NEWS

Statement on the Shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile
Post date: Fri, 07/15/2016 - 10:58

The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF US) Statement on the Shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile

On July 5 and 6, 2016, respectively, we were shocked by the senseless killing of two African-American men: Alton Sterling (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) and Philando Castile (Falcon Heights, Minnesota).  The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF US) joins many others across the country to mourn the loss of these two men, who also have left families behind. Nearly two years ago, we were stunned by the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Brown’s death sparked off organized protests in Ferguson and across the nation. The recent killings of Sterling and Castile remind us again of the escalating cycle of racist violence against black bodies and demand that we, as individuals and collectively, reexamine our understanding and attitudes toward race relations in the United States, our relationship with one another, our roles in protecting the rights of all, and how we also consciously or unconsciously help to erode those rights.

In his sermon on Sunday, July 10, Pastor Frederick Douglas Haynes III of the African-American Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas told his congregation that reconciliation and healing that did not lead to change are not enough. While mentioning Tamir Rice, Walter Scott and Eric Garner, earlier victims of police violence, Pastor Haynes added, “You won’t have unity as long as you have structured injustice” (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/11/us/slain-officer-michael-smiths-church-in-dallas-calls-for-healing.html?_r=0). Structural injustice includes the economic inequality pervading our society, which has affected black and other minority communities the hardest; historically, they have faced discrimination in employment, education, and housing, and discrimination continues to this day.

Many of us have seen the horrific videos on social media and YouTube, but we acknowledge that brutality against African Americans has long existed despite the progress made with the Civil Rights Movement. Such brutality and easy application of force are indicative of, among other things, the continuing militarization of police forces around the country. In the past two years, we have been held hostage by the resulting violence of such militarization. The deaths of Trayvon Martin (Sanford, FL, 2012), Michael Brown (Ferguson, MO, 2014), members of the Emanuel AME Church (Charleston, SC, 2015), 49 Orlando Nightclub Latinxs (Orlando, FL, 2016), Delrawn Small (Brooklyn, NY, 2016), five Latinxs across the nation (2016), as well as Alton Sterling and Philando Castile underscore the increasing climate of racism, xenophobia, and homophobia in our society. This means that we must be resolute in our resistance to violence, any type of violence—racist or otherwise. We must work to end the wars waged against black bodies by racists. We must denounce and work to eliminate all forms of discrimination and violence against others. We demand the demilitarization of all police forces. We call for disarmament nationally and internationally because the militarization of our communities is an extension of a global war culture, whose consequential violence threatens us.  

As social activists who advocate peace, justice, and equality for all, WILPF US condemns racism, homophobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia or any form of phobia and violence. We will speak out in the presence of such indignities because when one of us suffers, we all suffer. We stand together with other peace, civil, and human rights activists to challenge institutional racism and injustice.

We condemn the denial of the humanity and dignity of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.

We recognize and condemn the recent shooting of police officers during a peaceful vigil rally for Alton Sterling and Philando Castile in Dallas, Texas. We mourn and agonize with the families of those who lost their lives or were wounded during this incident, which sadly reminds us that violence affects all of us.

We stand in solidarity with the families of the victims of these acts of gun violence to mourn their particular losses and our collective loss.

 We applaud the US Department of Justice for initiating a probe on the killing of Alton Sterling (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/06/us/alton-sterling-baton-rouge-shooting... ) and urge the Department of Justice to also investigate the shooting of Philando Castile, which Mark Dayton, the governor of Minnesota, blames on “racial bias”  (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/07/philando-castile-police-shooting-calls-justice-department-inquiry-fbi-minnesota-officers).

 

CALL TO ACTION: What you can do:

  • Join other individuals or groups and write to the US Department of Justice to encourage the investigation of the killings.
  • Organize or participate in a vigil for Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, and remember the slain police officers. 
  • Recognize that many law enforcement officers discharge their duties ethically and work to combat systemic racism and other biases. Identify ways of working collaboratively with them to advance a peaceful and just society.
  • Make a plea to resource personnel in all police departments via your legislators recommending that all police work applications include a history of community engagement and references that honor the applicant’s community involvement. In other words, police units should not hire applicants who do not have a verifiable history of community engagement.  No community service, no job.
  • Encourage your local administrative officers and politicians to require some diversity/inter-cultural or sensitivity or micro-aggression training for all persons who work in law enforcement. They should implement this as part of their plan for addressing race and intercultural relations. Officers who do not engage with the community or go through such training should be dismissed.   
  • Reexamine your own biases to reevaluate your understanding of race relations in the United States, your neighborhood, your workplace, and your organization(s). In what way(s) have you contributed to improving or impeding race relations? How have you helped your organization(s) address this problem? What is your attitude toward those in your organization whom you read as “different?”

