9/11 Family Member to Address Terrorism Conference in Valencia, Spain
Bruce Wallace, a member of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, will address the The III Congreso Internacional sobre Victimas del Terrorismo in Valencia, Spain, February 13-14, 2006.
Wallace, a teacher at John Dewey High School in Brooklyn, New York, lost his nephew, Mitchell Wallace, at the World Trade Center on September 11th. Mitchell, an emergency medical technician by training, was working as a court officer a few blocks away from the World Trade Center at the time of the attacks. He went to the scene to volunteer his help, and was buried when the South Tower collapsed.
Since that time, Bruce Wallace has focused on improving understanding among people of different nations, in an effort to prevent future violence. Through “Baghdad 121Contact,” he has connected high school students and teachers in the U.S. with their peers in Iraq. The goal is simple: let children get to know each other and it will less likely for them to war upon each other (http://121contact.typepad.com).
In Valencia, Wallace will address a gathering of people directly affected by political violence. Continuing in the same spirit taken in his work with students, he will be emphasizing the fact that the people and relatives who suffer directly have a special voice. Along with this voice comes an obligation to act; to eradicate violence in and between our societies.
Peaceful Tomorrows, nominated for the 2003 and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize, is an organization founded by family members of those killed on September 11th who have united to turn their grief into action for peace. By developing and advocating nonviolent options and actions in pursuit of justice, they hope to break the cycle of violence engendered by war and terrorism. Acknowledging their common experience with all people affected by violence throughout the world, they work to create a safer and more peaceful world for everyone. (http://www.peacefultomorrows.org).
The group’s book, “September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows: Turning Our Grief into Action for Peace,” has been translated into Spanish under the title, “Manana En Paz” by Icaria Publishing (http://www.icariaeditorial.com).
Contact:David Potorti, Director, Peaceful Tomorrows, david@peacefultomorrows.org
Bruce Wallace, member, Peaceful Tomorrows, bruce@bru-mar.com
