WILPF’s San Jose Branch reclaimed Armistice Day this year alongside local Veterans for Peace members. WILPF San Jose has maintained a long-standing relationship with Veterans for Peace. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the branch participated annually in their Armistice Day Bell Ringing, which took place this year at the San Jose Peace and Justice Center. WILPF San Jose co-sponsored the event, and the San Jose Raging Grannies performed a set of anti-war songs.

Veterans for Peace advocates reclaiming Armistice Day as a day of truth and resistance, emphasizing peace, honoring both the dead and the living harmed by war, and urging reflection on US intervention, empire, and the necessity for global peace.

Each year, Veterans for Peace reminds us to honor not only those who died in past wars but also the living who continue to suffer under the effects of empire. This year, they called attention to Palestinians facing genocide, Latin Americans experiencing US intervention, Indigenous nations defending their lands, migrants fleeing US-backed violence, LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities fighting for dignity, as well as service members who challenge unlawful orders. Learn more about this year’s Reclaim Armistice Day.