Yemen: End the War Vigil, FRIDAY Mar 25, 2022

Yemen: End the War Vigil
FRIDAY March 25th 5PM-6:30PM

South Carolina Statehouse
Main & Gervais, Columbia, SC
March 25th marks 7 years of war in Yemen, the forgotten war. While the
US no longer participates in offensive actions taken by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in Yemen, it still supplies arms, intelligence and logistical support, fueling the violence.  Millions of Yemenis face starvation and lack of medical care due to a Saudi blockade blocking food, fuel and medicine, a situation deemed by the UN to be “the world’s worst humanitarian disaster.” Our message for our elected leaders:  YEMEN: END THE WAR, END THE BLOCKADE!  Join us for vigil at the SC Statehouse (corner of Main & Gervais) on Friday March 25th from 5PM-6:30PM.  Some signs provided. Media will be invited.
Sponsored by the Carolina Peace Resource Center in collaboration with the South Carolina FCNL Advocacy Team

Continue reading “Yemen: End the War Vigil, FRIDAY Mar 25, 2022”

END THE WAR IN YEMEN VIGIL

END THE WAR IN YEMEN VIGIL
MONDAY March 22nd 4:55PM-6:30PM

SC Statehouse (Main & Gervais)

March 22nd marks six years of the war in Yemen, a war in which the US actively supported Saudi and Emirati military intervention until  the Biden administration finally suspended that support.  Former SC Governor and head of the Nobel Peace Prize winning World Food Programme David Beasley now warns as many as 400,000 Yemeni children will starve due to a man-made famine in Yemen.  We call on the Biden administration and our elected leaders to act decisively now to END THE WAR IN YEMEN and END THE MAN-MADE FAMINE .

Arrive before 5pm if possible. Some signs provided.  Please wear a mask and exercise social distancing. Media will be invited.  We need your help getting the word out about Yemen. #YemenCantWait #EndtheWarinYemen #StoptheFamine

SHARE/RSVP on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/events/230250815498380/

TAKE ACTION! Add your voice to FCNL’s Advocacy Campaign “End the US-Backed Saudi Blockade of Yemen” https://fcnl.quorum.us/campaign/30064/?utm_source=hungerward

SPONSORED BY THE CAROLINA PEACE RESOURCE CENTER
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Background:

“‘Hell’ in Yemen, with Millions on ‘Knocking on the Door of Famine’ WFP’s Beasley Warns”
UN News Release. March 10th.
“Famine has Arrived in Pockets of Yemen. Saudi Ships Blocking Fuel Aren’t Helping”
CNN, March 11th.

Learning Circle on Honduras Tuesday April 2nd 7:30PM at Tapp’s

Learning Circle, Focus Honduras:
Roots of Exile, Militarization, ICE and Asylum in the US
TUESDAY April 2nd 7:30PM
Tapp’s Art Center, 1644 Main St. Columbia, SC 29201
Featuring Debbie Billings (Witness for Peace Honduras Delegation Member), Azadeh Shahshahani and Manzoor Cheema (Project South), Luis Garcia (asylum-seeker from Honduras), Nina Cano Richards (Cano Law LLC) and Laura Cahue (Grassroots Alliance for Immigrant Rights). Free and open to the public.
Facebook Event
Sponsored by Witness for Peace Southeast, Project South, Palmetto Luna Arts, Cano Law LLC and the Carolina Peace Resource Center

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See also “Central American Asylum-Seeker Crisis” Panel Discussion WEDNESDAY April 3rd 4PM-5PM at USC, Gambrell Hall, Room 431

https://carolinapeace.org/2019/03/22/central-american-asylum-seeker-crisis-wednesday-april-3rd-4pm-at-usc/

Our Picks for Indie Grits 2019

13th Annual
INDIE GRITS FESTIVAL 2019
THURSDAY March 28th-SUNDAY March 31st
Columbia, SC
Indie Grits is a 4-day event celebrating the visionary and experimental culture of the Southeast through film, art, music, and bits in Columbia, SC. In partnership with the Nickelodeon Theatre. Festival passes are available or tickets for films can be bought individually.  #IndieGrits2019

