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A Florida Experiment in Peace Diversity
an article by Roger Otterson
On May 31, 2003, a whole day teach in and conference aimed at evaluating current state of "Peace & Justice" struggle and drafting a way forward was presented by Florida Alliance for Peace and Social Justice (FAPSJ) and Community Coalition Against War and Terrorism (CCAWT). The conference was an experiment of the highest importance for the antiwar movement, as well as the world, due to the extreme diversity of cultures and views represented: Black, White, Red, Brown with diverse views, Revolutionary, Militant, Pacifist, Liberal.
The conference, titled "The World We Want and How To get There," was held in the beautiful settings of Wilhelmina Johnson Center in Gainesville. It started in the morning with refreshments and a get-to-know-you mingling of about 50-70 representatives of various groups and individuals from around the state of Florida. Guest speakers were invited from as far as South California. The teach-in part consisted of presentations by:
Mohammad Chehab, an Arab activist
Dan Berger, Critical Resistance, Onward, Colors of Resistance
Sheridan Murphy, American Indian Movement
Benjamin Prado,Union del Barrio
Penny Hess, African People's Solidarity Committee
Sateesh Rogers, African People's Socialist Party
The attendees listened to the panelists' experiences of oppression and how to deal with it, resist it, and overcome it. A drumming interlude in the courtyard enhanced the experience of focus on people's business.
Following the panels, Omali Yeshitela, Chairmain of the African People's Socialist Party, gave a rousing keynote address. The overwhelming sentiment of the teach-in was that it is not possible to have peace without social justice and that we had better learn and come to terms with the truth about how we got to where we are today (through continuing exploitation and oppression of the peoples around the world). Only by knowing this may we have a chance to stop our self-destructive, unsustainable ways and create a better world for and in collaboration with the rest of the world.
Following Mr. Yeshitela's powerful presentation, the attendees went about the business of building the Alliance. Many groups and individuals in attendance agreed to join in the Alliance. We decided to meet again on June 14th at 1:00pm at 1245 S.18th St in St. Petersburg, FL (the Uhuru House) to consider adoption of the Mission Statement and five resolutions as well as working out details on committee structure. The resolutions will spell out our principles on Iraq, Palestine, Dr. Al-Arian, indigenous rights, and corporate/governmental neo-colonialism. For more information and details of the resolutions send an email to NoWarFlorida@aol.com.
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DISCUSSION
Question(s) related to this article:
How do we know if a culture of peace is advancing?,
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Latest reader comment:
One way we can NOT know if the culture of peace is advancing is from projects like the Global Peace Index which has recently been reviewed in CPNN.
The Global Peace Index measures the old dimensions of war and peace, not the new dimensions of culture or war / culture of peace. Peace, in the old paradigm was the period between wars when countries were preparing themselves for the next war. Culture of Peace, the new paradigm, is concerned with the deep roots of war, its cultural basis.
That can explain the paradox that it is the wealthy countries of the North that score highest on the index (Denmark, Austria, Switzerland and Finland), countries of Europe, which was involved in both the World Wars and which continue to profit from the unequal terms of trade between North and South which is enforced by the culture of war.
When I was at UNESCO, the African ambassadors had the following to say: "One should not look to the South for the causes of the culture of war; instead, pose three questions. From where do the weapons come? From where do the violent television programmes come? And where are the terms of trade decided that impoverish the people of the South which leads to violence? "
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