptians used Facebook, and the revolutionaries had no connections. How could they reach the broader population? They had to get clever.

Whether that spark has occurred remains unclear. Mubarak is long gone, and yet in the time since Mr. Rashed's appearance in Dallas, the prospects for change wax and wane daily. Egypt now has a truly democratically elected president-elect, Mohamed Morsi, but the military continues to exercise ultimate power.

“The power of the people is stronger than the people in power.�

- Waleed Rashed

"We just had to use the taxi drivers as our media.

If I were to say to a taxi driver, 'hey, I'm going to make a revolution tomorrow,' you know what he's going to do? He's going to drive me to the police station and drop me there.

But instead, call your colleague. And tell him about the story of the [revolution]. And just speak very, very softly. Just give information that you're feeding to the taxi driver like it's a big secret. If you are sharing any secret with a taxi driver, tomorrow it will be everywhere. Everywhere! Don't share any secrets with taxi drivers! So we speak like that, very softly. 'Hey, man.

Just be ready tomorrow.' Soon everybody knows."

Time will tell whether that power can be transferred into truly democratic governing institutions. For now, the Egyptians mix caution and rejoicing over what measure of progress they have achieved.

The event was sponsored by the First Unitarian Church Young Adult Group, two members of who are pictured below with Mr. Rashed and Rev. Aaron White.

For more from Waleed Rashed on his slice of the revolution, including Arab Spring influences, advice to the Occupy movement, and ideas for moving Egypt forward, watch the full video on First Unitarian Church's Vimeo channel.

Waleed Rashed on Twitter: @waleedrashed First Unitarian on Twitter: @1stUChurch

Protesters took to the streets fifty, then hundreds, thousands, millions. Arrests mounted, but popular zeal mounted faster.

Even Mubarak himself unwittingly contributed to the revolution, shutting off media sources when he feared an imminent uprising, sending curious and confused citizens into the streets to be swept up in the fervor. The popular mood was at a peak. But it's not enough to raise the temperature: you need a spark to ignite real, significant change.

Northaven United 18 REDA July 2012

Methodist Church: A voice for tice, and reconciliation

compassion, peace, jus-

By Ron W. Wilhelm, Ph.D., Northaven UMC member

Since its founding in 1955 at the corner of Preston Road and Northaven Road, Northaven United Methodist Church (UMC) has maintained a distinctive, progressive social justice witness within Methodism and Dallas.

Northaven’s longstanding and passionate commitment to outreach, inclusiveness, advocacy, and justice has led members to speak out against the wars in Vietnam and the Middle East and to speak up for the civil rights of African Americans, women, undocumented immigrants, and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community.

Northaven’s Church in Society Commission has developed position statements on the environment, living wage, and immigration reform that may be accessed on the church’s website. A few of the current witness initiatives are highlighted here.

Reconciliation and Inclusion Initiatives Northaven is very honored to be counted in the group of local beneficiaries of Black Tie Dinner, Inc. The monies received from BTD have allowed Northaven to develop and host programs that further support social justice and diversity in our community. Through the efforts of many members, the This I Know study guide and course were developed and are now available

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for distribution to other churches and organizations. This I Know, published by Northaven, is a six-lesson study for individuals and small groups. This curriculum is a companion to For the Bible Tells Me So, the award-winning documentary on homosexuality and the church.

The objectives of the materials are to change the cultural attitudes toward LGBT individuals from ones of indifference, misunderstanding, fear, or hate to love, acceptance, equality, and respect.

For those who have often felt rejected by churches, this informative and enlightened resource leads them to Christ’s unconditional love. This I Know is also offered as a course twice each year at Northaven. The curriculum and DVD are available for sale on the church website (www.thisiknowstudy.org/).

Another valuable resource on homosexuality and the church produced by members of Northaven is the study booklet Finishing the Journey: Questions and Answers from United Methodists of Conviction, available as a downloadable PDF file.

Twice each year, Northaven also hosts Journey: A Coming Out Workshop, which is a seven-week workshop designed to provide a safe place to explore coming out to oneself,

family, friends, and at work no matter where one is on the coming out journey. The church also hosts regular meetings of the Straight Spouse Network, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), and other groups supporting the LGBT community and their families, friends, spouses, and partners.

The youth and adults of Northaven are annual participants in the Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade.

Social Justice Initiatives Co-sponsored by Northaven United Methodist Church and the Dallas Area Christian Progressive Alliance, the Faith Voices on Justice speaker series addresses the foundations of social justice and specific issues in a coherent and challenging way from different faith perspectives.

The purpose of the series is to educate, advocate, and activate around justice to strengthen our understanding and practice of justice, par-

ticularly in relation to the justice ministries of other faith communities, and to coordinate our mutual efforts. Sessions are scheduled 7:008:45 p.m. with the usual format a presentation, plenary question and answer session, and small group discussion and networking.

After a summer hiatus, the series will begin again in September with a panel of Catholic women religious who will discuss their faith and recent hierarchical pressures to curtail their social justice witness.

Through these and other ministries, the Northaven congregation of approximately 600 members seeks to fulfill our mission statement:

As one body of Christ, the people of Northaven are committed to sharing God's love for the world through ministries of compassion, peace, justice, and reconciliation.

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Dallas LGBT community and allies rally against North Carolina anti-marriage amendment

By Eric Reese, DPC Board member

Members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Community and their allies rallied on May 12 at the Legacy of Love Monument in Oak Lawn to protest the passage of Amendment 1 in North Carolina.

