Wheels of Justice

The Wheels of Justice

Hedy Epstein, Henry Herskovitz, and Daniel McGowan are just some of the Deir Yassin Remembered people who are participating in one of the most exciting and effective Palestinian advocacy and outreach projects in the US. It is called the Wheels of Justice bus tour and can be found at http://www.justicewheels.org

Participants ride the bus for a week or two at a time during which they lend their good names and expertise to raise the profile of local peacemaking and war resistance efforts. Not only are participants there to further discussion and debate, but they are also there to offer alternatives. They are looking to bring their eyewitness experiences in occupied Palestine and Iraq to any communities seeking to learn more and to change our country's role in Mid East war and occupation.

The Wheels of Justice Tour moves slowly across the United States with education, outreach training, network building, and active non-violent resistance to the oppression of the Palestinian people. Participants have already spoken at over 3,000 venues in 48 states during the past four years. About half of their appearances have been at schools, colleges, and universities. The impact has been tremendous in reaching out to the US public and building support for local groups working for Palestinian human rights.

This fall (2006) they began in Chicago and will travel through Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, and New Hampshire. They are also looking for early bookings for the spring as they head back South and then West.

As an individual or a group you can help host and schedule a Wheels of Justice event in your area. Events can be in public parks, schools, universities, houses of worship, community centers, restaurants, pubs, and wherever else interested people are likely to congregate.

Organizational and individual support is welcome (financially or otherwise). Organizations that donate $50 or more will be listed in promotional material. To donate, go to: http://www.justicewheels.org

If you know others who maybe able to host or organize a Wheels of Justice event (e.g., school teachers, professors, organizers) please call them and forward their contact information to Daniel McGowan at mcgowan@hws.edu or to Mazin Qumsiyeh at qumsi001@yahoo.com

FOR ORGANIZERS AND HOSTS:

GENERAL WHEELS OF JUSTICE EVENT GUIDELINES

1) For formal presentations at a public venue

Reserve a venue, preferably one that is easily accessible.
Put listings in the newspaper, send out press releases (Wheels of Justice has LOTS of media materials that we can send you.)
Gather co-sponsors including any neighborhood, community, religious, civic, or political groups willing to sponsor such an event. Having their names associated with the Wheels of Justice Tour and being listed in their mailing lists is very important, especially because it helps to attract media attention.
Put up flyers and free listings in newspapers and church bulletins.
Arrange for a person to do advance press work to make sure the media covers the event. This means sending out press releases so that the media can interview the bus tour, both when it is in your town and before it arrives.
Contact sponsors to raise money and pass the hat at public presentations.

2) For high school appearances

Make contact with teachers you know who would like this in their classroom. Ask these teachers to spread the word about the Wheels of Justice to their colleagues.
Note that presentations to assemblies are possible if the bus is the guest of the administration, but classroom appearances are easier as the guest of a particular teacher, especially those teaching current events or history or political science.
Request an honorarium from the school to cover travel expenses.

3) For college appearances

Go through faculty departments and student organizations for official sponsorship.
Have sponsors reserve a room for the entire day and arrange for a VISIBLE on-campus parking spot for the bus through campus security.
Arrange to spend the day visiting classes, or alternatively, arrange for a reserved room and have professors bring their classes to the Wheels of Justice group, especially if there are multiple classes in one period.
Advertise all over campus and get ads and bulletins in the campus media; let faculty and student sponsors circulate the campus events via mailing lists.
Request an honorarium from individual departments or from student activities funds.

4) For "entertainment" events

Note that any place, public or private, works; for example, movie nights work really well at someone's house or on a campus in the evening on a weekday.
Put up flyers for music/poetry/theater-style events; don't rely on the theater or venue to do that. Local email lists are also good ways to advertise, especially on short notice.

5) For public events with faith communities

Get an interfaith coalition behind the Wheels of Justice event and leave it in their hands to do outreach and promotion to other faith communities.
Use the religious media to cover such events.
Do interviews before the event.
Pass the hat or have multiple faith communities put up honoraria.

LAST MINUTE CHECKLIST:

Have you arranged or considered —

1) Overnight lodging?

2) A place to park the bus overnight?

3) Media work and a local media coordinator? (put this person in touch with Mazin Qumsiyeh at 203-676-2986)

4) An honorarium if the hosts are campus/faith groups with a budget or some way to collect money?

5) Frequent contact with the bus to iron out specific details?