CAPTIONS: first photo: The delegation gathered with friends from the Magdelena, Venezuela community. Linda and Tom Curran, Bill Hardesty, Joel Kilgour, Martha Minchak, Kathy Nygard (International Team leader), Lyn and John Clark Pegg (Delegation Coordinators). Second photo: A group of children from the Olaya Herrera displaced community on the Caribbean coast in Cartegena, Colombia.
By Lyn Clark Pegg
A benefit for Witness for Peace - Upper Midwest and ASDIC for Youth will be held on Sunday, Aug. 19 from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Lafayette Square Community Center, 3026 Minnesota Ave.. on Park Point. Enjoy an eclectic mix of music ranging from progressive rock, to rhythm and blues, to reggae. Food by Simply Southern will be available.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students, and no charge for children under 10. Call 218-525-4542 or email pnprovost@charter.net for reservations.
In May a Witness for Peace delegation traveled to Colombia and Venezuela for 12 days to learn about the conditions in those countries and the effects of U.S. economic and military policies.
In Colombia the group visited communities of indigenous people and Afro-Colombians who have been displaced by internal violence. They also met with human rights activists, religious leaders and government and military officials.
In Venezuela the group learned first-hand about the “Bolivarian Social Movement,” touring housing, educational and health care projects recently initiated by President Chavez. They also talked with many community activists and government officials and heard a wide range of opinions both for and against these transformational changes.