 

The following additional suggestions, specifically for white people, come to us from several friends: Invite 10 friends to a gathering that you host. Prior to the gathering, e-mail each one of them an article to read regarding racial oppression, preferably related to a topic relevant to your community.

  1.  Gather to discuss what you learned, your feelings, and how your privilege contributes to racism and its consequences. 
  2. Pause, meditate, care for yourselves and each other, this is painful work. 
  3. Create an action plan to include: 
    1. Each 10 people will contact 10 more people to call your local chief of police to inquire about department’s policies and practices on bias and racism.  Ask for documentation. 
    2. Write an op-ed to several local papers about what you found out. 
  4. Donate your time and/or money to community groups that do this work every day. 
  5. Repeat MONTHLY with 10 new people. 
  6. Share your work. Invite your people to do the same.
  7. Remember it's up to you. Racism is a white people problem. You must be the ones to fix it.

Contact the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF US) at: info@wilpfus.org

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Climate justice, feisty women, and peace
Post date: Tue, 07/05/2016 - 08:00

Strong and feisty Sherry Hutchison with members of the Des Moines Branch. Credit Erica McCroskey.

By Jan Corderman, Leadership Team Member, Des Moines Branch

The Des Moines Branch held their annual Strong Feisty Woman Award ceremony on May 13, 2016. Keeping to the theme of climate justice, women, and peace, guests were invited to discuss the fracking industry with the national awardee, Wenonah Hauter, the founder and executive director of Food and Water Watch and the author of "Foodopoly: The Battle over the Future of Food and Farming in America" (New Press, 2012) and a new book, "Frackopoly: The Battle for the Future of Energy" and the Environment, released June 7.

Hauter’s remarks focused on this new and controversial energy extraction method known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which has rocketed to the forefront of U.S. energy production. With fracking, millions of gallons of water, dangerous chemicals, and sand are injected under high pressure deep into the earth, fracturing hard rock to release oil and gas. One of the nation’s leading public interest advocates, she argues that the rush to fracking is dangerous to the environment and treacherous to human health.

WILPF’s local award was presented to longtime peace activist and branch member Sherry Hutchison. Sherry has received, among her many past honors, the prestigious Dingman Peace Award for her complete dedication to justice and peace. You can still find Sherry, even at age 97, at the Peace Garden in Cowles Commons in Des Moines during the peace vigil held there every Thursday at noon. She may be holding a sign that says: “Love = Peace; Fear = War. Choose Love.”

Another Strong Feisty Woman, Jane Addams, posed for photos. And, throughout the evening, the Raging Grannies led everyone in song. Lyrics by branch member Jan Hill honored the two winners and addressed the issues they continue to fight for.

The fourteen co-sponsors of the event introduced their organizations to interested guests.

Photo: Jane with Des Moines Branch members Marti Anderson and Bob Brammer. Credit Jan Corderman.

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MA member arrested in Spectra Energy pipeline protest
Post date: Tue, 07/05/2016 - 07:47

By Hattie Nestel and Nancy Price, Earth Democracy

On June 29, Hattie Nestel was one of 23 arrested in a nonviolent action to stop work on Spectra Energy’s fracked gas pipeline, West Roxbury, MA. In the morning, because they were stopped at barricades and not arrested, the group went to a local church to strategize and went back about 1:30 pm, taking the police and workers completely by surprise. About ten people—including Tim DeChristopher, who recently completed his two-year parole, Karenna Gore, and others—engaged in an action called “Age of Anticipatory Mass Graves for Climate Victims” and jumped six feet down into the trench where the pipeline was already laid and stretched themselves out, face up, as if already climate victims, while others, including Hattie, lay on the ground. They were all arrested and taken to jail. Though Hattie refused to pay a bail bondsman, she somehow was released anyway after about five hours. When they appeared in court the following day, they were all given misdemeanors and not charged with the larger crime of resisting arrest. As Hattie wrote to Nancy Price: “It felt like an honest day’s work!”