Amendment 1 is a measure permanently banning same-sex marriage that could result in the removal of protective orders from domestic violence victims and removal of children from their parents’ insurance policies.

North Carolina has become the final southern state, and the 31st state to pass a defense of marriage amendment. North Carolina has had a law banning same-sex marriages for over 16 years.

We want to strengthen the stability and security of diverse households and families, whether they are families comprised of single parent households, elders who choose to live together as each other’s caregivers, children being raised in multiple households or by unmarried parents, adult children living and caring for their parents, or elders who are the primary caregivers of their grandchildren or other relatives. These diverse families and households, and many others, should have the same privileges legally and economically as traditional-nuclear households. All families matter.

“All families matter.”

- Eric Reese

Again religious fundamentals and conservatives have enshrined discrimination, bias, and inequality into a state constitution. We must understand that opposition to same-sex marriage is only one part of a much broader pro-marriage, and "family values" agenda that includes abstinence-only education (which is funded by federal dollars), stringent divorce laws, the renewed and strategic attack on reproductive freedom, and the on-going assault of the social safety net of this country.

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The Dallas Peace Center will redouble its efforts to build alliances across issues and constituencies, rejecting the idea that same-sex marriage should divide otherwise like-minded communities.

Organizers of the rally called for the Democratic National Committee to move the scheduled 2012 Democratic National Convention out of Charlotte, NC and to officially add Marriage Equality and Full Federal Equality for LGBT Americans to the Party Platform. We were pleased to be able to celebrate President Obama’s public statement earlier that day in support of marriage equality.

Peace Pole dedicated at First Unitarian Church of Dallas

By Fritz Kuehn, First Unitarian Church

On Mother’s Day 2012, members and friends of First Unitarian Church of Dallas celebrated a newly erected Peace Pole. Following a sermon by Senior Minister Rev. Dr. Daniel Kanter titled Mother’s for Peace, the church held a special Peace Pole dedication ceremony in the recently renovated central courtyard. The Peace Pole was donated by longtime members Bill Tucker and his daughter Elizabeth. While Peace Poles are found all around the world, First Unitarian is presently one of the few churches or institutions in the area to feature one on site.

Associate Minister Rev. Aaron White, who conducted the ceremony, began by describing First Unitarian Church as a community that recognizes the common humanity transcending all labels and boundaries. The brief dedication which followed featured the following call and response prayer: In an age where we have become isolated from the planet which gives and sustains life... may peace prevail on earth.

In a world where violence, injustice, and poverty are too common, and in a world where there is enough for us all... may peace prevail on earth.

In this year in our country where elections will bring divisive speech and polarization... may peace prevail on earth.

In our homes, in our hearts, so that we may be agents of the world we wish to be... may peace prevail on earth.

Participants wrote their personal prayers for peace on cards and hung them on streaming ribbons in the trees as a way of deepening their connection to the expansive dream of global peace represented by the Peace Pole.

Each Peace Pole is a hand-crafted monument that displays the message and prayer “May Peace Prevail on Earth” on each of its four or six sides, usually in different languages. There are tens of thousands of Peace Poles in 180 countries all over the world dedicated as monuments to peace. This pole features English, Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew, and Braille.

Peace Poles serve as reminders for people to visualize and pray for world peace. The Peace Pole Project is the official Project of The World Peace Prayer Society. It was started in Japan in 1955 by Masahisa Goi, who decided to dedicate his life to spreading the message, “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in response to the bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

In the words of Peace Pole founder Masahisa Goi, "We are facing an age where the politics of the world must be carried out by each individual who repeats the words 'May Peace Prevail On Earth,' thus becoming a great force for realizing Peace in the world.”

More information about the Peace Pole Project is available at their website.

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Making a difference for the people of the Nuba Mountains in Sudan

By Paulette Cooper

Dear Reader, could you make me a promise? It’s an easy one.

Could each one of you who reads this article please tell the story of what is happening to the people of the Nuba Mountains to at least one other person? Or more, if you prefer. It will be a great help when you do.

The Nuba Mountains is an area located in South Kordofan, Sudan.

Just east of Darfur, these two regions remain part of the original country of Sudan, and are on the northern border of the new country of South Sudan.

The president of Sudan, Omar Al Bashir, is the first sitting head of state indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC). He is now repeating in the Nuba Mountains the same things he did in Darfur, which the U.S. called genocide.

When the bombs are dropped, people must flee the towns and villages of the Nuba Mountains, and often hide in the mountains, as pictured on the following page. The roads to other towns are blocked, and the refugee camp at Yida is growing by the thousands.

I know this information because the Dallas Peace Center has helped the Nuba Mountains Peace Coalition (NMPC) establish our headquarters locally and to learn first-hand about current conditions from the victims in the Nuba Mountains via Skype.

NMPC is one of very few organizations publishing first-hand reports of current conditions in this area on our website. We cannot always get our calls through. There is all too often only a foreboding silence. Silence means bombs are being dropped, missiles are being launched, and people are in too much danger to use Skype.

More important than anything else in some areas, water is even scarcer than food. The water pumps are broken and MUST be fixed. But there are no spare parts to repair the pumps. The knowledge of

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how to repair the pumps is not there. When people dig in the sand and the dirt to try to reach water below ground, they become targets for Bashir’s military and are shot on sight. The water is contaminated, causing sickness and even death. Because the NMPC has had a place to meet, we have been able to formulate a plan to help repair water pumps.

