BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Houston Peace & Justice Center - ECPv6.17.2//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://hpjc.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Houston Peace & Justice Center REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Chicago BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20160313T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20161106T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20170312T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20171105T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20180311T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20181104T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20190310T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20191103T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20200308T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20201101T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20210314T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20211107T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20220313T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20221106T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20230312T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20231105T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20240310T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20241103T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20250309T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20251102T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20260308T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20261101T070000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251109T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251109T170000 DTSTAMP:20251109T050943Z CREATED:20251006T155951Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251109T050943Z UID:10002377-1762696800-1762707600@hpjc.org SUMMARY:2025 HPJC Peacemaker Awards Ceremony DESCRIPTION:The Houston Peace & Justice Center is excited to announce the Peacemaker Awardees who we will recognize at our annual Peacemaker Awards Ceremony on Sunday\, Nov. 9\, and encourage you to make your reservations soon for this event – which is also the primary fundraiser for the year\, for all of HPJC’s activities. \n\n\n\nPeacemaker Awardees\n\n\n\nOur Peacemaker Awardees this year are: \n\n\n\n* Houston Interfaith for Middle East Peace\n\n\n\n* Jennifer Park of Moving Waters Houston\n\n\n\n* Atlantis Narcisse of Save Our Sisters United\, and Kai Jones & Rene Mendiola of Save Our Sons & Brothers (joint award)\n\n\n\n* Julio Luna\n\n\n\nMore about each of these Peacemakers\, and why we are so excited to honor them\, is at hpjc.org/hpjc-peacemaker-awardees-2025/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nZoom info if you can’t come in person but want to watch/listen to the ceremony:\n\n\n\nHPJC is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. \n\n\n\nTopic: HPJC Peacemaker Awards 2025Time: Nov 9\, 2025 02:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/84493644908?pwd=XZaqtz95dQXFVWpFfNMlsXg9VmNesd. \n\n\n\nMeeting ID: 844 9364 4908Passcode: 77009212 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOne tap mobile+13462487799\,\,84493644908#\,\,\,\,77009212# US (Houston) +16699006833\,\,84493644908#\,\,\,\,77009212# US (San Jose) \n\n\n\nJoin instructionshttps://us02web.zoom.us/meetings/84493644908/invitations?signature=wqoNgb68q0-qqZD3yt4GRMcAA3LabYYblSUL-FvS-h0 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nReserve your Seats for the Ceremony\n\n\n\nSeats for the ceremony are limited\, and we need to make sure we have adequate food\, drinks and seating. So please make your reservations today. \n\n\n\nHere’s the registration link: https://form.jotform.com/hpjc/hpjc-peacemaker-awards-2025\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nThe Awards Ceremony is not just a fun event\, that recognizes some outstanding people and organizations. It’s also HPJC’s primary fundraiser for the year\, that helps to cover expenses for our varied programs\, including Peace Camp Houston. \n\n\n\nTicket prices:\n\n\n\nThis year\, we are not having a specific ticket price. Instead\, we have a suggested amount ($50/person) but you may pay more or less than this amount\, depending on your personal financial situation and your interest in supporting HPJC financially. This event is our major fundraiser for the year\, and it provides funds for our activities including Peace Camp Houston\, our Working Groups\, micro-grants for area non-profits\, our web site\, and online calendar of events. \n\n\n\nWe do ask that you make your reservation by Nov. 2 — earlier is better! \n\n\n\nFood\, Drinks\, Location\n\n\n\nWe will not have a full dinner\, but there will be plenty of food and drinks for all – another reason we need everyone to reserve seats in advance\, so we’ll know how much food and how many chairs and tables will be needed. \n\n\n\nThe ceremony will be Sunday afternoon\, Nov. 9 (after the general elections) at the Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room\, 6501 Almeda Rd\, Houston 77021. This is the same location of last year and we are thrilled that the Sisters are providing this venue for us again. This is just east of Hermann Park\, north of Holcomb Blvd. There is plenty of free parking. Doors open at 2 pm\, with food/ drinks/ reception starting then\, with the program starting around 45 minutes later. Pre-registration is required! URL:https://hpjc.org/event/2025-hpjc-peacemaker-awards-ceremony/ LOCATION:Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room\, Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd\, Houston\, TX\, 77021\, United States ORGANIZER;CN="Bill Crosier":MAILTO:hpjc@crosierbiomed.com GEO:29.7072291;-95.3832631 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room Dominican Sisters of Houston 6501 Almeda Rd Houston TX 77021 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd:geo:-95.3832631,29.7072291 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250405T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250405T143000 DTSTAMP:20250330T181859Z CREATED:20250316T185307Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250330T181859Z UID:10002310-1743850800-1743863400@hpjc.org SUMMARY:Spring Networking Mixer- Connect for Change: Networking for a Peaceful Revolution DESCRIPTION:Who: Activists and Non-Profit Organizations who use the tools of nonviolence to advocate for justice in all areas of our community in order to bring about a more peaceful world  \n\n\n\nWhen: Saturday\, April 5\, 2025 — 11 AM to 2:30 PM  \n\n\n\nWhere: Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd Houston TX 77021 \n\n\n\nThis event is free and lunch is provided\, but space is limited to the first 100 guests. Save your spot by registering early\, using this RSVP form. \n\n\n\nIn order to ensure enough food and seating for everyone attending\, please RSVP. Tabling space is limited and provided on a first come\, first serve basis. \n\n\n\nFor more information\, contact Sophia Moreau (phone/text 832-326-6149 or email sofymoreau212@gmail.com) URL:https://hpjc.org/event/spring-networking-mixer/ LOCATION:Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room\, Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd\, Houston\, TX\, 77021\, United States GEO:29.7072291;-95.3832631 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room Dominican Sisters of Houston 6501 Almeda Rd Houston TX 77021 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd:geo:-95.3832631,29.7072291 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250302T020000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250302T160000 DTSTAMP:20250221T181839Z CREATED:20250221T181837Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250221T181839Z UID:10001907-1740880800-1740931200@hpjc.org SUMMARY:Susan Abulhawas the realities of the Gaza Situation DESCRIPTION:Susan Abulhawa’s very short presentation\, 18 minutes at the Oxford Student Union\, is an important video. We watch and discuss in detail. Please come with an open and inquisitive mind. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSusan Abulhawa is a Palestinian-American scientist\, writer\, and activist. Her first novel\, Mornings in Jenin\, was translated into 32 languages and sold over a million copies. The sales and reach of her debut novel made Abulhawa the most widely read Palestinian author of all time.  