Program: Weekdays August 9-12

Monday, August 9, 5:00 PM PDT
How To - Legislative Advocacy: Uniting for Effectiveness

In addition to our individual branch efforts at influencing legislation, we can collectively decide on an issue each month and contact our government officials in a coordinated way that will be more influential. This is women working together to build power and influence on the government for justice and peace. We will share our experiences and learn about best advocacy practices.

Dolores Huerta is an iconic figure of effective feminist and social and economic justice advocacy and organizing… Co-Founder with Cesar Chavez of the National Farmworkers Association, now the United Farm Workers.  Dolores Huerta’s experience in farm worker and other organizing and legislative advocacy extends over more than half a century, and she will offer her views.   
 

Jan Corderman works with local and WILPF US committees to bring the Palestinian narrative into the public discourse. She served as a union organizer for over 30 years prior to her retirement. Jan has served as the WILPF US Treasurer since 2017.                                                 

Theresa El-Amin is the founder of the Southern Anti-Racism Network, 1998 to present. Theresa says her "aha moment" was meeting Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture) in Jean Wiley's classroom at Tuskegee in 1966. She joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) where she volunteered at the Atlanta SNCC office with the support of John Lewis, SNCC Chairman before Stokely Carmichael. She worked at the phone company for nearly 20 years. She was active in CWA Local 3204. Became a union organizer for SEIU in 1986. She's been on the Freedom Trail for 55 years. 

Jean Hays, Chair of the Legislative Committee of Fresno Branch WILPF, as well as the Earth Democracy Committee chair; she is also on the WILPF-US Earth Democracy Leadership Team. She has been a member of WILPF for about 16 years, and was president of the Fresno branch. She is also the keyboard player for the Raging Grannies, and every month she produces the radio show WILPF - Stir It Up.
 

Leni Villagomez Reeves, M.D. is a former UFW volunteer who attended UC Berkeley and UCSF, then did pediatric emergency medicine for many years. She is active in WILPF, both in the Fresno Branch and nationally, co-chairing the Cuba and the Bolivarian Alliance Committee, and with the Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba and the Saving Lives Campaign. In non-pandemic years, she spends about 2 1/2 months each year in Cuba, where she has close ties.

Judith Sheldon is a Peace Camp director, arts educator, and adjunct faculty at Wayne State University, teaching “Integrating the Arts into Elementary Classrooms” in the School of Education. Secretary in the Detroit Branch of WILPF. Always a dancer, becoming a musician.

Tuesday, August 10, 5:00 PM PDT
How To - Building Branches from the Inside & Out Initiative

Learn about WILPF U.S.’s new initiative and the process of how it’s been implemented using the Asset-Based Community Development approach. Hear from fellow participating branch members on their journey with Inside and Out.

Nikki Abeleda, (She/They) is a First-Generation Queer Filipinx on Nisenan and Miwok land, also known as Sacramento, CA. She is a community organizer, clinical social worker, and therapist at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). She is an advocate for mental health, social justice, and Black Indigenous and People of Color issues, particularly among the LGBTQIA community and all marginalized communities. Nikki serves as WILPF U.S.’s Field Facilitator for the Inside & Out Initiative to help six WILPF branches with capacity building, reformalization, and restructuring and works on the Congress organizing team on marketing and communications.

Janice Hawkins is a member of the Leadership Team of the Des Moines Branch, the DISARM Committee, the “Anti-Racism Team” that facilitated a seven-week study of the book Uprooting Racism by Paul Kivel, and is the primary composer of WILPF's “Resource List for Dismantling White Supremacy.” Locally she serves on the Racial Justice Team of a community action group and is a cofounder of “Pachamama Alliance - Iowa,” a community of those interested in learning, personally and collectively, ways to bring forth changes that result in an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, and socially just human presence on this planet.

Anne Hoiberg served for 25 years as a Research Psychologist for the federal government; her curriculum vita includes two books and more than 130 scientific articles, book chapters, reports, and presentations. She volunteered as an election supervisor for the U.S. Department of State (eight missions) and hosted a television series on peace and women’s rights. She is a past president of three organizations and currently serves as Board President of the Women's Museum of California and four other organizations. She was inducted into the San Diego County Women's Hall of Fame in 2012. She is a freelance writer and speaker.

Virginia Pratt is a Bostonian who has advocated for peace and justice in her professional work and social activism for over 30 years. An active WILPF member for 20 plus years, she was attracted to WILPF as an international organization opposing war while promoting human rights and environmental and economic justice. Virginia participated in four of WILPF’s international congresses and two national congresses along with branch activities. She currently works as a licensed social worker in Boston where she applies her 40 years of human service experience. When not working, she can be found using food from her organic farm share to make simple meals, walking in her neighborhood, swimming at a local beach, or riding her bike.

