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Counter It!
Minnesota’s antiwar youth training camp

Last summer the Pentagon was busy preparing for an ambitious “surge” in military recruitment to meet the bipartisan plan to expand the military by 92,000 troops. At the same time, young people in Minnesota were also busy preparing our response.
Twenty two young activists – high school and college students as well as several trainers – gathered for four days in August at Garden Farme in Ramsey, MN to develop our skills and strategy. Organized by Youth Against War & Racism in partnership with the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the Ruckus Society, and others, the “Counter It! Training” was a great success.

As you may know, I am the new Associate Minister for Mission, Social Justice, and Community Action at Middle Collegiate Church.  I am pleased to announce that Danny Glover is supporting our mission by participating in a benefit for our mission.  Our work includes a long-standing meal and community hour for those living with HIV, feeding the homeless in Tompkins Square Park, working with LGBTI homeless youth, a long-term commitment to the just rebuilding of the Gulf Coast, and expanding justice works in the Middle East and Africa.  Please purchase your tickets to support our mission today.

Until justice reigns,
Rev. Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou

Emmett, Down in My Heart featuring Danny Glover, Kathleen Chalfant, Kenny Leon and the Middle Church Jerriese Johnson Gospel Choir

October 6th, 8pm
Judson Memorial Church
55 Washington Square South
New York, New York

As a part of last Wednesday's meeting with the President of Iran, our group presented him with a gift. It was a framed work of calligraphy, seen at right. The risks of a direct translation by a non-Arabic speaker are high. Above is a photo of me presenting the gift to President Ahmadinejad.

The work of art by Mamoun Sakkal illustrates, in classical Kufi script, a verse from hadith (sayings of the prophet Mohammad). A paraphrase of the Sura might be understood to remind us that “it is good to begin each day with a reflection on how we will personally advance the cause of peace and justice in our lives and work."

Later this week, the Seattle-Tehran Poster Show will debut in Seattle, Washington. This show of stunningly beautiful, provocative, and multi-layered work has been organized and curated over the past several months by Daniel Smith -- an artist and a member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation's December 2007 civilian diplomacy delegation to Iran -- and Iman Raad, an Iranian artist. I would strongly encourage anyone in the Pacific Northwest to attend the show in person -- it will be held during the annual Bumbershoot Arts Festival, which draws tens of thousands of people each year to downtown Seattle -- and for those who, like me, are nowhere near Seattle, please check out some of these magnificent posters online!

As I have written before, FOR organizer Bayard Rustin had an impact on my small North Carolina hometown when he was arrested here during the 1947 Journey of Reconciliation.

Phill Blank is a Carrboro, NC artist who is known for his skillful and surreal portraits. His work is often inspired by Buddhist ideals or by local culture and history. Earlier this year, he created this illustration of Bayard Rustin:

Read on for the artist's statement published in the Carrboro Citizen:

Poster by Tehrani artist Behrad Javanbakht

Graphic designer Daniel Smith of Seattle, Washington, shares the following report of a creative conversation he is pursuing with artistic colleagues in Iran. FOR's 5th peace delegation to Iran are finding creative ways to engage in dialogue and build relationships with professional peers, despite the political walls being erected by their two governments.

Solidarity with the Iranian people in words and deeds is a fundamental goal of this trip. Meeting Iranians throughout the city of Tehran has been enlightening and thoroughly enjoyable. They are open, honest, warm and invariably accepting of Americans. They are excited to see that we are truly interested in them, a valuable antidote to the political rhetoric from the States on which the Iranian media focuses.

The Puppetista group has been working on a puppet based pageant for the SOA Watch Vigil over the past week. The resulting drama celebrates the life of Companera Rufina Amaya, sole survivor of the El Mozote massacre in El Salvador, who passed away this year, through a story of corn as the symbol of Life and Regeneration.

Dearest friends,
Please mark November 10th as an opportunity to make Art, strengthen relationships and co-conspire for a better tomorrow.

Come join the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Youth Against War and Racism and Iraq Veterans Against the War in plotting for:
-truth in military recruiting,
-demilitarized youth culture,
-career, educational and creative community opportunities,
-generational economic justice and more!