Peace Center Update
By Brian Anders, Coordinator
January 2005
Volume 41, Number 1
The last few months have been a busy and exciting time for the Peace
Center. I've been happy to welcome several new interns, as well as attend
a variety of progressive events sponsored by activist groups in the
area.
* Danielle Serratore, one of our new interns, is a political science
major from Roanoke, Virginia. She was involved with tabling for the
Peace Center at the Green Festival, a national convention focusing
on promoting environmentally-safe products. Danielle's current project
is researching the tactics of armed-service recruiters who target
economically vulnerable young adults.
* Christine Carofiglio is a human rights/conflict management scholar
from Italy also interning at the Peace Center. She is working with
some of our sister agencies for the purposes of networking and community-building.
She's also currently researching female-oriented organizations such
as Women in Black and CODE PINK for an article on the new women leaders
in the peace and justice movement.
Three students from the George Washington University have also joined
the Peace Center staff as part-time interns.
* Adam Frankel is currently working on an article that traces the
history of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and its implications for
the possibility of peace in the Middle East. As part of his research,
he and I attended a 'Stop The Wall' demonstration on the 26th of October.
* Christina Coallizzo, another GW intern, is working with new volunteer
Anne Trinquet on a policy paper detailing the fiscal costs of the
"war on terror" and the subsequent impact that the diversion
of federal funds has had on the quality of life in the US and the
global community.
* Rachele Huennekens, our third intern from GW, has been working
with board members on the Peace Letter.
Peace Center interns and staff have also attended a variety of local
activist trainings and events recently; most notably the first annual
Peace Parade, the 'Cancel the Debt' protest at the World Bank, and
the National Memorial March, where protesters carried 1,000 caskets
from the Mall to Arlington National Cemetery. We also viewed the documentary
film 'Occupation 101', hosted by the activist group Imagine Life.
The Peace Center bustled with activity in prapration for the 40th
Anniversary Celebration, held on November 13, 2004, at our original
home, the Friends Meeting House on Florida Avenue NW. We at the Peace
Center view the anniversary as a time for us to reflect on the many
years of service and to plan for our organization's future. We were
delighted to greet several dozen friends. (See "Scores
Celebrate Washington Peace Center's Fortieth Anniversary")