The United States’ War on Terror has recently come under fire amidst claims of torture and abuse.
The University of Tampa and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have joined forces to further show America’s injustices with an event in which they will look at real documents and situations that led to the increased use of torture in the “War on Terror.”
The event entitled “Reckoning with Torture: Memos and Testimonies from the ‘War on Terror’” will be a presentation on America’s abusive actions since Sept. 11.
Christine Merry, a P.E.A.C.E. Volunteer Coordinator and organizer of the event spoke passionately on the topic and mission of the event.
“Our goal is to promote awareness of the tortures committed since 9/11 by the U.S.,” Merry said. “People shouldn’t have that ‘all Muslims are bad people’ mindset.”
Merry, a senior finance and management major recalls thinking that this was something that she wanted to bring on campus.
The presentation will be held in the Reeves Theater on April 22 at 6 p.m. and will feature UT professors James Bachman, Marry Anderson and Chris Gurrie, as well as National ACLU Board member and retired U.S. Army Intelligence Officer Col. Mike Phenager.
In addition to this, there will be UT student performances, readings from unclassified documents and panel discussions.
“It’s a controversial topic and I’ll be very interested to see it,” Merry said. “Just come out and prepare to be shocked.”
This event is open to the general public and admission will be on a first-come, first-served basis according to the ACLU website.
Co-sponsors of the event include: The Mid-Regional Florida ACLU, ACLU of Florida, The Greater Tampa Chapter of the ACLU of Florida and The Department of Speech, Theatre and Dance. For more information, call 813-254-0925 or email tampa-interns@aclufl.org.