Category Archives: North America

USA: A Labor Statement on the Crisis in Ukraine

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

A petition available at Action Network

A LABOR STATEMENT ON THE CRISIS IN UKRAINE

by Founders, Leaders and Supporters of
U.S. Labor Against the War*

To: President Joseph Biden

From: [Your Name]

We oppose the bellicose behavior of the U.S. government regarding the crisis in Ukraine. We condemn U.S. provocative rhetoric and preparations for yet another war. We condemn the destabilizing policies the U.S. has pursued that have contributed to the crisis, in this case especially the steady expansion of NATO eastward toward Russia.

We oppose the bellicose behavior of the U.S. government regarding the crisis in Ukraine. We condemn U.S. provocative rhetoric and preparations for yet another war. We condemn the destabilizing policies the U.S. has pursued that have contributed to the crisis, in this case especially the steady expansion of NATO eastward toward Russia.

To defuse the crisis and lay a foundation for its diplomatic resolution, the U.S. should immediately declare its policy and commitment that NATO will not advance any further toward the Russian border. Ukraine’s entry into NATO requires the unanimous agreement of all existing NATO members. Ukraine has no automatic right to join NATO. The US has no obligation to hold open the possibility of that opportunity. Rather than deploying thousands of US troops and billions of dollars in military hardware to the region, which only serves to inflame the situation, the US should make clear its commitment that NATO will not expand any further toward Russia, and that NATO and the US will deploy no missiles or other aggressive weapons or forces in any state on Russia’s borders, recognizing that NATO currently already includes states that border Russia: Norway, Estonia, and Latvia.

We call upon the US, other NATO countries, Ukraine and Russia to de-escalate their confrontation, pull all military forces back from their borders, and engage in good faith negotiations to resolve their differences based on the concept of “common security” in which the strategic interests of all parties are addressed.

The US military-industrial complex has an insatiable appetite for war and the threat and preparation for war. Despite having just ended its “forever war” in Afghanistan, the US is increasing its military budget for the coming year to an astounding $768 billion. We must not allow Congress to once again squander hundreds of billions of dollars in military spending, money that is urgently needed for the full Build Back Better agenda to meet the needs of the American People. We must contract, rather than continue to expand US military operations around the world, operations that are already the world’s leading contributor to carbon emissions and global warming.

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Questions related to this article:
 
Can the peace movement help stop the war in the Ukraine?

How can the peace movement become stronger and more effective?

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We invite and encourage other leaders, organizers, and activists in the US labor movement to sign on to this statement, pass resolutions along these lines in their unions, and press all members of Congress and President Biden to reverse course and declare that the US will not support continued NATO expansion to Russia’s borders. Twenty years of the so-called “Global War on Terror” should have taught us that complex international disputes cannot be resolved by military might. Patient, persistent multilateral diplomacy that addresses the security interests of all parties is what is now required.

The resources now plowed into war and preparation for war should be devoted to meeting the urgent needs of working class people and addressing the global challenge of climate change. We and the world cannot afford another senseless, wasteful, and destructive military conflict.

Signatories (Organizations listed for ID only)

David Bacon, Independent Photojournalist, Pacific Media Workers Guild/CWA

Kathy Black, USLAW National Co-Convenor (retired); AFSCME DC 47 (retired)

John Braxton, USLAW National Co-Convenor (retired); Co-President Emeritus, AFT Local 2026

Gene Bruskin, USLAW National Co-Convenor (retired)

Elise Bryant, President, CLUW (Coalition of Labor Union Women); Exec Board Member, CWA/TNG Local 32035

Thomas Paine Cronin, President Emeritus, AFSCME DC47, Philadelphia

Jeff Crosby, former President, North Shore Labor Council

Ajamu Dillahunt, APWU Local President (retired); Black Workers for Justice(BWFJ); Southern Workers Assembly (SWA)

Michael Eisenscher, USLAW National Coordinator (retired); American Federation of Teachers AFT Local 1603; Publishers, SolidarityINFOSerivce

Frank Emspak, Producer, Exec. Producer, Madison Labor Radio

Bill Fletcher, Jr., former president of TransAfrica Forum; lifelong trade unionist

Tom Gogan, USLAW National Organizer (retired); National Writers Union

John Matthews, Executive Director (retired), Madison Teachers, Inc.

Bob Muehlenkamp, USLAW National Co-Convenor (retired); Organizing Director (retired), International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Saladin Muhammad, member Black Workers for Justice; Southern Workers Assembly; International Rep of UE (retired)

David Newby, President Emeritus, Wisconsin State AFL-CIO

Marcia Newfield, Professional Staff Congress- CUNY, AFT 2334 (retired)

Peter Olney, Director of Organizing ILWU (retired)

Carl Rosen, President, United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America

Edward Sadlowski, Former Exec. Dir. of Madison Teachers, Inc.