The U.S. called the War in Darfur genocide. Yet the world currently repeats its non-action in the Nuba Mountains, saying, “Not on my watch!” as it continues to watch and do little. But, I’m hopeful about a future for the people of the Nuba Mountains because I know there are some people who do care and do offer help. Thank you, Dallas Peace Center, for being one who cares. You offer us a place to meet, and we have developed a plan to repair the water pumps.

To the readers of this article, thank you for reading, and thank you in advance for telling the story. One person always makes a difference. You will make a difference when you tell the story of the people of the Nuba Mountains.

NMPC

Thanks to UNHCR

Nuba Mountains Peace Coalition

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Houston janitors’ fight for justice exemplary of working people's struggle across Texas and the nation

By Dave Atwood, Houston Peace and Justice Center

The janitors in Houston who clean the city's office buildings are fighting for a livable wage so they can support their families and send their children to school. Currently, they earn less than $9,000 per year on average – less than half of the poverty level.

Houston's commercial real estate market is one of the healthiest in the nation. Houston's janitors clean the offices of some of the richest corporations in the world, corporations where the CEOs often make millions of dollars per year.

In spite of this, janitors are paid so little that they qualify for food stamps and welfare. Their fight for justice is a good example of working people's struggle across Texas and the nation.

The struggle of Houston's janitors goes back to

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2006 when they were first organized by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to form a union. After a long battle involving a strike, multiple rallies and marches, and civil disobedience where they shut down traffic in downtown Houston, they won a contract that improved their economic condition. However, today they are still struggling. The companies that are making millions, and sometimes billions, of dollars do not want to share even a little bit of their profits with the janitors.

The group has organized marches this spring. In a June protest, a marcher was knocked down by a police horse and a woman was arrested when she went to assist. The visibility of this effort is growing, and it appears that a city-wide strike involving civil disobedience may be coming down the road.

"We went on strike in 2006 because we were living in poverty with no hope for a better future," says Veronica Taboada, a Houston janitor. "And even though they can afford to pay us a living wage, these companies keep trying to keep us down What do working people in the city have to do to be able to support their families?�

The Houston Peace and Justice Center (HPJC) has been supporting the janitors since they began organizing in 2006. We see their struggle as cen-

tral to what is happening in America right now: the growing divide between the rich and the poor and middle class. We cannot allow this to continue.

We cannot allow people to live in poverty while others in America are accumulating wealth at record rates.

This disparity is bad for everyone. We have to decide what kind of a nation we want to be.

Things have to change – there is no other alternative.

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The meaning of July fourth for the Negro

By Frederick Douglass, July 4, 1852 At an event commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Rochester, NY

the blessings resulting from your independence to us?

Would to God, both for your sakes and ours, that an affirmative answer could be truthfully returned to these questions. Then would my task be light, and my burden easy and delightful. For who is there so cold that a nation's sympathy could not warm him? Who so obdurate and dead to the claims of gratitude, that would not thankfully acknowledge such priceless benefits? Who so stolid and selfish that would not give his voice to swell the hallelujahs of a nation's jubilee, when the chains of servitude had been torn from his limbs? I am not that man. In a case like that, the dumb might eloquently speak, and the "lame man leap as an hart."

Fellow Citizens, I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men.

They were great men, too, great enough to give frame to a great age. It does not often happen to a nation to raise, at one time, such a number of truly great men. The point from which I am compelled to view them is not, certainly, the most favorable; and yet I cannot contemplate their great deeds with less than admiration. They were statesmen, patriots and heroes, and for the good they did, and the principles they contended for, I will unite with you to honor their memory....

Fellow citizens, pardon me, and allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here today? What have I or those I represent to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us?

And am I, therefore, called upon to bring our humble offering to the national altar, and to confess the benefits, and express devout gratitude for

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But such is not the state of the case. I say it with a sad sense of disparity between us. I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary!

Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you this day rejoice are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity, and independence bequeathed by your fathers is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought life and healing to you has brought stripes and death to me.

This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony. Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak today? If so, there is a parallel to your conduct. And let me warn you, that it is dangerous to copy the example of a nation (Babylon) whose crimes, towering up to heaven, were thrown down by the breath of the Almighty, burying that nation in irrecoverable ruin.

Fellow citizens, above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions, whose chains, heavy and grievous yesterday, are today rendered more intolerable by the jubilant shouts that reach them. If I do forget, if I do not remem-

ber those bleeding children of sorrow this day, "may my right hand forget her cunning, and may my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth!"

To forget them, to pass lightly over their wrongs and to chime in with the popular theme would be treason most scandalous and shocking, and would make me a reproach before God and the world.

My subject, then, fellow citizens, is "American Slavery." I shall see this day and its popular characteristics from the slave's point of view. Standing here, identified with the American bondman, making his wrongs mine, I do not hesitate to declare, with all my soul, that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this Fourth of July.

Whether we turn to the declarations of the past, or to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting.

America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future. Standing with God and the crushed and bleeding slave on this occasion, I will, in the name of humanity, which is outraged, in the name of liberty, which is fettered, in the name of the Constitution and the Bible, which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery -- the great sin and shame of America! "I will not equivocate - I will not excuse." I will use the severest language I can command, and yet not one word shall escape me that any man, whose judgment is not blinded by prejudice, or who is not at heart a slave-holder, shall not confess to be right and just.

