Cindy Sheehan, internationally renowned peace activist, will speak in Bloomington at 7 p.m. on Wed., Oct. 5, at the Whittenburger Auditorium on the IU campus.

The title of Sheehan's address is "The War Economy and You."

Sheehan is the mother of Spc. Casey Sheehan, who was killed in action in the Iraq war on April 4, 2004. Since then she has been an activist for peace and human rights.

Sheehan became a celebrity for her outspokeness about the wars and, in August 2005, achieved international renown when she set up Camp Casey (named after her son) just outside President George Bush's Texas ranch to pressure him to meet with her face to face and tell her "what noble cause Casey died for."

Sheehan was one of the nine founding members of Gold Star Families for Peace, an organization she created in January 2005 with other families of troops. It seeks to end the U.S. occupation of Iraq and provides support for families of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sheehan is national director of Peace of the Action; the author of five books; host of her own radio show, "Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox"; and Nobel Peace Prize nominee.

She is a vocal critic of President Barack Obama's foreign policy, saying, "I don't think much has changed since the Bush administration."

The talk is free and open to the public. A book signing will follow it.

The sponsors of Sheehan's visit are the Bloomington Peace Action Coalition, the Bloomington branch of the Women's International League for Peace & Freedom, the 9/11 Working Group of Bloomington and the Just Peace Task Force of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington.

To bring Sheehan to Bloomington, the sponsors need to raise $1,300 for her transporation and honorarium. Her accommodations and meals have been donated. Anyone who wishes to donate to her visit should make the check out to BPAC and send it to: Christine Glaser, Treasurer, BPAC, 917 W. Sixth St., Bloomington, IN 47404. If you’d like to have your name listed as a contributor in the progran, please so indicate.

Contact David Keppel, 812.331.2815, for more information.