Day 1: Fast and Vigil for Justice

January 11, 2010

Dear Friends,

Today, around 100 of us gathered at the White House, many wearing orange jumpsuits and black hoods. After a street theater performance, we heard from a few speakers as people held a large “Close Guantanamo” banner as a backdrop.

Following the rally, we traveled to the National Press Club in a solemn procession clad in the orange jumpsuits. At the Press Club, we participated in a public briefing organized in conjunction with the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR). The briefing included presentations from CCR Executive Director Vince Warren and Pardiss Kebriaie, Staff Attorney with CCR’s Guantánamo Global Justice Initiative. The most poignant component of the briefing was a live connection with Omar Deghayes and Lakhdar Boumediene, two men released from Guantanamo. The opportunity to connect directly with them and describe our fast and our daily vigil was powerful and totally appropriate as we marked eight years of Guantanamo.

The day ended with a grassroots discussion of about 80 people at Georgetown Law School.

On Tuesday, January 12, we take our daily vigil to Congress, where we will lobby and engage in creative witness. We will then gather at 5:30pm at the White House for an hour long presence there, continuing the weekly vigil that extended our 100 Days Campaign to Shut Down Guantanamo vigil from last spring.

There are currently over 150 people participating in the fast!