URL:https://hpjc.org/event/susan-abulhawas-the-realities-of-the-gaza-situation/ LOCATION:Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room\, Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd\, Houston\, TX\, 77021\, United States ORGANIZER;CN="HPJC":MAILTO:director@hpjc.org GEO:29.7072291;-95.3832631 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room Dominican Sisters of Houston 6501 Almeda Rd Houston TX 77021 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd:geo:-95.3832631,29.7072291 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250111T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250111T120000 DTSTAMP:20250105T173414Z CREATED:20250105T173411Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250105T173414Z UID:10001854-1736586000-1736596800@hpjc.org SUMMARY:HPJC Annual Planning Workshop 2025 DESCRIPTION:Join other members of HPJC to learn and share ways we can make HPJC more effective this year in supporting all peace and justice issues. A light breakfast will be served. Please RSVP by Thursday\, Jan 9 so we have enough food! RSVP to Sophia Moreau 832-326-6149 or sofymoreau212@gmail.com URL:https://hpjc.org/event/hpjc-annual-planning-workshop-2025/ LOCATION:Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room\, Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd\, Houston\, TX\, 77021\, United States GEO:29.7072291;-95.3832631 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room Dominican Sisters of Houston 6501 Almeda Rd Houston TX 77021 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd:geo:-95.3832631,29.7072291 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20241110T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20241110T170000 DTSTAMP:20241007T145403Z CREATED:20240821T203354Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241007T145403Z UID:10001670-1731247200-1731258000@hpjc.org SUMMARY:2024 HPJC Peacemaker Awards Ceremony DESCRIPTION:The Houston Peace & Justice Center is excited to announce the Peacemaker Awardees who we will recognize at our annual Peacemaker Awards Ceremony on Nov. 10\, and encourage you to make your reservations soon for this event – which is also the primary fundraiser for the year\, for all of HPJC’s activities. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPhoto credit for the Three Amigos: The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston \n\n\n\nPeacemaker Awardees\n\n\n\nWe’re doing something a bit different this year for the National Peacemaker Award. Instead of being giving on one person\, we will give it posthumously to three outstanding individuals who were leaders in three different faiths and who worked individually and collectively for more than 50 years to make major strides in social justice and more. They are the “Three Amigos of Houston” — Rev. William A. Lawson\, Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza\, and Rabbi Samuel E. Karff. Accepting the award on their behalf will be family members of Rev. Lawson and Rabbi Karff\, and one of the Dominican Sisters for Archbishop Fiorenza. Details are below. \n\n\n\nLocal Peacemaker Awardees this year are Dr. John Theis\, the Death Row Angels of Houston\, Barry Klein\, and Laisha Harris. More on each of them is below as well. \n\n\n\nReserve your Seats for the Ceremony\n\n\n\nSeats for the ceremony are limited\, and ticket prices go up as we get closer to the event\, so please make your reservations today. Here’s the registration link: https://form.jotform.com/hpjc/hpjc-peacemaker-awards-2024\n\n\n\nThe Awards Ceremony is not just a fun event\, that recognizes some outstanding people and organizations. It’s also HPJC’s primary fundraiser for the year\, that helps to cover expenses for our varied programs\, including Peace Camp Houston. \n\n\n\nTicket prices:\n\n\n\n\n$80 per person through Oct. 10\n\n\n\n$90 Oct. 11-20\n\n\n\n$100 after Oct. 20\n\n\n\n\nFood\, Drinks\, Location\n\n\n\nWe will not have a full dinner\, but there will be plenty of food and drinks for all – another reason we need everyone to reserve seats in advance\, so we’ll know how much food and how many chairs and tables will be needed. \n\n\n\nThe Ceremony will be Sunday afternoon\, Nov. 10 (after the general elections) at the Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room\, 6501 Almeda Rd\, Houston 77021. This is the same location of last year and we are thrilled that the Sisters are providing this venue for us again. This is just east of Hermann Park\, north of Holcomb Blvd. There is plenty of free parking. Doors open at 2 pm\, with food/ drinks/ reception starting then\, with the program starting around 45 minutes later. Pre-registration is required! \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPeacemaker Awardee Details\n\n\n\nNational Peacemaker Award – to be given posthumously to the “Three Amigos of Houston”:\n\n\n\nThe three faith leaders Reverend William A. Lawson (Baptist)\, Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza (Catholic) and Rabbi Samuel E. Karff (Jewish) are all now deceased\, but they joined forces for more than 50 years to help make Houston a better place to live. The coverage of the recent death of Reverend Bill Lawson highlighted some of their work together. \n\n\n\nLongtime Houston faith and civil rights leaders Rabbi Samuel Karff of Congregation Beth Israel\, and Reverend William Lawson\, Pastor Emeritus of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in Houston\, and Archbishop Emeritus Joseph A. Fiorenza of the archdiocese of Galveston Houston were affectionately called the “Three Amigos” for their lengthy experience of working together to end injustices and to “respect thy neighbor” \n\n\n\nMuch of the group’s efforts led to long-lasting systemic change for good as a early result of their friendship and a shared interest in trying to bring justice for all in our city and our state and our country. \n\n\n\nTogether\, the “Three Amigos” were a mighty force. They united their formidable powers to champion the causes that were important to them. In the mid 1980’s during Houston’s economic downturn\, the Three Amigos\, along with other local clergy\, banded together to form the Campaign for the Homeless\, which exists today as the Coalition for the Homeless. They were also leading voices in the Anti-Defamation League’s Coalition for Mutual Respect since its inception twenty-five years ago. Additionally\, they worked for numerous other city causes including juvenile justice reform\, geriatric health care needs\, and distribution of funding for low-income victims of Hurricane Harvey. The beautiful Plaza of Respect at the Interfaith Ministries building in downtown Houston is dedicated to all three of them. It is a lasting legacy of their love of each other\, this city and humanity. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRev. William A. Lawson\n\n\n\nRev. William A. “Bill” Lawson (1928–2024) was born in St. Louis\, but made his home in Houston as a young man when he accepted a professorship at Texas Southern University. Within a few years of his 1955 arrival in the city\, he became one of its civil rights leaders. He listened to his students at the historically Black Texas Southern\, who were inspired by lunch counter sit-ins elsewhere in the country: They wanted to mount their own in an effort to desegregate Houston. Drawn into the movement by their passion\, Lawson became an important voice for peaceful integration there.   \n\n\n\nLawson joined meetings of Houston business leaders as they discussed the sit-ins and considered whether and how to desegregate the city. Lawson advised the officials as they came to a consensus to quietly remove “whites only” signs and other symbols of segregation\, effectively ushering in integration with little fanfare. The stealth tactic worked\, and Houston’s 1960 integration was notably peaceful.  \n\n\n\nIn 1962\, Lawson founded Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church\, a prominent faith community in Houston that he went on to lead for more than 40 years. The following year\, King came to Houston and preached at Wheeler Avenue Baptist. It marked the beginning of a friendship between the two activists\, as well as a working relationship in which Lawson established a Houston office of King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference.  \n\n\n\nEarning the nickname “Houston’s Pastor\,” Lawson remained an important figure in the city throughout his life. Among his many efforts of service\, he helped establish the first African-American studies program at the University of Houston\, worked to get out the vote\, and sponsored the city’s largest troop of Boy Scouts.  \n\n\n\nThe above bio is from legacy.com \n\n\n\nAccepting the award on behalf of Rev. Lawson\, telling everyone about him\, and answering questions will be one of his family members (TBD). \n\n\n\nArchbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza\n\n\n\nArchbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza (1931-2022) was was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the seventh bishop and the first archbishop of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston in Texas\, serving from 1985 to 2006. