Madison Veterans for Peace will hold its annual Peace Rally at James Madison Park on Memorial Day.

The program begins at 1pm with musical selections from the band Old Cool.

The featured speaker is Nicole McCoy, U.S. Marine, who will speak on “Sexual Abuse and Rape in the Military”

Nicole McCoy is a 24 year old Marine Corps Veteran from Colby, WI. After joining the Corps in 2008 she was stated in Albany, GA where she deployed to Afghanistan. During her enlistment, she had experienced multiple assaults and rapes. During on investigation she was lied to about requirements for the sex offender registration, which eventually lead her to start the first and largest petition against the Military. Her petition was featured in Rolling Stone Magazine, Glamour Magazine online blog, interviews with Oprah, and Dan Rather. Nicole’s petition is asking for requirements to be changed when it comes to Military Sex Crime convictions, and asking for discharge papers to disclose any punishments one might have received while in the Military. Her petition has received just under 1/2 of a million signatures and still growing.

This years $1200 Madison High School Scholarship to attend Madison College will be awarded to Shamell Long’Homesly during the program.  Shamell is a student at Malcom Shabazz City High School and the winner of the 2014 James Allen Memorial Peace Scholarship.  (See more on scholarships from Chapter 25)

We hope you can join us at the park. In the event of rain, the program will be moved inside the Gates of Heaven facility at the park.