For Immediate Release
Groovefest Benefit:  A Celebration of Freedom, A
Celebration of Life
Contacts:

Stefanie Collins
home: 325-4884
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David Slemmons
home - 405-447-1160
work - 405-521-3514
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**The Event

On Sunday, October 14, Amnesty International will be holding the Fall
Groovefest Benefit, its annual celebration of freedom and human rights.  The
event will be held at the Red Dirt Cafe at 786 Asp in Norman.  Doors open at
six PM, and the event will run until the last band stops playing. Groovefest
started in 1986 and has become the longest running and largest Amnesty
International event of its type in the world.

**The Music

Travis Linville & the Burtschi Brothers, Donna Monarch and the
DLG, and Bridge Road Caravan will be performing at Groovefest.  "These three
band are some of the most talented and most popular in Norman.  They all
have a great following and we are happy to have them this year at
Groovefest," said Stefanie Collins, president of Amnesty International and
an organizer of the event.

**National Success, Local Victories

Groovefest has a long history as an important forum for human rights issues.
It has long been a venue for action against the state death penalty and has
served as a great education tool in providing those in attendance with
information about the death penalty. Many individuals who were on Oklahoma's
death row and
then proved innocent have appeared at Groovefest. It has also played a
significant role in the Free Burma Movement and other urgent human issues.
"Groovefest allows us to come together to raise awareness about pressing
human rights issues and get involved in ending human rights abuses on a
local and international level.  It is a voice for those whose human rights
have been violated and lets us take a stand for those people," said Collins.

The September 11th tragedy and the current aftermath of that event may also
be a topic of discussion. "We mourn for the victims of the attack. This is a
crime against not only America, but against humanity, as every act of
violence is. However, in the state of anger that our nation is currently in,
we cannot use this act of violence as an excuse for violating the human
rights of the innocent.  We must seek justice, not revenge," Collins said.
"The rights of the refugees fleeing from threats of violence must be
respected as must those of immigrants in every nation."


**Speakers & Other Performers:

Many speakers and performers will provide information on human rights issues
and entertainmentbetween the bands. A special guest will be Stacy Dyson who
will be returning from Colorado Springs to perform. "Dyson is an incredibly
talented performance poet, acapella vocalist, and playwright. She uses
original poetry and song styles from country to gospel to folk to explain,
illustrate, illumine the
life, time, philosophy, and history of the black woman," said David
Slemmons, longtime organizer.  She is an artist in residence for the state
of Colorado and for
the Kennedy Center's Imagination Celebration.

Other performers and speakers include the Billi McKye Dancers, Jim Fowler, a
death-penalty activist whose son was executed in January 2001,  Raya, who
will be dancing with Donna Monarch and the DLG, and local musician and
activist Lee Agnew.

"In this time of anger and violence, we must have a voice for justice and
respect for human dignity and life. Groovefest is this voice," Collins said.

Peace,

David Slemmons