Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
689 Massachusetts Avenue • Cambridge, MA 02139 • 617-868-6600 • www.uusc.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Eloise Clawson, UCC, 781-293-1340
October 16, 2008 Dick Campbell, UUSC, 617-301-4370
NEWS Release
Human rights activist brings antiwar message to Norwell
NORWELL-Charlie Clements, a well-known human rights activist and public health physician, will be the featured guest speaker at a special interfaith event sponsored jointly by the United Church of Christ, Congregational, and the First Parish Unitarian Church, both in Norwell. The event, which is free and open to the general public, will be held on Sunday, October 26, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the UCC church, 460 Main Street, Norwell.
Since 2003, Clements has served as president of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, an international human rights organization based in Cambridge, Mass. He is speaking at UCC Norwell as the guest of the UCC Mission and Outreach Ministry in collaboration with the First Parish Norwell's Fogg Lecture Series.
His talk is entitled "Who Bears the Burden?" and will focus on the human, social, political, and financial costs of the war in Iraq, and how concerned Americans can join in advocating for a responsible end to the hostilities.
The Fogg Lecture Series is named for Helen Fogg, a lifelong Norwell resident and member of First Parish who dedicated her life to advancing human rights, social justice, and education in the United States and around the world. She served for 20 years, beginning shortly after World War II, as UUSC's director of international programs.
Throughout the years, Clements has faced several moral dilemmas that shaped his life. As a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Academy who had flown more than 50 missions in the Vietnam War, Charlie decided the war was against his conscience and he refused to fly further missions in support of the invasion of Cambodia. Later, as a newly trained physician, he chose to work in the midst of El Salvador's civil war, where the villages he served were bombed, rocketed, or strafed by some of the same aircraft in which he had previously trained.
In early 2003, Clements traveled on an emergency human rights mission to Iraq only weeks before the war started. He was outraged by the deception of the U.S. government over the reasons for launching the preemptive war, and today is a leader in the growing national movement to end the conflict and bring American troops home.
UUSC engages its members and supporters to be activists for social justice; partners with communities and organizations confronting unjust power structures; and challenges oppressive policies. For more information, visit www.uusc.org.
For directions to the UCC church, visit, http://www.eventkeeper.com/custom/uccn/