Fast for Peace -- Oakland

Molly Hodak is in her 20's, a bright eyed idealist, perhaps, but a girl from Chicago who has been around the world, working with farmers in El Salvador. She is hoping next summer to go to Africa or Brazil. That is, after she and John Page complete the task of living in a city plaza for 7 days with no food. In a protest against violence, Molly and John have pledged themselves to sit and sleep in front of the Oakland Federal Building from noon on Sunday March 9th to noon on Sunday, March 16th. I asked Molly if she was sleeping all right. When things quiet down, you can still hear the sirens, the cross walks, even the chiming of the nearby clock tower. The city lights are bright. But Molly's fine. She has the indomitable spirit of someone who believes in peace, and helping people. Before this week, she was living at the Catholic Worker on International Blvd. John, who has been working with Direct Action to Stop the War, is also a bright spirited soul who lived through the Viet Nam era. Talking to them, you feel that anything is possible. Just maybe.....

A Fast for Peace is at the Oakland Federal Building. Beginning with an Opening Event at 1 PM on Sunday March 9, Molly Hodak and John Page will undertake a seven-day water-only fast to express their sincere wish for peace. This is in solidarity with another fast to protest the War in Iraq, being undertaken by 75 young people, aged 12 to 25, in Guajira, El Salvador. The Oakland fast is co-sponsored by Not In Our Name, Ecumenical Peace Institute, Oakland Catholic Worker, the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, and Direct Action to Stop the War.
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To support this action you can:
Attend the opening and closing events, Sunday March 9 and 16, 1 PM, with speakers from many faiths;
Bring water for those fasting, and bear witness;
Accompany them in the evenings (especially later in the week when John and Molly grow weaker);
Participate in daily meditations at noon and 7 PM;
Join in the fast yourselves, for one day or longer; and
Talk to your friends and acquaintances about this profound and deeply personal action.
Check back on the Buddhist Peace Fellowship website during the week to obtain information on the progress of the fast.
The Oakland Federal Building is on Clay Street, near the Oakland City Center, BART 12th Street stop. Exit the 12th Street BART and walk through the plaza, one block west, across Clay Street. Molly and John are in the plaza in front of the Federal Building, in front of the Post Office. Look for their signs FAST FOR PEACE.