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of San Angelo in Texas from 1979 to 1984. \n\n\n\nAbout the Archbishop\, Rev. William Lawson shared the following message with the Archdocese following Fiorenza’ shared this message to the Archdiocese’s death: \n\n\n\n“My friendship with Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza was a genuine one. I respect his title\, but to me\, he was always “Joe.” He shared my values to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and that we should love our neighbor as ourselves” (Luke 10:27). His leadership among the Catholic Bishops of America\, and even his extraordinary involvement in the construction and planning of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart\, are a testament to his skills of collaboration. In service to our faiths and shared values\, Joe and I\, along with the late Rabbi Samuel Karff\, did our best to humbly answer the call in Isaiah (1:17) to do good\, seek justice\, and defend the oppressed. We worked to de-segregate Houston’s schools and businesses\, created alliances to provide solutions for Houston’s homeless\, committed to increase Harris County’s responsiveness to the legal needs of the indigent and even labored to create a vision for age-friendly care which supports seniors who need geriatric services. Joe spoke in a quiet voice\, but he was a strong presence wherever he went. My prayers are with the Fiorenza family and the many persons who\, like me\, loved him. I will always miss him.” \n\n\n\nAccepting the award on behalf of the Archbishop\, telling everyone about him\, and answering questions will be Maureen O’Connell\, OP\, who founded Angela House in 2001 to serve women coming out of incarceration. She also served as Chicago police officer and police chaplain; 16 years as a clinical social worker serving children and families who had experienced physical and sexual abuse in Houston and as Victim’s Assistance Coordinator for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Sister Maureen has also served as Director of the Secretariat for Social Concerns in the Archdiocese of Galveston Houston since January 2020. She is a Dominican Sister of Adrian\, Michigan\, and has lived and ministered with the Houston Dominican Sisters. Both are Catholic religious community known for their commitment to social justice. \n\n\n\nRabbi Samuel E. Karff \n\n\n\nRabbi Samuel Egal Karff (1931-2020) was the son of two Israeli immigrants\, Louis and Reba Karff\, who were both Hebrew school teachers\, and he grew up with a strong love of both Judaism and education. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard\, and was ordained as a Reform Rabbi in 1956 from the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati\, Ohio where he also received a Doctorate in Hebrew Letters in 1962. Prior to starting his career as a congregational Rabbi\, he served as an Air Force Chaplain both in the states and overseas. Rabbi Karff’s rabbinate took him first to Temple Beth Israel in Hartford\, Connecticut. In 1963\, Rabbi Karff’s career took him from Flint to the prestigious Reform congregation\, Sinai Temple in Chicago’s Hyde Park. In addition to his rabbinic responsibilities\, Rabbi Karff taught classes at the University of Chicago Divinity School and Notre Dame and became involved in social justice issues that he would champion the rest of his life. In 1974\, Rabbi Karff accepted the position of senior Rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel\, (Texas’s oldest synagogue) in Houston\, Texas. During his twenty-four year tenure at Congregation Beth Israel\, he founded the Shlenker School which continues to provide a rich Jewish and secular education for students from early childhood through fifth grade. The role of congregational rabbi is multi-faceted\, and Rabbi Karff was uniquely gifted in all of the different areas. He was a phenomenal speaker and wove brilliant sermons together by blending biblical scholarship\, contemporary literary fiction\, current events and film. Each sermon was a profound collage that moved the congregation so much you could often hear their collective murmurs of awe after he finished speaking. He was also able to preach and teach to the youngest members of his congregation. But he was also the consummate spiritual guide as his own deep and abiding faith was both genuine and constant. Rabbi Karff was also a Rabbi’s Rabbi\, leading his colleagues as the President of the Central Conference of American Rabbis from 1989-1991 and by sharing his experience of being called to the rabbinate in his memoir\, For This You Were Created. While in Houston\, Rabbi Karff found many ways to interact with the larger community outside the congregation. He taught in the Religion Department at Rice University and was actively involved with Interfaith Ministries. His social justice work\, begun in Chicago\, took on even deeper meaning\, when he joined forces with Rev. William A. Lawson\, Founding Pastor Emeritus Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church and Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Fiorenza of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. \n\n\n\nAfter becoming the Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Beth Israel in 1999\, Rabbi Karff embarked on new challenges in the Texas Medical Center. He founded the Health and Human Spirit Program–the precursor to the McGovern Center. He also co-created the Sacred Vocation Program (SVP) at the University of Texas Medical School and served as its co-director. SVP is a program which focuses on the relational aspects of being a physician; Rabbi Karff believed deeply that all members of a patient’s health care team— and all employees of health care institutions—were part of a sacred vocation because they had opportunities to make each person feel honored and nurtured. The Sacred Vocation Program is now incorporated into medical centers across the United States. He shared a very special bond with the other two thirds of the Three Amigos\, Reverend Bill Lawson and Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Fiorenza. www.beth-israel.org \n\n\n\nAccepting the award on behalf of the Rabbi will be Liz Seitz\, who is one of his daughters. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocal Peacemaker Awardees\n\n\n\nDr. John J. Theis\n\n\n\nJohn Theis\n\n\n\nDr. John J. Theis\, Director of the Center for Civic Engagement for the Lone Star College System and professor of Political Science on the Kingwood Campus\, introduced deliberative forums work to college campuses. He recently brought together a predominantly black church with a predominantly white church to discuss racial and social justice issues for several years now. He cofounded Occupy Kingwood where the group occupied a corner in Kingwood for 52 consecutive weeks. He works with teens engaging them in our current body politic and much more. \n\n\n\nIn an article titled “How Civic Engagement Spread across Six College Campuses”\, author Maura Casey describes how Dr. Theis introduced deliberative forums work to college campuses. Here’s an excerpt: “He began looking for ways to give students more experience with democracy that went beyond voting. At the request of his department head at the college where he taught\, Theis met with a group from Minnesota interested in civic engagement. One person from that group\, Harry Boyte\, talked about helping people identify issues in their community and getting young people involved. “I thought\, ‘This is exactly the experience I want my students to have.’ So I told them\, ‘I’m in. Political science doesn’t teach this stuff. Let’s figure out how to do this.’” \n\n\n\nMore information about his work using deliberative forums to get students involved in community affairs is at: https://www.nifi.org/en/read-about-dr-john-j-theis-and-his-work-students-how-civic-engagement-spread-across-six-college \n\n\n\nDeath Row Angels of Houston\n\n\n\nDani Allen\n\n\n\nLinda Snyder\n\n\n\nDeath Row Angels of Houston is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Dani Allen and Linda Snyder.  Their mission is to provide outreach to offenders and their families as well as to educate the public about the death penalty.  \n\n\n\nHere is a list of activities they do: \n\n\n\n\nThey correspond and personally visit  with 5-20 prison inmates every week with the goal of proving hope\, love and peace which is often absent in the day to day life of the incarcerated. \n\n\n\nThey donate food\, books\, hygiene products and help replace old or broken personal items such as a winter coat\, hot pot or radio. During visits Dani and Linda are able to purchase hot meals and cold drinks for the inmates. \n\n\n\nDani and Linda also reach out to the families of the inmates if needed offering guidance and support.  They host at their homes family members who travel to Texas to visit their loved ones in prison. They provide transportation to and from the airport and to and from the prisons. \n\n\n\nThey attend court hearings as support for the inmate. They stand outside the Huntsville Unit during every execution in protest. They attend rallies that support an inmate’s legal appeals and oppose the use of the death penalty. They write to elected officials to help inform and express concern over pending executions and new legislation.\n\n\n\nThey fund an active Pacer account (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) in order to provide access to legal filings for inmates. \n\n\n\nThey use their social media pages to educate the public about prison conditions and the death penalty process as well as keep people updated with current events and news. \n\n\n\n\nDani and Linda deserve recognition of their tireless efforts to help the men and women on death row as well as their families. Dani and Linda are the only people some of the inmates have. They bring a little bit of humanity into an inhumane system.  While registered as a non-profit organization\, the group is still very small. All of the energy is spend doing to work rather than fundraising or marketing. The vast majority of funds come from their own pockets.  \n\n\n\nBarry Klein\n\n\n\nBarry Klein\n\n\n\nBarry Klein is a long-time Houston area activist. In 1969 he was a volunteer  with the campaign to set up a Pacifica station in Houston and later became a board member. Circa 1972 he stood on a Houston esplanade in front of an office building holding a homemade sign\, saying “Dow Shall Not Kill”.  \n\n\n\nCirca 1980\, as an advocate for liberty and smaller government\, he became a reformer on local issues. Over the succeeding years he pushed for expanding transit options such as jitneys\, fought Metro’s plan to replace buses with rail\, and opposed needless freeway expansion which induces sprawl. \n\n\n\nBarry believes his most significant work is his defense of property rights with his opposition to zoning\, a traditional tool of racial and economic segregation that was being pushed by leaders of upper income neighborhoods. This led to the creation of the Houston Property Rights Association in 1992 and a successful petition drive that put the final decision in the hands of voters. The result is that voters defeated a proposed zoning ordinance in 1993 and then\, with a second vote\, added an amendment to the Houston charter in January 1994 that guarantees voters an election any time a new ordinance is proposed\, giving Houston residents a higher quality of property rights than all other major US cities. \n\n\n\nIn the course of the petition drive Barry was repeatedly interfered with by Houston police while gathering signatures or distributing flyers at public meetings. With help from pro-bono attorneys he was able sue the city and win a settlement agreement that reined in this aspect of police misconduct (HPD Circular\, Sept 1993; “LAWFUL EXERCISE OF FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS TO DISTRIBUTE LEAFLETS AND GATHER PETITION SIGNATURES IN PUBLIC PLACES”) \n\n\n\nIn 2015 he worked with the HPJC Military and Foreign Policy working group to plan a conference on foreign policy reform. He recruited some Republican and Libertarian Party friends who oppose unconstitutional wars. The result is that the HPJC was able to create a trans-partisan committee that sponsored an event held at Texas Southern University in April 2015 titled\, “PEACE OR WARS WITHOUT END? US Foreign Policy: A Conference to Explore Our Choices”. In the months after the conference\, the committee continued to meet with several participants to plan a post conference followup. Thus the Foreign Policy Alliance (FPA)\, as an HPJC spinoff\, was formed in 2016. \n\n\n\nBarry has devised a novel approach to peacemaking by writing a 12 point strategy to “Make foreign policy a local issue.” Most important of the tactics is direct democracy. In this case\, binding and non-binding ballot measures can be used at the local and state levels\, similar to the Nuclear Freeze playbook in the 1980s. These initiatives set the stage for a series of treaties (Ronald Reagan\, a hawk in his first term\, became a dove in his second) between the US and USSR that made massive cuts in the nuclear arsenals of both nations. The websites of Ballotpedia and the Initiative and Referendum Institute offer details on direct democracy\, and are covered comprehensively in Let the People Rule (2020)\, by professor John Matsusaka at the Univ. of Southern California. \n\n\n\nSome of the tactics promoted by Barry appear on the Take Action page of ForeignPolicyAlliance.org\, including use of home-based teach-ins to expand the antiwar movement\, and direct democracy with initiative and referendum elections\, and advisory votes. In recent years Barry has mailed dozens of packages\, and sent hundreds of letters and emails to antiwar and anti-nuke activists around the country to alert them to the power of direct democracy and local ballot measures\, with some financial assistance provided by FPA. \n\n\n\nLaisha Harris\n\n\n\nLaisha Harris\n\n\n\nLaisha Harris moved to Texas in 2017 and taught 8thgrade middle school girls before going to law school. Her students encouraged her to get back into the community and work towards the change that she so desperately wanted to see in the world. She then went to\, and graduated from\, Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. \n\n\n\nCurrently\, she serves as an Assistant Public Defender at the Harris County Public Defender’s Office. She is the author of “A Tale of Two Americas” and “Qualified Immunity: The Court’s Brain Child and a License to Kill\,” published by The Bridge. She is also the creator/organizer of “Legal Bootcamp\,” which is an interactive community program that breaks down how the government and law works for kids and nonlawyers. URL:https://hpjc.org/event/2024-hpjc-peacemaker-awards-ceremony/ LOCATION:Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room\, Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd\, Houston\, TX\, 77021\, United States ORGANIZER;CN="Bill Crosier":MAILTO:hpjc@crosierbiomed.com GEO:29.7072291;-95.3832631 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room Dominican Sisters of Houston 6501 Almeda Rd Houston TX 77021 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd:geo:-95.3832631,29.7072291 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20240127T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20240127T170000 DTSTAMP:20240124T235112Z CREATED:20240124T225706Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240124T235112Z UID:10001586-1706360400-1706374800@hpjc.org SUMMARY:HPJC Board Orientation & Planning Retreat DESCRIPTION:All HPJC members\, and especially Board members\, are invited to participate in our annual Board orientation and planning retreat. \n\n\n\nWe’ll gather in person to learn and discuss together how to make HPJC more effective\, answer questions\, and plan activities for 2024. This includes what we want to do more or less of\, or differently than in the past\, in order to better achieve our mission. \n\n\n\nBoard members are especially encouraged to attend. \n\n\n\nWe’ll have some (non-alcoholic) drinks and light snacks. If you want to bring something that we can all munch on\, please do so! URL:https://hpjc.org/event/hpjc-board-orientation-planning-retreat/ LOCATION:Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room\, Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd\, Houston\, TX\, 77021\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://hpjc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Logo-HPJC-blue-orange.png ORGANIZER;CN="Bill Crosier":MAILTO:hpjc@crosierbiomed.com GEO:29.7072291;-95.3832631 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room Dominican Sisters of Houston 6501 Almeda Rd Houston TX 77021 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd:geo:-95.3832631,29.7072291 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20231112T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20231112T170000 DTSTAMP:20231109T233635Z CREATED:20230831T192900Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231109T233635Z UID:10001529-1699797600-1699808400@hpjc.org SUMMARY:2023 Peacemaker Awards Ceremony-Celebration DESCRIPTION:This year\, HPJC is recognizing the wonderful work of these recipients of our annual Peacemaker Awards at our 2023 Awards Ceremony: \n\n\n\nThe Texas ObserverKristen SchlemmerJacilet GriffinLorena Perez McGill\n\n\n\nClick here for the Program for the Awards Ceremony\, and for details about the Peacemaker Awardees\n\n\n\nMake your reservations today\, using our Peacemaker Awards reservation form.\n\n\n\nTickets start at $80 per person\, and go up after Sep. 30\, as long as tickets are available. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nNational Peacemaker awardee: The Texas Observer\n\n\n\nJosephine Lee\, Investigative Reporting Fellow\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGabriel Arana\, Editor-in-Chief\n\n\n\nTexas Observer Editor-in-Chief Gabriel Arana and Investigative Reporting Fellow Josephine Lee (click on their names to learn more about them) will accept the National Peacemaker award for the Observer\, and give the keynote presentation. \n\n\n\nThe Texas Observer is a progressive nonprofit news outlet and print magazine covering the Lone Star State. The Observer strives to make Texas a more equitable place through investigative reporting\, narrative storytelling\, and political and cultural coverage and commentary. They dig beyond the headlines and contextualize news events. Their essays\, reviews\, and criticism seek to create a new cultural canon and challenge existing mythologies. \n\n\n\nSince its founding in 1954\, the Observer has focused on communities whose stories are too often ignored or poorly told. It seeks not only to inform\, but to empower their readers\, as they work to hold public officials and corporations accountable. Their reporters recognize that oppressed people are experts on their own lives and trust their expertise. \n\n\n\nThe Texas Observer’s journalism is fact-based and rigorous\, and they prize writing that entertains as it informs. They value history as a reporting tool that allows us to interrogate the origins of policies and to correct narratives that whitewash exploitation\, dispossession\, and genocide. \n\n\n\nLocal Peacemaker awardees:\n\n\n\nKristen Schlemmer\n\n\n\nKristen Schlemmer\n\n\n\nKristen Schlemmer is a lawyer who works every day to secure water justice in her hometown of Houston. As the Legal Director of Bayou City Waterkeeper since 2018\, her work confronts the many facets of water injustice\, from water pollution and infrastructure failures\, to wetlands destruction and flooding\, to inequities in climate mitigation and disaster recovery. In 2021\, Kristen helped secure a $2 billion consent decree that will transform Houston’s wastewater infrastructure over the next generation. \n\n\n\nBefore joining Bayou City Waterkeeper\, Kristen’s legal work included developing a precedent-setting legal theory for families flooded during Harvey\, defending the city of Houston’s equal rights ordinance\, and representing marine mammal scientists in seeking better living conditions for a captive orca. She previously worked at Susman Godfrey LLP and Irvine & Conner PLLC and clerked for two federal judges. \n\n\n\nHer perspective is shaped by her childhood in Houston and South America\, previous translation work with Brazilian human rights organizations\, earlier advocacy focused on wildlife and farmed animals\, legal education at Tulane in post-Katrina New Orleans\, and motherhood. She is a Texas Gulf Coast Master Naturalist and previously served on the local board of New Leaders Council and the Houston Regional committee of the Sierra Club\, Lone Star Chapter. Kristen and her family live a short walk from Buffalo Bayou. \n\n\n\nJacilet Griffin\n\n\n\nJacilet Griffin\n\n\n\nJacilet Griffin formed “From Custody to Casket” after her son was murdered in the Harris County Jail over a year ago.  