Amnesty Edmonton April Newsletter

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Dear Friends,

We are looking forward to welcoming another guest speaker at our next monthly meeting: Rebecca Lippiatt from Refugees are Welcome in Edmonton. We hope you will join us virtually on Monday, May 2, at 7 pm MT. Please contact us at amnesty1@edmontonamnesty.or g to receive the Zoom link.

We will also be introducing our new Youth Activist Council very soon! In the meantime, please check out these upcoming events and actions:

EVENTS

April 27 - Amnesty Membership Town Hall. Amnesty members are invited to register and attend a town hall with the board and senior leadership of Amnesty Canada on Wednesday, April 27, at 4:30 PM MDT. The discussion will focus on the findings of two reports commissioned in response to systemic racism within Amnesty Canada and plans for implementing recommendations.

May 5 - National Red Dress Day. We plan to support and attend this event that commemorates missing and murdered Indigenous people. The event starts at Churchill Square at 10 AM, with a march down Jasper Ave at 10:30 AM, ending at Beaver Hills House Park.

Indigenous woman's face with red overlay and the following text: May 5th, 2022, 10 AM. National Red Dress Day. Please join us as we commemorate our missing and murdered Indigenous people in a good way. 10 AM Meet at Churchill Square. March 10:30 AM down Jasper Ave to 105 ST, Beaver Hills House Park. Open mic sessions. Pamper yourself with gifts. Open closet, food hampers, bannock and tea. Drumming for the good of all. Please wear red or wear your regalia. Marsi cho, hiy hiy, thank you.

May 5-15 - Northwest Fest. Canada’s longest-running international documentary festival is back, with a combination of in-cinema and online events! We are sponsoring three films:

Mission: Joy - Sunday, May 8, 6 PM
Shouting Down Midnight - Monday, May 9, 7 PM
Love in the Time of Fentanyl - Friday, May 13, 7 PM

June 3-5 - AGM. Amnesty members should have received an email invitation to register for the Amnesty International Canada (English Section) 2022 annual general meeting. If you're not a member yet, or you're not sure of your status, you can learn more about membership.

READ AND LEARN

Last month, we highlighted Amnesty's courageous and comprehensive report concluding that Israel has committed apartheid against Palestinians. One of our local members, Rob Normey, reflected on this report as context for his review of the novel I Am Ariel Sharon by Yara El-Ghadban.

Rob also recently reviewed two books that focus on human rights abuses in Guatemala. Part 1 of Rob's review focuses on the book Testimonio: Canadian Mining in the Aftermath of Genocides in Guatemala and contains quotes from interviews with the authors, Catherine Nolin and Grahame Russell.

GOOD NEWS!

Melissa E. Lucio is no longer scheduled to be executed on April 27. Instead, her case will be reviewed in light of new evidence that was not presented to the jury at her trial. Go to https://freemelissalucio.org to learn more about her case and take action by signing the petition, contacting Texas officials, and donating to the campaign to see her exonerated.

CONNECT WITH US!

Our local group meets virtually on the first Monday of every month. Please email us at amnesty1@edmontonamnesty.or g for a link to join. If you missed our last meeting, you can find the recording of our evening with Mayor Amarjeet Sohi on our YouTube channel.

Other ways to stay connected with us include the following:

Stay well!