An Evening with Michael Moore

By Anton Anderssen

Academy Award-winning American filmmaker, author and liberal political commentator Michael Moore will be speaking at the Democratic Club of Taylor on May 2 at a fundraiser supporting Michigan Peace Team. He is the director and producer of Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11, and Sicko, three of the top five highest-grossing documentaries of all time. Born and raised in Davisburg, Moore attended the University of Michigan – Flint, and never lost touch with his Michigan roots. When Michael Moore speaks, people listen.

The Lansing-based Michigan Peace Team was founded in 1993 by Father Peter Dougherty and a handful of his friends. “While working on nuclear disarmament strategies, the first Gulf war began, bringing with it carpet bombing in Iraq. Our goal was to go to Iraq and put our bodies in the way, to help deter the bombing. We went to Bosnia during the four years’ war there, and we’ve also worked domestically in places where hate groups have surfaced,” said Father Dougherty.

 “Michigan Peace Team is committed to promoting non-violent alternatives to militarism and violence through empowered peacemaking,” said Kimberly Redigan, one of the co-chairs of the Evening with Michael Moore. “We place well-trained domestic and international peace teams in areas of conflict, and we also offer nonviolence trainings and educational programs on a variety of topics related to nonviolence.”
In addition to Bosnia and Iraq, MPT has placed teams in Chiapas, Mexico, Israel/Palestine, and the U.S.-Mexican border. Closer to home, MPT has placed violence reduction teams at the execution of Timothy McVeigh, the Gay Pride Fest in Lansing, a Klan rally in Ann Arbor, and the 2009 Republican Convention in Minneapolis.

 “We are grounded in the spirituality of non-violence, namely nurturing the interconnectedness between all people and all things,” explained Father Dougherty.  “We reach out the humanness of the adversary. We go humbly into other communities, walking with the people who are suffering in given conflicts.”
The Michael Moore event is a fundraiser to further MPT’s work for a more just and peaceful world.  The dinner and program, including a silent auction, is scheduled for 6:00-9:00 P.M. at a cost of $50 per person. Attendees are also invited to attend a pre-program wine and cheese reception with Michael Moore from 4:30 – 6:00 at a cost of $100. Donations over $18 per person are tax deductible.

For further information about “An Evening with Michael Moore” or to reserve a seat or table  visit www.michiganpeaceteam.org. 

For more information, contact Kim at 313-520-7465 or Liz at ElizabethWalters.mpt@gmail.com