On Saturday, March 23, at St. Augustine Church, Providence, Kathy Kelly, an international peace activist, delivered a presentation on “Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan: What’s going on and what we can do about it,” in a forum sponsored by Pax Christi RI and Mass Peace Action.
Her powerful presentation about her experiences in the field raised many questions for those gathered:
Can you imagine voluntarily staying in Baghdad during the 2002 “shock and awe” bombings, sitting in a hospital bed next to women holding their dying babies, helpless except to be there with them? Can you imagine planting corn in the soil covering underground nuclear bombsites, or facing arrest, harassment and physical abuse, or remaining faithful to your Christian non-violence tradition in spite of the war-borne starvation of more than 83,000 children in Yemen?
Most of us couldn’t or wouldn’t expose ourselves to such hardship and heartbreaking moments, but Kathy Kelly has and continues to live a life of commitment and action to the cause of peace and justice. As a co-founder of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, based in Chicago, she has traveled to the Middle East and Central America to stand in solidarity with the common people who are being killed and maimed in conflicts.
Kelly, in her remarks, shared heartbreaking stories of sadness and pain but throughout the litany she put forth a sense of hope and purpose. If one tiny woman can dedicate her entire life to helping others and then telling their story, imagine what a whole nation can do when they decide to “turn away from evil”? People everywhere, especially the young, are educating themselves to find alternatives to violence against others as well as the earth. In Afghanistan, Voices for Creative Nonviolence have established the Borderfree Street Kids School where students can attend school instead of working on the streets. Their families are given a monthly ration of food if their children are allowed to attend school. There they learn academics as well as conflict resolution.
Kelly said that now, more than any time in our country’s history, we must be seekers of the truth in all conflicts, and not be afraid to learn and support creative nonviolence to solve the challenges we face.
Madeline Labriola is a member of Pax Christi RI, the local chapter of the national and international Catholic peace movement that celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2015 and has members in 50 countries working worldwide for peace, respect for human rights, justice and reconciliation.