But I fancy I hear some of my audience say it is just in this circumstance that you and your brother Abolitionists fail to make a favorable impression on the public mind. Would you argue more and denounce less, would you persuade more and rebuke less, your cause would be much more likely to succeed. But, I submit, where all is plain there is nothing to be argued. What point in the anti-slavery creed would you have me argue? On what branch of the subject do the people of this country need light? Must I undertake to prove that the slave is a man? That point is conceded already. Nobody doubts it. The slave-holders themselves acknowledge it in the enactment of laws for their government. They acknowledge it when they

punish disobedience on the part of the slave.

There are seventy-two crimes in the State of Virginia, which, if committed by a black man (no matter how ignorant he be), subject him to the punishment of death; while only two of these same crimes will subject a white man to like punishment.

What is this but the acknowledgment that the slave is a moral, intellectual, and responsible being? The manhood of the slave is conceded. It is admitted in the fact that Southern statute books are covered with enactments, forbidding, under severe fines and penalties, the teaching of the slave to read and write. When you can point to any such laws in reference to the beasts of the field, then I may consent to argue the manhood of the slave. When the dogs in your streets, when the fowls of the air, when the cattle on your hills, when the fish of the sea, and the reptiles that crawl, shall be unable to distinguish the slave from a brute, then I will argue with you that the slave is a man!

For the present it is enough to affirm the equal manhood of the Negro race. Is it not astonishing that, while we are plowing, planting, and reaping, using all kinds of mechanical tools, erecting houses, constructing bridges, building ships, working in metals of brass, iron, copper, silver, and gold; that while we are reading, writing, and ciphering, acting as clerks, merchants, and secretaries, having among us lawyers, doctors, ministers, poets, authors, editors, orators, and teachers; that we are engaged in all the enterprises common to other men -- digging gold in California, capturing the whale in the Pacific, feeding sheep and cattle on the hillside, living, moving, acting, thinking, planning, living in families as husbands, wives, and children, and above all, confessing and worshipping the Christian God, and looking hopefully for life and immortality beyond the grave -- we are called upon to prove that we are men?

Would you have me argue that man is entitled to liberty? That he is the rightful owner of his own body? You have already declared it. Must I argue the wrongfulness of slavery? Is that a question for republicans? Is it to be settled by the rules of logic and argumentation, as a matter beset with great difficulty, involving a doubtful application of the principle of justice, hard to understand? How should I look today in the (continued on page 29)

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(continued from page 28) presence of Americans, dividing and subdividing a discourse, to show that men have a natural right to freedom, speaking of it relatively and positively, negatively and affirmatively? To do so would be to make myself ridiculous, and to offer an insult to your understanding.

There is not a man beneath the canopy of heaven who does not know that slavery is wrong for him.

What! Am I to argue that it is wrong to make men brutes, to rob them of their liberty, to work them without wages, to keep them ignorant of their relations to their fellow men, to beat them with sticks, to flay their flesh with the lash, to load their limbs with irons, to hunt them with dogs, to sell them at auction, to sunder their families, to knock out their teeth, to burn their flesh, to starve them into obedience and submission to their masters? Must I argue that a system thus marked with blood and stained with pollution is wrong? No - I will not. I have better employment for my time and strength than such arguments would imply.

What, then, remains to be argued? Is it that slavery is not divine; that God did not establish it; that our doctors of divinity are mistaken? There is blasphemy in the thought. That which is inhuman cannot be divine. Who can reason on such a proposition? They that can, may - I cannot. The time for such argument is past.

At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. Oh! had I the ability, and could I reach the nation's ear, I would today pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and its crimes against God and man must be denounced.

What to the American slave is your Fourth of July? I answer, a day that reveals to him more than all other days of the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your shouts of liberty and equality, hol-

29 REDA July 2012

low mock; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are to him mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy - a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation of the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of these United States at this very hour.

Go search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the Old World, travel through South America, search out every abuse and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of the everyday practices of this nation, and you will say with me that, for revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival‌ ...Allow me to say, in conclusion, notwithstanding the dark picture I have this day presented, of the state of the nation, I do not despair of this country.

There are forces in operation which must inevitably work the downfall of slavery. "The arm of the Lord is not shortened," and the doom of slavery is certain.

I, therefore, leave off where I began, with hope.

While drawing encouragement from "the Declaration of Independence," the great principles it contains, and the genius of American Institutions, my spirit is also cheered by the obvious tendencies of the age. Nations do not now stand in the same relation to each other that they did ages ago. No nation can now shut itself up from the surrounding world and trot round in the same old path of its fathers without interference. The time was when such could be done. Long established customs of hurtful character could formerly fence themselves in, and do their evil work with social impunity.

Knowledge was then confined and enjoyed by the privileged few, and the multitude walked on in mental darkness.

But a change has now come over the affairs of mankind. Walled cities and empires have become unfashionable. The arm of commerce has borne away the gates of the strong city. Intelligence is penetrating the darkest corners of the globe. It makes its pathway over and under the sea, as well as on the earth. Wind, steam, and lightning are its chartered agents. Oceans no longer divide, but link nations together. From Boston to London

is now a holiday excursion. Space is comparatively annihilated. -- Thoughts expressed on one side of the Atlantic are distinctly heard on the other.

The far off and almost fabulous Pacific rolls in grandeur at our feet. The Celestial Empire, the mystery of ages, is being solved. The fiat of the Almighty, "Let there be Light," has not yet spent its force. No abuse, no outrage whether in taste, sport or avarice, can now hide itself from the allpervading light. The iron shoe, and crippled foot of China must be seen in contrast with nature. Africa must rise and put on her yet unwoven garment.