Already more than 150 people of all ages, including many clergy from many religious groups, have been arrested in ongoing sustained resistance to this pipeline as part of “Escalation Summer,” June 19-29. Every elected official who represents the area is against this project, and on April 29 the city of Boston unanimously passed a resolution opposing it.

Stop the West Roxbury Lateral Pipeline (SWIRL) and Resist the Pipeline have organized to stop this pipeline that is a branch of Spectra Energy’s Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) natural gas pipeline infrastructure in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.

Two short videos of the West Roxbury Spectra event of May 25 are available on YouTube, here and here.

Approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), construction has started on this 42-inch in diameter, high-pressure pipeline that crosses under the Hudson from New York to Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. The project includes expansion of 6 existing compressor stations, 24 existing metering and regulating stations, and construction of 3 new metering and regulating stations. AIM is a massive project, and FERC approval overrides local and state authority. Spectra Energy of Houston, Texas, is collaborating with its subsidiary, Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC of Waltham, MA.  

At present, Hattie and cohorts have stopped the Kinder Morgan pipeline across northern MA, which Earth Democracy has reported on in several previous Earth Democracy eNews articles. Yet, now, Kinder Morgan wants to build a “gas storage” pipeline loop from Connecticut to Sandisfield, MA, and back into Connecticut that would require felling 14,000 trees in the old-growth forest of the 900-acre Otis State Forest, circumventing permanent conservation protections of Article 97 (of 1972) of the Massachusetts State Constitution. On May 17, 2014, residents voted to ban the pipeline, but now the question is whether FERC will override community and state’s rights. Stay tuned.

Recently, Hattie and three colleagues met with Senator Elizabeth Warren to ask her to call for a moratorium on natural gas pipelines in Massachusetts and for investigation of FERC members for alleged conflict of interest in both review and approval of projects.

Actions will continue with July 10, the second annual National Day of Action: Mobilize Now! Climate Emergency Day of Action to Protect Civilization & the Natural World, and the five-day People over Pipelines March, July 14-18, along the route of the Spectra pipelines to the Boston State House to show Governor Baker and state legislators that if they don’t take leadership on stopping new gas pipelines in Massachusetts, the people will.

Photo Credit: ResistThePipeline.

 

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The People vs. Monsanto
Post date: Tue, 07/05/2016 - 07:36

By Marybeth Gardam, Development Chair, and Nancy Price, Earth Democracy

An international list of scientists and advocates to end corporate agriculture’s assault on people and nature, a People’s Tribunal vs. Monsanto, will take place October 14-16, 2016, in The Hague to hold Monsanto accountable for “crimes against humanity” and “ecocide.” A partial list of the organizers includes Vandana Shiva, Corinne Lepage, Marie-Monique Robin, Olivier De Schutter, Gilles-Éric Séralini, and Hans Herren. Those familiar with the health and food security threats being lodged against agrochemical giant Monsanto have heard many of those names for years. You can read more about this landmark effort to hold Monsanto accountable.

Nancy has been asked to participate with our ally the Organic Consumers’ Association in planning for the tribunal. WILPF US unanimously approved the Human Right to Health and Safe Food Resolution at our 2014 National Congress and again at the 2015 International Congress. It’s worth reviewing the resolutions of this important international statement.

So, we have authority to organize around this tribunal and issue a Call to Action, both at home and internationally. The Earth Democracy and Corporations v Democracy Issue Committees urge members and branches to plan actions, teach-ins, and forums to support the tribunal events in October.

The organizers of this tribunal are 1) inviting testimony of exposure to and harm from glyphosate to be submitted now; and 2) inviting groups and organizations to organize events during October 14-16 to be included on a calendar and map, and especially to have events on World Food Day, October 16, the last day of the tribunal. The tribunal will be live-streamed so you can make arrangements to show it at your local library, school, or other venue. Stay tuned.

Here’s the link to WILPF US Human Right to Health and Safe Food Infographic Card.

