Amnesty International: Raleigh - Group 213

 Founding group member, Marshall Hardy, who lives blocks away from North Carolina's Death Row, encouraged the group to turn out for one of the weekly vigils held in front of Central Prison.   Above, is Marsh, group member Margaret Toman, group coordinator Reid Russell, and our group's long-time treasurer, Cindy Levine.  Below, group members display an Amnesty International banner during the vigil.  Also pictured here is Peter Rawitsch, author of Honk Your Horn , a song he taught to those gathered for the vigil.  

 Group 213 supported WomenNC's October 23, 2025 event, Youth Voices for Global Change: Celebrating 80 Years of the UN , an evening featuring young voices. Below, group member Cynthia Gallion distributes Amnesty International information and collects names and contact of those interested in expanding their human rights advocacy.     

 October 4, 2025 As part of a partnership with Merz Aesthetics, the NC Courage recognized Vera Tayeh as Woman of the Match , in part, for her work with Amnesty International Group 213, Raleigh. Marcy Bourne,  Chief Development Officer at Amnesty International - USA   (pictured below in the stands with Vera)    joined members of Group 213 and clergy and congregants from Christ the King Lutheran Church , Cary, NC to honor Vera on the special occasion.  

Three members of Group 213 and two members of the staff in the office of Rep. Deborah Ross following a discussion of human rights concerns, August 2025.  

Amnesty International, Group 213, Raleigh, hosted two Write for Rights Events on December 8, 2024. These events were part of a global campaign organized annually by Amnesty International . All of the images on this page are from the event hosted by Highland United Methodist Church, 1901 Ridge Road in Raleigh, NC.   The event generated 183 letters and 57 petition signatures.   The same day, another event was hosted at Christ the King Lutheran Church, 600 Walnut Street in Cary, NC.  This event gathered 747 signatures on Write for Rights letters formatted as petitions.    

For this year’s Amnesty International Write for Rights effort, our group again asked our friends and family to join us in writing letters on the ten human rights cases highlighted by Amnesty International.   Our group sent off a total of 180 letters to government officials demanding justice in January. We also collected 110 letters of support that were sent to those who have had their rights abused. Vera continues to be our group record holder, with a whopping 136 letters this year alone!   Thank you to everyone who joined us! We are grateful for the commitment to justice shown every year through this effort.   Learn more about Write for Rights on Amnesty International USA’s webpage here:  https://write.amnestyusa.org

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 H...

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...

The ad placed in the Raleigh News & Observer Our Amnesty International Local Group 213 is celebrating its 40 year anniversary this year. Started in 1981 by Raleigh residents concerned about human rights, the group has changed over the decades, but the mission has always stayed the same- to fight injustice and help create a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. "Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness."

This fall our group has been keeping busy with community events. Below are some highlights! September Rhythm and Rights- Ani DiFranco Concert  Josh and Margaret tabled the Ani DiFranco concert in Graham, NC. They  were happy to find the crowd very enthusiastic about the petitions and human rights. October Peace Booth at the NC State Fair Our local group proudly volunteers every year with the Peace Booth at the NC State Fair. This year was the Peace Booth's 71st year at the fair, and we were happy to continue our support by engaging with fair goers about petitions for Voting Rights and Supporting Homeless Veterans. More information on the Peace Booth can be found at their website here:  http://ncpeacebooth.org/content/ November Rhythm and Rights- Anti-Flag Concert  Preston and Kristin attended the Anti-Flag show at Cat's Cradle this November and  had a great time engaging with the concert goers about the petitions and listening to great music. Ongoing The we...

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 Caroli...

Hello and Welcome to Amnesty International - USA Group 213 -- Raleigh, NC We are currently meeting in a virtual format via Zoom. If you would like to be invited to join our Zoom meetings, please reach out via e-mail or the telephone below. A brief orientation to the group is available by request, but not required. If you have any questions, please email us at: amnesty213.raleigh@gmail.com or call 919.834.4478. Below are a few images from group activities.