Carolina Peace’s Indie Grits Picks for 2019…

THE UNAFRAID
THURSDAY March 28th, 4PM
Nickelodeon Theatre
1607 Main St. Columbia, SC 29201
Shot over a period of four years, this observational documentary feature follows Alejandro, Silvia, and Aldo, three DACA recipients for whom attending college in their home state of Georgia is all but impossible, given the government’s refusal to grant them entry or offer in-state tuition. Rather than giving in, the three students deftly navigate the political maelstrom that surrounds them, not only fighting for their own rights but for the rights of their families and their communities as well. Film by Heather Courtney & Anayansi Prado, Los Angeles, CA. Running time: 87 min.
$6 Student/ $8 Nick Member/ $11 General Admission
More info/Reserve Tickets:
http://indiegrits.org/festival/film/features/the-unafraid/

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RESILIENCE Short Films Block
FRIDAY March 29th 1:30PM
SATURDAY March 30th 7PM
Nickelodeon Theatre
1607 Main St. Columbia, SC 29201
The figures that populate these documentary shorts refuse to be confined, or defined, by their oppression. If anything, the challenges they’ve faced are an opportunity. An opportunity to embrace, without reservation, who they are and what they believe. Gun control advocates, sanctuary-seekers, the wrongfully imprisoned: these courageous individuals mine painful pasts and contemplate uncertain futures, but remain steadfast in their resolve to resist at any cost.
$6 Student/ $8 Nick Member/ $11 General Admission
More about the shorts/ Reserve Tickets:
http://indiegrits.org/festival/film/shorts/resilience/

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LUMPKIN, GA
FRIDAY March 29th 6:30PM
This timely documentary feature–a lyrical exploration of indifference and isolation in today’s divided political climate–zeroes in on a poverty-stricken community in rural Georgia that plays host to one of America’s largest immigrant detention centers.
Screened with Walker’s (12 min) and Uniontown (16 min)
More info/Reserve Tickets:
http://indiegrits.org/festival/film/features/lumpkin-ga/

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AMERICA FIRST: THE LEGACY OF AN IMMIGRATION RAID
SATURDAY March 30th 1PM
Nickelodeon Theatre
1607 Main St. Columbia, SC 29201
It’s been a decade since Postville, Iowa suffered the largest immigration raid at a worksite in US history–389 immigrants were arrested in the biggest kosher meatpacking plant in the country. This documentary feature sheds light on the repercussions of such massive raids. America First marks the return of Indie Grits alum Andrea Patiño Contreras to this year’s festival. Film by Andrea Patiño Contreras & Almudena Toral, Miami, FL. Running Time 39 min. Screened with Gutk’odau (Yellow) (8 min) and A Line Birds Cannot See (9 min).
$6 Student/ $8 Nick Member/ $11 General Admission
http://indiegrits.org/festival/film/features/america-first-the-legacy-of-an-immigration-raid/

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SILENCE SAM (FINE CUT SCREENING)
SATURDAY March 30th 3PM
Richland Library, 2nd Floor Theatre
1431 Assembly St Columbia, SC 29201
Since its dedication in 1913, students, staff, faculty, and community members at UNC have advocated for the removal of Confederate monument Silent Sam, standing at the entrance of campus. Silence Sam, a documentary short produced by students of UNC’s School of Media and Journalism, follows the most recent student-led movement to remove the statue, as well as their silencing by university administrators. Jeremiah Rhodes & Courtney Staton, Chapel Hill, NC. Running time: 40 min. Followed by free Impact Producer Workshop.
FREE SCREENING.
More Info: http://indiegrits.org/silence-sam/

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JADDOLAND
SUNDAY March 312st 3PM
Nickelodeon Theatre
1607 Main St. Columbia, SC 29201
In this vivid, wistful documentary portrait, filmmaker Nadia Shihab returns to her hometown in the Texas panhandle to visit her mother, an artist from Iraq; her mother’s increasingly isolated life–and dynamic creative process–become the object of her attention. Soon, Shihab’s grandfather arrives from Iraq, prompting a deeper engagement with questions of place, migration, and the spaces we call home. Documentary Film by Nadia Shihab, Oakland, CA. Running Time: 90 min.
$6 Student/ $8 Nick Member/ $11 General Admission
More Info/Reserve Ticket:
http://indiegrits.org/festival/film/features/jaddoland/

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Commemoration of Hiroshima & Nagasaki, Sun, Aug 6, Columbia, SC

Join us next Sunday August 6th in remembering #Hiroshima and renewing our commitment to work toward a more peaceful world where nuclear weapons will never be used again. Featuring music, poetry, dance, and children’s activities including making origami peace cranes. 2:30pm-4:30pm at Edventure’s Canal Room, 211 Gervais St. FREE.
Sponsored by Carolina Peace and the Columbia Friends Meeting (Quakers)
More details: https://www.facebook.com/events/204584853388254/

RESCHEDULED:Carolina Peace to host bystander intervention workshop WED April 12th

RESCHEDULED: We have rescheduled the Bystander Intervention training scheduled to Wednesday April 12th 7PM. We apologize for any inconvenience.

