2020 – Page 4 – Peace Corps Worldwide

RPCV Drew Days III (Honduras) – first African American to head Justice Department Civil Rights Division dies

Nov 22 2020

Drew S. Days III (Honduras 1967-69), who was the first African American to head the civil rights division of the Justice Department and later became solicitor general under President Bill Clinton, died on Sunday at a long-term care facility in East Haven, Connecticut. He was 79. His wife, Ann Langdon-Days (Honduras 1967-69) said the cause was complications of dementia. Born in the segregated South, Days went to Yale Law School, fought for civil rights through the courts and enjoyed a meteoric career that might have led to a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court if not for his legal opinion in an obscure child pornography case. He knew from an early age that he wanted to work for civil rights. “I rode segregated buses and I was from the era with the segregated lunch counters and water fountains,” he recalled in a 2014 interview with the Touro Law Review. . . .

A Writer Writes — “A Season of Survivor Was Filmed on an Island Nicer Than Mine“ by Harry Seitz (Tonga)

Nov 21 2020

• I served in the Peace Corps in Tonga from 2014–2016. Some of the volunteers got sent to sites in the capital. They had electricity, running water, supermarkets, the works. A few of the others were sent to ’Eua, a large island close to the capital. Life was a little more difficult there, but they still had all of the basic amenities. The remainder and I were sent to Vava’u, the main island of which is relatively developed, but also much further away from the capital. I alone was sent to Ofu. While technically a part of Vava’u, it is an outer island. No roads, no restaurants, and very limited electricity. Ferries didn’t even run there. I had to hitch boat rides with my neighbors every other weekend to buy food on the main island of Vava’u. Lifuka (Survivor Island) Lifuka is a part of the Ha’apai group of islands. . . .

New Harris Wofford Award recognizes AmeriCorps and Peace Corps alumni

Nov 21 2020

(WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov 19, 2020) – AmeriCorps today announced the Harris Wofford Joint Service Award, a new award for individuals who have served in both Peace Corps and AmeriCorps. Honoring the legacy of the late Senator Harris Wofford, who helped establish both the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, the award will recognize more than 10,000 individuals who have already chosen to serve their country at home and abroad through both programs, as well as the thousands more who make that same commitment in the future. The Harris Wofford Joint Service Award will be available to individuals who have successfully completed both a full year of service in AmeriCorps, as well as service in Peace Corps or Peace Corps Response. “Each year, thousands of Americans make the commitment to serve through AmeriCorps and Peace Corps. Our country needs their service now more than ever, and this award is just one way we . . .

WHAT IS ETHIOPIA? — the coloring book

Nov 20 2020

Andrew Tadross (Ethiopia 2011-13) has published a coloring book for all ages, entitled What is Ethiopia? that comes at a disquieting time for Ethiopia, and attempts to show Ethiopia as the sum of its parts. The book takes you on a journey to understand “What is Ethiopia?” There are 24 pages of illustrations of Ethiopian people, cultures, food, landscapes, wildlife, architecture, and history all to be colored. The illustrations are complemented by engaging descriptions and narratives about Ethiopian life by Andrew. Additionally, there is a trivia quiz. The sole artist of all 24 illustrations is Biniyam Alazar, a 19-year-old secondary school student from Bahir Dar. Biniyam aims to continue in the art profession. He has an interest in painting and has become proficient in digital illustration. As he develops his skills, Biniyam would like to get into graphic novels, comic books, and other mediums that are novel for Ethiopians. He would . . .

She helped South Korea in Its time of need. In the pandemic, it repaid her.

Nov 20 2020

NYTimes November 20, 2020 SEOUL, South Korea — Sandra Nathan spent 1966 to 1968 in a South Korean town as a young Peace Corps volunteer, teaching English to high school girls. Fifty-two years later, Ms. Nathan, now back in the United States, received a care package from South Korea that nearly brought her to tears. Ms. Nathan, 75, had been feeling increasingly isolated at home in Stephentown, N.Y. Reports about the exploding number of Covid-19 cases in the United States had made her anxious about going outside, where experts warned of second and third waves of infection. Then, early this month, she received a packaged labeled “Covid-19 Survival Box.” It was a gift from the South Korean government that contained 100 masks and other items “as a token of our gratitude for your dedication to Korea.” “It was as if this box had been traveling to me since 1968,” . . .

