Veterans Community Media Center of San Francisco

Veterans Voices


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Coming Home: A Veterans Artwork Exhibition

CALL FOR ART WORK
Submission deadline extended to October 31.
Exhibition Dates: Nov. 13th , 2014 – Thurs., January 15th, 2015

SF State University Art Gallery Open Call For Veteran ArtThe veterans experience during war and upon returning home is unimaginable for most civilians. Even still, the effects of conflict are far reaching, touching even those who do not face combat. Soldier’s families, displaced refugees, taxpayers, policy makers and voters are among those who share in the indirect impact of war and bear the burden of its consequences. Despite this, the divide between veterans and civilians often seems insurmountable.

In partnership with the San Francisco Public Library and the Cal Humanities War Comes Home initiative, Associated Students Inc Art Gallery will present an exhibition titled “Coming Home.” This exhibit will strive to bridge the gap between the disparate experiences of veterans and civilians by utilizing the singular power of art to express that which defies expression. By providing veterans with the opportunity to speak about the way that their experiences have impacted their perception of home, the Art Gallery will give the public unusual access to their changed perspectives. As part of War Comes Home, the Art Gallery will create a platform for education, discussion, connection, and healing. Continue reading


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International Day Of Peace

International Day of Peace, September 21Celebrate The Right Of Peoples To Peace
Sunday, September 21, 2014
4:30-6:30 Informational Booths
5:30-6:30 No Host Cocktail Hour
6:30 Dinner, Introductions, Raffle, Presentations
$30
Grace Evangelical Luthern Church
3201 Ulloa St., San Francisco
Contact: Latonia Dixon, lionlatonia.1@gmail.com

The International Day of Peace, sometimes unofficially known as World Peace Day, is observed annually on 21 September. It is dedicated to world peace, and specifically the absence of war and violence, such as might be occasioned by a temporary ceasefire in acombat zone for humanitarian aid access. The day was first celebrated in 1982, and is kept by many nations, political groups, military groups, and peoples. In 2013, for the first time, the Day was dedicated by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to peace education, the key preventive means to reduce war sustainably. Read more…

PRESENTATIONS AND SPEAKERS Continue reading


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Post 7: Dr. Hakim “No To Wars”

Posted on  Veterans For Peace

by Kabul, Afghanistan

No Afghanistan in Ukraine, No to Wars!

Salaam, Friends — I would like to introduce a new series of interviews I am doing with each of the Afghan Peace Volunteers, by sharing an article just published by Dr. Hakim, their founder and adviser. I believe the article, and the interview he includes, shows the substantial impact the US presence has had on the lives of families here. Despite the US investment of more than $100 Billion dollars in non-military aide since 2001, the corruption is so rampant that the ordinary citizens live in virtual poverty.  I seek your replies to the compelling message that guides me from the Nuremberg Principles that if I see an atrocity and do nothing, I am complicit.  I invite all of us to question what we can do together to reverse this situation…..

In solidarity,
Sherri Maurin
Veteran For Peace member, Kabul, Afghanistan, Peace Journey, Tuesday, August 12 2014

We’re human fodder caught in the crossfire of armed groups and armed governments
No to wars!” By Dr Hakim August 12, 2014

“Her father was killed in Helmand amidst fighting between the Taliban and theAfghan/US-NATO forces,” said a relative about Gul Jumma, who looked down, shy and full of angst, sensing a future that’s not promising. Gul Jumma, together with the Afghan Peace Volunteers, expressed their opposition to wars in this video. Gul Jumma holds up the sign for ‘Ukraine’, indicating ‘No to wars in Ukraine’. She understands what it is like to be caught in the crossfire, as happened to her father when he was killed in battle.Continue reading


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Post 6: Street Kids Program

Posted on Veterans For Peace
by

Children in the Street Kids program studying Dari & mathI am dressed for “going out.” Norms for modesty require that women’s heads and necks be covered at all times, that tunics ideally go to the knees, and that a skirt or loose fitting pants be to the ankles. Socks are preferred, but sandals are acceptable. The women are teaching me to tie my scarves for maximum modesty, and ensure that my clothing is appropriate. Only two of my tunics are long enough, and I contrast these standards with the short shorts and skimpy tops so prevalent for young girls in the US during these hot summer months! However, I do know that this style is very comfortable for sitting cross-legged on the floor at the Center!

I was delighted to sit in on a class for street kids who are learning to write Dari (their language) and to do simple math. The more than twenty students are attentive, engaged, and actively participating, even though it is late on a hot afternoon. Read more…Hadissa & Farzana, teachers in the Street Kids program


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Post 5: Experiments In Simple, Nonviolent Inter-ethnic Community

Posted on Veterans For Peace
by Living in Kabul

As I write a huge explosion startles us; it is hard to tell how close it is, and many of our community are out taking exams at the University or working at the Borderfree Center. We scramble to begin calling them, and go online to find out details. Twitter feeds tell us that a suicide bomber has targeted a foreign force convoy several districts away; four civilians were killed and seven injured (read Washington Post story). This is the reality of life in Afghanistan where an estimated 42 children are killed each week. Sometimes the explosions are “sticky bombs” stuck to the bottom of a car, and other times they are small Improvised Explosive Devices‘ (IED.) Fortunately, for today, we are all safe.

Afghan Peace Volunteers Sherri Maurin

Afghan Peace Volunteers
Yesterday and today have been spent with the Afghan Peace Volunteers  (APV.) We have talked often during the monthly Global Days of Listening, and they share their struggles and hopes to build a new reality, grounded in nonviolence. Community life is not easy for them; the majority of their lives have been lived under fear from the US’s longest running war, and they have grown up distrusting other ethnic groups and Internationals, especially Americans. Their willingness to reach out to other ethnic groups, and to us, and to try and overcome a lifetime of enmity, continues to amaze me. Continue reading