SPEAKER
BIOS
Vermont Says
No To War will host the following speakers at our opening and closing
plennaries:
Dennis Brutus
Dennis Brutus has long been involved in the South African freedom
movement. He was central to the successful sports boycott of South
Africa. Imprisoned, beaten and shot by the regime, he went into
exile in 1966. He is currently professor of African Literature at
the University of Pittsburgh. In addition to his political activism
and academic work, Professor Brutus is a distinguished poet. He
is the recipient of the Langston Hughes Award for Poetry and the
Paul Robeson Award for Artistic Integrity.
David Cline
David, national president of Veterans for Peace, was drafted
into the US Army in 1967. He was awarded three
Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star for bravery, the Combat Infantryman
Badge
and other military medals. He joined VVAW in 1970, and is an organizer
for the Veterans Support Vieques initiative.
He has lived in Jersey City, NJ for the past 30 years, and is also
co-founder and president of the Jersey City Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Committee.
Jerry Colby
President, National Writers’ Union, member of US Labor
Against War
Wanda Colon
A Puerto Rican woman, she was a major organizer against the
U.S. Navy presence in Vieques, and was instrumental in helping build
the international solidarity link. She is currently addressing the
militarism in Latin America. Wanda is also active in solidarity
work between Puerto Rico and groups in Ecuador.
Monique Dols
Monique Dols, a student at Columbia University in New York,
is on the national coordinating committee of the Campus Antiwar
Network.
Elaine Hagopian
Syrian-American sociologist, author of Civil Rights In Peril
Nilda Medina-Diaz
Nilda is one of 1000 women nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize
in 2005, and has dedicated her life to the demilitarization of Vieques.
This tiny Puerto Rican island was used by the U.S. Navy for military
exercises and weapons training and testing for 63 years. Largely
through the work of the Committee for the Rescue and Development
of Vieques, co-founded by Nilda, the U.S. closed its bases in 2003.
In addition to coordinating the movement's civil disobedience organizational
center, Nilda continues to play a crucial role in the post-Navy
struggle to ensure that her community is informed and involved in
their homeland's environmental cleanup.
Victor Paredes
Brother of Pablo Paredes, Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class, who
participated in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and made his bold protest
against the U.S. occupation of Iraq when he refused to ship out
for the Persian Gulf in December, 2004 on board the USS Bonhomme
Richard.
Krishna Ahooja
Patel
International President, Women’s International League
for Peace and Freedom
Ahmed Shawki
Ahmed Shawki is editor of the International Socialist Review.
He has spoken at and participated in a number of Social Forums,
from the World Social Forums in Porto Alegre and Mumbai, to the
European Social Forum to the Chicago Social Forum.
Joseph Turcotte
Member of Iraq Veterans Against the War
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