The Panelists from left: Edward Ayers, David Blight, Joseph Montville, Frank Smith, Donald Shriver, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton
Monday’s Conflict Prevention and Resolution Forum was a unique one. Instead of focusing, as it usually does, on conflicts far, it highlighted a much closer conflict: the legacy of the Civil War on American life. Bound up in this conflict, even over a century later are lasting issues of identity, structural inequalities and deep political and cultural divisions. 2011 marks the 150th anniversary of the outbreak of the Civil war and is, perhaps ironically, the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil Rights era. The Speakers were impressive and varied in their backgrounds. Full bios can be found here.
Speakers:
Edward L. Ayers
President, University of Richmond
David W. Blight
Class of 1954 Professor of American History and Director, Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance & Abolition, Yale University
Frank Smith, Ph.D.
Director, African American Civil War Memorial and Museum, Washington, D.C.
Donald W. Shriver
President-Emeritus, Union Theological Seminary, New York
Special Guest Speaker:
Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton
United States Representative for the District of Columbia
Moderator:
Joseph Montville
Director, Program on Healing Historical Memory, School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University
As Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes-Norton, noted, a civil war is unique in that the victor and loser must go back to living with each other. There is no other country to return to, no easy way to get distance and perspective from the conflict. Indeed, the panel’s general consensus was that America has never really healed from the civil war. read more…
Inspiring Evening with Supporters in San Francisco
Guests checking-in for the fundraising event in San Francisco. (All photos by Karen Preuss Photography)
A few weeks ago SFCG held its annual fundraising event in the San Francisco Bay Area. The guests enjoyed an inspiring and informative presentation by President John Marks and Senior Vice President Susan Collin Marks at Yoshi’s Jazz Club in San Francisco.
Senior Vice President Susan Collin Marks (middle) with Maureen Manley (left) and a guest
Host Committee members Diana Hammer (left) and Kathleen Barry
Enthusiasm ran high as guests learned of recent successes in Search programs in the Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Tanzania, Pakistan, North Africa, Yemen, and the United States. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, SFCG has many programs for ending gender violence. In Pakistan, SFCG is producing its flagship TV soap opera The Team, featuring a cricket team, as well as many other peacebuilding activities. After long delays due to unrest and political instability, SFCG is now able to begin its work in Yemen.
Libby Traubman (right) with her guests Dennis and Nancy Kennedy
Host Committee members Leslie Eveland, John Renesch and Lynne Lombardo
John and Susan set a context of hope and patience for those dedicated to peacebuilding, and expressed the deepest appreciation for the support Search receives from the Bay Area community of donors.
Guest Claudia Haas
Host Committee members Stephen Suzman (left) and Charlie Halpern
A Common Ground Awardee of 2010 is a TED-speaker of 2011
Julia Bacha and Ronit Avni at the Common Ground Awards in 2010
Last year SFCG honored Just Vision with a Common Ground Award for its work using thought-provoking media that heralds the power of ordinary people to contribute to lasting peace in Israel and Palestine. Just Vision founders Julia Bacha and Ronit Avni accepted the award.
Bacha’s spoke at the TED conference this summer and her speech has now been nominated as the 11th out of 18 of the greatest ideas of 2011. TED has been founded in 1984 to connect people from Technology, Entertainment and Design in the quest of ideas worth spreading. The nomination is a collaboration between the Huffington Post and TED, who publish a countdown of ideas that will shape the year of 2012.
Bacha explains in her speech that when she travels around to promote her films, the most asked question by the audience is the one inquiring on the whereabouts of the “Palestinian Gandhi”. However, she says that there is already a massive nonviolent movement on the ground – but no one pays attention to it. Her main point is that the international community needs to focus its attention on the grassroots level and support actions of non-violence. Just Vison’s 2009 film Budrus told the story of Israelis and Palestinians demonstrating nonviolently to protest the incursion of the West Bank separation wall through the Palestinian village of Budrus. It was widely acclaimed as one of the best documentaries of the year. Only through the recognition of nonviolence can the movement survive, grow and become more successful.
Read the complementary article to learn more about her take on nonviolent resistance.
Thousands gathered in Tahrir Square to protest for their rights.
This spring, thousands of people in the Arab world had enough. Enough of repressive regime,s enough of not having access to basic human rights. They stood up together to protest and demand their rights, and inspired the whole world.
As the international community is getting ready to celebrate the 63rd anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pilay says, “2011 has been an extraordinary year for human rights, especially in the Middle East and North Africa, but also in many other countries where people have mobilized, often with the help of social media, to demand their basic human rights. In 2011, human rights went viral.”
Eleanor Roosevelt, once described the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the “international Magna Carta of all mankind.” As Chairman of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Eleanor led the way in drafting the charter—outlining inalienable rights for all people. Since the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration 63 years ago on December 10, 1948, the human rights charter has become the benchmark for the extension and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Today, we have seen many more women continue the work Eleanor has started, pushing for human rights to become truly universal. From Shehrbano Taseer’s committed efforts to fight extremism in Pakistan, Viktória Mohácsi’s multi-decade-long fight for Roma Rights, and to the revolutionary work of Esraa Abdel Fattah in Egypt and Jaleela Al-Salman in Bahrain to democratize their countries—all four demonstrate passion and commitment to human rights.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has been awarded the Guinness World Record for having collected, translated and disseminated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights into more than 380 languages and dialects: from Abkhaz to Zulu. The Universal Declaration is thus the most translated document – indeed, the most “universal” one in the world
“Human rights education is much more than a lesson in schools or a theme for a day; it is a process to equip people with the tools they need to live lives of security and dignity. On this International Human Rights Day, let us continue to work together to develop and nurture in future generations a culture of human rights, to promote freedom, security and peace in all nations.” Kofi Annan
“The violence in DRC has to end, even if only through a series of small, incremental steps”
The future of the DRC is clouded and the outcome of the recent elections still uncertain. Only small steps will help to overcome violence.
The elections in DRC at the end of November have been accompanied by eruption of violence around ballot stuffing and other irregularities. Sosthène Serge Nsimba, the Media and Governance Programs Director of SFCG in DRC, writes in the Christian Science Monitor about his thoughts regarding the elections. Sosthène argues that the causes of the conflict in DRC are known, but that more attention needs to be given to solutions. “I see my countrymen and -women every day, living their lives in a struggle to survive, and I see the violent conflict, which escalated during this week’s elections, that holds them back. Unless we transform our conflicts and address their known causes, DRC will remain trapped at the bottom. Fortunately, there are signs of hope and paths forward.”
Sosthène sees signs of hope where trainings have been conducted. He draws from the example of training police and soldiers, which has led to massive reduction of sexual violence. SFCG has been involved in these trainings for years. Sosthène recommends reaching out to population in a similar way and raise awareness that violence does not bring any solutions. read more…
Opposing groups search for common ground during ‘days of reflection’
SFCG mediates the complaints community members have towards the network members.
By Charles Holmquist
As mentioned in a previous blog, community networks created to help communities have in some cases inadvertently caused animosity. Tasked with various health and education roles community networks may sometimes cause resentment amongst local communities who feel they are being lectured or reprimanded for their behavior. These committees are tasked for instance with sensitizing people on child abuse, or providing information on proper water, sanitation, and hygiene practices.
In order to tackle the tensions between the members of the community networks and the community itself, SFCG has employed a wide range of activities from our toolbox; among them participatory theater performances, radio messages, and “days of reflection”. During these days of reflection, members of the community networks, explain their roles to their community they serve, consisting of neighbors, local leaders and friends. read more…