For any branch or member interested in participating in the People’s Tribunal at The Hague, or in supporting their efforts on World Food Day with events and actions here in the U.S., please contact Nancy Price at nancytprice39@gmail.com, using the subject line: MONSANTO TRIBUNAL.

If you want to order more copies of the Infographic Card on Monsanto and Glyphosate’s health threats, contact Marybeth Gardam at mbgardam@gmail.com. Please use the Subject line: MONSANTO TRIBUNAL.

We look forward to working collaboratively across the U.S., organizing for the October events.

 

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Swap the art
Post date: Tue, 07/05/2016 - 07:30

Representatives from the Tucson Branch and other organizations at the press conference outside Tucson City Hall. Courtesy Deborah Livingston.

By Deborah Livingston, Co-Chair, Tucson WILPF

Tucson WILPF members and representatives from several other organizations held a press conference outside Tucson City Hall on May 3, 2016, in honor of Mothers Day, to request that the militaristic art on display outside the City Council chambers be replaced with a mosaic from the Ben's Bells Project, whose artwork is based on community and intentional kindness. The mission of Ben’s Bells, as stated on the project’s website, is “to inspire, educate, and motivate people to realize the impact of intentional kindness, and to empower individuals to act according to that awareness, thereby strengthening ourselves, our relationships and our communities.”

A number of the organizations represented, including the local chapter of Veterans for Peace, Church Women United in Tucson, Culture of Peace Alliance, Jewish Voice for Peace, and Jobs with Justice, joined with the Tucson WILPF Branch in delivering 150 letters, cards, and email message to the mayor and council, asking that the images of war and militarism on the walls in the City Council chambers be swapped for images of peace. These groups and other organizations have been working with steering committee member Mary DeCamp on this issue.

In her closing remarks at the event, Mary DeCamp said: “I look around and I see a preponderance of grandmotherly types. And I think, just as in earlier eras when conquistadors came through this area and planted their beliefs, that this next wave will be led by grandmothers, wise women who know the value of community and peace and joy and art, the human connection in our lives. So I thank you very much for coming out today.”

No professional journalists or news outlet reported on the press conference. A video of the event, produced by Doctress Neutopia, may be seen on Youtube.

 

 

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Legacies that empower activism
Post date: Tue, 07/05/2016 - 06:57

Photos l to r: Helga Herz; Credit Mary Grace Long. Joy Marks staffing a table; Courtesy Laura Dewey.

By Marybeth Gardam, Development Chair

The Detroit Branch of WILPF recently contributed $500 to support our Spring Appeal and the Craigslist “Pop Up Donation Challenge.” This means their gift could end up supporting a project for you or your branch! The Detroit Branch’s generosity has important lessons for all of us.

“Our branch is in pretty good shape, financially,” Laura Dewey, WILPF US Board Member from Detroit, explained, “thanks to a bequest from one of our members, Helga Herz.”

Helga and her mother, Alice, fled their home in Germany during Hitler’s rise to power and eventually settled in Detroit. Alice Herz died in 1965 of self-immolation in protest of the Vietnam War, following the example of Buddhist monks. Helga spent decades working for peace and justice, especially for nuclear disarmament.

As a librarian for the Detroit Public Library, Helga started a collection of the Jane Addams prize-winning children’s books, to which Detroit WILPF contributes annually. After the Berlin Wall fell, Helga launched a decade-long struggle to win title of her house in Germany, which had been confiscated by the Nazis. She then sold it and donated the proceeds to the German WILPF Section. Helga lived a simple life, and when she died in 2010, she remembered the Detroit Branch (as well as the US Section and International WILPF) in her will. That legacy has made it possible for the branch to endure with a financial cushion all these years.

“This $500 came to us when another of our members passed away,” Laura said. Joy Marks, who died in April, had served as president and treasurer for the Detroit Branch and also as a national board member for several years, although she had moved to California two years ago to be near family. “A highlight of her WILPF experience was accompanying two Soviet women who traveled around the country for two weeks,” Laura remembers.

After Joy’s death, the Detroit Branch received the unexpected $500 contribution from Joy’s brother, Robert Rasmussen

“We thought the best way to recognize and appreciate Joy’s commitment and leadership to our branch was to reinvest the money in activism throughout the U.S. and to forward the donation to national WILPF,” said Laura. “The Spring Appeal, with its challenge to help increase the program support of the Craigslist gift, appealed to us. It was an easy decision to make. Besides, as a fiscally prudent treasurer, Joy would have been delighted to know that her brother’s contribution was doubled by the Craigslist challenge.”

