Fwd: Help us with women's peace walk across the De-Militarized Zone in Korea | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: patty guerrero (pattypaxicloud.com) | |
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2015 18:28:13 -0700 (PDT) |
I think this is such a great thing that women are doing so wanted to share it with Pax-Salon list. It reminds me of the Ribbon Around the Pentagon in 1986. > Begin forwarded message: > > > FYI: update on Women Walk for Peace Across the DMZ > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Christine Ahn <christineahn [at] me.com <mailto:christineahn [at] > me.com>> > Date: Sun, Mar 22, 2015 at 4:44 PM > Subject: Help us with women's peace walk across the De-Militarized Zone in > Korea > To: Christine Ahn <christineahn [at] mac.com <mailto:christineahn [at] > mac.com>> > > > Dear friends, > > Please excuse the group email, but with raising my 2 turning 3-year old > daughter Jeju and managing the crazy politics of this project, I can’t send > personalized notes to you all though I hope you know how much I wish I could. > > In May 2015, in just under two months, 30 women from around the world will > walk for peace in Korea. We are hoping to meet with North Korean women and > learn about their hopes and aspirations for a reunited Korea free from war. > We are also hoping to meet with South Korean women and learn about their > hopes and aspirations for a reunited Korea free from war. As if that weren’t > challenging enough, we hope to cross the De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) that > divides them and millions of families. You can visit our website > <http://womencrossdmz.org/>to learn more about who is walking and why we’re > walking to reunite families and end the Korean War. > > As you can imagine, it is quite the epic journey that requires traveling > through Beijing, obtaining visas, coordinating travel from a dozen different > countries, and everything else that comes with such a major overseas trip. > Most of our delegation of dedicated women peacemakers are paying their own > way, but the reality is that it is a costly event. But the impact could be > “game changing” as The Nation journalist, Tim Shorrock, tweeted last week. > > We got our first glimpse of how game changing our women’s walk for peace > could be after our press conference at the United Nations last week where > Gloria Steinem, Ann Wright, Suzuyo Takazato, Abigail Disney, Hyun-Kyung > Chung, Suzy Kim, Kim Keum-ok of South Korea and I announced our walk. Every > major international media outlet covered our event, including The New York > Times > <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/12/world/asia/women-aim-for-peace-in-korea-with-plan-to-walk-across-Demilitarized-Zone.html?_r=0>, > Associated Press, UK Guardian, Agence France Press and dozens more. Their > coverage launched our women’s peace walk into the hemisphere. As a result, > people from all walks of life, from Switzerland to South Korea have contacted > us to ask how they can get involved to make our walk happen. It has caught > the imagination of the world that the DMZ, the most militarized border in the > world, can and must be crossed to help heal the divided peninsula. > > The peace walk was covered in every major South Korean media; It was just the > thing we needed to tip the balance in our favor because the South Korean > government had not yet responded to our request that they approve our > crossing the DMZ from North Korea to South Korea. But soon after the press > conference, the South Korean Mission to the UN contacted us to let us know > that Seoul is now considering our proposal. We also heard from a journalist > based in Seoul, "I am hearing that Seoul is likely to OK the border crossing… > a govt spokesman here said South Korea generally has "a postive position" on > DMZ crossings by foreigners. And its related agencies will review your case. > Sounds very positive.” > > On Christmas Eve, we received a yes from the UN Command that they would be > prepared to facilitate our crossing pending approval from South Korea, which > we are still waiting for. Although North Korea had given a tentative yes last > year, it came with a stern caveat: if the conditions were right. Given the > tense circumstances now with the joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises > underway, we weren’t sure if they were. But just yesterday, I received an > urgent message from the DPRK Mission to the UN saying that my visa would be > soon ready and that I ought to go right away to Pyongyang to sort out the > logistics. > > Although things can change on a day-to-day basis, it is looking like we have > managed the impossible: getting permission from both governments, as well as > the UN Command, to cross the DMZ. > > As you may know, this is a completely voluntary event. We have no corporate > or government support—just the sheer will of women peacemakers wanting to > help bring peace to the 70-year divided Korean peninsula. While the majority > of the women are paying their own travel costs, we will need to raise funds > for accommodations, event venues, meals, transportation, materials, press > packets, banners, and logistical support in China and South Korea. There are > also many women from the Global South who will need travel support, which we > are gladly doing in solidarity. To do all this, we must raise $50,000 to meet > our budget goals. > > Fortunately, with Gloria Steinem’s help, an anonymous woman donor has > generously offered us a $25,000 matching gift. We have until the end of March > to raise the rest. I’ve raised $11,000 already, and I think we can do it. I > know we can do it. But it will take dozens of friends who can pitch in as > generously as you can. > > Although we were going to launch a crowdsource campaign like Kickstarter, > because it is way too public, our advisors urged us to try to raise it > privately until we have secured both government’s approval. Here is a video > that we would have used to launch our fundraising campaign. > > You might wonder, what will this peace walk do? For one, it has already > conveyed several important messages: 1. The Korean War must end with a peace > treaty; 2. Women can and must be involved at all levels of peacemaking; and > 3. We must act now to reunite millions of families tragically divided by a > man-made division. If the barbed wire fences lining the DMZ were erected by > men over 60 years ago, men and women have the power to bring them down. > > Please help us make the DMZ history by making a tax-deductible donation > online at: http://www.peacedevelopmentfund.org/women-cross-the-dmz/ > <http://www.peacedevelopmentfund.org/women-cross-the-dmz/> > > Or send a check to: > Peace Development Fund > PO Box 40250 > San Francisco, CA 94140-0250 > Memo: Women De-Militarize the Zone > > With gratitude and in peace, > Christine Ahn >
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