Review — Relicarios: The Forgotten Jewels of Latin America by Martha J. Egan (Venezuela)

Nov 19 2020

Relicarios: The Forgotten Jewels of Latin America By Martha J. Egan (Venezuela 1967-69) Papalote Press 175 Pages September 2020 $75.00 Hardcover Reviewed by Marnie Mueller (Ecuador 1963-65) • Soon after I agreed to review Martha J. Egan’s new book, Relicarios, the Forgotten Jewels of Latin America, I had second thoughts about doing it. How could I, who have strong political opinions about the Conquest of Latin America by Spaniards and the consequent oppression of indigenous populations, be open enough to the material to give it an objective consideration? I still vividly recall arriving in the colonial city of Quito, Ecuador in March of 1964, where I witnessed the subjugation of Indians in the streets, soon discovering that they were literally considered untouchables, as they reflexively covered their hands with their ponchos if I reached out to shake theirs. It was caste-mandated that they do so. Still, I went forward with . . .

RPCV Jason McFarland (China) appointed to National Liturgical Council

Nov 19 2020

November 18, 2020 • Assistant Director of ACU’s Centre for Liturgy, Dr. Jason McFarland (China 2012-14), has been appointed to the National Liturgical Council to advise on matters pertaining to Catholic liturgical worship in the Australian context. Dr. McFarland teaches Liturgical Studies and Sacramental Theology and is Assistant Director of the Australian Catholic University (ACU) Centre for Liturgy. He is the author of the influential book Announcing the Feast: The Entrance Song in the Mass of the Roman Rite, which has informed liturgical practice in many parts of the English-speaking Church. The National Liturgical Council is an advisory body established by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, advising the Bishops Commission for Liturgy on matters pertaining to Catholic liturgical worship. In announcing the appointment, the Chairman of the Bishops Commission for Liturgy Archbishop Pat O’Regan cited the appreciation of the Commission for Dr McFarland’s fine work as an editor at the . . .

Remembering Robert M. Veatch (Nigeria), PhD 1939-2020

Nov 18 2020

Robert M. Veatch (Nigeria 1962-64), PhD, Senior Research Scholar at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Professor Emeritus of Medical Ethics, and a Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Georgetown University died Monday, November 9, 2020 at age 81 after a short illness. Bob Veatch was a founding figure in the field of bioethics. He spent the majority of his long career at Georgetown University’s Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Institute of Ethics (KIE) spending 40+ years there and serving as a former Director of the Institute from 1989-1996. He began the Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal (1991) and served as Senior Editor until 2011. He also cofounded and edited the Ethics and Intellectual Disability Newsletter. Before coming to Georgetown, he began his career at the Hastings Center in 1970. Bob held an MA and PhD in Religion and Society from Harvard University, with a focus on medical ethics that he proposed. . . . .

Supporting Kathleen Corey — Where to write!

Nov 17 2020

Due to the overwhelming positive response to the nomination of Kathleen Corey as Peace Corps Director, please send any further recommendations to nextpeacecorpsdirector@gmail.com.

Review — AN INDIAN AMONG LOS INDIGENAS by Ursula Pike (Bolivia)

Nov 17 2020

An Indian Among los Indigenas: A Native Travel Memoir by Ursula Pike (Bolivia 1994–96) Heyday Books 240 pages April 2021 $26.00 (Hardcover) Reviewed by Rich Wandschneider (Turkey 1965–67) • My two-year Peace Corps experience ended with a 20-kilometer minivan trip from our Turkish-Kurdish village to the train station in the city of Diyarbakir, in southeastern Turkey. When my village partner Barb and I got to the platform with our bags and boxes, other minivans showed up with a dozen or more of our village friends. The picture of that leaving and the faces and dress of some of those villagers have been fixed in my mind for 54 years. Ursula Pike’s new Peace Corps memoir, An Indian among los Indigenas, brought 1967 rushing back. There are many important things about this book, but let me tick off three: one, Ursula is a fine writer, with a fine eye for . . .

