Peace Works 2008

This multi-generational conference will connect communities working to end occupation and war in the Middle East and assist those who work in this movement in sharing skills and fresh ideas to become more effective in organizing.  Participants will educate each other and build skills to challenge oppression through political, media, and gender analysis, with new knowledge of our roles in the dynamics of the Middle East and US foreign policy. Through bridging communities and acknowledging differences, we intend to find new strategies to build a broader and more effective movement.

This conference will inform and empower concerned individuals regarding the central source of conflict and turmoil in the Middle East today:  foreign military occupations in Iraq and Palestine. We will bring together journalists, scholars, war veterans, peace activists and community leaders from occupied lands and their allies from within the U.S. to deepen our understanding of foreign military occupation in the Middle East and to encourage work towards ending these occupations on the basis of freedom and sovereignty for all peoples. Through panel discussions, workshops and cultural events, the conference will provide a forum for efforts to bridge communities, acknowledge differences, and build broader and more effective coalitions to work for peace and justice in both the United States and the Middle East.

The conference will feature talks on the future of U.S. foreign policy in the region, the nature of the military occupations in Iraq and Palestine, including impacts for women and refugees, personal witness and movement strategies to end these occupations, and efforts to build better relations between military veterans and peace movements. In addition we will offer opportunities for networking and workshops on skill building and effective organizing on a range of issues, including:  peace curriculum for middle and secondary teachers, art and media activism, solidarity and anti-oppression work, direct action, boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigns, and organizing with veterans and military families, as we strive to build more inclusive, sustainable and lasting movements for justice and peace.

We welcome both veteran activists and those new to this work.

Peace Works 2008 will include panels, workshops, and trainings by an expanding list of speakers including…

…Phyllis Bennis, founder of the Institute of Policy Studies, Fellow of the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam, and author.

…Dr. Steve Niva, author and Professor of Middle East Studies and International Politics at The Evergreen State College.

…Zoriah Miller, award-winning photo-journalist in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Gaza Strip.

…Dr. Dahlia Wasfi, Iraqi-American physician activist who spent her early childhood in Iraq.  Recent visits to Iraq have led her to speak about the negative impact of the U.S. invasion on the Iraqi people.

…Haj Sami Sadik, Mayor of al Aqabah, a West Bank Palestinian village threatened with demolition.

…Dr. Rula Awwad-Rafferty, Palestinian Professor of Architecture and Sustainable Communities, University of Idaho

…Adam Shapiro, Jewish-American film-maker and activist with the International Solidarity Movement whose current film is “Chronicles of the Refugee,” a six-part Arab language documentary series about the experiences of Palestinians worldwide.
…Simona Sharoni, internationally-known Israeli scholar, researcher and activist, who has written extensively on gender dynamics, Middle East politics, the peace and justice movement and peace and conflict resolution theory. Currently Chair of the Women’s Studies Program at SUNY Plattsburgh.

…Dr. Bill Dienst, physician from Omak, Washington, member of The Free Gaza Movement recently returned from Gaza, and advisor to Palestinian health care organizations.

…Dr. Susan Greene, artist/activist, clinical psychologist and co-founder of Break the Silence Mural Project.
Mark your calendars and spread the word about the conference. Join the Peace Works mailing list. Make a contribution to support low-income and student scholarships. Sign your organization up to be a 2008 conference sponsor. Send outreach ideas to conference planners at peaceworks@rachelcorriefounation.org or call (360) 754-3998. Check in regularly on the web at www.rachelcorriefoundation.org to get updates about the conference sponsors, speakers and workshops.