Start making plans now to join us for our Third Annual Signature Event.  This year, our evening will feature three very special, powerful, and courageous women:  Ms. Hedy Epstein, Ms. Noura Erakat, and Col. Ann Wright.

 

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The Details:

Hedy Epstein: Ms. Hedy Epstein was born in 1924 to Jewish parents in Germany. After the rise of Adolf Hitler, Hedy’s family tried unsuccessfully to leave Germany. However, in 1939, her parents were able to get Hedy to safety in England on a children’s transport. All but two of Hedy’s family member were killed at the Auschwitz concentration camp during the Holocaust. At the end of World War II, Hedy returned to Germany and worked as a research analyst for the Nuremberg Medical Trial, before moving to the United States. Since 2003, Hedy has visited the Israeli Occupied West Bank five times, to witness the facts on the ground. She has participated in several non-violent demonstrations, together with Israelis, Palestinians & other internationals, in opposition to Israel's occupation of Palestinian land, the 25-foot high cement wall, and the demolition of Palestinian homes and olive orchards. Locally, nationally, and internationally, Hedy calls for an end of the Israeli occupation of Palestine.                          

 

Noura Erakat: Ms. Noura Erakat is a human rights attorney and writer. She is currently an adjunct professor of international human rights law in the Middle East at Georgetown University and is the U.S.-based Legal Advocacy Coordinator for Badil Center for Palestinian Refugee and Residency Rights. Most recently she served as Legal Counsel for a Congressional Subcommittee in the House of Representatives, chaired by Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich. Prior to attending law school, Noura helped launch the divestment campaign while an undergraduate at U.C. Berkeley. She continued to seed Boycott/Divest/Sanction (BDS) campaigns nationally as a grassroots organizer and Legal Advocate for the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Noura has helped to initiate and organize several national formations including Arab Women Arising for Justice (AMWAJ) and the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN). Noura has appeared on Fox’s “The O’ Reilly Factor,” NBC’s “Politically Incorrect,” MSNBC, and Al-Jazeera Arabic and English. Her publications include: "Litigating the Arab-Israeli Conflict: The Politicization of U.S. Federal Courts" in the Berkeley Law Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Law, "Arabiya Made Invisible: Between the Marginalization of Agency and the Silencing of Dissent" in a Syracuse Press anthology, and "BDS in the USA: 2001-2010," in the Middle East Report. She participated in the National Lawyers' Guild Fact-Finding Mission to Gaza in February 2009 to investigate Israeli war crimes committed during Operation Cast Lead. She is a Co-Editor of Jadaliyya.com.

 

Col. Ann Wright: Ann Wright grew up in Bentonville, Arkansas, and attended the University of Arkansas, where she received a master’s and a law degree. She also has a master’s degree in national security affairs from the U.S. Naval War College. After college, she spent thirteen years in the U.S. Army and sixteen additional years in the Army Reserves, retiring as a Colonel. She is airborne-qualified. In 1987, Ann joined the Foreign Service and served as U.S. Deputy Ambassador in Sierra Leone, Micronesia, Afghanistan, and Mongolia. She received the State Department’s Award for Heroism for her actions during the evacuation of 2,500 people from the civil war in Sierra Leone, the largest evacuation since Saigon. She was on the first State Department team to go to Afghanistan and helped reopen the Embassy there in December 2001. Her other overseas assignments include Somalia, Kyrgyzstan, Grenada, Micronesia, and Nicaragua.

On March 19, 2003, the eve of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Ann Wright cabled a letter of resignation to Secretary of State Colin Powell, stating that without the authorization of the U.N. Security Council, the invasion and occupation of a Muslim, Arab, oil-rich country would be a a violation of international law. She stated, "I have served my country for almost thirty years in some of the most isolated and dangerous parts of the world. I want to continue to serve America. However, I do not believe in the policies of this Administration and cannot --- morally and professionally --- defend or implement them. It is with heavy heart that I must end my service to America and therefore resign." 

Since then, she has been writing and speaking out for peace. She has become a prominent figure in the movement opposed to the occupation of Iraq and the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. She has picketed at the U.S. prison at Guantánamo, Cuba, served as a juror in Bush impeachment hearings, traveled to Iran as a citizen diplomat, and has been arrested numerous times for peaceful, nonviolent protest of Bush’s policies, particularly the war on Iraq. She has been on delegations to Iran and was in Gaza three times in 2009, following the Israeli attack on Gaza that killed 1,440 and wounded 5,000. She was an organizer for the Gaza Freedom March that brought 1,350 persons from 44 countries to Cairo, Egypt, in solidarity with the people of Gaza. She was a passenger on the Challenger 1, which along with the Mavi Marmara, was part of the May, 2010 Gaza flotilla that was attacked by the Israeli military and was an organizer for the U.S. Boat to Gaza, The Audacity of Hope, in the 2011 Gaza flotilla.

