Thursday, May 29, 2008

Dallas Peace Center initiates summer dinner lecture series

Source: Dallas Peace Center

DALLAS — After four years of highly successful Summer Dinner Lectures, the Dallas Peace Center has expanded their concept to bring three exhilarating speakers to Dallasthroughout the summer months. The three women embody the diverse nature of peace work and remind us that all components must work together for a just, secure and peaceful world.

The first speaker, Rita Marie Johnson, founder of the Academy for Peace of Costa Rica, will deliver “A Nation’s Peace Story” on June 4 at FunAsia, 1210 E. Beltline Rd., Richardson. Dinner will be at 6:30 and the lecture at 7:30 p.m.

In 2002, Johnson discovered the synergy between two methods, HeartMath for “feeling peace” and Nonviolent Communication for “speaking peace”. This combination, now known as BePeace, inspired her to found the Academy for Peace of Costa Rica (APCR) in 2003 with the aim of citizens passing these skills from generation to generation.

The second speaker, Col. (Ret.) Ann Wright, was the senior-most U.S. official to publicly resign in protest of the Iraq War. Her lecture will be on July 23, at FunAsia,1210 E. Beltline Rd., Richardson. Dinner will be at 6:30 and the lecture at 7:30 p.m.

After nearly 20 years of service with the State Department, Wright resigned citing the lack of U.N. support for the Iraq invasion, the lack of effort in Israel-Palestine and North Korea, and the threat to liberties in the U.S. as reasons for her departure. Since her resignation, Wright’s past military experience and international perspective have make her an invaluable ally to organizations dedicated to ending the war in Iraq.

The Summer Dinner Lecture Series will wrap up with Dr. Erica Frank, president of the Nobel Prize-winning organization Physicians for Social Responsibility. Her lecture will be on August 6, at FunAsia, 1210 E. Beltline Rd., Richardson. Dinner will be at 6:30 and the lecture at 7:30 p.m.

Frank’s specialty is preventive medicine, and she practices family and preventive medicine in British Columbia. She will explore the connections between climate change and global health issues.

Dinner-goers may buy tickets for one dinner lecture, or for the whole series: A table for 10 for the series is $1,500, and tickets for two for the series are $750. Tickets for one dinner lecture are $500 for a table for 10, $200 for a couple and $75 for an individual ticket.

To reserve a seat, call 214-823-7793, or go to www.dallaspeacecenter.org.

Source: Dallas Peace Center

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