(SPRINGFIELD, IL) The Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois, will join people from across the Americans outside the gates of Ft. Benning, Georgia in opposition to the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation / School of the Americas (SOA), a combat-training school for Latin American soldiers, November 16, 17, & 18, 2007.
“It is important for us to be present at the vigil to be in solidarity with other people who have recognized this institution’s impact on the poor and helpless,” Dominican Sisters of Springfield Council Member and Justice Promoter, Sister Marcelline Koch, OP said. “Innocent people are tortured and killed by the graduates of the SOA.”
The weekend will include a massive rally, nonviolent direct action training, workshops, benefit concerts, puppet shows, teach-ins and more.
According to the Center for International Policy website, the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC) is the Defense Department's principal Spanish-language training facility for Latin American military and law-enforcement personnel. It is the successor to the School of the Americas (SOA), a facility established in 1946 and legally closed in 2001. The WHINSEC is located in the same building, and offers many of the same courses, as the school it replaced.
SOA WATCH, an independent organization seeking to close the School of the Americas, reports that the graduates of this school return to their countries to utilize their training domestically and are consistently cited for atrocities against their own people. Other human rights organizations have linked hundreds of SOA graduates to widespread terrorism, civilian-targeted torture, disappearance and killing.
“These horrors often happen to people who are poor,” Sister Marcelline said. “These are people who don’t have a voice.”
The Dominican Sisters of Springfield attending the event are expecting to stand with other Springfield residents, thousands of others from religious and faith-based organizations, college students, labor unions, torture survivors, immigrant organizations and numerous human rights groups who make the trip to Fort Benning every November to participate in the vigil. They are encouraging everyone to participate as well.
We believe it is important to stand in solidarity with people on the margins of our society. Citizens of the United States can do that by actively participating in the democratic process, and using our voices to support the needs of those whose voice may not be heard. Check back here often for new ways be a voice for justice.