News Release
Thomas Melville and George Mische, speak on their experiences in Guatemala and the Catonsville Nine
The Carney Latin American Solidarity Archives (CLASA) and the Student Programming Board at the University of Detroit Mercy are sponsoring "A Evening with Thomas Melville and George Mische." The speakers will discuss Melville's new book, "Through a Glass Darkly: The U.S. Holocaust in Central America." The event will be held on Monday, October 29, 2007 at 7 p.m. in the Ford Life Sciences Building, Room 115 of the McNichols campus.
A former Catholic Maryknoll priest, Thomas Melville served in Guatemala for 34 years, beginning in 1957 and volunteered to help others in need. There he founded co-operatives and worked on economic development and land distribution programs.
Melville was exiled from Guatemala for his work in organizing peasants in opposition to the government. After leaving the order and marrying former Maryknoll sister Marjorie Bradford, he returned to the United States to advocate against U.S. government and business practices in Guatemala.
Recruited for the Catonsville action by George Mische, the Melvilles hoped to bring attention to U.S. involvement in Guatemalan affairs. While awaiting sentencing, Melville and his wife both completed master's degrees. After serving his time, Melville earned a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology and has continued as a scholar and activist in Guatemalan affairs, living in Mexico.
The Catonsville Nine were nine Catholics who burned draft files to protest the Vietnam War. On May 17, 1968 they went to the draft board in Catonsville, Maryland, took 378 draft files, brought them to the parking lot in wire baskets, dumped them out, poured homemade napalm over them, and set them on fire.
They were: Rev. Daniel Berrigan, a Jesuit priest; his brother Rev. Philip Berrigan, a Josephite priest; Bro. David Darst; John Hogan; Tom Lewis, an artist; Marjorie Bradford Melville; her husband, Thomas Melville, a former Maryknoll priest; George Mische; and Mary Moylan, a former nun.
The Catonsville Nine were tried in federal court October 5-9, 1968 and found guilty of destruction of U.S. property, destruction of Selective Service files, and interference with the Selective Service Act of 1967.
George Mische was a peace movement organizer and a U.S. army veteran. He worked with youth offenders for several years and with Maryknoll Missionaries in Mexico during 1961. He returned to the United States in 1964 because he disagreed with U.S. foreign policy in Latin America.
Like several of the other Catonsville Nine members, Mische was motivated by what he had experienced abroad. After the Catonsville action, he remained active in labor and peace organizing and in Democratic party politics. He served for several years on the St. Cloud, Minnesota, City Council and currently works in prison reform.
Having seen pertinent issues first hand, the speakers will discuss abuses of power over the last 60 years.
Release date: October 16, 2007
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