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For Immediate Release
Contact: Tim Vining 412-361-3022
November 30, 2001
REFUGEE CAMP CALLS FOR “BLANKETS NOT BOMBS”
Saturday, December 1st to Wednesday, December 5th
From December 1st through December 5th, CMU students will be
joined by members of the Pittsburgh Anti-War Coalition, the Thomas Merton Center
and other community organizations, in staging a REFUGEE CAMP FOR PEACE. The
Refugee Camp will begin with a kick-off ceremony including music and speakers on
Saturday, December 1 at 4:00 p.m. and will end on Wednesday, December 5 at 3:30
p.m. with the collection of blankets from the Mennonite Church. The opening
ceremony will take place at the CMU fence, in the middle of the campus, near the
clock.
The purpose of the camp is to dramatize the effects
that the war is having on the refugees of Afghanistan, and to ask people to
donate blankets as part of a national campaign by the Mennonite Central
Committee. During the camp, there will be opportunities for students and
members of the Pittsburgh community to write letters, knit or donate blankets,
learn about the crisis and donate food items for the Pittsburgh Food Bank.
Speakers at the kick-off event will include Michael Drohan, Professor of
Economics at Edinboro College, Mark Egerman of the Progressive Student Alliance,
Mary Alice Shemo of the Pittsburgh Mennonite Church, Tim Vining of the Thomas
Merton Center, and representatives from Zi (CMU student group), and the Islamic
Center of Pittsburgh. The event will also include a performance by the “Radical
Cheerleaders".
The organizers of the event have been inspired by the tremendous
outpouring of support and compassion for the victims of the Sept. 11 tragedy.
Their hope during this holiday season is that similar acts of compassion will be
expressed toward the Afghani refugees who have been long-time victims of war and
violence in that region. It is also their hope that Pittsburgh residents not
forget the needs of local residents who suffer cutbacks in government services
as more resources are directed to the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan. To
this end, the refugee campers for peace will also be collecting food items for
the Pittsburgh Food Bank.
Participants in the Refugee Camp will be keeping vigil in tents
throughout the five-day period as an act of solidarity with the refugees of
Afghanistan. According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, millions
of refugees who are at risk of starvation as a result of the recent bombings.
“What we are trying to do with the refugee peace camp is raise awareness about
the humanitarian crisis caused by the bombing of Afghanistan, a crisis that
affects the most vulnerable citizens, both in Afghanistan and here at home,”
says Tim Vining, Executive Director of the Thomas Merton Center. “We also want
to give individuals the opportunity to practice the traditional works of mercy
by providing direct support to all those affected by the September 11th tragedy
and its aftermath.”
Donated blankets and food items can be dropped off at the refugee
camp on the CMU campus or at the Thomas Merton Center, 5125 Penn Ave. Blankets
can also be dropped off at the Mennonite Church located at 4005 Murray Ave. For
more information, contact the Mennonite Church at 412-421-8007 or the Thomas
Merton Center at 412-361-3022.
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