Blog For Arizona

Eyes Wide Open

FROM: Caroline Isaacs
Program Coordinator
AFSC Arizona Area Program

Eyes Wide Open, AFSC’s War Casualties Memorial Coming to Tucson March 5th & 6th.

Eyes Wide Open is the American Friends Service Committee's widely acclaimed memorial exhibit on the human cost of the Iraq war. Eyes Wide Open was created to memorialize all the lives lost in the war. In addition to the more than 1400 pairs of boots honoring U.S. military casualties, the exhibit includes a 32-foot Wall of Remembrance, including names and confirmed incidents of Iraqi civilian deaths with 1500 pairs of shoes representing a small fraction of the estimated 100,000 Iraqi civilians who have been killed in the conflict. An indoor multimedia display explores the history, cost and consequences of the war and will be on display adjacent to the outdoor memorial.

Eyes Wide Open will be exhibited in Tucson on Saturday and Sunday, March 5th and 6th at Armory Park (downtown at 6th Ave. and 12th St.); the memorial will be open from 10:00 am to sundown on both days.

Tucson will be the only stop in Arizona on the “Eyes Wide Open tour”. The exhibit, which opened in Chicago's Federal Plaza with 504 pairs of boots in January 2004, continues to grow as the death toll continues to rise. The memorial has toured to over 40 cities and towns across the country, including Boston, New York City, Lansing, Indianapolis, Orlando, Memphis and Little Rock. Sites have included various college campuses, Philadelphia's Independence Mall, the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. and Central Park in New York City.

The exhibit is designed to be a memorial to all those who have lost their lives in the war. While the AFSC, a faith-based organization, has a historic position against all war, this event is not intended as a protest. The AFSC is actively discouraging anyone from using this exhibit as an opportunity to express political views through protest or confrontation. AFSC welcomes all people, regardless of their opinion on the war or political convictions, to view the exhibit. The mood of the event will be appropriate to a somber, respectful memorial. AFSC hopes that those who support the war come away with a conscious sense of the war's cost, and that those opposed to war come away with a sense of the sacrifice of the people -- the sacrifice of military families, as well as the Iraqi families.

The outdoor exhibit alone will span 12,000 square feet. We are need of community support to make this memorial exhibition a success. We are looking for people who can help now with planning, and we will need at least 100 volunteers each day of the exhibit. Please call, e-mail or stop in to our offices to volunteer. Our volunteer coordinator, Lorena Howard, can be reached at 520.623.9141 or eyeswideopentucson@yahoo.com

Learn more about the “Eyes Wide Open” tour at our national website:
http://www.afsc.org/eyes

posted by Michael Bryan @ 2/28/2005 05:43:00 PM