AT 8:00PM ON SATURDAY, JULY 23RD, GREEN DOG FILMS and JOHNNIE WALKER, in association with Symbolic Entertainment and The Artist Movement, will be hosting a BENEFIT CONCERT entitled “MAKE AN IMPACT.” This will be a night of multi-ethnic music, fashion, and art that will be raising funds to protect the indigenous people of the Amazon rain forest and the victimized women and children of Juárez, Mexico. Proceeds will go to Casa Amiga, the only rape crisis center in Juárez, Mexico, the location of hundreds of murders and upwards to 5000 disappearances of mostly young women in the region since 1993, and to Amazon Watch, that is currently engaged in an international campaign to hold Chevron-Texaco accountable for its toxic contamination of the Ecuadorian Amazon. This important fundraiser will be held at the Hollywood landmark THE DAY AFTER, at 6757 Hollywood Blvd., across from the Kodak Theater. Doors will open at 7:30PM. Tickets can be obtained for $20 in advance at www.wantickets.com or for $30 at the door.
This inspiring evening will include captivating performances by Latin funk-soul band FREDALBA, Sanskrit chantress Donna Delorey (Madonna’s backup singer), Naked Rhythm Tribal Drums, the Taal Dancers (Indian dance troup), and The MoonCrickets—gypsy guitar and belly dancers. There will be a fashion and dance show with the African influenced designs of Katija Neemo. Art will be exhibited and sold by OFFICIAL 2005 GRAMMY AWARDS VISUAL ARTIST ROBERT STURMAN, John Michael Gill, Sophia Pottish, and Joe Bravo.
Green Dog Films sees the event as not just a fundraiser, but as an opportunity to raise awareness of social injustices against our fellow human beings around the world. Jason Gurvitz, founder of Green Dog Films, explains, “There’s a lot more going on than celebrity breakups in Los Angeles. We’re bringing the rest of the world to LA through music and hopefully educating a city in the process.”
The Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance of UCLA, who will send the proceeds raised on behalf of Casa Amiga to the rape crisis center, started a program called 400 Portraits: The Women of Juárez and Chihuahua City, in hopes to raise awareness about the killings in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, and inspire people to take action to stop the violence and demand social justice for the victims and their families. Evan Cholfin, co-founder of 400 Portraits, comments: “I am proud of socially conscious organizations such as Green Dog Films, Amazon Watch, and Casa Amiga, who are leading the way to demand around the world what I think should be basic human rights—rights to social, political, and legal equality for all people.”