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Reserve Your Seat or a Table:

 1. Mail your check, payable to Michigan Peace Team, to:

Mary Ann Ford (Registration Chairperson)

24071 Oneida Rd.

Oak Park, MI 48237

*If there is a person or group you wish to be seated with, please indicate this

 

 2. Pay by credit card via Network for Good:

Click HERE and be sure to designate your donation as "Signature Event"

3. Pay by credit card via our Signature Event blog or the Education Towards Empowerment website:

Click HERE to visit the Signature Event blog

Click HERE to visit the Education Towards Empowerment website

4. Respond to the invitation of a Table Host or become a Table Host by emailing

Kim Redigan at KimRedigan.MPT@gmail.com

or

Liz Walters at ElizabethWalters.MPT@gmail.com

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, you may contact:

·        Liz Walters: 517-484-3178 or 517-231-7403

·        Kim Redigan: 313 520-7465

·        Mary Ann Ford: 248 548-7077

·        Lourdes Fonseca-Nearon: 313 282-1340

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SPONSOR POSSIBILITIES: If you know of potential SPONSORS, please contact Kim Redigan or Liz Walters

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Donation Request for the 2011 Silent Auction Fundraiser

People have asked how they can help MPT with this annual fundraiser - 0ur biggest event of the year.  Of course, the most important way is for you and your friends to join us the night of the dinner!  But we would also appreciate your assistance in acquiring items for our Silent Auction.  The Silent Auction is held the night of this event and, once again, we are looking forward to an amazing variety of items to bid on.  Any donation that you can make to the auction is very much appreciated and will raise money for a great cause!  Your large donations are very much needed for the auction but we also welcome smaller items that can be grouped into gift baskets.  Below are some suggestions for donations:

• Art - Cultural Items, Paintings, Wall Hangings, Pottery, Photography, Sculpture

• Other – Books, DVD, Jewelry

• Home Décor - Crystal Bowls, Center Piece, Candle Holders, Afghans, Rugs, Pillows

• Kitchen – Unique Serving Dishes, Cookware, Cook Books

• Baskets - Make up a basket of items around a theme.   Examples:   Sewing Basket; Embroidery Basket, Wine & Cheese Basket, Peace Basket, Bird Lover’s Basket, Japanese Basket, Palestine Basket.  This is fun!  Be creative!

• Gift Certificates/Cards – Restaurants, Stores, International Calling Cards, Sports Tickets, Vacation Package

• Services - Yoga Classes, Massages, Dental Work, Beauty Salon

• Other – Books, DVD, Jewelry

• Small Items for the Auction Team to pull together into Baskets:  Scrapbooking, Art, Candy, Cooking, Candles, Fair Trade Snacks, Gardening, Cultural Items, Shoe Shine Kit, Peace items, Coffee/Mugs, Tea/Pot/Cups, Toddler items, Movie Night supplies, Meditation tools, Socks, Hair Products, Summer Fun, Knitting, Embroidery, Green Items, Things "Made in Michigan", Teacher products, Children’s Games, U of M and/or Michigan State items, Aromatherapy, Perfumes, Bubble Bath, Men’s Cologne, Soap on a Rope....What else can you think of to add to this list? 

We would like to collect donations as soon as possible and need to have all donations received by March 15th. Questions? Call the Auction Committee at:  586-242-4250  

Any donations not auctioned off at the Signature Event will be used in a future MPT fundraising event.

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   PRECIOUS METAL DONATION REQUEST!

Seed money comes in many forms. This time we are hoping it comes in the form of precious metals, specifically gold and silver. We are raising money for our Michigan Peace Team Signature Event, which takes place on April 29th, 2012. We have an outstanding lineup this year and are certain you will not want to miss it!

In order to get this event off the ground, we are asking you to consider donating that broken gold/silver chain, the lone earring missing its mate, the broken clasp, etc... that is sitting in your jewelry box. With everyone’s contribution we will be able to continue the good work of Michigan Peace Team by containing the costs in getting our major fundraiser off the ground.

Please contact the person who lives closest to you (see the list below) and make arrangements to bring your donation over to them or to have it collected.

   Contacts for West Wayne County: Lourdes Fonseca-Nearon, 313 282-1340 and Kim Redigan, 313 520-7465

   Contact for Mid and West Michigan and Out-state: Liz Walters, 517 231-7403 (cell); 517 484-3178 (w)

   Contact for Grosse Pointe: Sharon Feldman, 248 399-7362

   Contact for Detroit: Karen Donahue, 313 961-6537

   Contact for Clarkston: Annette Thomas, 248 821-8911

   Contact for Ann Arbor: Suzanne Camino, 734 995-0298

Thank you so much for helping us with this unique fund-raising idea, helping us bring these amazing women to our venue. And don't forget to mark the date - - You won't want to miss it!

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When it is available, you may click on the image above (it's not ready yet)to get your own full-size poster of the event!
Feel free to distribute this widely - - All are welcome!

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