Anthony Sessa, General Chair, BMWED Teamsters; General Chair, Passenger Rail Federation

Barbara Smith, AFT Local 4848

Brooks Sunkett, USLAW National Co-convenor (retired); Vice President, Communications Workers of America (retired)

Rand Wilson, Former Organizer, Labor for Bernie

Nancy Wohlforth, USLAW National Co-Convenor (retired); National Secretary-Treasurer, Office & Professional Workers International Union (retired)

Michael Zweig, USLAW National Co-Convenor (retired); United University Professions – AFT 2190

*U.S. Labor Against the War ended in 2020.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, North America

The Expert Dialogue on NATO-Russia Risk Reduction: Seven recommendations

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

A publication by the European Leadership Network

In December 2020, the ELN published a set of recommendations that came out of a series of senior expert discussions led by ELN members Sergey Rogov and Alexey Gromyko on Russia-NATO risk reduction. The recommendations addressed most of the areas of common ground so far sketched in Russian, US and NATO exchanges during the present crisis. Had those recommendations been acted upon, we might now be on a better path away from crisis.

In this new statement, signed by 75 members of the expert group including retired diplomats and military officers from the United States, Russia and Europe, we renew to all sides seven of our recommendations, updated to meet the present situation. Taken together these measures would materially contribute not just to a reduction of Russia-NATO tension but a reduction of Russia-NATO risk.

The recommendations are:

1. Regular meetings should be held between the Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, the NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) and the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, reinforced by military experts, to address issues of current concern.

2. In addition, NATO member states and Russia should resume contacts at the level of military representatives in the NATO Military Committee and restore the Russian military liaison mission at SACEUR Headquarters.

3. Russia and NATO member states could agree that both sides will conduct large-scale military exercises, as a rule, at a militarily meaningful distance from their borders, but where geography prevents this then additional measures of notification, transparency and predictability must be taken. They should consider reducing the scale and frequency of military activities with respect to numbers and geography, in particular exercises near borders. Generally, military exercises should be executed responsibly, not provocatively.

4. Both sides could take initial steps in the form of parallel unilateral measures that do not necessarily require conclusion of a formal agreement between NATO, or NATO member states, and Russia, which could prove politically difficult to achieve in the present environment.

5. Russia and the United States could confirm that, irrespective of the course of the present crisis, they will systematically develop their dialogue on the future of strategic stability and cyber security as agreed at their Geneva summit in June 2021.

6. Russia and NATO could immediately agree to launch negotiations on a new zero option for the deployment in Europe of US and Russian intermediate-range land-based missiles and their launchers.

7. Russia and NATO member states could immediately agree to launch negotiations on a package of measures on the basis of the existing bilateral and multilateral agreements on prevention of incidents at sea and above the sea, and on prevention of dangerous military activities.

Read the full statement in English and Russian here.

The opinions articulated above represent the views of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Leadership Network or any of its members. The ELN’s aim is to encourage debates that will help develop Europe’s capacity to address the pressing foreign, defence, and security policy challenges of our time.

Russian signatories
Name Position
1. Dmitry Danilov Head, Department of European security, Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IERAS)
2. Victor Esin Colonel General (ret.), Former Head of the Main Staff of the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces, Research Professor, Centre for Advanced Studies of Russian National Security, HSE University
3. Alexandra Filippenko Senior Research Fellow, Department for Military-Political Research, Institute for the US and Canadian Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences (ISKRAN)
4. Valery Garbuzov Director, Institute for the US and Canadian Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences (ISKRAN)
5. Alexey Gromyko Director, Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IERAS), Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences
6. Evgenia Issraelian Leading Research Fellow, Department of Canadian Studies, Institute for the US and Canadian Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences (ISKRAN)
7. Igor Ivanov Minister of Foreign Affairs (1998-2004), former Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation (2004-2007), President of Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC)
8. Andrey Kortunov Director General, Russian International Affairs Council
9. Oleg Krivolapov Senior Research Fellow, Department for Military-Political Research, Institute for the US and Canadian Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences (ISKRAN)
10. Valentin Kuznetsov Vice Admiral (ret.), former Chief Military Representative of the RF at NATO, Senior Research Fellow, Department for Military-Political Research, Institute for the US and Canadian Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences (ISKRAN);
11. Vladimir Lukin Russian Ambassador to the United States (1992-1994), director on the board of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), Deputy Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federation Council of the RF
12. Alexander Nikitin Director, Center for Euro-Atlantic Security, Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (MGIMO), Honorary President of the Russian Association of Political Science
13. Mikhail Nosov Member of Directorate, Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IERAS)
14. Sergey Oznobishev Head, Department of Military and Political Analysis and Research Projects, Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO)
15. Pavel Palazhchenko Head of Press Office, Gorbachev Foundation
16. Alexander Panov Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Honored Member of the Russian Diplomatic Service, Head, Department of Diplomacy MGIMO University
17. Sergey Rogov Academic Director, Institute for the US and Canadian Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences (ISKRAN), Chairman 4 of the International Security Advisory Board of the Scientific Council at the Security Council of the Russian Federation; Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences
18. Pavel Sharikov Leading Research Fellow, Department of the European Integration, Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IERAS)
19. Igor Sherbak Former First Deputy of the Permanent Representative of the RF at the United Nations, Leading Research Fellow, Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IERAS)

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Questions related to this article:

Where in the world can we find good leadership today?