'Ethiopia, shall, stretch out her hand unto God." In the fervent aspirations of William Lloyd Garrison, I say, and let every heart join in saying it: God speed the year of jubilee The wide world o'er!

When from their galling chains set free, Th' oppress'd shall vilely bend the knee, And wear the yoke of tyranny Like brutes no more.

That year will come, and freedom's reign, To man his plundered rights again Restore.

In every clime be understood, The claims of human brotherhood, And each return for evil, good, Not blow for blow; That day will come all feuds to end, And change into a faithful friend Each foe.

God speed the hour, the glorious hour, When none on earth Shall exercise a lordly power, Nor in a tyrant's presence cower; But to all manhood's stature tower, By equal birth!

That hour will come, to each, to all, And from his Prison-house, to thrall Go forth.

Until that year, day, hour, arrive, With head, and heart, and hand I'll strive, To break the rod, and rend the gyve, The spoiler of his prey deprive -So witness Heaven!

And never from my chosen post, Whate'er the peril or the cost, Be driven.

God speed the day when human blood Shall cease to flow!

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Peace begins with me

By Len Ellis, DPC Board member

As summer begins and we observe the Fourth of July holiday, I find myself questioning the meaning.

Many people see the Fourth of July as a holiday, a day off from work, a time for barbeques, and of course fireworks. Yet when I put the day in perspective by using the formal name - Independence Day I must ask myself, am I really independent? July 4, 1776 was a remarkable day in history; a significant shift in consciousness to the need for freedom. So, I ask myself, am I truly free?

We start out in life dependent on our parents or caretakers. We must conform to their standards, and to their values. If we were blessed, they taught us to be free thinkers, to figure things out for ourselves, to exercise our independence, and we only saw their control when we needed protection.

If not, we were held captive to what they wanted. Unless we questioned those values, we simply followed what they said, perhaps even into our adult life.

Is this independence? I think not. Those caretakers are still holding a degree of control of our life.

In our adult life, if we are truly independent and free, when we are pressed to conform to “the norm,� we will politely nod and continue on our path. I know in my own life there are times when I do give up a piece of my freedom to conform and compromise for what I later realize was a false peace of mind.

Where I find I lose my independence, however, is when I hold resentments or judgments toward others. Indeed, in holding on to any resentment, my life is then shaped and controlled by my feelings about that situation, group, or person. Until I am able to find compassion and forgiveness, I will continue to be a prisoner of the feelings I am holding on to.

It’s not the other person or group controlling me; they probably have no idea of what I am holding on-

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to. It is totally and absolutely ME who is preventing my own freedom!

So let me begin right here, right now, with me. What I want most is to be free of the compulsions that keep me from living in peace with myself. When I can free myself from these compulsions, I can then live in peace with my friends, my neighbors, with the earth, and yes, even with my so-called enemies. If I have a deep desire for freedom, and to be free, I have to be honest about my feelings -- not hide or stuff them -- and commit to resolving whatever situation comes up, appearing as conflict.

Life does have its conflicts and disappointments, so how can I be free when these come up? To live truly freely, I must first acknowledge the disappointments. Then with compassion, I must love those who might not be loving me.

By doing so, I will no longer be dependent on how others act towards me, and I will be free. By loving those with whom we are in conflict -whether it be right here right now or conflict that happened years ago -we can win our freedom, heal ourselves, and raise our level of consciousness.

Today, we can hold on to the hurt and anger and resentment, or make the choice to forgive and release it, thereby freeing ourselves. Yes, many times forgiving and releasing will go against the conditioning we have received, and the choice may not be easy.

It takes real courage to make those choices, yet I know once we experience the freedom these choices bring, we will be inspired to continue, and we will find immense joy and happiness.

I will enjoy the festivities this Independence Day, as I hope you will. At the same time, I invite you to join me in looking at the ties that bind us, because independence and freedom, just like peace, begins with ME!

Softest Soft

By Jenny Land If I didn't have a broken bird her neck turned funny, just to the side tapping there, wings askew whispering all the things she knew I'd tie a string around my tongue swallow it whole, a voice unsung the softest soft I ever felt she saw me with the eye of God broken bones with fallen hands she cracked the last all on her own she comes to me, a quiet brush tells me what the heart forgot a thing so soft it couldn’t break the rib cage knows just where to give and if there’s not a lock to break then nothing ever was to take she dreams my dreams, she comes between reminds nothing really leaves she raises hairs, the furthest touch across the rift of clay and ash my heart still warm, the edges brushed a cushioned space, a softer soft

I wrote this poem a few years ago for my stepsister Julie after she reminded me my softness is my strength.

Her struggles as the softest bird in the sharpest world were not in vain. I am forever marked by her grace in this and the next world.

-JL

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Asian American children most likely to be bullied

By Casey Ahn Reivich

According to a survey conducted by the U.S. Justice Department of Education Department, 54 percent of the Asian American children surveyed reported being bullied. Compare that to 31.3 percent for Whites, 38.4 percent for African Americans and 34.3 percent for Hispanics. The survey defines Asian American as having ancestry from East Asia, the South Pacific, and the Indian subcontinent.

The number gets worse when it comes to cyber bullying. A staggering 62 percent report of cyber bullying.

These numbers are, of course, incredibly alarming. It raises several questions. Why are Asian Americans targeted in a way the other minority groups are not? Is anything being done about it?

And just the general question: how do you deter and stop bullying?

