1 pm Central

Salman Rushdie has written that those who are forcibly displaced by war are “the shining shards that reflect the truth.” We need to hear their stories to understand the effect of war and the urgent need for peace. The stories of those whose lives are forever altered by U.S. “forever wars” propel us toward reparations and the long term work of disarmament.

Long time peace activist, author, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Kathy Kelly will share stories from decades of experiences in Iraq, Afghanistan, Gaza, and the U.S. prison system. Through these stories, she will over insights into next steps on the way of and how we can be better “practitioners of nonviolence.”

She will invite us to insist that the U.S. government make reparations to all victims of its wars who meant us no harm; to welcome people who seek safe haven after fleeing war zones or leaving prisons; and to hold accountable the corporations which profit from permanent warfare, weapons manufacturing and mass incarceration.

Kathy Kelly is board president of “World Beyond War.” From 2022 to the present, she has co-coordinated the Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal. Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, she has co-coordinated an international network to assist young Afghans forced to flee their country. She made over two dozen trips to Afghanistan from 2010 – 2019, living with young Afghan Peace Volunteers in a working-class neighborhood in Kabul. 

With Voices in the Wilderness companions, from 1996 – 2003, she traveled twenty-seven times to Iraq, defying the economic sanctions and remaining in Iraq throughout the 2003 “Shock and Awe” bombing and the initial weeks of the invasion. She joined subsequent delegations to the West Bank’s Jenin Camp in 2002 during and after Israeli attacks, to Lebanon during the 2006 summer war between Israel and Hezbollah and to Gaza, in 2009, during Operation Cast Lead and following the 2013 Operation Pillar of Defense. Kathy has been an educator for most of her life, but she believes children of war and those who are victims of violence are our most important teachers.

This session will last an hour and a half; Cost: $30. Scholarships are available! Join us!

You will be sent a zoom link for the event on the Wednesday before the event. Please be on the lookout for it!

You will receive a recording of the event two days after it, in case you were not able to attend the live program, or want to watch it again. 

Cancellation Policy: Refunds will not be honored after the zoom link is sent out. If you have any questions, please email Kassandra at: beatitudescentermb@gmail.com 
See you then!

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