| 'Color of War' tour comes to Philadelphia May 17, 2004 The Fellowship of Reconciliation, the nation's oldest interfaith peace and social justice organization, has launching a national speakers' tour that will address the impact of the U.S. war machine on poor people and people of color in the United States and globally. With hostilities in Iraq showing no signs of abating, there is talk of sending tens of thousands more troops – and even of reinstating conscription. And as the Vietnam experience demonstrates, the draft disproportionately impacts poor and Third World youth, who are less likely to find ways of evading it. According to Ibrahim Ramey, coordinator of the Fellowship of Reconciliation's disarmament program and "Color of War" organizer, war and the system that supports it are already adversely affecting communities of color, even without the draft. "The tour will address the effects of the war system on health, education, economic well-being, environmental justice and the prevalence of violence," Ramey said. "It will also look at the disproportionate burden that war places on poor and Third World people." The "Color of War Tour" began April 29 with a panel of speakers at Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey. Its next venue is Philadelphia on Saturday, May 22, at the Friends Center, 1501 Cherry Street. Presenters in Philadelphia include:
In addition to the escalation of military recruitment of poor and Third World youth, Color of War speakers will also address the connection between current levels of military spending and the structural "disinvestment" in housing, health care, education and job formation. Future venues for the Color of War Tour include New York City, Boston and Chicago. Contact: Ibrahim Ramey, Disarmament Coordinator. (845)358-4601 disarm@forusa.org
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