The Craigslist Charitable Fund dollars go directly to fund the work of the WILPF Program, through the 2017 UN Practicum Program, the DISARM Committee work and funding for other Issue Committees, and mini-grants that provide seed money for inspiring projects for WILPF members and branches. 

Bequests and memorial gifts can make a huge difference in sustaining the work of WILPF, and we want to make it easy for family members to honor a member’s commitment to WILPF by asking for donations to go to WILPF US. Later this year, we hope to roll out both a new Memorial Gift Campaign and a Legacy Giving Campaign.

“This was an exciting donation,” notes WILPF US President Mary Hanson Harrison. “When a branch makes this kind of investment in the work that engages all of us, that is a unifying commitment, and we honor Detroit and Joy Marks for investing in the future. It represents a very successful branch helping to support those that may not have as much capacity to organize in their community. It’s sisterhood at the most generous and basic level.”

“Branches need to revive the art of fund-raising,” says Laura Dewey. “We’ve forgotten that we can ask folks to support our work through bake sales, yard sales, luncheons, potluck presentations, or silent auctions. And getting the word out about donations is also getting the word out about our work and what WILPF stands for. They strengthen one another. It’s all connected.”

Consider a virtual bake sale . . .

The Pentagon still gets obscene amounts of tax support … and we still have to hold bake sales to keep doing vital peace and justice work.

It’s not spring anymore, but, since we extended the donation deadline and if you haven’t made your contribution yet, go ahead and use that RETURN ENVELOPE in the new issue of Peace & Freedom. Remember: your donation helps us support Programs, Branches, and our mission.

Consider your donation to WILPF for this year’s “Spring Appeal” as the purchase of a really big homemade pie. Then, enjoy NOT having the guilt of all those calories and carbs! And thanks! We really appreciate all you do for WILPF.

 

 

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Sacramento speaks out against anti-BDS bill
Post date: Tue, 07/05/2016 - 06:29

By Ellen Schwartz, Sacramento/Sierra Foothills Branch

Laurie Jones, Don Knutson, and Ellen Schwartz of the Sacramento Branch WILPF spoke on Tuesday, June 28, before the California state senate judiciary committee in opposition to the anti-BDS Act of 2016 (AB 2844), a bill that is anti-free speech, anti-boycott, and anti-Palestinian rights.

AB 2844, “California Combating the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions of Israel Act of 2016,” would prevent any company refusing to do business with Israel from having any kind of contract with the state of California and labels the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement as anti-Semitic.

“I just consider AB2844 as an effort to protect and preserve wrongdoing,” said Don Knutson. “And all the while, funding Israeli is so expensive to the American taxpayer. That fact was never mentioned in the hearing.”

Photo: California State Capitol in Sacramento. Credit: © Steven Pavlov, Wikimedia Commons.

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WILPF is updating our database. Keep an eye out for email.
Post date: Tue, 07/05/2016 - 06:26

WILPF will be sending out an email soon to all WILPF US members requesting that you help us update our records. This email will allow you to review the information that we have in our database and then give you the opportunity to update this information. This is particularly important for branch affiliation. In many cases we have members listed in the At-Large Branch, when in fact you should be in a branch that is near to your geographic location. The email that you will receive will explain this in greater detail. Please do open the email when it arrives and review the information.

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‘ONE WILPF’ all member call
Post date: Tue, 07/05/2016 - 06:23

By Marybeth Gardam, Development Chair

The first “ONE WILPF” call was held Thursday, June 23. Every current member was invited to participate: 68 WILPF members preregistered for the call, and about 40 of those members called in. The second “ONE WILPF” call is scheduled for Wednesday, July 13, at 6 pm pacific, 8 pm central, 9 pm eastern. Add it to your calendars now! Preregistration is required to participate in the call, which you may do by clicking on the conference preregistration link.

Details on how to preregister and how to use the technology are available here in an easy-to-follow set of instructions.

