Thanks so much for making Groovefest such a huge success! The weather was perfect, the music was great, and I heard a lot of positive comments about the theme & discussion that was generated in the park. Thanks especially to everyone who volunteered along the way researching the theme, painting signs, setting up the displays, working the booth, cleaning up, and talking to folks about Amnesty. Groovefest couldn't have happened without you! Our school paper covered it today, and though the article is a bit confused on some points it is still good that we got some publicity so people can keep an eye out for the spring event. We got some good advance publicity on KGOU's website, in the Gazette, and in the Norman Transcript.
Troy Davis Update
According to this article from an Atlanta newspaper, the Supreme Court is expected to announce its decision on whether it will hear Davis's case. The article gives some of Davis's back story and explains some of the legal questions at stake in the case. We'll keep you updated as we get information.
World Neighbors Events
World Neighbors will be offering a special presentation tomorrow called "The Food Crisis in Africa: Effective Solutions from the Field" on Tuesday, September 30 from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. at their headquarters building (4127 NW 122nd Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73120). The evening's featured speaker, Qureish Noordin, a member of World Neighbors Kenya-based team, will discuss the current impact of the food crisis on African women, and why the way World Neighbors responds is so vital to long-term solutions. Your RSVP welcomed by September 30 to Kylie McBride at 405.418.0489 or kmcbride@wn.org.
Also, don't forget the fair trade event WorldFest this weekend Friday-Sunday October 3-5 at the Bricktown Event Center in Oklahoma City. Many of us will be going up to Oklahoma City to volunteer, so if you can offer to drive or need a ride, please contact Chris Schroeder at schro87@ou.edu so we can try to carpool.
Regional Conference
If you are interested in attending the Regional Conference in Memphis from October 31-November 2nd, please check your schedule and decide by THIS FRIDAY so we can get a head count, start planning for travel and accomodations, complete our group's registration, and get on the waiting list for some possible travel subsidies from AI. Also, be thinking of fundraisers we could do to raise the gas money. I know most of us don't have much money, but if we plan ahead and put a little work into raising the funds, I think we could get it covered so we don't have to rely on money out of pocket. If you are interested in going, please reply to this email or call me at (405) 816-1613. For more information about the conference, visit amnesty's website.
Upcoming Meetings
We have a letter writing meeting coming up on Sunday, October 12th - time and place TBA. Which means, if you have any suggestions, I'm all ears. Our next general meeting is on Sunday, October 19th at 5pm in the Heritage room of the Union.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Troy Davis event tomorrow, Groovefest meeting Wednesday
Hey everyone,
We will be on the grassy lawn on the east side of Dale Hall tomorrow from 9am until 4pm asking people to call, text, or email the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles asking for a stay on the execution of Troy Davis. We will have fliers with information, laptops for sending emails, and phones for making calls to the Board, so if you can bring any of these things or you want to come by to help during any time during the day, please do.
If you want to take action online or want more information about Troy Davis's case, visit www.amnestyusa.org/troydavis
We will be meeting Wednesday night at 7pm at Sarah Whitten's house (420 College Ave) to finalize our preparations for Groovefest and get all of our facts & information ready to be hung from trees in the park. We will also be writing Urgent Action letters at this meeting.
See you soon!
We will be on the grassy lawn on the east side of Dale Hall tomorrow from 9am until 4pm asking people to call, text, or email the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles asking for a stay on the execution of Troy Davis. We will have fliers with information, laptops for sending emails, and phones for making calls to the Board, so if you can bring any of these things or you want to come by to help during any time during the day, please do.
If you want to take action online or want more information about Troy Davis's case, visit www.amnestyusa.org/troydavis
We will be meeting Wednesday night at 7pm at Sarah Whitten's house (420 College Ave) to finalize our preparations for Groovefest and get all of our facts & information ready to be hung from trees in the park. We will also be writing Urgent Action letters at this meeting.
See you soon!