Ellen Schwartz joined WILPF in 1969 and was the youngest member of the San Jose branch. Now she is nearly the oldest member of the Sacramento branch and can’t figure out how that happened. In between, she has served as branch chair, branch newsletter editor, chair of the WILPF US Policy Committee, WILPF Western Region newsletter editor, occasional Triennial Congress newsletter editor, Congress Registrar, chair of Congress Committee, US Section WILPF Treasurer for half a term (finishing an unfinished term), and US Section WILPF Program Chair (finishing another half term).

Tina Shelton has been a member of WILPF since after 9/11 and an advocate for those with disabilities for longer. She is willing to develop a thick skin to make the world a better place, is a parent of three, one who strives for rational thinking in personal and professional work, and is constantly inspired by elder women activists. Resides outside Philadelphia.

Wednesday, August 11, 5:00 PM PDT
How To - Growing a Peace Camp

Hear from Growing a Peace Camp Founder Millee Livingston and current Coordinator Natalie Zapata on how to build a youth peace camp in your own community! Growing a Peace Camp promotes teaching children about nature and peace, conflict resolution, self-confidence, empathy, acceptance, team work, and respect for individuality and diversity.

Sabreena Britt has been a member of the Sacramento Branch in California since 2011, when she was seeking out a network of activists and volunteer opportunities after her move to Sacramento from Southern California. She grew up in San Diego, learning activist work as a youth through Girl Scouts and clubs in college. She has a 6-year-old daughter, for whom she wants to create a better world. In her professional life, she is a Volunteer Coordinator for an environmental non-profit and has been teaching and coordinating environmental science programs for the past 17 years.

Millie Livingston (pictured with Natalie Zapata) joined WILPF in 1967 as a member of the San Francisco Branch. She began as Branch Chair and Region 1 Treasurer. She focused on peace and community involvement there and in the Sierra Foothills. In 1988 she moved to Auburn, CA. Discussions at a conference initiated Peace Camp. Her goal shifted to making Auburn environmentally aware and build peace. From 1989 to1999 she was active in Sacramento as well. Millee has received many awards: Certificate of Appreciation for the Auburn Children’s Peace Camp from the Placer Ecumenical Committee for Social Justice, WILPF Lifetime Membership Award, Placer County Seniors of the Year Award, Recognition of Outstanding Achievements in Placer County, Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Peace, Dove Award for Women’s National Film and Television Showcase, and Growing Peace Camp Award. A highlight for her was attending the Hague Appeal for Peace in the Netherlands, May 1999, where Archbishop Desmond TuTu said, “Every village in the world should have one of your Peace Camps.”

Natalie Zapata, of Auburn, CA, has been passionate about community building and empowering youth since childhood. For 20 plus years, she has created and coordinated successful youth programs. She is the cofounder and organizer of the Auburn Hip Hop Congress, which has proudly changed the face of hip-hop culture in her town! She is the developer and director behind innovative programs such as Urban Arts for Change, Academy of Business, Leadership, Arts, and Humanities (BLAH), Writing and Reciting—Healing Through Written and Spoken Word. She hopes these accessible programs empower current and future generations, creating a brighter future for all!

Thursday, August 12, 5:00 PM PDT
How To - Housing & Homelessness: Hands-On Caring and Sharing

Hear about problems and solutions in building an effective infrastructure for caring and protecting people on the edge of society. Roberta will give a panel presentation by the WILPF housing sub-committee, providing a historical context for Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, Stanford University.

Roberta Ahlquist is a retired antiracist professor, social justice activist, low-income housing advocate, mother, grandmother, and Raging Granny. She has two co-edited books on public schooling: Assault on Kids and Assault on Kids and Teachers, published by Peter Lang.

Beverley Fitzpatrick is a widow, mother, grandmother, retired teacher turned homeless advocate, and social activist. She is a founding member of Wings Advocacy Fresno and a Board member, also on the Board of Directors of the Fresno Eco-Village Project and on the Oversight Committee for the Dakota Eco Garden, President of Peace Fresno, and a contributing member of WILPF.
 

Chuck Jagoda is only the second male member of the Peninsula Branch of WILPF. Linus Pauling was the other. He accompanied his wife Ava Helen Pauling on her long career of  peace activism as a WILPF member. Linus Pauling was the second recipient of two Nobel prizes.  Marie Curie was the first. I started my activism as a missionary teacher in Kingston, Jamaica. I've been a special ed  teacher in NYC and taught students from all over the world. I now focus on homeless and housing  issues. I am very grateful to and in deep admiration of the activists of WILPF for their powerful work  over the last century. If humans get to live out this century, it will be because of the unceasing work of  WILPF and other peace activists.