Kathy Kelly, Board President of World BEYOND War and Co-Coordinator of the Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal is the invited speaker. The 6:00 PM Social Hour, catered by Cristaudo’s Café and Bakery, will include tabling with co-sponsors. Kathy’s presentation will begin at 7:00 PM. The event will be available on ZOOM: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_rFeAzG9PTmKa39E-tZ515w

Sponsors of the Margie Parker Teach-In include the Peace Coalition of Southern Illinois, SIUC Honors Program, SIU Young Democratic Socialists of America, the Church of the Good Shepherd UCC, the Southern Illinois Quaker Meeting, Carbondale Unitarian Fellowship Social Action Team and the Shawnee Green Party.

Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, Kelly has coordinated an international network to assist young Afghans forced to flee their country. She made over two dozen trips to Afghanistan from 2010 – 2019, living with young Afghan Peace Volunteers in a working-class neighborhood in Kabul.

With Voices in the Wilderness companions, from 1996 – 2003, she traveled 27 times to Iraq, defying the economic sanctions and remaining in Iraq throughout the Shock and Awe bombing and the initial weeks of the invasion. She joined subsequent delegations to the West Bank’s Jenin Camp in 2002 during and after Israeli attacks, to Lebanon during the 2006 summer war between Israel and Hezbollah and to Gaza, in 2009, during Operation Cast Lead and following the 2013 Operation Pillar of Defense.

Kathy has been an educator for most of her life, but she believes children of war and those who are victims of violence have been her most important teachers.