For immediate release:

Contact: Jim Smith, 310-428-8685; Yolanda Miranda, 310-399-2215

pfp@freevenice.org • www.venicepeaceandfreedom.org

Teach-in on The War to be held in Venice

2-6PM Sunday, April 22

United Methodist Church, 2210 Lincoln Blvd., Venice

Anti-war activists in Venice will take a page from Vietnam protests, April 22, when they hold a teach-in on the war in Iraq and its impact on our community, at the Venice United Methodist Church.

The first teach-in was held in 1965 and, was designed, according to Wikipedia.org, “to allow a forum for opposition towards the war. Students and faculty would meet at night in university facilities to argue, ask questions, challenge assumptions and learn about the Vietnam war.” Several of our speakers participated in these teach-ins, while other speakers were not yet born.

The modern version of the teach-in will be held under the auspices of the University of Venice (a non-accredited free school) and will feature an Iraqi-American doctor, Dahlia S. Wasfi. It is being sponsored by the Venice Peace Movement and the Venice Peace and Freedom Party.

Dr. Wasfi was born in 1971 to a Jewish mother, and an Iraqi father, She spent her early childhood in Iraq, which was then under Saddam Hussein. In 1977, she returned with her family to the United States. She graduated from Swarthmore College in 1993 with a B.A. in biology, and from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1997. Dr. Wasfi was recently in Iraq, and based on her experiences, she is speaking out to end the occupation.

In addition, a series of short presentations and discussions will be held on how the war affects different aspects of our lives.

Actress Kamala Lopez-Dawson, who is the director and producer of a new film, A Single Woman, about the life of Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin, will talk about women’s opposition to the war.

Since April 22 is Earth Day, Professor Karl Abrams will focus on the environmental impact of the war and militarism in general. The U.S. military is the number one polluter in the world.

Other topics and speakers include:

* The War and the Religious Community, Pastor Tom Ziegert, Venice United Methodist Church;

* The Next War: Iran? Faramarz Nabavi, Peace Advocate;

* The War and the Israel-Palestine Conflict, Michael Shahin, National Council of Arab-Americans;

* The War and Militarism in the Schools, Gregory Sotir, Campaign Against the Military in Schools (CAMS);

* The War and Racism, Yolanda Miranda, Union organizer and immigration activist;

* The War and Politics, Jim Smith, Writer and former candidate for Congress;

* The War and Social Needs – Dr. Alice Stek, OB/GYN and HIV/AIDS specialist;

* The War and the Environment, Professor Karl Abrams, Author and former candidate for state Assembly.

The Venice Peace and Freedom Party is part of the California Peace and Freedom Party, a ballot-qualifed political party. The anti-war Party was founded in 1967 by activists from Venice and Berkeley. In the last election P&F candidates received a cumulative vote of more than 1.25 million. The Venice Peace Movement conducted 93 weekly marches and rallies on Ocean Front Walk beginning a week after the invasion of Afghanistan. For the past year and a half it has sponsored a weekly Friday evening peace vigil at the Venice traffic circle, Main St. and Windward Ave.

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