Fourth Universalist Society in the City of New York

The Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt, senior minister at Fourth U and V-Day Fourth U invite you to a Teach-In on the Congo, Sunday, March 14. Beginning at 1 PM in the sanctuary, this free presentation will focus on the war in the eastern Congo, the world’s deadliest conflict since World War II. More than 5 million people have died in this
underreported violence and 45,000 continue to die each month. An estimated 1.5 million people have been internally displaced.

The Teach-in is the concluding act in V-Day Fourth U’s three part V-Season (more below). The presentation will explain how this horrific violence in the Congo is driven by militias fighting over the profits from the multi-million dollar trade in minerals—tantalum, tungsten, tin (the three T’s) and gold. These minerals are used in the production of jewelry and electronic products from digital cameras to cell phones.

V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls, is spotlighting the Congo conflict where sexual violence has become a tool of war and control for the armed groups there. Countless women and girls have been systematically kidnapped, raped, mutilated and tortured. The eastern Congo is the most dangerous place in the world to be a woman or a girl.

The Congo minerals trade is estimated to amount to $180 million each year. Legislation is pending in Congress to help develop the means to ensure that this hugely profitable trade in minerals stops financing the violence in Congo. The Conflict Minerals Trade Act (CMTA) was introduced in late 2009.

When passed, the bill will create a system of audits and import declarations that would distinguish those goods imported into the United States that contain conflict minerals from those that are conflict-free. This system will apply to products containing the 3 T’s.

The resulting transparency would mean that you as a consumer will be able to make an educated choice when deciding whether to buy products containing conflict minerals from the Congo. The bill has bipartisan support in Congress and from within the electronics industry. It is also supported by a broad coalition of human rights, humanitarian aid and faith-based organizations.

Please plan to attend and bring your friends. You will learn more about how you can support CMTA to help stop the minerals trade from financing horrendous violence in the Congo. This will be the final event of Fourth U’s V-Season. It began with two successful benefit productions of The Vagina Monologues on Saturday, Feb. 27 and Sunday, Feb. 28.

Both performances drew generous attendance, both in numbers of people attending and amount of monies raised for the beneficiaries. This was a particular triumph in view of the blizzard conditions that prevailed a few days before. Those who were kept home by the weather can still contribute until March 31 by clicking here. Please join all those in the city and around the world who are “changing the story for women.”

V-Day Fourth U sends deep appreciation and gratitude to members and friends from the congregation and to everyone else who attended and shared laughter and tears with the performers of this powerful play by Eve Ensler. Grateful thanks go to Tovah Feldshuh, our special guest performer and a cast of professional actresses, veteran Vagina Warriors and enthusiastic volunteers. Those who contributed generously to the goods and services sold at the Vagina Fairs preceding the performances are also greatly appreciated.

Organizer of the event was Fourth U’s own Deborah Roth. Director of the production was another Fourth U member, Nancy Robillard.

Beneficiaries are the New York Asian Women’s Center, the Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS), the V-Day Haiti Rescue Fund and the V-Day Spotlight Campaign in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.