To support Kathleen Corey’s candidacy for Director of the Peace Corps

Nov 16 2020

To express your support write Reema Dodin at rdodin@jbrpt.org who is accepting letters of support for this position. Also, send this letter to your Senators. I have included Corey’s qualification statement and short resume for your review and use in crafting a letter. KATHLEEN MARIE COREY coreykath@yahoo.com 253-627-5000 PEACE CORPS Country Director, North Macedonia 2013-2016 Country Director, Sri Lanka . . .

RPCV Kathleen Corey (Liberia) — Biden’s Peace Corps Director?

Nov 14 2020

Thanks for the ‘heads up’ from Laurette Bennhold (PC Staff 1994-1999) Senior executive with over 30 years leadership experience with Peace Corps, the Department of State, and international non-governmental organizations. Substantial diplomatic experience promoting U.S. interests abroad. She works exceptionally well in culturally diverse settings. Experienced public speaker and media relations manager. Kathleen Corey has been the president and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Seattle and Tacoma. Prior to joining the World Affairs Council, Ms. Corey lived and worked in eighteen countries in Asia, Africa, Eastern and Central Europe, Europe, and Central America. She began her overseas career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Liberia, West Africa and spent twenty years managing international and domestic management programs for the Peace Corps and the Center for Applied Linguistics, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit educational institution. From 1994-1998, Ms. Corey was Country Director for the Peace Corps in Sri Lanka . . .

The National Peace Corps Association Works to Create an Emergency Response Network

Nov 14 2020

From the NPCA website: “The COVID-19 pandemic is an ongoing national crisis that requires a creative and focused response by local and national governments as well as by individual Americans. There is an immediate need in communities across the country, particularly among minority and underserved populations to identify and trace the sources of COVID-19 infection. The Peace Corps community can help meet this immediate need. Contact tracing on this scale requires large numbers of trained personnel to be quickly deployed to priority-need communities, in coordination with state and local public health professionals.” NPCA’s first Emergency Response Network project was with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services of Seattle and King County, Washington. Dr. Anthony Fauci commended these RPCVs as they began training as contract tracers for COVID-19, in his moving address. The only contact I could find for RPCVs who might want to apply to be a member of . . .

Today the National Peace Corps Association released its plan for the future of the Peace Corps

Nov 13 2020

NPCA President Glenn Bumhourst announces CONNECT WITH THE FUTURE. It is NPCA’s Plan, months in the making, for a Path to the Future for the Peace Corps. Here is the announcement with links to read the Report. Today we present a community report on how to reimagine, reshape, and retool the Peace Corps for a changed world. Read the Report Online Amid a time of unprecedented crisis for the Peace Corps and our nation as a whole, the Peace Corps community has come together to chart a way forward: with specific, actionable steps that will help reimagine and retool the Peace Corps for a changed world. Those steps are outlined in “Peace Corps Connect to the Future,” a report months in the making and made public today. The report itself was prepared by a special National Peace Corps Association advisory council drawn from the broad Peace Corps community inside and . . .

SWEET TARTS FOR MY SWEETHEARTS — Bonnie Lee Black (Gabon)

Nov 13 2020

For Bonnie Lee Black, writing and cooking have always been analogous. Both involve the thoughtful and loving preparation of something good for another’s consumption. This cookbook is a compilation of some of the author’s favorite, tried-and-true sweet tart recipes, along with related stories, drawn from her twenty-year culinary career. Her message to readers is simple: “I hope that Sweet Tarts will inspire you to make one or two–or more—of these recipes from time to time, especially on special occasions and enjoy them with your own sweethearts.” As Bonnie writes… This is the slimmest of my five published books, but it’s also the sweetest and the one that will likely always be the “baby of the family.” As any woman who has given birth to both a baby and a book might tell you, there are distinct similarities. There is the growing anticipation before the birth, and then the overwhelming . . .

Archive - 2020