2017 Peace Lecture to be held Saturday at Chester Friends Meeting

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CHESTER TOWNSHIP — The annual Wilmington Yearly Meeting Peace Lecture will be at Chester Friends Meeting 7 p.m. Saturday, July 29. The public is welcome to attend.

Dr. Migwe Kimemia, program director of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) office in Dayton, Ohio, will be the speaker. His speech is titled: “The Congo Conflict Minerals and Refugee Crisis”.

Kimemia said, “I have been educating the faith community on the root causes of the Congolese refugee crisis for over a decade. In particular, I have been engaging youth leaders to create awareness about blood diamonds among college students.

“The Congo conflict minerals have been dear to my heart partly because of the silent genocide driven by the demand for conflict minerals in the global marketplace, and partly because of the ongoing culture of violence using child soldiers, militias and even some UN Peacekeeping soldiers to rape women as a weapon of war in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” Kimemia added.

The AFSC Ohio Global Village Initiative advocates for a welcoming climate that fosters a culture of friendship and hospitality toward African refugees in Ohio, according to Kimemia.

The initiative is focused on three strategies: First, raising public awareness about the root causes of the African refugee crisis; second, empowering African refugees to pursue their hopes and dreams for a better life in Ohio; and third, engaging African students to become changemakers by lifting up their voices for a better world.

Kimemia said African refugees from the outset have been fleeing to the United States to escape political and religious persecutions, to protect their children from armed conflicts, and to seek economic and educational opportunities. Most of the African refugees come from the war-torn countries of the Horn of Africa and the African Great Lakes Region, mainly the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he stated.

“For these reasons, African refugees are among the most impoverished and marginalized minorities in Ohio. African refugees however bring many cultural and spiritual gifts that benefit Ohioans,” stated Kimemia.

“I feel humbled by your invitation to speak on this important subject matter,” said the AFSC Dayton office program director.

Migwe Kimemia
http://www.wnewsj.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2017/07/web1_migwe_p_f.jpgMigwe Kimemia

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