Musician Chad Stokes of State Radio and Dispatch Teams Up With Amnesty International for June 11 Teach-In On Women's Human Rights

Musician Chad Stokes of State Radio and Dispatch Teams Up With Amnesty International for June 11 Teach-In On Women's Human Rights

Urges Congress to Pass International Violence Against Women Act

Chad Stokes, lead singer for the socially and politically-charged rock band State Radio, is teaming up with Amnesty International on Thursday evening, June 11, for a teach-in on women's human rights. On Friday evening, Stokes reunites with Dispatch for a sold-out event at the Kennedy Center.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081014/AILOGO)

The Thursday night teach-in is free on a first come-first served basis. The event will take place from 7-8:30 p.m. at Busboys and Poets @ 5th and K (1025 5th St. NW). Seating will be very limited.

The teach-in will focus on the International Violence Against Women Act, an unprecedented effort now before the U.S. Congress to address violence against women globally, along with the work of the women's organization, Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA). Stokes, who lived in Zimbabwe when he was 18, will play live acoustic music.

For U.S. concert-goers, Stokes was first known as the voice behind agit-prop band Dispatch, which sold 600,000 albums by word of mouth.

Stokes is in Washington at the request of Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who is meeting with President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this week, and will join Stokes and Dispatch on stage at the Friday evening event at the Kennedy Center.

Although Dispatch's six-year tenure ended in 2002, its members reunite for causes, including 2007's three-night sold-out stand at Madison Square Garden to benefit the plight in Zimbabwe. In lieu of college, Stokes lived in Zimbabwe when he was 18, and the experience not only galvanized his songs, but it also shaped his life with a commitment to social, political and humanitarian causes.

Background: The International Violence Against Women Act is an unprecedented effort by the United States government to address violence against women globally. Violence and abuse devastates the lives of millions of women, and knows no national or cultural barriers, affecting one of every three women worldwide. Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) is a women's civic movement in Zimbabwe dedicated to protecting women's human rights. For organizing peaceful demonstrations to protest the worsening social, economic and human rights situation in Zimbabwe, WOZA members have been repeatedly harassed, intimidated, beaten and jailed by authorities. The teach-in will focus on raising awareness about the international effort to protect women's human rights and will provide actions for the audience to help make a difference.

What: Teach-in on women's human rights

Who: Musician Chad Stokes and Amnesty International

Where: Busboys and Poets @ 5th and K (1025 5th St. NW)

When: Thursday, June 11

Time: 7-8:30 p.m.

Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.

Please visit www.amnestyusa.org for more information.

CONTACT: Suzanne Trimel of Amnesty International, +1-212-633-4150, strimel@aiusa.org

/PRNewswire-USNewswire -- June 10/

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081014/AILOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk photodesk@prnewswire.co
Source: Amnesty International

Web Site: http://www.amnestyusa.org/

-------
Profile: intent