The
Richmond Defender &
VAWN call for a "People's Peace Delegation to Iran"
As you know, the Bush Administration and important sections of the U.S.
media have been carrying out an escalating campaign to demonize Iran,
its government and its people. This effort bears a chilling similarity to the administration’s campaign to prepare domestic
public opinion for its military invasion of Iraq.
In response to this increasing threat, The Richmond Defender newspaper and the Virginia Anti-War
Network (VAWN) have taken on the task of organizing a People’s Peace Delegation to Iran. This initiative is in response to a suggestion by the Campaign Against Sanctions &
Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII), a VAWN affiliate and independent activist network formed to oppose sanctions,
foreign state interference and military intervention in Iran.
By
traveling to Iran, we hope to express our opposition to the U.S. war threats against Iran;
to demonstrate our desire for friendship with the people of that country; to learn more about their history, culture and beliefs;
and to return home better prepared to counter the administration’s propaganda. In this way we hope to help prevent the
next war before it starts.
We
have recruited eight members for our delegation, including three members of VAWN. We are women and men, old and young,
Black and white, working people, veterans, environmentalists -- all committed anti-war activists. We have our passports,
we've contracted with an Iranian tour agency and have raised most of the money we will need. Now we are waiting to hear
if our applications for visas will be approved. Assuming we receive the visas, we plan to leave for Iran on July 19 and return on July 31.
We will fly to Tehran, Iran’s
capital, then travel to Shiraz, Isfahan
and several other cities. Our goal is to meet with representatives of the Iranian government, NGOs, religious, student
and cultural organizations. We would like to engage in an exchange of ideas about the history and current political situation
between our two countries and how we might strengthen ties of friendship between the peoples of Iran
and the United States. We will also be
taking the opportunity to sightsee and learn as much as we can about this ancient and complex society.
We
want to emphasize that the tour is being organized for learning purposes only and will not have any “investigative”
agenda.
While
in Iran, we hope to feed regular reports back to our support group in the
U.S. for forwarding to progressive
radio stations and other news outlets. When we return, we plan to produce a special 4-page supplement for the September/October
issue of The Richmond Defender, arrange report-back meetings across Virginia
and elsewhere and possibly produce a professional-quality video of the trip.
The
cost of each member's participation is $3,000.00. Obviously, this endeavor has required considerable fund-raising efforts,
but trips like this often inspire supporters to step forward and help out in significant ways. At the same time, each
delegate is contributing to the cost of their own participation, as well as conducting their own fund-raising activities.
However,
we're still a few thousand dollars short of the money needed to bring everyone on the delegation. You can help, by making
a tax-deductible contribution. (Please see below.)
For more information about the People's Peace Delegation to iran, please contact:
Phil Wilayto, Editor, The Richmond
Defender
PO Box 23202, Richmond, VA 23223
Phone: (804) 644-5834; E-mail: DefendersFJE@hotmail.com
For information on The Richmond Defender, www.DefendersFJE.org
For VAWN, visit www.vawn.org
For CASMII, www.campaigniran.org
How to support the People’s Peace Delegation to Iran:
United Parents Against Lead National, Inc., a Richmond-based 501-3(c) nonprofit corporation and a VAWN affiliate, has
graciously agreed to be the fiscal sponsor for this effort. Contributions may be made payable to “UPAL” with the
notation “Peace Delegation” and sent to: The Richmond Defender, PO
Box 23202, Richmond, VA 23223.