Worldfest learning village volunteers
Worldfest needs more volunteers in the learning village. If you are interested in switching over to the learning village instead of just a general volunteer, you will need to have some training because you are going to be molding people's minds directly. It should be really rewarding and fun, so get in contact with me if you are interested. My email address should be on this side bar over here >>>
Chris
Chris
Friday, September 19, 2008
Hey everyone,
We will be getting together this Sunday at 3pm at my house (816 S. Lahoma Ave.) to have our first letter writing meeting of the year. We have several things to do and talk about.
Troy Davis and the death penalty
I think it's important that we do something in support of Troy Davis. This case is getting worldwide attention (look at his website here, for french speakers, here is the coverage in LeMonde, and take a look at this opinion piece in a student paper here). He is scheduled to be executed this Tuesday (the 23rd), and even though there is no material evidence linking him to the crime and 7 of the 9 non-police eyewitnesses have recanted or changed their testimony, on Sept.12th the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole refused to grant him clemency. Please find out more about the case and send your appeals to the Board here: http://www.amnestyusa.org/troydavis
Here is what the OSU group did last week
We should put something together on Monday. We need to speak out in the southern region when things like this happen. Please come forward with ideas for Monday - I think that spelling out the word "justice" on the south oval would be a good way to do it if we can get enough folks together, we just need to coordinate our school schedules.
Groovefest
We still have some work left to do on our materials for Groovefest. We have most of the banners finished for our theme but we still need to make the fact sheets and articles so that they can be hung from trees, put together the book lists, and make some decorations and handouts. I will probably start working on these on Saturday so call me if you can help (405.816.1613).
Also, for those of you who are of age, there will be a Groovefest fundraiser on Thursday night (the 25th) at the Deli.
Urgent Action
Here is a description of our Urgent Action this week:
On 12 September, a group of 24 Uzbekistani nationals, who have been living for around a year in the eastern Turkish town of Van, were expelled to Iran. The group is now held by an unidentified Iranian group. Amnesty International fears for their safety while they are being held by the unidentified group and also that they could be subjected to forcible return to Uzbekistan by the Iranian authorities if and when they are released by the group that is currently holding them.
If returned to Uzbekistan the adults of the group would be at risk of incommunicado detention, torture or other ill-treatment. The group has been recognized as refugees by the UNHCR.
Police officers at the Security Directorate in Van reportedly invited the group to visit the Directorate to receive educational materials for the children's schooling. When the group arrived at the Security Directorate, they were allegedly put onto a bus and transported to an isolated area close to the Iranian border. The Turkish security officials who transported them told the group that "we don't need you here" as they forced them into Iranian territory. Once there, an unidentified group apparently not linked to the Iranian government seized them and allegedly threatened to kill them.
To read the rest of the Urgent Action report, please click here
As always, let me know if you have any questions/concerns. See you Sunday!
We will be getting together this Sunday at 3pm at my house (816 S. Lahoma Ave.) to have our first letter writing meeting of the year. We have several things to do and talk about.
Troy Davis and the death penalty
I think it's important that we do something in support of Troy Davis. This case is getting worldwide attention (look at his website here, for french speakers, here is the coverage in LeMonde, and take a look at this opinion piece in a student paper here). He is scheduled to be executed this Tuesday (the 23rd), and even though there is no material evidence linking him to the crime and 7 of the 9 non-police eyewitnesses have recanted or changed their testimony, on Sept.12th the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole refused to grant him clemency. Please find out more about the case and send your appeals to the Board here: http://www.amnestyusa.org/troydavis
Here is what the OSU group did last week
We should put something together on Monday. We need to speak out in the southern region when things like this happen. Please come forward with ideas for Monday - I think that spelling out the word "justice" on the south oval would be a good way to do it if we can get enough folks together, we just need to coordinate our school schedules.
Groovefest
We still have some work left to do on our materials for Groovefest. We have most of the banners finished for our theme but we still need to make the fact sheets and articles so that they can be hung from trees, put together the book lists, and make some decorations and handouts. I will probably start working on these on Saturday so call me if you can help (405.816.1613).
