This is an important event that BPF members and chapters can gather and organize around!

The Buddhist Peace Fellowship is hosting an

All-Night Vigil

9pm Friday March 25th to 9am Saturday March 26th

in the San Francisco Civic Center Plaza (Civic Center BART)

as part of the American Friends Service Committee's event,

EYES WIDE OPEN

… to honor those who have fallen in the Iraq War
and bear witness to the grave human costs endemic to any war.

Eyes Wide Open features an exhibit of over 1,500 pairs of empty combat boots tagged with the names of U.S. soldiers who have died in the Iraq War, as well as a field of shoes and a Wall of Rememberance to memorialize the tens of thousands of Iraqi war dead. The exhibit has traveled to over 40 cities in the last year, including the Capitol Lawn in Washington DC on Memorial Day, Philadelphia during the Fourth of July Weekend, Boston and New York during the Democratic and Republican conventions, drawing tens of thousands of visitors. Scroll down for a more detailed description of the exhibit at the end of this email. Or go to www.afsc.org/eyes  for a complete description and schedule of events.

On the night of the Vigil, we will collectively sit and stand silently between the rows of army boots and civilian shoes that symbolize the lives lost. The Vigil will be preceded by a public reading of the names of the war dead (Friday from 5:30-9pm). The Vigil will end with a Muslim Imam Call to Prayer (9am Saturday morning).

Visit our website at http://www.bpf.org/html/whats_now/events/eyeswideopen.html  for more information about the vigil. Contact Sara Schedler at chapters@bpf.org or 510.655.6169 ext. 305 with any questions.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED:

We strive to build a strong presence of solidarity and community throughout the night and ask that participants commit to attending the vigil in shifts (more information below). It is important that you contact us if you plan to attend so that we can sign you up for a shift and keep you updated on what you will need to do to prepare for the event (see contact information below). Gather together and come with friends and family— or come on your own. We warmly welcome people of all faiths, as well as those not affiliated with any particular faith group. Please contact Sara Schedler at chapters@bpf.org or 510.655.6169 ext. 305 to learn more about how to get involved.

SIGN-UP FOR A SHIFT!:

For the duration of the Vigil, (9pm Frday-9am Saturday) there will be 4 shifts of 3 hours each that you can sign up for. The shifts are listed below. We encourage you to come for the entire 3 hours of a shift to build a continuous silence and sense of community in the vigil. A lot of coming and going can feel disruptive. Yet we also recognize that attending an entire shift may not be possible for all of us. If you anticipate that you will NOT be able to stay for an entire 3-hour shift, we ask that you come at the beginning of a shift if you can, so that we can start together and build a sense of community within the shift.

Once you've decided on a shift, contact the shift captains to sign up and receive more information:

Shift 1: 9pm-12am  

Contact: Bob Lyons at dharmawork@yahoo.com, or 510.655.6555

Shift 2: 12am-3am

Contact: Sara Schedler at chapters@bpf.org

or call 510.655.6169 ext. 305

Shift 3: 3am-6am

Contact: Delia McGrath at deliamcg@msn.com or 650.359.0339

Shift 4: 6am-9am

Contact: Delia McGrath at deliamcg@msn.com or 650.359.0339

Or come for the whole night!

Note: THIS IS NOT A PROTEST. We have been asked to refrain from bringing signs (even of the peaceful sort) or literature to pass out. The vigil is meant to be a silent space to reflect and bear witness— it is not a space to speak or publicly share opinions.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES: In addition to joining us for the vigil, we also need volunteers to help organize and publicize the vigil (more information below)! To volunteer, contact Sara Schedler at chapters@bpf.org or call 510.655.6169 ext. 305.

WE NEED HELP WITH:

• PUBLICITY: We need help publicizing the event at the March 19th march and rally commemorating the 2nd Anniversary of the Iraq War.  The table will be in the SF Civic Center Plaza, on the McAllister St. side starting at 12:30 on the 19th. Please contact Bob Lyons at dharmawork@yahoo.com to help out. We also need help with general publicity, including phone calling and mailings, at the BPF office. Contact Sara Schedler at chapters@bpf.org or 510.655.6169 ext. 305 if you can donate time. And please spread the word about the event to family and friends!
• READING OF THE NAMES: AFSC needs volunteers to read the names of the war dead at the exhibit from 5:30-9pm on Friday the 25th. Speakers of Arabic are most especially needed. Contact Steve Leeds, at sleeds@afsc.org, 415-565-0204 x 15.
• DURING THE EXHIBIT: AFSC needs volunteers to help assemble and diassemble the exhibit, as well as be present at the exhibit as a docent (welcomer) or peacekeeper. They also need help with office work, media work, outreach and publicity before the event. For a more detailed description of these volunteer opportunities, visit the AFSC website at www.afsc.org and/or contact the Volunteer Coordinator, Steve Leeds, at sleeds@afsc.org, 415-565-0204 x 15.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT EYES WIDE OPEN:

Eyes Wide Open Exhibit in San Francisco

Civic Center Plaza, March 25-27, 2005

An Exhibition on the Human Cost of the Iraq War

Project Description:

Eyes Wide Open is a multimedia exhibit on the human cost of the Iraq War, featuring 1500 combat boots and a Wall of Remembrance to memorialize both the U.S. military and Iraqi civilian casualties of the war.  The exhibit has traveled to over 40 cities including the Capitol Lawn in Washington D.C. on Memorial Day, Philadelphia during the 4th of July Weekend, Boston and New York during the Democratic and Republican conventions. It will be exhibited in San Francisco from Friday, March 25 through Sunday, March 27.  Since its premiere In March 2004, Eyes Wide Open has drawn tens of thousands of visitors and has received extensive local, national, and international media coverage.

Specifically, the exhibition includes:

• Memorial to the more than 1500 U.S. military personnel killed in the war, consisting of a pair of combat boots for each displayed in a prominent public location. A pair of boots with the name, rank, age and home state is added as another soldier is killed almost daily
• Memorial to the 100,000+ Iraqi civilians killed in the war, consisting of a 4’ x 24’ wall of names and incidents of deaths. And the display of 1,000 pairs of civilian shoes as a memorial to the Iraqi civilian victims, which is the first tribute ever on U.S. soil to victims of a U.S. war
• Video images from the war withheld on U.S. newscasts but viewed by the world through the international media
• Wall of TVs with looping images of U.S. news coverage, self-portraits of Iraqis and other video images
• 16 - 4’x7’ panels of information, much like a museum exhibit
• A 7-minute video on the government’s justifications for war and experts refuting their claims
• Table with additional educational materials and calls to action
• A display featuring the uniform of Jeffrey Lucey who returned from active duty in Iraq in July 2003, only to commit suicide one year later. This portion of the exhibit explores the traumatic aftermath of war experienced by soldiers and a moving tribute to Mr. Lucey