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 Health Organization ruling, which removed many protections on the right to abortion in the United States, the group handed out signs and stickers at the rally held in Raleigh the day of the decision. You can spot the bright-yellow signs in the crowd that make sure people know "abortion is a human right!"

• Jane and Kristin joined Stop Torture Now’s event, Solidarity with Incarcerated from North Carolina to Guantanamo, by helping with the letter writing station in June. The event had speakers talk about torture incarcerated individuals experience here in the US, at Guantanamo Prison, and at CIA black sites abroad. You could also ‘experience’ what solitary confinement is like through virtual reality headsets. We are very thankful for Christina Cowger and the rest of Stop Torture Now’s work on this eye-opening event.

• The group held their first hybrid meeting in June! This format allowed some group members to join via Zoom, while others met in person at United Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh. We are very grateful to UUFR for allowing us to use their space. We plan to meet via Zoom through October, and then will revisit the possibility of hybrid format later this year. 

• In August, group members participated in events to support work being done to end the death penalty in North Carolina. During the August monthly meeting, the group was joined by Tyler Swanson of The Center for Death Penalty Litigation (CDPL), who screened the new film Racist Roots and facilitated a discussion after the screening. The film explores the direct lineage of the death penalty from the racist lynching of Jim Crow era and underscores the role racism plays in the modern death penalty. We are very thankful for Tyler Swanson and for CDPL’s work on this film. 

• August 18^th marked 16 years since the last execution in North Carolina. To honor those who have been killed and to reenergize the work against the death penalty, the North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (NCCADP) put on events all week. The theme for the week was Never Again: Creating a New Vision of Justice. The week was kicked off at a special Monday vigil outside of the prison, which some members attend every week. The week ended with a potluck at Pullen Park. There were powerful speakers and stories shared of lost loved ones and reminders of the importance of this work. The group is excited for the upcoming work of NCCADP and for new connections made with other groups in this fight against the death penalty.

 

Also, worth noting, in March the group was honored at the Amnesty International USA Annual General Meeting for their creative community outreach by volunteering with the Peace Booth at the NC State Fair. You can see the group participating in this great booth again this year during what is shaping up to be a busy fall! 

To learn more about our work and get involved, please see the 'Contact Us!' page.