The Texas Rangers investigated his murder after the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death a homicide.   The Sheriff’s Office continually lied about the circumstances\, once claiming he might have died from food poisoning\, then claiming he might have died from a friendly game of slap boxing.  They (HCSO) hid the circumstances and claimed they did not know what happened the entire time.   \n\n\n\nJacilet Griffin lost her son to our local Criminal Justice System.  She used her grief to focus and empower her to start changing the system. She contacted state rep Ron Reynolds and Shelia Jackson Lee to create a law to help prevent others from dying while in custody.  House Bill 3434\, also to be known as the Evan Griffin Lee bill\, was introduced by Rep Ron Reynolds to ensure inmates living with mental health issues are separated from the general population. Ms. Griffin says her son was suffering at the time of his arrest.  \n\n\n\nShe has also helped the Public Defender’s Office with a new program called Participatory Defense.  The first one was created in the Sunnyside neighborhood under her leadership.  The program empowers families who have had a loved one arrested and informs them of their rights and gives them resources. Unfortunately within this process\, Jacilet lost her job and has been struggling financially.  Just prior to her son’s murder\, her goddaughter was killed by a Precinct 4 Deputy Constable traveling at a very high rate of speed.  Precinct 4 has claimed that she was at fault even though her car was almost torn in half and struck by the marked unit driven by the deputy who never applied his brakes. \n\n\n\nJacilet Griffin never gave up\, but turned her frustration and anger into action\, helping to try to change the criminal justice system in Harris County. “I say to anyone that is dealing with the gravity of such death of their loved ones\, don’t give up on trying to reach whomever and whatever to try and get answers\,” said Griffin. “And I think this is something Evan would definitely be proud of.” \n\n\n\nLorena Perez McGill\n\n\n\nLorena Perez McGill\n\n\n\nLorena Perez McGill is an immigration attorney\, and has taught at American University – Washington College of Law\, the University of Houston Law Center\, and the Georgetown University Law Center. \n\n\n\nShe is Founder and Managing Partner of Perez McGill Law Firm in Spring\, TX\, and represents clients from Bolivia\, Brazil\, Cameroon\, Cuba\, El Salvador\, Guatemala\, Haiti\, Honduras\, Mexico\, Nicaragua\, Peru\, Russia\, and Venezuela\, in US immigration law matters. \n\n\n\nBefore Immigration Courts\, she has represented over 55 asylum-seekers and individuals facing deportation in immigration courts in Arizona\, California\, Colorado\, Florida\, Georgia\, Louisiana\, Maryland\, Minnesota\, Nevada\, New York\, and Texas. She has represented detained clients\, some of whom have been granted release on bond in amounts ranging from $5\,000 to $25\,000\, and some of whom have been granted asylum or withholding of removals. \n\n\n\nBefore the Board of Immigration Appeals\, she has represented over a dozen asylum-seekers on appeal. Some of are pending before the BIA\, and three were remanded in the last two years; \n\n\n\nShe has also represented numerous clients before agencies within the US Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). \n\n\n\nHer current volunteer work includes: \n\n\n\nVolunteer mediator with the Montgomery County Dispute Resolution Center in Conroe (mediate contractual and labor & employment cases).Volunteer lawyer with Kids in Need of Defense in Houston (represent low-income immigrants in their Special Immigrant Juvenile Status visa processes).Volunteer lawyer with Lone Star Legal Aid and the Montgomery County Women’s Center\, in Conroe (represent low-income victims of crimes and domestic violence in the attainment of special U and VAWA visas).\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nChanges for this year\n\n\n\nThe event will be a bit different this year. We’ve decided not to have it at a hotel\, all of which have become quite expensive and which require payment months in advance even when we don’t know what the attendance will be. \n\n\n\nIt’s still going to be both an awards ceremony/celebration\, and also a social event\, where you can visit with people from other organizations involved with work for peace\, justice\, and the environment. We plan to have a variety of hors d’oeuvres and drinks (but not a full dinner) served buffet style\, and we will combine the event with what used to be the pre-dinner reception that we used to have in the foyer outside the banquet rooms of hotels we’ve used. \n\n\n\nWe plan to keep the event shorter than in recent years\, as several of you have requested. \n\n\n\nThe Dominican Sisters of Houston are graciously allowing us to use their large “Meeting Room” at the Dominican Center\, which is not only centrally located (east of the Medical Center)\, but also is a less formal venue which allows us more flexibility as well. \n\n\n\nReservations\n\n\n\nTo help us honor and celebrate the awardees\, please make your reservations for the event\, using our Peacemaker Awards reservation form. There’s a discount for early registration\, and advance reservations are required. We can accommodate a limited numbers of people\, so don’t wait until November to make your reservations. \n\n\n\nThis is our major fundraiser for the year\, and helps to pay expenses for Peace Camp\, for micro-grants we provide to other non-profits\, for sponsorships of events\, and more. So we greatly appreciate donations of more than the minimum. URL:https://hpjc.org/event/2023-peacemaker-awards-ceremony/ LOCATION:Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room\, Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd\, Houston\, TX\, 77021\, United States CATEGORIES:Fundraiser,Presentation or Lecture,Social ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://hpjc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/HPJC-Peacemaker-Awards-graphic-cropped-low-res.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Bill Crosier":MAILTO:hpjc@crosierbiomed.com GEO:29.7072291;-95.3832631 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room Dominican Sisters of Houston 6501 Almeda Rd Houston TX 77021 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd:geo:-95.3832631,29.7072291 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20181117T123000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20181117T153000 DTSTAMP:20181012T195354Z CREATED:20181012T195317Z LAST-MODIFIED:20181012T195354Z UID:10000536-1542457800-1542468600@hpjc.org SUMMARY:Cracking the Codes: The System of Inequity DESCRIPTION:The Dominican Sisters of Houston invite you to join us as we continue and deepen the conversation around race \nSaturday\, November 17\, 2018\nGather 12:30 p.m.\nProgram 1:00-3:30 p.m.\nDominican Center for Spirituality\n6501 Almeda Rd\nHouston TX 77021 \nThere is no charge for this event. We ask that you RSVP to assure seating space.\nFor more information/RSVP contact Ceil Roeger croeger@domhou.org or \n713-440-3714 URL:https://hpjc.org/event/cracking-the-codes-the-system-of-inequity/ LOCATION:Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room\, Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd\, Houston\, TX\, 77021\, United States CATEGORIES:Presentation or Lecture ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://hpjc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/CrackingtheCodes-e1539374028929.png GEO:29.7072291;-95.3832631 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room Dominican Sisters of Houston 6501 Almeda Rd Houston TX 77021 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd:geo:-95.3832631,29.7072291 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20180414T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20180414T153000 DTSTAMP:20180308T174839Z CREATED:20180308T174839Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180308T174839Z UID:10000371-1523696400-1523719800@hpjc.org SUMMARY:RACE; THE POWER OF ILLUSION DESCRIPTION:Is Race for Real? \nWe all know that people look different.  