MOUNT VERNON — Peace activist and author Peggy Gish, who led peace missions to Iraq before, during and after the U.S. invasion, will speak at Cornell College on Monday, Nov. 29, at 11 a.m. in Hedges Conference Room of The Commons. Admission is free.
Gish’s lecture, “ Iraq: A Journey of Hope and Peace,” is the title of her September 2004 book. She will read from her book at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 30, at Prairie Lights Bookstore in Iowa City.
Gish is a member of an intentional community, New Covenant Fellowship, in southern Ohio. She is co-director of the Appalachian Peace and Justice Network and has conducted sessions in conflict management. She has served as a social worker in rural Indiana and inner-city Chicago, and her international experience includes the West Bank and Africa in addition to Iraq. Last December she received the Yoko Tada Human Rights Award for her work in Iraq with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT).
In October 2002, Gish led the first CPT group to Iraq to maintain a presence on behalf of civilians before, during and after the U.S. invasion. At various civilian-sensitive locations, she and her colleagues hung banners stating, “To Bomb This Site is a War Crime.” At the time of the bombing, she was staying at a Baghdad water treatment plant, near a hospital complex. She was deported, but later returned to Iraq under the U.S. occupation.
CPT representatives have lived among the Iraqi people, intervening and advocating for peaceful solutions while supporting local efforts to rebuild community and deal with problems the people face. CPT workers also talk with American soldiers about human rights issues.
From May to December 2003, CPT representatives interviewed Iraqi detainees and compiled a report that summarized findings in 72 cases, which was presented to members of the military and Congress.
