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Veterans' Pentacle Rights Initiative
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Upper Midwest Pagan Alliance
1595 Selby Avenue o Suite 204
St. Paul, MN 55104
Upper Midwest Pagan Alliance Celebrates Pentacle Approval as Gravemarker for Veterans
St. Paul, Minnesota, April 23, 2007
Nearly ten years after the first application for use on a veteran's grave, the Wiccan pentacle was approved today as an emblem of faith by the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Approval of the pentacle settles a case filed by Americans United for Separation of Church and State on behalf of veterans' widows and others.
In February, the Upper Midwest Pagan Alliance (UMPA) held a public ceremony on the Minnesota State Capitol grounds as a show of unity and support of the quest to have the pentacle approved by the VA. More than one hundred fifty people participated despite freezing rain and strong winds.
"The Upper Midwest Pagan Alliance is elated that the legal and grass roots efforts to claim the pentacle as a valid and approved symbol of belief for our veterans is today victorious. The proposed application rule changes for symbols of belief within the VA have yet to be approved, and we must remain vigilant that further discriminatory practices are not allowed with other minority faiths," said Nels Linde, president of UMPA.
A second public ceremony in support of the pentacle initiative was scheduled by UMPA for late June, but news of the pentacle's approval will shift the focus of the ceremony to celebration instead. "We no longer need to advocate for the pentacle's approval but we will certainly gather to celebrate and to show our continued support for embracing religious diversity," said Penny Tupy, vice president of UMPA.
UMPA is also scheduled to march in the Free Speech sections of the annual May Day Parade at Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis as part of its dedication to education and religious tolerance. "The Upper Midwest Pagan Alliance will continue to actively support religious tolerance, and embrace spiritual diversity for people of all faiths. Our secondary mission, to help educate the public about Pagan and Wiccan beliefs, remains. We have forged strong bonds within diverse groups of our spiritual community, through our work in support of the pentacle initiative, and our alliance will continue to strengthen those regional ties," Linde remarked.
Contact:
Penny Tupy, vice president
(651) 319-9496
http://www.umpaganalliance.com
contact@UMPaganAlliance.com
www.UMPaganAlliance.com
National Press Regarding the
Victory!:
Minneapolis Tribune Article Americans United Article CNN Article
MSNBC Article Washington Post AOL Headline and poll NY Times
Press coverage:
MPR Article - Audio file
Mpls. Star Tribune Article
Devon Haynie/Columbia News Service Article / Naples News / Florida
Devon Haynie/Columbia News Service Article / Hamilton Spectator / Ontario
Mpls. Star Tribune follow up article, March 2nd
Supporting Documents:
Feb. 21th, 2007 Press Release in .rtf format
Feb. 13th, 2007 Press Release in .rtf format
UM Pagan Alliance Brochure .pdf format
Americans United background article .pdf format
Chicago Tribune background article .pdf format
Event .rtf Poster
Event .pdf Poster
More about the Upper Midwest Pagan Alliance
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