MidAtlantic Region Has a New Regional Organizer!

The Mid-Atlantic Region of Witness for Peace is pleased to announce that in October Ben Beachy joined our region as a part-time Regional Organizer. With your help, we hope to make this a full-time position in six to nine months.

Ben began working with our former interim Regional Organizer, Serafina Youngdahl, in early October as part of his transition into his new position. He then accompanied Miguel Angel Vasquez de la Rosa during Miguel's speaking tour "Oaxaca and the Roots of Migration" throughout the region October 13 through November 11, 200, and in the process introduced himself to many of our supporters and new members.

Ben recently completed three years as a member of Witness for Peace's International Team in Nicaragua, and he comes highly recommended by his colleagues there. In Nicaragua he organized and led 22 delegations of US citizens, investigated and analyzed violations in Nicaraguan textile factories, and coordinated with international labor rights organizations to bring about the successful reinstatement of fired unionists in five factories. Previous to serving in Witness for Peace, Ben worked as an intern with Nicaragua Network, where he conducted research, wrote articles and designed action alerts distributed to Nicaragua Network's grassroots.

Ben is fluent in Spanish as well as English, and obtained a BA degree in Peace, Justice and Conflict Studies at Goshen College.

We welcome Ben in our midst and are excited and optimistic about what his talents and energy can do to expand and inspire the work of our region. Now all of us have to pitch in to support him morally and financially.