I was bullied a lot as a child for being Asian. I grew up in an all-white community. It wasn’t until I got to high school that there were even other Asian or Indian students. Starting from elementary school through to junior high school, racial bullying was a constant in my life. It would happen during those times of the day when kids are most vulnerable. On the bus, on the playground, the cafeteria, walking home from school, on the sports field. Basically, a bully comes at you when there is little or no adult supervision. They are smart and cunning enough not to attack you when an adult or a teacher is around.

I wonder now as an adult why I was bullied so much as a kid. First and foremost it was because I was a different race than everyone else, but I also think it was because I was a girl. I simply had no way to defend myself. And like so many other kids who were bullied, I never told anyone about what was happening. I can only remember one time where I came home in tears and finally had to tell my mom what was happening. Why don’t kids tell someone what is happening? Why don’t they tell a teacher?

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In some ways, I guess, school is like a prison.

You know that you’re going to have to face your bully every day. So even if the teacher makes it stop one day, you fear you’re going to be paying for tattling for the rest of the year and in a far worse way than name-calling.

I think that’s why I never spoke up. Fear, pure and simple. I knew I was completely alone in this. It’s the same reason I didn’t defend the overweight girl on the bus when she got teased mercilessly. I was too scared to stand up to the bully. It’s shameful to think of now, but I still remember the paralysis I felt as a child. Stay perfectly still and don’t make a sound and maybe they’ll leave you alone this one time.

And of course, my own experience as a child and this new study make me think very deeply about my own children. I want to protect them from this type of bullying in the worst way. Because I know that once it starts they won’t tell me. It’s just the nature of the beast. The best solution I can think of is to raise them in an area where they are not, by a long shot, the only minorities (especially Asians) around. To raise them in an area where an Asian person isn’t an oddity and object of derision.

I’m sure there will be moments in the future where I’ll have to call a child out and have an uncomfortable moment with another parent. But that’s part of the deal, right? Some people think a child should figure it out on their own, but having experienced that myself, I’m not convinced. It was pretty excruciating for me and I don’t think any child should have to endure that for years on end. I wish I had told someone sooner.

But even that won’t make them invulnerable. The truth is at some point (and maybe it’s already happened) they will be called a name. Like “chink,” “chopsticks,” “Jackie Chan.” Someone will mock them by spreading their eyes wide with their fingers. Someone will try to speak to them in fake Chinese. And honestly, it tears me apart to think about it. It’s unjust and ugly and it makes them vulnerable in a way other children aren’t. But I know I have to get a grip on the possibility and teach them that it has nothing to do with them.

Those children don’t realize yet (and maybe they never will!) that what they’re doing is incredibly hurtful and wrong. Or maybe those children have never been exposed to people of other races and only relate Asian people to the stereotypes they see in popular culture. These are all lofty ideas to try to share with a child.

But I hope that I raise my children in a way that they will come to me with these fears and concerns because it does help when a parent or teacher knows. When I finally had to tell my mom about the bully on the bus, she talked to his mother and the problem stopped.

Casey Ahn Reivich is a freelance writer who recently relocated from Texas to Colorado with her husband and two children. She was born in South Korea and adopted by an American family when she was three. Visit her blog, CountMeInKids.

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know Peace.”

-Jimi Hendrix 34 REDA July 2012

Justice requires action to stop subjugation of Palestinians

By Archbishop Desmond Tutu, special to the Tampa Times

A quarter-century ago I barnstormed around the United States encouraging Americans, particularly students, to press for divestment from South Africa.

Today, regrettably, the time has come for similar action to force an end to Israel's long-standing occupation of Palestinian territory and refusal to extend equal rights to Palestinian citizens who suffer from some 35 discriminatory laws.

Within the past few days, some 1,200 American rabbis signed a letter — timed to coincide with resolutions considered by the United Methodist Church and the Presbyterian Church (USA) — urging Christians not "to selectively divest from certain companies whose products are used by Israel."

They argue that a "one-sided approach" on divestment resolutions, even the selective divestment from companies profiting from the occupation proI have reached this conclusion slowly and painfully. posed by the Methodists and Presbyterians, "damages the relationship between Jews and Christians that has been nurtured for decEmbracing Israel/Palestine is a must-read ades." for those who care about peace in the Middle East. It is provocative, radical, persuasive, and, if given the attention it deserves, could make a major contribution to reconciliation. Please read this book!

— Archbishop Desmond Tutu

I recall well the words of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail in which he confesses to his "Christian and Jewish brothers" that he has been "gravely disappointed with the white moderate … who is more devoted to 'order' than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: 'I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action;' who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's Dale Frost

I am aware that many of our Jewish brothers and sisters who were so instrumental in the fight against South African apartheid are not yet ready to reckon with the apartheid nature of Israel and its current government. And I am enormously concerned that raising this issue will cause heartache to some in the Jewish community with whom I have worked closely and successfully for decades. But I cannot ignore the Palestinian suffering I have witnessed, nor the voices of those courageous Jews troubled

by Israel's discriminatory course.

35 REDA July 2012

While they are no doubt well-meaning, I believe that the rabbis and other opponents of divestment are sadly misguided. My voice will always be raised in support of ChristianJewish ties and against the antiSemitism that all sensible people fear and detest. But this cannot be an excuse for doing nothing and for standing aside as successive Israeli governments colonize the West Bank and advance racist laws.

freedom. ..."

King's words describe almost precisely the shortcomings of the 1,200 rabbis who are not joining the brave Palestinians, Jews and internationals in isolated West Bank communities to protest nonviolently against Israel's theft of Palestinian land to build illegal, Jewish-only settlements and the separation wall. We cannot afford to stick our heads in the sand as relentless settlement activity forecloses on the possibility of the two-state solution.

