Pre-emptive peace: Local residents to travel to Cuba

June 17— Western North Carolina residents Andrew Summers and Legrand Smith will join over 70 US citizens of the grassroots organization Witness for Peace on a delegation that will mark the organization’s 20th anniversary.

Summers and Smith will travel to economically isolated Cuba as part of a citizen documentation team, while other teams will travel to Colombia, Nicaragua, and Mexico to learn about the impact of US foreign policy. In Cuba, Summers and Smith will meet those affected by US policies: government officials, community leaders, farmers, small business people, women’s groups, doctors, and peace organizations. The delegates will spend time in urban and rural settings, getting to know the daily lives of ordinary Cubans. Through this contact, they will learn how the US economic blockade affects the most vulnerable in Cuba. They will also hear Cubans’ ideas for changes.

The documentation team will also meet with US Interest Section in Cuba to voice the concerns, ideas, and dreams of local communities there to policy makers.

The four Witness for Peace teams will return and come together in Washington, DC on June 29 for a full day of sharing their experiences and preparing to lobby government officials. On June 30, they will take their stories to policy makers in the capitol. Summers and Smith will also relate their experiences to Rep. Charles Taylor and Senators John Edwards and Elizabeth Dole.

This delegation is a model for “pre-emptive peace” in the belief that learning about the root causes of conflicts and building relationships can do more to prevent war than military force. In an era of increasingly globalized markets, Witness for Peace works to globalize solidarity and human relationships.

Witness for Peace is a politically independent, nonviolent grassroots organization dedicated to peace, justice, and sustainable economies in the Americas. Since 1983, more than 10,000 delegates have traveled to Latin America with Witness for Peace.

Source: Witness for Peace

REGIONAL BRIEF

Activist shot in Israel returns to US

A peace activist who was shot in the face in the West Bank town of Jenin — allegedly by Israeli troops —returned to the United States on Sat., June 14.
About 60 peace activists and friends cheered as Brian Avery, 25, met them after arriving at Raleigh-Durham International Airport from Israel.
Avery, a member of the Palestinian-backed International Solidarity Movement, was shot Apr. 5 when he stepped outdoors with a friend on hearing gunfire during an evening curfew.
It was among three Israeli military incidents involving his group within a month.
Rachel Corrie, 23, of Olympia, WA, was crushed to death Mar. 16 as she tried to prevent a bulldozer from tearing down a home in Gaza.
Thomas Hurndall, 21, of Britain, was shot in the head Apr. 11 as he helped children to safety. He remains unconscious.

While in Israel, Avery delivered food, accompanied injured people in ambulances, and helped people cross checkpoints. (AP)