TIANANMEN SQUARE COMMEMORATION RALLY
SATURDAY JUNE 4 2011
DAG HAMMARSKJOLD PLAZA (12:00 – 4:00 PM)
E. 47TH STREET BTWN 1ST & 2ND AVENUE
June 4 1989 – June 4 2011
THE SPIRIT OF THE TIANANMEN SQUARE DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT FASCINATED THE WORLD 22 YEARS AGO AND CONTINUES TO HOLD OUT THE PROMISE OF A NEW CHINA. YET THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT THAT SENT IN TANKS AND SOLDIERS AGAINST ITS OWN PEOPLE IS STILL IN POWER TODAY.
ON JUNE 4, 2011 INITIATIVES FOR CHINA WILL READ AN OPEN LETTER TO U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL BAN-KI MOON EXAMINING THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT’S SERIOUS AND ON-GOING HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AGAINST ITS OWN CITIZENS. THE LETTER HAS BEEN DISTRIBUTED INTERNATIONALLY FOR SIGNATURE BY CONCERNED PETITIONERS IN A GLOBAL SHOW OF SUPPORT. SIGN ON – SUBMIT YOUR SIGNATURE AT P201164@GMAIL.COM.
THE COMMEMORATION RALLY WILL FEATURE TIANANMEN SQUARE SURVIVORS YANG JIANLI, FANG ZHENG, LU JINHUA, XIANG XIAOJI, WUER KAIXI, AND HU PING; PROMINENT DEMOCRACY ADVOCATES SUCH AS ALAN CURTIS, PRESIDENT OF THE MILTON EISENHOWER FOUNDATION IN WASHINGTON DC; REPRESENTATIVES OF TIBETAN, MONGOLIAN, AND UYGHUR COMMUNITIES; MUSIC BY ACCLAIMED NEW YORK ARTISTS JAMES RUFF AND AL SMITH; AND A SPECIAL APPEARANCE BY TIANANMEN WIDOW XU LIPING.
XU LIPING’S HUSBAND WAS KILLED IN TIANANMEN SQUARE IN 1989. SHE HAS JUST RECENTLY COME TO THE U.S. FROM CHINA, WHERE SHE WAS NEVER ALLOWED TO SPEAK PUBLICLY ABOUT THE EVENTS OF JUNE 4, 1989. HERE, SHE WILL JOIN US AS OUR SPECIAL GUEST TO SPEAK OUT FOR THE FIRST TIME ABOUT HER HUSBAND’S DEATH – HIS PARTICIPATION IN THE PROTESTS, HOW HE WAS SHOT BY CHINESE TROOPS AND LATER DIED AT THE HOSPITAL. SHE HAS MEMENTOS OF HER HUSBAND’S LAST DAYS WHICH SHE IS ANXIOUS TO SHARE WITH US – HER MEMORIES, PHOTOS, LETTERS, AND EVEN THE BULLETS THAT KILLED HIM. PLEASE JOIN US TO OFFER YOUR SUPPORT AND SOLIDARITY ON THIS IMPORTANT OCCASION. .
CONTACT: Laura Butera (dcoffice@initiativesforchina.org) (240) 643-8793