Anyone can tell a Czech from a Chinese.  But are these differences racial? What does race mean? Come learn the answers to these and other questions as we explore the Power of Illusion. \nWe will view 3 Episodes “The Difference Between Us”\, “The Story We Tell”\, and ‘The House We Live in”  Each episode will be followed by a discussion led by Lucy McLaughlin and Cherry Steinwender from the Center for the Healing of Racism. \nThis event is free and open to the public.  Lunch will be served.  Please RSVP to croeger@domhou.org to assure seating and lunch.  If you require a vegetarian sandwich please indicate when you RSVP. URL:https://hpjc.org/event/race-power-illusion-3/ LOCATION:Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room\, Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd\, Houston\, TX\, 77021\, United States CATEGORIES:Presentation or Lecture GEO:29.7072291;-95.3832631 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room Dominican Sisters of Houston 6501 Almeda Rd Houston TX 77021 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd:geo:-95.3832631,29.7072291 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20180324T084500 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20180324T154500 DTSTAMP:20171210T145434Z CREATED:20171210T145251Z LAST-MODIFIED:20171210T145434Z UID:10000334-1521881100-1521906300@hpjc.org SUMMARY:Pax Christi Texas 2018 State Conference DESCRIPTION:  \nPaul K. Chappell   Army Captain\, Peace Activist\, Writer: b. 1980 \n  \n  \n“When people in a democracy are not educated in the art of living — to strengthen their conscience\, compassion\, and ability to question and think critically — they can be easily manipulated by fear and propaganda.  A democracy is only as wise as its citizens\, and a democracy of ignorant citizens can be as dangerous as a dictatorship.” \n  \nBiography \nPaul K. Chappell is the son of a Korean mother and a half African American and half Caucasian father whose thirty years of military service included combat duty in Korea and Vietnam. Following in his father´s military footsteps\, Chappell graduated from West Point in 2002 and served as a captain in Iraq. \nWhile on active duty\, Chappell wrote two books\, Will War Ever End?:  A Soldier’s Vision of Peace for the 21st Century and The End of War: How Waging Peace Can Save Humanity\, Our Planet\, and Our Future. He is also the author of Peaceful Revolution: How We Can Create the Future Needed for Humanity’s Survival (February\, 2012). \nAfter leaving active duty in November 2009\, he began serving as the Peace Leadership Director for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation in Santa Barbara\, CA.  He speaks throughout the country to colleges\, high schools\, veterans groups\, churches\, and activist organizations. \nChappell´s books offer compelling insights on how we might end war.  Based on his personal experience\, military training\, and research into human nature and the myths that perpetuate war\, Chappell avoids blaming any particular political group; his ideas have found traction with liberals\, conservatives\, veterans\, and civilians. \nIt’s too simple to say that Chappell is a soldier turned peace leader.  Growing up in a violent household in Alabama\, his character was forged by violence\, rage\, and racism.  Chappell´s struggle with war and peace began when he was four and his shell-shocked father started beating him.  Chappell grew up believing that humans are by nature violent and that war is inevitable.  As a cadet at West Point\, he learned that neither of these is true.  And as a soldier in Iraq\, he decided to dedicate his life to helping others understand why. \nChappell believes that peace activists should be highly trained in the art of waging peace\, just as soldiers are highly trained for war.  He offers “peace leadership training” that educates and empowers students and people of all ages to create positive change\, and he believes – like Gandhi\, Martin Luther King Jr.\, and James Lawson – that many of the warrior ideals are vital for a nonviolent campaign to be effective. T hese warrior ideals include courage\, discipline\, determination\, resilience\, strategic thinking\, selflessness\, teamwork\, and working for the common good rather than personal glory. \nNobel Peace Prize Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu said of Chappell’s second book\, “Captain Paul K. Chappell has given us a crucial look at war and peace from the unique perspective of a soldier\, and his new ideas show us why world peace is both necessary and possible in the 21st century.  The End of War can help people everywhere understand why war must end\, and how together we can end it.” \nDespite the many problems occurring around us\, Chappell believes that the 21st century is an exciting and hopeful era when a new “peaceful revolution” has the potential to reduce war and injustice around the world.  He says\, “The peaceful revolution is a revolution of mind\, heart\, and spirit.  But it is also a scientific revolution… The peaceful revolution will create a paradigm shift that changes how we see war\, peace\, our responsibility to the planet\, our kinship with each other\, and what it means to be human. \nPaul K. Chappell URL:https://hpjc.org/event/pax-christi-texas-2018-state-conference/ LOCATION:Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room\, Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd\, Houston\, TX\, 77021\, United States CATEGORIES:Presentation or Lecture ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://hpjc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/pkchappall.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Pax Christi Texas":MAILTO:stbsjg@yahoo.com GEO:29.7072291;-95.3832631 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room Dominican Sisters of Houston 6501 Almeda Rd Houston TX 77021 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd:geo:-95.3832631,29.7072291 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20171023T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20171023T210000 DTSTAMP:20171031T181702Z CREATED:20171006T132225Z LAST-MODIFIED:20171031T181702Z UID:10000313-1508783400-1508792400@hpjc.org SUMMARY:Walls of Racism and Oppression: From TX to Palestine & Beyond DESCRIPTION:Veterans For Peace Palestine/Israel Delegation Texas Tour:\nWALLS OF RACISM AND OPPRESSION\n– Texas to Palestine and Beyond – \nWHAT: Presentation by delegates who have traveled to Palestine\, Ferguson\, Standing Rock\, Jeju Island\, Okinawa\, and more – and will visit the US/Mexico border this Fall – to witness and support oppressed communities. (See bios\, below.)\nWHEN: Monday\, October 23\, 6:30 p.m reception. 7:00 program followed by Q&A.\nWHERE: Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd. \nSuggested donation at the door\, sliding scale: $15 – $10. No one turned away. \nA nine-person Veterans For Peace delegation visited Palestine/Israel earlier this year. While there\, they met with Palestinian popular resistance leaders as well as members of the Knesset. They participated in nonviolent direct action and witnessed the resiliency\, solidarity\, creativity and courage of the Palestinian resistance to the Israeli occupation and the settlements that steal their land\, water\, and other resources. \nPhotographer ELLEN DAVIDSON\, former State Dept official and USMC Captain MATTHEW HOH\, former US Army paratrooper TARAK KAUFF\, and filmmaker CHRIS SMILEY are touring Texas to tell us what they observed first-hand\, using dramatic video clips and slides of this eventful trip\, soon to be made into a documentary series. Their experience helped them to see how Palestinian struggles relate to those of oppressed communities in Texas and beyond. \nSee a trailer for the documentary series at http://tinyurl.com/y9ucnhwk \n****************************************************\nELLEN DAVIDSON is a journalist\, photographer\, and longtime peace and justice activist. She is an editor of Peace in Our Times and of the New York City-based Indypendent. She has co-led Veterans For Peace delegations to the West Bank\, where she has traveled extensively\, and to Jeju Island\, Okinawa and Standing Rock. She is the co-director of the VFP Chorus. \nMATTHEW HOH is a Senior Fellow at the Center for International Policy and former Director of the Afghanistan Study Group\, advocating for change in U.S. strategy in Afghanistan. A former State Department official\, Matt resigned in protest from his post in Afghanistan in 2009 over U.S. strategic policy and goals. Matthew served in Iraq in 2004-2005 in Salah ad Din Province and in 2006-2007 in Anbar Province as a Captain in the USMC. He has participated in VFP delegations to Standing Rock\, Okinawa\, and Palestine\, and is a member of the advisory boards of Expose Facts\, World Beyond War\, and Veterans For Peace. \nTARAK KAUFF served in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper from 1959 to 1962. He has been a member of the Veterans For Peace Board of Directors for the past five years. Tarak has held a lead role in VFP’s Direct Action Team\, organizing and leading actions at the National Archives\, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial\, and multiple actions at the White House. He took part in the Gaza Freedom March in Cairo. He is the managing editor of Peace in Our Times\, VFP’s quarterly newspaper\, and has organized and led delegations to Jeju Island\, Okinawa\, Standing Rock\, and Palestine. \nCHRIS SMILEY is a professional filmmaker and associate member of Veterans For Peace who filmed the delegation to Palestine and is in the process of making a docu-series about the trip. \n*Money raised goes towards Veterans For Peace NTX and Campaign Nonviolence-Houston* \nFor info on Event Sponsorship/Endorsements: Contact Jerry via cnvhouston1@gmail.com \nEvent organized by Campaign Nonviolence-Houston Facebook.com/CNVhou1 URL:https://hpjc.org/event/walls-racism-oppression-tx-palestine-beyond/ LOCATION:Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room\, Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd\, Houston\, TX\, 77021\, United States CATEGORIES:Foreign & Military Policy,Fundraiser,Human Rights & Criminal Justice ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://hpjc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/IMG_6264.