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Peace Week marks center's 25th anniversary

Sept. 30, 2006

KALAMAZOO--Peace Center of Kalamazoo is celebrating its 25th anniversary with annual Peace Week events including concerts, workshops, rallies, marches, films and public forums at Western Michigan University beginning Sunday, Oct. 1, and continuing throughout the week.

"'Educate, Agitate, Organize, Mobilize' is the motto of the Peace Center." says Amolia Moore the center's director. "Each Peace Week event embodies one or more of these components."

Highlights of the week include a Friday, Oct. 6, forum on "Achieving Peace In an Embattled World" with former U.S. Rep. Howard Wolpe and "Day of Resistance" activities Thursday, Oct. 5, which include a talk by former United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq Scott Ritter.

All Peace Week events are free and open to the public.

Sunday, Oct. 1

CD release concert featuring Joe Reilly with Peace Be Free, O. Andrew Schreiber and Brendan Weaver; Fire (inside fire station),1249 Portage St., Kalamazoo, 7 p.m. Information: andrea@kzoopeacecenter.org

Monday, Oct. 2

Workshop, "Straight People Have Gender, Too," workshop on gender identity and how gender identity operates in society, 213 Bernhard Center, 5:30 p.m. Information: lbgt-coordinator@wmich.edu

Tuesday, Oct. 3

Workshop, "Teach-in on Iraq War," Dr. Ronald Cramer, professor of sociology, and Dr. Donald Cooney, professor of social work, 208 Bernhard Center, 7 p.m. Information: johanna.ande@gmail.com

Wednesday, Oct. 4

Panel discussion, "International Debt Crisis in Africa," 4010 College of Health and Human Services building, noon. Information: ambe9876@yahoo.com

Thursday, Oct. 5

Day of Resistance events include rally, presentation by former U.N. weapons inspector Scott Ritter, protest march, poetry reading and concert, noon to 9 p.m. More details

Friday, Oct. 6

Peace forum, "Achieving Peace In an Embattled World," former U.S. Rep. Howard Wolpe, Brown Auditorium, Schneider Hall, 1 to 5 p.m. More details

Sunday, Oct. 8

Film, "Stolen Childhoods," chronicles the devastating effects of child labor worldwide, Peace Center, Wesley Foundation on WMU West Campus, 8 p.m. Information: Lucy Kurtz, lucy.j.kurtz@wmich.edu

More details and updates can be found at www.kzoopeacecenter.org.

The Swords Into Plowshares Peace Center of Kalamazoo opened 25 years ago as a resource center for students at Western Michigan University interested in nonviolent activism and peace studies. The Peace Center remains committed to nonviolence and peace, but in recent years has focused on providing students at WMU with access to tools for direct action organizing, and encouraging participation in personal and electoral politics.

Related stories
Achieving Peace forum features Howard Wolpe
Student group sponsors anti-war events Thursday

Media contact: Thom Myers, (269) 387-8400, thom.myers@wmich.edu

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