You see a driver yelling at an African-American person as they walk down the street; you witness a man harassing a woman with a hijab on public transit; you notice someone stopping a trans woman from going into a bathroom at a restaurant.

Learn how to intervene.

Carolina Peace Resource CenterShowing Up for Racial Justice Columbia and Columbia College Multicultural Affairs will conduct a bystander intervention workshop at 7 p.m. on April 5 at Columbia College in the Student Union Lounge. Continue reading “RESCHEDULED:Carolina Peace to host bystander intervention workshop WED April 12th”

Refugee Task Force Holds Winter Clothing Drive

South Carolina is famous for its mild winters.  But we still have to bundle up for the cold, which can be a problem for those from even warmer climes…  or those forced to leave everything behind.

Carolina Peace’s Refugee Task Force is holding a Winter Clothing Drive for Refugees now through Friday March 10th.  Most refugees arrive with very few possessions.  Please donate winter clothes of all sizes.  We also welcome donations of children’s clothing.  Items benefit refugees resettled here in South Carolina.

DROP OFF LOCATIONS:

Redeemer Lutheran Church
WEDNESDAYS 6PM-8PM
(February)
525 St. Andrews Rd Columbia

2931 Blossom St.
Columbia, SC
Please leave items  in box on porch.
Look for sign saying REFUGEES WELCOME!

Reformation Lutheran Church
FRIDAY March 10th 10 am-Noon
1118 Union St. Columbia, SC
If you would like to give your donation directly to a refugee family, please join us 10am at Reformation Lutheran Church.

Another Location, Arrange a Pick Up
Text 817.881.8199 for Katrina.
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Email: Refugee Task Force, rtf@carolinapeace.org
Facebook: South Carolina Welcomes Refugees

A Thousand Protest Trump Executive Orders on Refugees, Travel Ban

On Tuesday January 31, the Carolina Peace Resource Center held a United We Stand: Immigrants and Refugees Welcome Rally at the South Carolina State House. The rally was a protest against the executive orders signed by President Trump that curtail refugee resettlement and indefinitely suspended resettlement of refugees from Syria as well as instituting a travel ban from seven nations into the United States.
Close to a thousand people attended the protest, forming an expansive sign line across the State House grounds. Carolina Peace provided materials for protesters to craft their own signs, and the finished products combined with signs brought by other attendees to make a visually stunning show of support for immigrants and refugees.

Carolina Peace President David Matos led the crowd in cheers that welcomed immigrants and refugees. After his initial remarks, the protesters lined Gervais St. to chant and hold signs for nearly two hours.

Local voices for peace attended the march, such as poet Nikky Finney, pictured above. The crowd made an impressive sight to passersby and vehicles driving by the State House.

As the sun began to set, the crowd relocated to the grounds in front of the State House grounds to listen to several informational speakers including a representative from the American Civil Liberties Union and Omari Fox from Simple Justice: Black Lives Matter.

The crowd continued to rally and cheer on the grounds and the overall mood was one of goodwill and acceptance. Several local press sources covered the event. Below are links to articles about the event:

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2017/01/31/donald-trump-statehouse-protest-sc/97289334/

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/crowd-of-about-gathers-in-columbia-to-protest-president-donald/article_690c23b4-e80f-11e6-b6d7-273522ccd18d.html

http://www.thestate.com/news/local/article129896284.html

Overall, the event was an exciting show of support for immigrants and refugees and an inspiring event for Carolina Peace. We are grateful for the outpouring of support that was shown and are excited to see what we can accomplish together in the future.

Power to the Peaceful, Sat, Feb 4, 9 am – 3 pm

Join us, Saturday, February 4, 9 am – 3 pm, at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia, SC, 2701 Heyward St, Columbia, SC. RSVP / Share on Facebook. Registration recommended.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE:
8:45AM Doors Open
9AM-9:10AM Welcome Continue reading “Power to the Peaceful, Sat, Feb 4, 9 am – 3 pm”