Toward Peace and Justice: March 2012

Towards Peace and Justice: March 2012, Caroline Isaacs Picture

This month’s program update conference call will feature Caroline Isaacs, AFSC’s Program Director in Tucson Arizona. Caroline recently released a 100-page report detailing problems in that state’s private prisons.  Already the report has received national attention, and had an impact on policy in Arizona.

Learn more.

Building Foundations for Lasting Peace

Dear Friend,

At AFSC we believe that lasting peace is built on a foundation of respect for the diverse cultures and experiences that enrich our global family. We tap all kinds of resources—physical and spiritual—to share personal stories, create digital connections, and honor the creativity with which people everywhere work to transform the scourge of violence in their communities and their countries.

To reap peace, we must sow the seeds of peace—something we strive to do every day in AFSC programs around the world. I hope you will be inspired by these three stories that exemplify our commitment to live up to the ideals and successes embodied in our rich history. Thank you for your continued support of this work.

Peace,

Shan Creti

Bringing Afghan civil society perspectives to DC

A conference room on Capitol Hill was transformed into an interactive dialogue space as participants experienced the perspectives of Afghan filmmakers in Kabul through a live video conference.

The “Afghan Civil Society Perspectives” briefing was co-sponsored by US Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) and US Rep. James McGovern (D-MA). It helped kick off the March opening of the Windows and Mirrors mural art exhibit in Washington, DC. Read the whole story.

AFSC asks FBI to end assistance to immigration enforcement program

AFSC has signed a joint letter to the FBI’s Advisory Policy Board seeking an end to the FBI’s facilitation of the deeply flawed Secure Communities program.  Under the program, local law enforcement and the FBI share fingerprinting data with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agency. ICE touts the program as a crime–fighting tool, but in reality it divides families and breeds distrust of law enforcement. This ill-conceived law is set to take effect across the country by 2013. Read more.

Somali physician nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

AFSC has nominated Dr. Hawa Abdi of Somalia for the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize for her decades of humanitarian service and peace building work with thousands of Somalis fleeing civil war and, most recently, famine induced by the recent drought, the worst in 60 years. Learn more.