The new, powerful conferencing platform, the Maestro Conferencing System, combines telephone conferencing and a “social webinar” component on your computer, for optimum communication and results. WILPF is using the system through the generosity of InterOCCUPY. Members can choose to connect simply via their telephone, or they can opt to have a fuller experience by also using their computer screen.

For a long time, members have been asking WILPF US to provide opportunities for branches to connect with one another and with at-large members to explore common challenges, learn from each other, share resources, and inspire each other with actions and events that are successful.

In March 2016, the Board of WILPF US approved the “ONE WILPF” all member call to be held no later than the end of June. The goals of that first call, held on June 23, 2016, were:

  • To address the requests for opportunities for branches and members to communicate effectively across regions, enable shared information, shared resources, solidarity event planning, and shaping of collective strategy.
  • To reduce the feeling of isolation some members feel without nearby sister branches.
  • To focus on action planning and creating impact for peace and justice organizing, and program planning that strengthens branches, engages members, and makes a difference.

We planned to stay positive, results-oriented, and focused on forward-thinking strategies to help grow WILPF, with no complaining or whining. And that’s just what we did!

During the June 23 call, attendees learned how to use the various tools of the conference system (which we will review on the July 13 call). Using a poll of the attendees, members were able to choose the way the meeting evolved, within a given set of parameters. We chose:

  • The date of the next call, July 13, 2016.
  • The format of the next call. Overwhelmingly, members wanted to focus on several topics using break-out rooms, instead of staying in one meeting room on one topic.
  • Agenda items for the next call. By raising their hands and rating their interest on several topics (originally suggested by members during the 2015 Branch Survey), attendees chose the following five topics for discussion in break-out rooms on the July 13 call (with number of supporters in favor of each):
  1. Recruiting strategies (9)
  2. Sharing resources, materials, and strategies between branches (5)
  3. Creating regional meetings (3)
  4. Enhancing membership with training (2)
  5. Creating one or two solidarity events each year (11)

Depending on the number of callers, the July 13 call may focus only on the top three choices, or if there are more attendees, we may separate into all five of the break-out rooms. First preference will be given to those topics with the highest numbers of interested members on the June 23 call.

Here’s what June 23 call participants had to say about the call experience and the rich follow-up notes:

“Big thanks! I opened [the call notes] and was amazed about how thorough and rich this attachment is!! I am not tech hip and also am tech resistant. However, you are bringing us the best opportunity to connect as ONE WILPF! I want to fully support the passion, time, energy, and vision that you have put into play! So let us all simply play! and learn and be very amazed as we go. More than Big Thanks! Gratitude!” —Pat Schroeder, Santa Cruz CA Branch

“Thanks for putting these wonderful notes together. They will be very helpful for reporting to our branch. I approached this call with doubts and totally expecting that I would not last (usually head for bed by 10pm); but it was great: well organized, interesting, and technically well-functioning as far as I noticed. So I stayed with it until the end of the formal call.” —Edith Bell, Pittsburgh PA Branch

“Thanks for your enticing invitation. I’m glad that I attended the meeting. I learned a lot; was inspired to do more; and enjoyed the breakout with the other WILPFers. I’m eager to invite our new membership chair and publicity chair to get involved. I’ll probably need more help with the computer part; but the telephone conference aspect was very helpful. Thanks for your positive work for our special organization.” —Lauretta Freeman, Essex Co NJ Branch

 

 

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Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Post date: Tue, 07/05/2016 - 06:18

By Robin Lloyd, N. Vermont/Burlington Branch

Two members of Burlington WILPF met with the mayor of Burlington, Vermont, Miro Weinberger, on May 25 during his morning coffee hour with citizens and proposed that he join us in strategizing on a press conference and/or other events around Hiroshima Day. Burlington has been a member of Mayors for Peace since 1986, and 207 other cities in the United States are members! Maybe your city is a member! A disarmament proposal by Mayors for Peace has recently been accepted by the more mainstream United States Conference of Mayors.

Mayor Weinberger was very open to the idea and said he would send a note to the mayors of other towns in Vermont. Maybe we can do something together. This could be a way to build support for H.R. 1976, Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Economic and Energy Conversion Act of 2015

This year the annual Portland, Oregon, commemoration of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will be held on Tuesday, August 9. The Portland Branch has created a flier, in both quarter-page and full-page size.

 

 

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