If we do not achieve two states in the near future, then the day will certainly arrive when Palestinians move away from seeking a separate state of their own and insist on the right to vote for the government that controls their lives, the Israeli government, in a single, democratic state.

Israel finds this option unacceptable and yet is seemingly doing everything in its power to see that it happens.

Many black South Africans have traveled to the occupied West Bank and have been appalled by Israeli roads built for Jewish settlers that West Bank Palestinians are denied access to, and by Jewishonly colonies built on Palestinian land in violation of international law.

Black South Africans and others around the world have seen the 2010 Human Rights Watch report which "describes the two-tier system of laws, rules, and services that Israel operates for the two populations in areas in the West Bank under its exclusive control, which provide preferential services, development, and benefits for Jewish settlers while imposing harsh conditions on Palestinians."

This, in my book, is apartheid. It is untenable. And we are in desperate need of more rabbis joining the brave rabbis of Jewish Voice for Peace in speaking forthrightly about the corrupting decadeslong Israeli domination over Palestinians.

These are among the hardest words I have ever written. But they are vitally important. Not only is Israel harming Palestinians, but it is harming itself.

The 1,200 rabbis may not like what I have to say, but it is long past time for them to remove the blinders from their eyes and grapple with the reality that Israel becoming an apartheid state like South Africa. Its denial of equal rights is not a future danger, as three former Israeli prime ministers — Ehud Barak, Ehud Olmert and David Ben Gurion — have warned, but a present-day reality.

This harsh reality endured by millions of Palestinians requires people and organizations of conscience to divest from those companies — in this instance, from Caterpillar, Motorola Solutions and Hewlett Packard — profiting from the occupation and subjugation of Palestinians.Such action made an enormous difference in apartheid South Africa. It can make an enormous difference in creating a future of justice and equality for Palestinians and Jews in the Holy Land.

Desmond Tutu, winner of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize, is archbishop-emeritus of Cape Town, South Africa.

Editor’s note: The book Embracing Israel/Palestine: A Path to Peace and Reconciliation, by the DPC’s spring lecturer Rabbi Michael Lerner, provides a pathway to resolution of the issues Archbishop Tutu addresses in this article.

36 REDA July 2012

Summer Peace and Justice Calendar Then and Now July 2, 1964 U.S. Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law.

July 4, 1776 The United States declared its independence from King George III and Great Britain.

July 7, 2012 Tar Sands Blockade event in Dallas Fundraiser for Pastors for Peace 23rd Friendship Caravan to Cuba 5pm, Pan-African Connection July 9, 2012 The Texas Voter ID law trial begins before a three-judge panel in Washington DC July 11, 1968 The American Indian Movement (AIM) was founded.

July 12, 2012 DPC Summer Lecture: Shahid Buttar 6pm Bridge Bistro July 13, 2012 “The New Americans” movie 7pm at 1st Unitarian Church July 14, 2012 Dallas Welcomes Cuba Friendship Caravan 5pm at Pan African Connection July 18, 1918 Nelson Mandela was born.

July 19, 1958 The first drug store sit-in by members of the NAACP was held in Wichita Kansas.

July 27-28, 2012 Tar Sands Blockade nonviolent action training in Denton July 23, 1846 Henry David Thoreau was jailed for refusing to pay the poll tax as a protest against the Mexican war; his “Civil Disobedience” essay inspired Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. July 23, 2012 Early voting in Texas runoffs begin July 27, 1953 The Korean War ended.

July 29, 1972 The United Farm Workers (UFW) ended its five year grape boycott.

July 31, 2012 Texas Runoff Election Day August 1, 1920 Mahatma Gandhi began his non-violent non-cooperation campaign in India.

August 2, 1931 Albert Einstein urged all scientists to refuse military work.

August 6, 1945 The United States dropped the first atomic bomb used in warfare on Hiroshima, Japan.

August 6, 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed by Pres. Johnson.

August 20, 1619 The first enslaved Africans brought to North America arrived in Jamestown, Virginia.

August 26, 1920 The 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote, became part of the U.S. Constitution.

Historical Dates Source: PeaceButtons.info

37 REDA July 2012

Women spring for peace and justice

By Patty Bates-Ballard On May 7, 2008, a Lebanese woman named Nadine Labaki learned that she was pregnant. The same day, after two decades of peace, Beirut began erupting into violence. Labaki (pictured right) gave birth to a child and subsequently to a film that examined how far women might go and how creative they can be to protect their children from war. The topgrossing Arabic-language film in Lebanon, "Where Do We Go Now?" is a bold, satirical, and fantastic story about Christians and Muslims who have managed to live peacefully together for a time. When the townsmen begin to thirst for war, the townswomen creatively scheme to keep the peace, ultimately going so far as to convert to each other’s religions.

The role of women in promoting peace is as old as war itself. Surely many men have been and are peace-wagers. Yet from teaching their children to solve problems cooperatively to leading anti-war movements, many women bring focus, commitment, and passion to championing a just peace. In the spring of 2012, the visibility of women taking leadership in creative ways to promote peace and justice has been astounding.

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are responding to all manner of aggression with creativity, courage, and intelligence. In a pre-spring example of this phenomenon, Sandra Fluke, disallowed to speak before Congress on contraception and disparaged by Rush Limbaugh, responded with grace and strength.

