For Immediate Release Groovefest Benefit: A Celebration of Freedom, A Celebration of Life Contacts: Stefanie Collins home: 325-4884 [log in to unmask] David Slemmons home - 405-447-1160 work - 405-521-3514 [log in to unmask] **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