Iraqi Kurdistan - A Report-back

On Sunday September 24, PASMC again calls upon CODEPINK for its experience and work leading to information and action.

This past May, Nancy Mancias of the activist organization CODEPINK joined a delegation with the Christian Peacemaker Team on an educational tour of northern Iraq's Kurdish region. The tour participants met with Kurdish women, LGBTQ and peace organizations, academics, and villagers affected by oil company Dana Gas as well as Turkey's cross-border bombings.

On September 24, Nancy will share what she learned about the various players in this narrative: the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK), internally displaced Iraqis, the Yazidis, and Chaldean Christians - all of whom reside in Iraqi Kurdistan. This December she will embark on another trip to northern Iraq. Her presentation is a chance for people to learn how they can take action and get involved.

The evening begins at 7 PM At the Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo, 300 E. Santa Inez Avenue (at Ellsworth) in San Mateo. Admission is free. The UUSM is wheelchair accessible.

As an organizer for CODEPINK, Nancy Mancias has had the responsibility of coordinating national campaigns against torture, holding the Bush administration accountable for the Iraq war, and trying to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay. For 15 years she has also organized creative actions across the country as an ally and defender of LGBTQ and immigrant rights. Nancy spends a great deal of time bearing witness: working in the refugee camps in Greece, supporting migrants on the U.S./Mexico border and, as we will hear more about, learning about the plight of the Kurds living in northern Iraq.

Free, contributions welcome.