The Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project is proud to announce that Executive Director Kathy McKay has been awarded the 2009 Human Rights Award from the St. Louis Park Human Rights Commission. Ms. McKay received the award on January 19, 2010 from the St. Louis Park Mayor and City Council.
According to the Council report, “McKay was nominated for her work with the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project. She became involved in IARP as a volunteer Executive Director in 2007 and… has been involved in a variety of ways to promote (IARP’s) mission. She has worked on letter writing projects between children of both countries; multiple exhibits of original art by current Iraqis including a two month art exhibit at Sabes Jewish Community Center and two nights of multi-faith programming at the JCC; initiation and successful establishment of the sister city relationship between Najaf and Minneapolis; and most recently planning and implementation of a delegation of 13 Iraqi professionals for a two-week visit to the Twin Cities, including St. Louis Park.” More »
IARP announces the release of two new photo galleries of students and schools in Iraq that have participated in IARP’s Water for Peace program and now have access to clean water. IARP thanks the many generous donors who have given these kids safe water and a healthier life.
Call for Artist Submissions
The Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project is seeking artists to submit their work for a juried visual arts group show, The Art of Conflict: Identity in Conflict and Displacement, opening in August 2010 at a gallery space in Minneapolis, MN. The exhibition will feature 12-15 works from local Twin Cities artists, and 12-15 works from Iraqi artists. To read guidelines and submit work, click here.
The exhibition aims to explore the themes of violent conflict, war, displacement, and personal identity by combining perspectives from those living within a violent conflict (Iraqi artists) and those who have “escaped” from such conflict (local refugee, immigrant, and veteran artists). In Minnesota, life amid violent conflict – in Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Honduras, Burma, or elsewhere – is difficult for many to imagine. Yet many Minnesotans, including refugees and veterans, have experienced directly war or violent conflict and live with that experience everyday. More »
A recent report on commondreams.org reports on greater rates of cancer and birth defects near more than 40 sites across Iraq that are contaminated with high levels of radiation and dioxins. Depleted uranium was among the poisons revealed in the report. To read the article, click here.
The Shape of Change is a multi-format project that looks at how American and Iraqi people represent and discuss concepts of change, freedom and democracy. The foundation of the project is the shapeofchange.com website, an interactive, online archive of opinions. The open-source data from the site is available for artists and educators to use as raw material for the creation of art projects, curriculum, and conversations between groups in the States and Iraq. For the archive to be successful, it must record a range of diverse opinions over a two year period as the US and Iraq separate from one another both militarily and psychologically.
Sami Rasouli, Director of the Muslim Peacemaker Teams (MPT) and co-founder of IARP, was recently featured in an article, “Peace group speaker split between cultures.” To read the full article, click here.
DEKALB, IL – Sami Rasouli feels split between two cultures. He has decided the only way out is a narrow corridor called peace.
Rasouli, who was born in Najaf in 1952 and spent the first half of his life in Iraq before moving to the United States, recently spoke to members of the DeKalb Interfaith Network for Peace and Justice and others at the Unitarian Universalist Church in DeKalb. He said he is 100 percent Iraqi and 100 percent American, as he speaks both languages, understands both cultures and is deeply committed to nonviolence. More »
John Hays of the PureWater for All Foundation demonstrating use of the water sterilization unit
On January 2, 2010, IARP met with the Muslim Peacemaker Teams, PureWater for All Foundation, and Outreach Africa Medical Missions to discuss a new water sterilization unit. As part of IARP’s Water for Peace program, IARP and MPT are exploring this unit as a cost-effective way to provide clean water to Iraqi schools with no current access to safe water.
Background
Lack of clean water is one of the largest threats to the health of Iraqis today. Over 60% of Iraqis don’t have access to clean drinking water. People are dying everyday from water borne diseases. An estimated 200 children die everyday from water related illnesses.
The goal of this meeting was to work towards finding a means to solve this problem.
John Hays and Paul Milloy invented and implemented a water sanitation system in some of the harshest environments around the world.
MPT & IARP run a program called Water for Peace, providing schools and hospitals with clean water systems to provide children with clean, drinkable water. More »