Also, for those of you who are of age, there will be a Groovefest fundraiser on Thursday night (the 25th) at the Deli.
Urgent Action
Here is a description of our Urgent Action this week:
On 12 September, a group of 24 Uzbekistani nationals, who have been living for around a year in the eastern Turkish town of Van, were expelled to Iran. The group is now held by an unidentified Iranian group. Amnesty International fears for their safety while they are being held by the unidentified group and also that they could be subjected to forcible return to Uzbekistan by the Iranian authorities if and when they are released by the group that is currently holding them.
If returned to Uzbekistan the adults of the group would be at risk of incommunicado detention, torture or other ill-treatment. The group has been recognized as refugees by the UNHCR.
Police officers at the Security Directorate in Van reportedly invited the group to visit the Directorate to receive educational materials for the children's schooling. When the group arrived at the Security Directorate, they were allegedly put onto a bus and transported to an isolated area close to the Iranian border. The Turkish security officials who transported them told the group that "we don't need you here" as they forced them into Iranian territory. Once there, an unidentified group apparently not linked to the Iranian government seized them and allegedly threatened to kill them.
To read the rest of the Urgent Action report, please click here
As always, let me know if you have any questions/concerns. See you Sunday!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Agenda from September 14th meeting
Introduction Meet and Greet/Sign In
About Amnesty International: How to be a more strategic activist, National Priorities
Constitution
Proposal of amendments, discussion, clarification
Vote to approve 2008-2009 Constitution
Planning the Year
Compile list of issues/interests
Develop Semester Plan for Meetings
Groovefest “See the Cycle, Be the Cycle: Vote with your Dollar”
Close Meeting
Next meeting Sunday, September 21st at 2pm at Sarah’s house (816 S. Lahoma Ave.) time TBA
About Amnesty International: How to be a more strategic activist, National Priorities
Constitution
Proposal of amendments, discussion, clarification
Vote to approve 2008-2009 Constitution
Planning the Year
Compile list of issues/interests
Develop Semester Plan for Meetings
Groovefest “See the Cycle, Be the Cycle: Vote with your Dollar”
September 28th, 2008 2-9pm in Andrews Park (201 W. Daws)
• Volunteer Signups
• Meeting this coming Wednesday the 17th at 7pm at Sarah Whitten's house (420 College Ave)
Southern Regional Conference
“Our Rights, Our History, Our Vision”
Memphis, Tennessee October 31-November 2, 2008
Oklahoma State Meeting
• Volunteer Signups
• Meeting this coming Wednesday the 17th at 7pm at Sarah Whitten's house (420 College Ave)
Southern Regional Conference
“Our Rights, Our History, Our Vision”
Memphis, Tennessee October 31-November 2, 2008
Oklahoma State Meeting
Tentatively scheduled for February 7th in the Union
Added Items
Fair Trade Norman meeting immediately following this one
Added Items
Fair Trade Norman meeting immediately following this one
Historian Katie Baker mentions that our photo blog is up
WorldFest is coming up - October 3rd-5th in OKC
Close Meeting
Next meeting Sunday, September 21st at 2pm at Sarah’s house (816 S. Lahoma Ave.) time TBA
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Photoblog
Hi guys,
Since we're using everything Google, I've begun using our Picasa Web Albums account (Google-operated) for photo hosting. The username and password are the same as the ones for the gmail account. I uploaded some pictures, including some new ones from the Meet and Greet Picnic. Check it out!
http://picasaweb.google.com/okamnestyinternational
See you later,
Katie B.
Since we're using everything Google, I've begun using our Picasa Web Albums account (Google-operated) for photo hosting. The username and password are the same as the ones for the gmail account. I uploaded some pictures, including some new ones from the Meet and Greet Picnic. Check it out!
http://picasaweb.google.com/okamnestyinternational
See you later,
Katie B.
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