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson is one who believes that women are more open to peace and more likely to reject combat. Her annual A World of Women for World Peace conference happens each spring around Mother’s Day because the first Mother’s Day was organized just after the Civil War by mothers grieving their war-dead.

“We have not been able to solve very much from war,” said Congresswoman Johnson (pictured left with a constituent). This year’s conference recognized the role of technology in helping women participate in Arab Spring movements.

This publication is rich with examples of local women as well as men creatively calling for peace and justice. On the heels of national outrage over the defunding of Planned Parenthood and in the face of what many consider now to be a War on Women, well-known and unknown women across the world

In April, Sheila Lyall Grant and Huberta von VossWittig, the wives of the British and German ambassadors to the United Nations, released a video targeting Asma Assad with an online petition urging the wife of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad to stand up against the violence in her country. In the video, a woman’s voice asks, "One day, our children will ask us what we have done to stop this bloodshed. What will your answer be, Asma?" (continued next page)

38 REDA July 2012

(Continued from page 30) The same month, Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi won election to parliament in Burma. She traveled to Norway in June to receive the award and give her long overdue acceptance speech. She said that when she learned of the honor in 1991, it was a sign to her that “the oppressed and the isolated in Burma were also a part of the world,” and that the Nobel Committee was “recognizing the oneness of humanity.”

Also in April, a young, thin Iranian woman fended off security guards to climb onto Iranian President Ahmadinejad’s car and boldly scold him about the hunger and poverty the Iranian people are suffering.

The Advocacy Project

women-only village for those fleeing abuse; Somaly Mam, a former sex worker in Cambodia who now helps women in a similar situation; Marina Pisklakova, who started Russia’s first domestic violence hotline, and other women who have led social change in male-dominated societies. One woman who could soon make the list is Anna Grodzka, the first transgender woman elected to parliament in Poland, and the second ever in Europe.

Hilary Clinton (pictured above), during a visit to China, confronted the emerging world power on human rights, pushing for stronger actions against violence in Syria and Sudan, and pressure for nuclear disarmament in North Korea and nuclear transparency in Iran, while simultaneously finessing a request by a Chinese dissident for refuge at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

Vital Voices, an organization Clinton started in 1997 with then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright works to identify and empower emerging female leaders. In May, the group’s president and chief executive, Alyse Neson, released the book Vital Voices: The Power of Women Leading Change Around the World.

The book, said to read like a global management guide, draws from the stories of Kenyan Rebecca Lolosoli (pictured above right), who runs Umoja, a

39 REDA July 2012

Rachel Maddow’s Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power and Lisa Bloom’s Swagger are among books published by women this spring that take on systemic issues of war-making and the imprisonment of young men in outrageous numbers.

Says Bloom, powerful forces like failing schools, a punitive culture, and a stagnant economy may be aligned against young boys, but there is much that parents and caregivers can do. “Step up to the plate for him. Give your boy a hug, don your superhero cape, and let’s begin.”

Michelle Obama’s new book American Grown promotes local gardening as a strategy not only for healthier bodies, but for healthier, more connected communities.

A group of Saudi women and their allies have courageously created Facebook and Twitter campaigns, Women2Drive, to achieve the right to drive in their country.

A Disney cartoon new this spring carries a serious message for children who struggle with chronic illness and/or who are at risk of buying into limiting stereotypes. Created and produced by the prolific children’s TV writer Chris Nee, Doc McStuffins features a six-year-old African American girl who runs her own make-believe clinic where she heals stuffed animals and other toys using humor, song, and selfconfidence.

The spring flood of creative feminine responses to violence, dysfunction, and injustice shows no signs of slowing. Calling themselves Nuns on the Bus, a group of Catholic sisters are traveling by bus this summer to states like Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia to call attention to how federal budget cuts in Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) budget, passed by the House of Representatives, will hurt struggling families in these states.

In Florida this spring, Volusia County Republican supervisor of elections Ann McFall, Democrat Susan Bucher, and eventually the entire Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections (headed by Republican Vicki Davis) spoke out against and refused to cooperate with the voter purge initiated by Governor Rick Scott. The purge is now the subject of lawsuits by the Justice Department, two female Florida voters, and several non-profit organizations.

The Nuns on the Bus website documents specific cuts to jobs, Head Start, special education, Medicaid, Food Stamps, and other services outlined in the Ryan budget that will be more than devastating to those living in poverty.

Rep. Lisa Brown, silenced on the Michigan House floor for saying “vagina,” joined others to perform The Vagina Monologues” outside the Michigan capitol. No doubt there are thousands more examples of creative stands for peace and justice taken by women and men this year.

While most of the systemic problems tackled this spring by women continue to fester, it is only through continued creative, imaginative action that change happens.

When today’s wars and other injustices finally are resolved, no doubt we will be able to look back to the spring of 2012 to identify when and where many of the seeds of change were planted by creative, brave, imaginative women and men.

40 REDA July 2012

The Dallas Peace Center Mission The Dallas Peace Center, established in 1981, promotes a just and peaceful world through constructive action in education, dialogue, reconciliation, and advocacy.

DPC Guiding Values Non-violent Action – action that compels us to construct systemic change in conflict by winning over hearts and minds.

Constructive Conflict – a process that provides opportunities to attend to varied viewpoints, and serves as a mode of truth-finding and community building.

Collaborative Strategies – the desire to join with others with similar goals and objectives to build mutual support; generate ideas and alternatives; take collective action and expand resources.

Inter-connectedness – the discovery of the many reciprocal connections we have that move us towards a sustainable and just human presence.

41 REDA July 2012