CAPA’s 46th Annual Fall Benefit
When Politics Fail: Conscience As Resistance
Thursday, October 23rd, 2025 – 6:00pm-9:00pm
Irish American Heritage Center
4626 N. Knox Ave, Chicago, IL 60630
Cruel assaults upon our communities are being deliberately and strategically rolled out. Join us as we examine the vital power of acting on conscience in times of political turmoil. CAPA will host a panel featuring Dennis Kosuth and Rabbi Brant Rosen, whose principled activism reflects adherence to enduring universal values. When our systems capitulate to authoritarianism, we need contemporary examples of individual conscience leading to collective resistance.
We will also honor Sawsan Abubaker and Andrew Ginsberg with the 2025 Robert Cleland “Pursuit of Peace” Award, for their courage and conviction amidst local attempts to suppress their voices for justice and peace. (See bios of our panelists, moderator, and honorees below.)
In addition to our distinguished panel and honorees, we will enjoy a delicious dinner catered by Curt’s Cafe and celebrate the important work of CAPA’s Climate and Foreign Policy Working Groups. We invite attendees to share their passions and insights among fellow peacebuilders.
Come to be inspired. Leave with renewed resolve.
.“Never do anything against conscience, even if the state demands it.” –Albert Einstein
Benefit Sponsors (in formation)
PLATINUM SPONSORS
Anonymous
David and Cari Borris
Jim Gibbs
Larry Suffredin and Gloria Callaci
GOLD SPONSORS
Andrea and Rich Amend
Geraldine Gorman
SILVER SPONSORS
Marcia Bernsten
Annette Branden-Rozier
Andrew Dove
Peter Draper
Monica Getzendanner
Sallie Gratch
Kerry Hall and Shauna Scott
Jack and Maureen Kelly
Jack Lawlor
James and Joan McCormick
Martha Pierce
Ellie Sylvan
Phyllis Tholin
*If you can’t attend this year, but would still like to make a donation, please donate here.*
Panelists
Panelists and Moderator
Dennis Kosuth is a longtime activist for social justice, is active in his unions, and works as a registered nurse in public schools and at a hospital. He’s been involved in organizing efforts to end the genocide in Palestine through multiple organizations, and has collaborated with antiwar veterans groups working to counter deployment of troops to Chicago..
Rabbi Brant Rosen serves Tzedek Chicago, a synagogue he helped found in 2015. A longtime Palestinian solidarity activist and organizer, Brant is the co-founder of the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council and the Jewish Fast for Gaza. He blogs regularly at the Jewish social justice blog, Shalom Rav, and is the author of the book Wrestling in the Daylight: A Rabbi’s Path to Palestinian Solidarity. Brant is also a prolific poet and liturgist whose prayers and poems can be found on his blog Yedid Nefesh and his chapbook, “Songs After the Revolution: New Jewish Liturgy.”.
Geraldine Gorman is the Kathleen M. Irwin Endowed Chair in Outstanding Clinical Practice at UIC College of Nursing. She is a CAPA Board member and practices with Unity Hospice in Chicago.
2025 Cleland-Tholin "Pursuit of Peace" Award Honorees
Sawsan Abubaker is a co-founder of Advocates for Justice, a grassroots collective that empowers communities to confront injustice through education and awareness—dismantling stereotypes, animosity, and racism designed to keep humanity divided..
Andrew Ginsberg is a high school history teacher at Evanston Township High School, where he has been teaching for 10 years. Before that he taught in Chicago Public Schools and spent 15 years as a community and union organizer with ACORN and SEIU.
Spoken Word and Musical Guests
Orion Meadows is a 2024 and 2025 National Spoken Word Award winner and The 2024 Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies Slam Champion from Chicago, Illinois. He uses his poetry as a form of activism to bring awareness about issues such as poverty, mass incarceration and the violence that has become prevalent and normalized in our society. He teaches Dr. King’s philosophy of nonviolence at The Institute For Nonviolence Chicago and is the Media Manager for Adler University’s Illinois Coalition For Higher Education in Prisons. Orion also is a member of the editorial board of Statesville Speaks, a newsletter circulating throughout the prisons in Illinois and sits on the board of Chicago Area Peace Action as an advisor in urban community violence intervention and policies concerning prison reform and higher education for the incarcerated. He is an author of three publications, Birthmark, Inside The Box and The Rose That Grew Through The Barbwire.
CAPA Working Groups
The CAPA Climate Group works at the local, state and national level to mobilize the political will to transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy. We challenge our leaders and institutions to abandon the systems that have created the global ecological crisis.
CAPA’s Foreign Policy Working Group monitors critical foreign policy issues to inform and engage the public and promote peaceful alternatives to war. Through awareness-raising events, public demonstrations, meetings with legislators, and other avenues, we prioritize diplomacy, human rights and international cooperation over military intervention and weapons spending.
We are glad to welcome Rolando Carrera to our team! Rolando is majoring in Justice Studies at Northeastern Illinois University. He decided to major in study Justice Studies because it focuses more on the humane side of justice, not just the criminal side. He was born and raised in Chicago, and enjoys sports.
CONTACT US
If you would like more information about CAPA, or would like to volunteer or intern for CAPA, please contact us by email or phone.