Announcements & Updates: Golden Rule in DC April 2-17; Issue Committee Meetings Schedule; 2024 Congress Bid Goes to Minnesota!; Virtual Summer Gathering.

April 2023

Visit Golden Rule in the DC Area April 2-17

by Dianne Blais
WILPF US Secretary

The Golden Rule, which is making a Great Loop, will be in the Washington, DC area April 2-17. There are several different scheduled events open to the public, including open boat events at the DC and Alexandria wharfs. The project manager for the Golden Rule peace ship is a WILPF member who has been traveling since September with the crew. WILPF is supporting the Golden Rule with branch participation and monetary support –  the WILPF US board agreed to support their anti-nuclear efforts with a $2500 donation. 

Click image for larger version of schedule.

Issue Committee and Board Meetings Schedule

by Darien De Lu
President

At the national WILPF level, we’ve heard/seen a number of requests about when upcoming meetings may be. WILPF has issue committee, board, and multiple other periodic meetings.  All current WILPF members are generally welcome to meetings of the first two – issue committees and the board.

For our issue committees, here is some information that was offered via our WILPF Branches listserv.  Please contact the committee chairs for meeting details, including the actual virtual meeting link. Look at their webpages for information on all seven of WILPF’s issue committees (the live links are listed, in the right column, here). There you’ll find the contact information for committee leadership. 

Meeting dates may vary to accommodate core members’ schedules, so please reach out well in advance so as not to miss out!

• Women, Money & Democracy – Third Tuesday of each month at 8:00 pm ET/7:00 pm C/5:00 pm PT
• Domestic Prisoners of War – last week of month, often on a Wed.: 8:00 pm ET/7:00 pm C/5:00 pm PT
• DISARM/End Wars Issue Committee – second and last Sunday of the month at 4:30pm PT/7:30pm ET
• Middle East Peace and Justice Action Ctte. (MEPJAC) – third Saturday of the month at 2 pm Eastern.
• Earth Democracy has not yet set a recurring meeting date. 
• Advancing Human Rights has not yet set a recurring meeting date.

Please contact issue committee chairs/leadership for additional details.

For the board meetings, the next meeting is Saturday, May 27 – at 10 am PT, 11 am MT, noon CT, and 1 pm ET.  Please refer to the detailed information here.

If you are interested in being involved at the national WILPF level, please contact me by email – President@wilpfUS.org – or phone:  after 9 am PDT – 916/739-0860 (landline, texts don’t work!). Our standing board committees, as well as an assortment of ad hoc committees, frequently are seeking additional voices and helpers to accomplish the administrative and organizational work of WILPF.

National Board Awards the 2024 WILPF Congress Bid to Minnesota!

by Darien De Lu
President

In two days of weekend, marathon meetings, the WILPF US National Board made a number of important decisions. I’m excited to announce one that I hope will capture the attention and interest of all WILPF members.

In response to energetic organizing work by our WILPF US International Advisory Board member and Minnesota at-large member Dee Murphy, a virtual meeting of Minnesota members enthusiastically agreed to submit their bid to the National Congress Committee. That committee solicited additional bids, receiving seven responses – only two of which included bids. The committee recommended the Minnesota bid to the Board, and the Board voted in favor of that bid.

The Minnesota bid suggests that the 2024 WILPF US Congress should most appropriately be scheduled in May or June of 2024. That’s a little earlier than is often the case for our Congresses – so save time in your calendar now! Watch for further eNews updates.

Virtual Summer Gathering

by Dianne Blais
WILPF US Secretary

This summer will be WILPF US’s FIRST virtual summer GATHERING! Gatherings will hopefully be held every year when there isn’t an international or national congress. Our WILPF US staff, board, international reps, issue committee chair and representatives from each branch will speak! A “Save the Date” will go out soon.