Nashville, Tenn. This Sunday, March 30, 2008, at 1 p.m., Nashville-area activists will converge at the Metro Courthouse for the city’s first-ever rally dedicated to Tibet. The rally, entitled “One Human Race,” is a response to recent reports of violence in Tibet that began on March 10th – a day known to Tibetans as Uprising Day, when the country revolted in 1959 against the Chinese invasion of 1950. News reports have suggested that the violence in Tibetan and Chinese provinces comes at a time when China is working expeditiously to portray a clean image for the upcoming summer Olympics in Beijing. But the social unrest paints a different picture, calling the world’s attention to a brutal decades-long history of Chinese rule in Tibet, in which approximately 1.3 million Tibetans (1/5th of the population) have died due to violence and starvation. Nashville’s “One Human Race” rally will emphasize the need for basic human rights in Tibet, and a negotiated settlement between the Dalai Lama and Chinese leaders that will result in a meaningful autonomy for the Tibetan people. The rally will also call for dignity, justice and equality for all people in all lands.
“The free must speak for the unfree, and for the silenced,” says Ngawang Losel, a Tibetan refugee living in Nashville. In the past two weeks since the outbreak of protests in Tibet, many reports have confirmed a violation of human rights in the region. While information has been scarce due to strict censorship rules imposed by the Chinese government, Tibetans inside Tibet have managed to send out pictures to relatives and reporters against all odds. No one knows, however, how many people have been imprisoned and tortured during this period. And death tolls have been disputed. The brutality and secrecy of Chinese policy has convinced Mr. Losel that people in free countries like America must speak out against injustice wherever it appears.
“One Human Race” will gather together Nashville-area artists, activists, and educators to rally for religious and cultural freedom in Tibet and beyond. Speakers from various faith communities will unite together to share stories and poems by Tibetan exiles, and call for social justice. Activities will include meditation, prayer, information-exchange, art for kids and adults, dance and music. Parking will be available on the street and in the Courthouse garage (free on Sundays). This event is supported by Project Giving Justice, Tropic Heat Studios, Blue Moves Modern Dance Company, Homeless Power Project and members of the Nashville Peace Coalition and Peace and Justice Center.
For more information: http://www.myspace.com/onehumanracejustice, onehumanrace.justice@gmail.com, (615) 469-2584 (Office) or (615) 512-0161 (Dan Beck/cell)
To read a recent press release issued by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, go to: http://www.tibetwrites.org/?Press-Release
