Committee Updates: Join ‘Before or After’ Calls; Support WILPF US Anti-Racism Efforts; Send Responses to Virtual P&F and Photos for New Website

We want to hear your thoughts about the first virtual Peace & Freedom issue!

April 2021

All Are Invited to Half-Hour Calls Before and/or After Program Meeting on Tuesday, April 6!

By Darien De Lu
President, WILPF US

Another month, another chance to ask your WILPF questions! And another chance for me to meet you!

Again, this month I invite you to our monthly chance to freely ask questions, and to take a little time to talk with me and other WILPF members. These conversations are during the half-hour before and after the monthly Program Committee meetings. Stay on for as little or as long as you like to hear the buzz!

Also, WILPF US members are all welcome to call in to listen in to the Program Committee meeting, which starts at 5 pm PT / 8 pm ET and will continue until about 7 pm PT / 10 pm ET. Learn about the projects of the issue committees and how to connect! Also, you can look at our issue committee webpages to find answers!

This month is a standard Program Committee meeting; in May the meeting will be particularly designed to be informative for all WILPF members.

So maybe, this month, you will choose not to listen in to the meeting, but you’ll call in for the Before/After conversations. If so, just call in during the half-hour before and/or the half-hour after those meeting times, so starting at 4:30 pm PT / 7:30 pm ET and all ending about 7:30 pm PT / 10:30 pm ET.

This is your chance! Instead of emailing me, call in! You can –

• Ask questions
• Share ideas
• Talk with other WILPFers nationwide.

To get the zoom password and link for the Before and After conversations emailed to you, you must register (even if you do so after the start times). Use this Zoom link to preregister.

Make Space to Participate and Take Action in WILPF Anti-Racism Initiatives

By Darien De Lu
President, WILPF US

Multiple nationwide WILPF anti-racism initiatives will be available for branches and members, including at-large members. Start thinking now about how you and/or your branch will integrate this work locally.

WILPF US is looking at offering various ways to support our members in studying and better understanding the many effects racism has on us, our society, the focuses of our political work, and the functioning of WILPF US. We’ll be offering resources and more; and I hope you, as individuals, and all of our branches will regularly set aside time to use these materials.

In the last year, we all have been reminded again and again and in multiple ways of the ways racism negatively manifests in every aspect of US society. BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color) have no need of such reminders, but many whites do. Also, it should not be surprising that the pervasive economic effects of racism have led to it being intertwined with classism. In both cases, the reaction of many in our “color-blind” and “class-free” society has been to deny or minimize these influences and, even, their existence.

As WILPF US President, I see it as critical that WILPF members study, discuss, and act to support anti-racism – both individually and in branches or other local groups. Please watch for eNews articles and eAlerts about the various ways you, within WILPF, can become better informed. Also, consider joining Showing Up for Racial Justice – SURJ meetings and/or working with other anti-racism groups in your area.

Photo: Group of women protesting against racism in Miami, Florida, on May 31, 2020. Photo credit: Tverdokhlib / Shutterstock.com.
 

What Did You Think of Our First Virtual Peace & Freedom Magazine?

Please tell us your responses to our virtual Winter/Spring 2021 issue of Peace and Freedom magazine sent to you in January!

WILPF US is likely to alternate between hard copy and virtual issues of P&F, and we want to support our members in being able to access the digital-only editions. So how are we doing?

How well were you able to view and read the latest issue of P&F? Did the instructions work for you? Did you download the PDF to read the issue or use Yumpu to read it? What do you think of the Yumpu platform? What advantages did you find with the virtual P&F? What suggestions do you have for us?

Please email your comments to info@WILPFUS.org, using a subject of P&F.
 

We Need Your Photos for the New Website!

By Leni Villagomez Reeves

Share the good times and the struggles! Please send in your photos for the new WILPF website.

You know you have photos – probably lots of photos from various WILPF activities and actions. No doubt there are some that are too good to keep to yourselves and some that bring back memories. Share them with your fellow WILPFers. We all want to see them.

Now is a good time to get your WILPF pictures in so that you and your actions can be shown on the new website when it launches. You’ll want to identify the branch and activity, and credit the photographer, of course.

Sooner is better than later, since the new website is being designed right now.

Send your photos to Michael Ippolito: michael@teamgood.org