In Memory- Gail Brock

In November our group lost a long time member and the world lost a human rights defender- Gail Brock. The following is Gail's obituary that was published in the Raleigh N&O:

Kathryn Gail Brock
April 1, 1946 - November 4, 2021
Raleigh, North Carolina - Kathryn Gail Brock died on November 4, 2021. She was born in Charlotte, NC, on April 1, 1946, to Robert and Barbara Louise Younginer Brock. The family moved to New Bern four months later. She attended New Bern Public Schools, Vassar College, the Sorbonne and the Political Studies Institute of the University of Paris, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, ending with a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in English literature. She worked in market research in New York City for four years and later taught English at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY.
Gail moved to Raleigh, NC and ran a consulting firm before joining the State of North Carolina's Division of Community Assistance. When Hurricane Fran hit North Carolina in 1996, she became the Division's Liaison for the Fran recovery effort and the administrator for federal funds addressing housing and infrastructure loss. Four years later, she moved into disaster recovery for the rest of her career. She retired in 2008.

Upon retirement, Gail traveled, entertained her dog, Lyra, and contemplated her good fortune of getting to know people across North Carolina.

Gail is survived by her brother, Robert (Carolyn) of New Bern, NC and nephew, Jeff (Jennifer) of Raleigh, NC.
The family suggests memorial contributions be made to SPCA of Wake County or Transitions LifeCare.

Upcoming Event at Quail Ridge Books!

Our local group is hosting an event at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh for the upcoming release of the book Dreamland: America's Immigration Lottery in an Age of Restriction by Carly Goodman on Tuesday, May 16th at 7pm. We hope to see you there! More information on the event, including a link to RSVP and preorder your copy of the book, can be found at Quail Ridge Books' website found here: https://www.quailridgebooks.com/event/goodman23 This event is held in memory of Rod O'Connor, a founding member of the Raleigh Local Group who dedicated his life's work to helping others

Spring and Summer Activities Roundup

This spring and summer flew by- with the group participating in a variety of activities to shed light on human rights, here in the US and abroad. Here are some of the actions our group members participated in! A few years ago, the group took on the Saturday Mothers in Turkey as a case commitment following the Turkish government’s crackdown on their peaceful gatherings. Unfortunately, in March, the judge denied a request to drop the charges of 46 individuals who were charged with participating in an “illegal meeting” at the 700 th gathering in August 2018. Josh organized the group in writing a solidarity letter, with Yavuz’s help translating, to show our support for their work during this difficult time. You can learn more about the Saturday Mothers case here: https://www.amnestyusa.org/the-saturday-mothers/ Vera and Susan got to ‘twist and shout’ AND get some signatures on petitions while tabling at the Paul McCartney concert at PNC in May! Following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Healt

Winter Activities Roundup

With Covid cases on the rise this winter, it was difficult to do in-person events, like tabling, but our group remained committed to human rights work. Here are some highlights from this past winter! The group ended 2021 with our annual Write for Rights effort. We did not yet feel comfortable hosting our normal W4R party, so we individually made efforts to write the letters and reach out to our friends and family for help. We, with the help of our community, wrote 327 letters for the W4R effort. It’ll be hard to top it in 2022, but we will certainly try! In early March, the group was officially voted into the North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty! We are happy to be joining state-wide efforts to dismantle the death penalty. See NCCADP’s website for more information: https://nccadp.org Our group members also joined local events to spotlight human rights abuses. Solidarity Beyond the Walls held an event on Prisoner Abolitionist Community Building on UNC’s camp

Amnesty International: Raleigh - Group 213

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