Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice - Newsletter -- Mas Noticias

Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice 202 Harvard SE Albuquerque, NM 87106 505-268-9557		Updated: 28 March 2010
Newsletter April 2010

April 2010
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Mas Noticias
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Mas Noticias

Report on Haiti or Bust! and Fill the Bus fundraising events
by Cecelia Coriander, events organizer
Greetings - I just wanted to thank everyone that participated in the Haiti fundraising events. This would include (and not be limited to) Racine Kreole, Rebuild New Mexico, the Haitian community, Felipe (with his unique home decor), Kristian Jackson and family, the Doerrers, the Saintes, Good Medicine, the Sainte-Petersons, Travis McKenzie, Our Lady of Kazan Monastery, Trinity House, and of course the Peace and Justice Center.

The effort was very successful with more goods than we could carry in this trip. At this time we are not accepting any more material goods to be shipped (we still need to find means of transporting the remaining goods that couldn't fit on the bus). The bus left Thursday, February 25th with about 3000 pounds of goods on board, driven by Eric Doerrer and Talal Saint-Lot. At the moment of this writing (3/3/10), it is at the docks in West Palm Beach, Florida, waiting for the freighter to depart for Haiti.

If you would like to inquire further about the bus, feel free to contact Rebuild NM by accessing its website or emailing me at conscioustlinget1@hotmail.com .

I would really like to thank the individuals who attended the events for their kind and generous support. I wouldn't have been able to make this happen without the support of such a wonderful community of people.

Peace and Blessings.

Iraqi Girl
by Kawthar Alsaadi
Having an interesting life, John Ross is traveling around the world to make a difference in people's lives. Born in Manhattan, Ross felt that it was his duty to help people in need anywhere in the world. At the same time, he is an author, having written books - some of which have won awards.

His most recent mission was going to Iraq in February 2003. Ross and 37 other helpers went to Baghdad to act as a human shield. He and the others went anywhere that the soldiers were likely to bomb and on the roof tops would write "Human Shields of the U.S.", so the soldiers would not bomb the building. They would take care of the people that were hurt and get them needed medical attention. He says, "The war has diminished thousands of people in Iraq and the U.S."

In the event that took place at Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice, Ross explained that he encountered many problems in Iraq and in the U.S. The government of Saddam in Iraq wanted to house them in electricity plants. However, Ross and his friends wanted to stay where the bombings were and in the residential areas, so they could help people in need. Some people in the U.S and the government called Ross and others who were in Iraq helping people "war criminals."

One of Ross's latest books is "Iraqi Girl," the diary of a teenager during the U.S invasion of northern Iraq. He encountered this 14-year old girl, whose name is "Hadiya" in the book, in 2004. Hadiya started blogging when she was 14, and this helped her survive. Ross edited, developed, and wrote a timeline and an introduction for the book.

His mission in life is to bring peace and stop the war. Even though Ross is a cancer survivor, he is not thinking of retiring and continues to be active all around the world. He says, "Movement is what keeps me alive."

* Kawthar Alsaadi is a sophomore at the University of New Mexico. She is studying communication and journalism with a concentration in print journalism.

Art Exhibit in April and May
by Russell J. Bennett-Cumming
The collection consists of 19 acrylic portraits of people who have worked for peace, gathered together as a group in hopes of stimulating people to continue to move towards peace. Fifteen percent of sales will be donated to ACP&J.

In the painter's words, "Positive ongoing action is what we all have to do to realize peace. There are many people who have given their energies and focus to guiding our road to peace. A few of those people are ones that I have chosen to represent this movement. In painting their various portraits, I wanted them to speak as a group indicating that the work is not done and to stimulate others to advance towards peace, love and harmony. We must act together to achieve this. My hope is that we will join our energies to this thinking and acting".

Please send calendar items, comments, and questions concerning this Web document to Web@abqPeaceAndJustice.org .