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Jerry Maynard":MAILTO:cnvhouston1@gmail.com GEO:29.7072291;-95.3832631 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room Dominican Sisters of Houston 6501 Almeda Rd Houston TX 77021 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd:geo:-95.3832631,29.7072291 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20171005T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20171005T170000 DTSTAMP:20171021T125120Z CREATED:20171021T125120Z LAST-MODIFIED:20171021T125120Z UID:10000319-1507190400-1507222800@hpjc.org SUMMARY:White Like Me (screening and discussion) DESCRIPTION:For there to be racial justice in America much work is needed within the white discussion.  Please join the Dominican Sisters of Houston for a discussion of the film that covers “Race\, Racism and White Privilege in America. URL:https://hpjc.org/event/white-like-screening-discussion/ LOCATION:Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room\, Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd\, Houston\, TX\, 77021\, United States ORGANIZER;CN="Ceil Roeger":MAILTO:croeger@domhou.org GEO:29.7072291;-95.3832631 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room Dominican Sisters of Houston 6501 Almeda Rd Houston TX 77021 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd:geo:-95.3832631,29.7072291 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20170813T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20170813T183000 DTSTAMP:20170612T223220Z CREATED:20170611T232936Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170612T223220Z UID:10000223-1502636400-1502649000@hpjc.org SUMMARY:On The Beach (1959 Movie) DESCRIPTION:On the Beach is a 1959 American post-apocalyptic science fiction drama film from United Artists\, produced and directed by Stanley Kramer\, that stars Gregory Peck\, Ava Gardner\, Fred Astaire and Anthony Perkins.[2] This black-and-white film is based on Nevil Shute‘s 1957 novel of the same name depicting the aftermath of a nuclear war.[3] Unlike the novel\, no blame is placed on whoever started the war; it is hinted in the film that the threat of annihilation may have arisen from an accident or misjudgment. \nIn early 1964\, in the months following World War III\, the conflict has devastated the Northern Hemisphere\, polluting the atmosphere with nuclear fallout\, killing all life there. Air currents are slowly carrying the fallout south; the only areas still habitable are in the far reaches of the Southern Hemisphere. \nFrom Australia\, survivors detect an incomprehensible Morse code signal coming from the West Coast of the United States. The last American nuclear submarine\, USS Sawfish\, under Royal Australian Navy command\, is ordered to sail north to the United States to attempt to make contact with the sender of the Morse signal. The submarine is commanded by Captain Dwight Towers (Gregory Peck)\, who must leave his new friend\, the alcoholic Moira Davidson (Ava Gardner). \nThe Australian government arranges for its citizens to receive suicide pills or prepared injections so they may end things quickly before there is prolonged suffering from radiation sickness. An Australian naval officer\, Peter Holmes (Anthony Perkins) and his wife\, Mary\, who is in denial about the impending disaster\, have a baby daughter. Assigned to travel with the American sub for several weeks\, Peter tries to explain to Mary how to euthanize their baby and then kill herself in case he is not yet home when the end comes; Mary reacts very emotionally to the prospect of killing her daughter and herself. \nOne scientist’s theory is that the radiation level near the Arctic Ocean could be lower than that found in the mid-Northern Hemisphere\, which might indicate the radiation could disperse before reaching the Southern Hemisphere. The theory is to be explored along with the submarine’s main mission. After sailing to Point Barrow\, Alaska\, they determine that radiation levels are\, on the contrary\, intensifying. \nThis is a long film and will be shown in two parts with a meal between \nPart I  3 pm – 4:15 PM \nMeal Break 4;15- 5:15 \nPart II  5:15-6:30 URL:https://hpjc.org/event/beach-1959-movie/ LOCATION:Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room\, Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd\, Houston\, TX\, 77021\, United States CATEGORIES:Environmental & Environmental Justice,Foreign & Military Policy,Peace Education for Children & Families,Social,Video Showing ORGANIZER;CN="Joe Marcinkowski":MAILTO:Joe@metroretrofurniture.com GEO:29.7072291;-95.3832631 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room Dominican Sisters of Houston 6501 Almeda Rd Houston TX 77021 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd:geo:-95.3832631,29.7072291 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20170525T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20170525T210000 DTSTAMP:20170417T125403Z CREATED:20170410T182046Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170417T125403Z UID:10000193-1495738800-1495746000@hpjc.org SUMMARY:Meet filmmaker Regis Tremblay 11:59:30-Thirty Seconds to Midnight DESCRIPTION:Reception with  Regis Tremblay \nMy new documentary\, Thirty Seconds to Midnight\, is ready and we will show it in Houston\, TX \nThis has been a very long\, three year project that began with my first feature documentary\, The Ghosts of Jeju. It was then that I realized the U.S. plan for full spectrum dominance of the planet. My research and interest since then has focused on the trajectory of Manifest Destiny since the white\, European explorers came to the Americas in the 15th Century. Blessed by the Pope of Rome\, the Doctrine of Discovery gave the illegal immigrants from Europe the right to the land and its resources and permission to kill all of the savages that inhabited those lands. From that time on\, these white\, European\, illegal immigrants\, and later the newly formed United States of America\, continued to massacre millions of Native Americans. Those that were not killed either died of disease\, starvation or were herded onto reservations where they lived in squalor. As the film makes clear\, violence and killing have been part of the American narrative from the very beginning. \nThe United States of America was built on slavery and later the commodification of labor. Eventually\, the Doctrine of Discovery and Manifest Destiny were applied to the entire world. Since 1798\, the United States has invaded more than 500 countries and murdered tens of millions of innocent people\, stealing their resources and destroying entire civilizations. Just since WWII\, the United States has planned and orchestrated coups\, assassinations\, regime changes\, color revolutions\, drone killings\, and murdered more than 20 million innocent men\, women and children. And the slaughter continues today in Afghanistan\, Pakistan\, Iraq\, Libya\, Syria\, Yemen\, Somalia and throughout Africa and South America. \nWith the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki\, America ushered in a new era in human history that has all life on earth on the brink of extinction\, and this is the theme of Thirty Seconds to Midnight. There are only three threats to life on the planet\, and only three. They are\, a nuclear holocaust\, nuclear power that is not safe\, and climate change. As Dr. Helen Caldicott says in the film\, “We are like lemmings walking towards the cliff and worrying about things that don’t matter.” \nSince going to Jeju Island\, I have returned to the Pacific to document the presence and effects of U.S. militarism from Hawaii all the way down to the Marshall Islands. In this past year\, I travelled to Germany\, Ukraine and to Russia because not only is America threatening to choke off China with the Pivot to Asia\, but America has also been threatening Russia since the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union with thousands of US/NATO troops\, bases and missiles on Russia’s borders. The threat of nuclear war with these two nuclear-armed countries is greater now than during the Cold War. \nAnd so it is\, America’s destiny has all life on the planet on the very brink of extinction. As Dr. Caldicott wonders at the end of the film\, “Are we an evolutionary aberration designed in an evolutionary sense not to survive? I wonder.” URL:https://hpjc.org/event/meet-filmmaker-regis-tremblay-115930-thirty-seconds-midnight/ LOCATION:Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room\, Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd\, Houston\, TX\, 77021\, United States CATEGORIES:Environmental & Environmental Justice,Foreign & Military Policy,Human Rights & Criminal Justice,Peace Education for Children & Families,Presentation or Lecture,Social,Video Showing ORGANIZER;CN="Houston Peace &%3B Justice Center":MAILTO:info@hpjc.org GEO:29.7072291;-95.3832631 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room Dominican Sisters of Houston 6501 Almeda Rd Houston TX 77021 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd:geo:-95.3832631,29.7072291 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20170522 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20170523 DTSTAMP:20170405T031353Z CREATED:20170405T031353Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170405T031353Z UID:10001346-1495422000-1495497599@hpjc.org SUMMARY:13 Colors of the Honduran Resistance DESCRIPTION:Melissa Cardoza\, an afro-indigenous feminist leader from Honduras\, is coming to Houston on May 22\, together with Honduran singer-songwriter Karla Lara\, as part of a tour of the U.S. promoting the new bilingual Spanish-English edition of Melissa’s book\, 13 colores de la resistencia hondureña / 13 Colors of the Honduran Resistance. \nThe book tells the stories of several women who were involved in the massive movement of resistance that arose after the coup d’état that took place in Honduras in 2009. The coup unleashed conditions of greatly increased corruption and impunity. The violence and harms stemming from this have not diminished to this day. \nAlicia Garza of the Black Lives Matter Network comments: \n<<13 Colors of the Honduran Resistance by Melissa Cardoza is a must read for anyone who wants to learn about the many contours of Honduran feminists fighting for self-determination and dignity. These stories of bravery\, of struggle and pain\, and ultimately of a resilience rooted in a love for freedom will grip your heart. Cardoza is brilliant in storytelling\, and ensures that\, in memory of our sister Berta Cáceres\, feminisms are three dimensional and span multiple experiences—trans\, Black\, elderly\, and more. The lessons contained in these stories offer important reflections for all revolutionaries.>> \nThe book’s English translator\, Matt Ginsberg-Jaeckle writes: \n<> \nAt the event\, Melissa Cardoza and Karla Lara will perform stories from the book using a mixed-media format of storytelling\, acting and song. That will be followed by discussion about the situation in Honduras\, Berta Cáceres\, her legacy and #JusticeforBerta campaign\, and transnational movement-connections. \nBoth were close friends of the late Berta Cáceres\, who was assassinated a year ago\, and led COPINH (http://copinhenglish.blogspot.com/)\, a resistance movement of the indigenous Lenca people of western Honduras that has stopped dams\, mines\, and other destructive “projects of death” as Berta called them. \nRelated links: \nTour info: http://ggjalliance.org/book-tour-2017-13-colors-honduran-resistance \nA poetic and musical presentation by Melissa Cardoza (in Spanish):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruEmqjnZhKE \nPlease come and invite your friends to join in this unique experience! URL:https://hpjc.org/event/13-colors-honduran-resistance/ LOCATION:Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room\, Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd\, Houston\, TX\, 77021\, United States CATEGORIES:Economic Justice,Environmental & Environmental Justice,Foreign & Military Policy,Human Rights & Criminal Justice,Live Performance ORGANIZER;CN="Joe Marcinkowski":MAILTO:Joe@metroretrofurniture.com GEO:29.7072291;-95.3832631 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room Dominican Sisters of Houston 6501 Almeda Rd Houston TX 77021 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd:geo:-95.3832631,29.7072291 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20170320T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20170320T170000 DTSTAMP:20170321T131811Z CREATED:20170321T131811Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170321T131811Z UID:10000177-1489996800-1490029200@hpjc.org SUMMARY:Journey to the Heart: Falling in Love with Earth DESCRIPTION:  \nBased on the premise that we will not save what we do not love\, and that we do not love what we do not know\, this multi-faceted presentation engages participants in a variety of ways to remember\, to celebrate and to renew our commitment to live in harmony with each other and with Earth\, our beloved home. “Let us sing as we go.  May our struggles and our concern for this planet never take away the joy of our hope.” Pope Francis Laudato Si \n  \nCost $15.00 RSVP to croeger@domhou.org or 713-440-3714 URL:https://hpjc.org/event/journey-heart-falling-love-earth/ LOCATION:Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room\, Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd\, Houston\, TX\, 77021\, United States CATEGORIES:Environmental & Environmental Justice ORGANIZER;CN="Ceil Roeger":MAILTO:croeger@domhou.org GEO:29.7072291;-95.3832631 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room Dominican Sisters of Houston 6501 Almeda Rd Houston TX 77021 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd:geo:-95.3832631,29.7072291 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20170126T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20170126T210000 DTSTAMP:20161230T193728Z CREATED:20161230T192923Z LAST-MODIFIED:20161230T193728Z UID:10000131-1485455400-1485464400@hpjc.org SUMMARY:Medea Benjamin & Ann Wright on U.S. Foreign Policy in Trump Administration: What will it be and how will it affect you? DESCRIPTION:As part of a “Texas Tour\,” Medea Benjamin and Ann Wright will speak in Houston.  Medea will draw upon her first-hand knowledge of the Middle East to share her insights\, and she’ll introduce her latest book\, Kingdom of the Unjust; Behind the U.S.-Saudi Connection.  Ann was recently – once again – captured in international waters and imprisoned by the Israelis while attempting to reach shore on the Women’s Boat to Gaza.  She has also traveled to Japan\, Korea\, Russia\, Germany\, Greece\, and elsewhere this year and can speak on the human and environmental costs of war and militarism around the globe and the possible effects of a Trump administration’s policies on all of us. \nMedea Benjamin is the co-founder of the women-led peace group CODEPINK and the co-founder of the human rights group Global Exchange.  She has been an advocate for social justice for more than 40 years.  Described as “one of America’s most committed — and most effective — fighters for human rights” by New York Newsday\, and “one of the high profile leaders of the peace movement” by the Los Angeles Times\, she was one of 1\,000 exemplary women from 140 countries nominated to receive the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the millions of women who do the essential work of peace worldwide.  She is the author of nine books\, including Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control and Kingdom of the Unjust:  Behind the U.S.-Saudi Connection\, and her articles appear regularly in outlets such as The Huffington Post\, Common Dreams\, Alternet\, The Other Words\, and TeleSUR. \nAnn Wright is a 29-year US Army/Army Reserves veteran\, a retired United States Army colonel and retired U.S. State Department official\, known for her outspoken opposition to the Iraq War. She received the State Department Award for Heroism in 1997\, after helping to evacuate several thousand people during the civil war in Sierra Leone. She is most noted for having been one of three State Department officials to publicly resign in direct protest of the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. Wright was also a passenger on the Challenger 1\, which along with the Mavi Marmara\, was part of the Gaza flotilla. She served in Nicaragua\, Grenada\, Somalia\, Uzbekistan\, Kyrgyzstan\, Sierra Leone\, Micronesia and Mongolia. In December\, 2001 she was on the small team that reopened the US Embassy in Kabul\, Afghanistan. She is the co-author of the book “Dissent: Voices of Conscience.” She has written frequently on rape in the military. \nA reception and book signing of Medea Benjamin’s book at 6:30 PM will be followed by their presentations at 7 PM\, followed by Q & A and book signing. \nPhoto credit: AP Photo – Charles Dharapak \n  URL:https://hpjc.org/event/medea-benjamin-ann-wright-jan2016/ LOCATION:Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room\, Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd\, Houston\, TX\, 77021\, United States CATEGORIES:Foreign & Military Policy ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://hpjc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Medea_Benjamin-Ann_Wright_photo.png ORGANIZER;CN="Jerry Maynard":MAILTO:cnvhouston1@gmail.com GEO:29.7072291;-95.3832631 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Dominican Sisters of Houston Spirituality Center Meeting Room Dominican Sisters of Houston 6501 Almeda Rd Houston TX 77021 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Dominican Sisters of Houston\, 6501 Almeda Rd:geo:-95.3832631,29.7072291 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR