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Washington Peace Letter
Washington Peace Center
The Washington Peace Letter is published monthly for the social justice community of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Its purpose is to support local, national and international struggles against oppression. It seeks to present a radical analysis of current events, covering information not readily available in the corporate media.
The Peace Letter welcomes submissions of calendar announcements, articles, letters to the Editor, and artwork from the progressive community. Articles may be from 300-1200 words, but may be edited for space considerations. Preference is given to materials that cover actions or organizing campaigns in the D.C. metropolitan area.
We reserve the right to select or reject any submission.
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The Washington Peace Letter is a project of the Peace Talks Working Group of the Washington Peace Center. If you are interested in joining us, call!
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Peace, Social Justice Movement Mourns Loss of Marx Aristide
By Roger Newell
August/September 2004
Volume 40, Number 2
The international peace and social justice movement lost a valiant fighter
with the sudden death of Marx Vilaire Aristide, a noted Washington,
D.C.-based Haitian activist. Aristide was involved in an auto accident
in Northwest D.C. on June 20th and later died of his injuries.
Police determined that Aristide's car was struck by a stolen SUV traveling at a high rate of speed. Despite efforts of rescuers, who cut Aristide from the car and rushed him to the Howard University Hospital, he died from his injuries later the same day.
A Haitian-born and U.S.-educated economist, Aristide dedicated himself to developing alternatives for the existing challenges facing developing nations, including Haiti. Aristide spent many years of his career working at the Quixote Center and the Washington Office on Haiti, where he challenged US foreign policy.
For about a year, Aristide put his economic training to use for American working families, serving as a staff member of the Corporate Affairs department of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. He also served as a consultant to many organizations including the Haiti Support Project, the International Labor Rights Fund, Brothers and Sisters International and the Ecumenical Program in Central America and the Caribbean (EPICA).
Aristide's colleagues at EPICA described him as "a grand and dynamic man who stood for truth, justice and integrity. His role in our lives and in the world will be hard to fill. We hope that all of you who were touched by him will humbly try to contribute to his dream of building a sovereign and free Haiti. He will be greatly missed by us all."
At the time of his death, Aristide was in the process of compiling and writing a historical outline of Haiti from 1991 to the present. He had recently formed the Haitian American Skill SHARE Foundation that was designed to encourage Haitians in the US to return to Haiti and reverse the island's "brain drain."
"Marx was a true revolutionary," noted Paul Phumphrey, the international liaison for Brothers And Sisters International. "His heart and work was centered in the struggle to make the world a better place for all people."
Marx left behind a 7-year-old daugher, Anaise, for whom a college fund has been established: Send checks to Anaise Aristide, PO Box 76521, WDC 20009 or contact friendsofmarx@yahoo.com
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