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20. Alexey Stepanov Research Fellow, Department for Military-Political Studies, Institute for the US and Canadian Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences (ISKRAN)
21. Nataliya Stepanova Research Fellow, Department for Military-Political Studies, Institute for the US and Canadian Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences (ISKRAN)
22. Alexander Usoltsev Head, International Relations Department, Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR)
23. Fedor Voytolovsky Director, Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences
24. Igor Yurgens President of the All-Russian Insurance Association, Member of the Board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs
25. Andrey Zagorskiy Head, Department for Disarmament and Conflict Resolution Studies, Primakov National Research Institute for World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IMEMO)
26. Pavel Zolotarev Major General (ret.), Leading Research Fellow, Department of Military-Political Studies, Institute for the US and Canadian Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences (ISKRAN)

European and American signatories
Name Position
27. James Acton Co-director, Nuclear Policy Program Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
28. Roy Allison Professor of Russian and Eurasian International Relations, Director, Russian and Eurasian Studies Centre, St. Anthony’s College, Oxford
29. James Bindenagel Ambassador (ret.), Henry Kissinger Professor, Center for Advanced Security, Strategy and Integration Studies Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
30. Sharan Burrow General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation
31. Richard Burt Chairman of Global Zero US, US Chief Negotiator in the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks with the former Soviet Union, former US Ambassador to Germany
32. Pierce Corden Former division chief, United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and research fellow at the Center for Science,Technology and Security Policy, Amer. Assoc. for the Advancement of Science 5
33. Christopher Davis Professorial Research Fellow, University of Oxford
34. Marc Finaud Head of Arms Proliferation and Diplomatic Tradecraft, Geneva Centre for Security Policy
35. Nancy Gallagher Director, Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM)
36. Helmut W. Ganser Brigadier General (ret.), Defence Advisor to the German NATO Delegation 2004-2008, Brussels
37. Joseph Gerson President, Campaign for Peace, Disarmament & Common Security
38. Alexander Graef Research Fellow, Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg (IFSH)
39. Thomas Graham Managing director, Kissinger Associates, Inc.
40. Thomas Greminger Director of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), former Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
41. Sven Hirdman Ambassador to Russia 1994-2004, State Secretary Ministry of Defence of Sweden (1979-1982);
42. Jon Huntsman Former Ambassador to Russia, former Governor of Utah
43. Daryl Kimball Executive Director, Arms Control Association
44. Lawrence Korb US Navy Captain (ret.), former Assistant Secretary of Defense, Reagan Administration, Senior Research Fellow, Center for American Progress, and Senior Advisor, Defense Information Center;
45. Reinhard Krumm Director, FES Office for Peace and Security, Friedrich-EbertStiftung
46. Ruediger Luedeking Ambassador (ret), former Deputy Commissioner of the German Federal Government for Disarmament and Arms Control
47. Douglas Lute Lieutenant General (rt.), US Ambassador to NATO, 2013- 2017, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center, Harvard University
48. Jack Matlock US Ambassador to the Soviet Union (1987-1991)
49. Hanna Notte Senior Research Associate, Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP)
50. Olga Oliker PhD, Adjunct Professor, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies
51. Janusz Onyszkiewicz Former Minister of National Defense of Poland
52. Zachary Paikin Researcher, EU Foreign Policy at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)
53. William Perry former US Secretary of Defense, Director of the Preventive Defense Project at CISAC, FSI Senior Fellow
54. Andreas Persbo Research Director, ELN
55. Nicolai Petro Professor of Political Science, University of Rhode Island
56. Thomas Pickering Former US Under Secretary of State, former Ambassador to Jordan, Nigeria, El Salvador, Israel, the United Nations, India and Russia
57. Steven Pifer Former US Ambassador to Ukraine, nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and research fellow at 6 Stanford University;
58. William Potter Sam Nunn and Richard Lugar Professor of Nonproliferation Studies, Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey
59. Wolfgang Richter Colonel (ret.), Senior Military Advisor of the Permanent Representation of Germany to the OSCE, Vienna (2005– 2009); Senior Associate, International Security Division, German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Berlin (SWP)
60. Cynthia Roberts, Professor of Political Science, Hunter College, City University of New York, Senior Research Scholar, Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies Columbia University
61. José M Treviño Ruiz Admiral SP Navy (retired)
62. Lynn Rusten Vice President for Global Nuclear Policy, Nuclear Threat Initiative
63. Kevin Ryan Brigadier-General (ret), Senior Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center
64. Vladimir Senko Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus
65. Reiner Schwalb Brigadier-General (ret), National German Representative at NATO Allied Command Transformation, Norfolk/VA, 2007- 2010; German Senior Defense Official and Attache to the Russian Federation, Moscow, 2011–2018
66. Stefano Silvestri Senior Scientifi c Advisor at Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), former Under Secretary of State for Defence, former President of IAI (2001-2013);
67. Graham Stacey Senior Consulting Fellow, ELN, former Chief of Staff of NATO Transformation
68. Strobe Talbott Distinguished fellow in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution, Deputy Secretary of State (1994-2001), President of the Brookings Institution (2002-2017)
69. Bruno Tertrais Deputy Director, Fondation pour la recherche stratégique (Foundation for Strategic Research, FRS)
70. Greg Thielmann Board member of the Arms Control Association, Commissioner of the U.S.-Russian-German “Deep Cuts” Project;
71. Adam Thomson Director of the European leadership network, Permanent UK representative to NATO (2014-2016)
72. Owen Tudor Deputy General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation
73. Harlan Ullman Senior Advisor, Atlantic Council
74. Alexander Vershbow Former Assistant Secretary of Defense, former NATO Deputy Secretary General; former US Ambassador to South Korea, NATO, Russia; Distinguished Visiting Fellow at University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House; Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council.
75. Dov Zakheim Vice Chair, Foreign Policy Research Institute, Former Under Secretary of Defense 7

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Europe, North America,

USA: United National AntiWar Coalition : US and NATO aggression towards Russia – danger at the Ukrainian Border

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

A statement from the United National AntiWar Coalition

The US government and its corporate media have been trying to build a case that Russia is getting ready to invade Ukraine.  Their main argument is that they have observed around 90,000 Russian troops near the border with Ukraine.  Near the border means that they are on Russian territory, this is what the US calls aggression.  Although US and NATO forces have surrounded Russia and have conducted military maneuvers right at the Russian border, that is deemed to be not provocative, but Russia massing troops in its own territory is.  What is never said in any of these reports is that there are 125,000 Ukrainian troops in the Donbass region right near the Russian border.  These troops have been freshly equipped by the US with advanced weaponry and US military “advisors” have been aiding them in their aggressive military posture.  The massing of Russian troops near its border is a defensive move on their part to counter the threat of the US and NATO and their ally Ukraine that wants NATO membership.

In 1990, as the Soviet Union was collapsing, James Baker the US secretary of state told the Soviet leaders that NATO would not expand east of Germany.  Since then, it has expanded into 14 countries in violation of that agreement, right up to the Russian border.  History has since shown the world that it is the US and its NATO allies that are the aggressors everywhere in the world.  It is the US with its military in more than 170 countries, with 20 times the number of foreign bases as all other countries in the world combined that has invaded and occupied one country after the next.  It is the US that spends almost as much on the military as all other countries combined. This is what the Russians fear and with good reason.
 
The Russians have only to look at the coup that the US orchestrated in Ukraine in 2014.  They can recall Senator John McCain speaking to the protesters in Maidan Square, Kiev, urging them forward to topple their government, and US diplomat Victoria Nuland as she brought treats for the Maidan protesters and was recorded on the phone saying “fuck the EU” because they wanted to replace the Ukrainian president with someone other than the US hand-picked person.  The US pick, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, of course, was installed as the new prime minister after the coup, and ever since the US has had important influence in Ukraine.  The new finance minister in the coup government was Natalie Jeresko, from the US and Joe Biden’s son took a role on the board of the largest Natural gas company in the country.   The new government contained far right and Nazi parties such as the Svoboda Party and others associated with a coalition of right-wing groups called the Right Sector.  In Ukraine today there are openly fascist militias, swastikas chalked on walls or displayed on jackets and torchlight marches through the streets with people chanting anti-Semitic and anti-Russian slogans.   This is what the US put in place and what Russia – who lost 20 million people to the Nazi terror in World War II – fears. 

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Questions related to this article:
 
Can the peace movement help stop the war in the Ukraine?

How can the peace movement become stronger and more effective?

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The key demand of Russia is that Ukraine, which has the largest border with Russia of any European country, not become a NATO member.  They also demand that the U.S. and NATO back off on their approach to the Russian border and stop placing armed nuclear installations on their border.   The US/NATO/Ukraine aggression is happening at a time when the Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelenskiy has been making promises to “win back” Crimea and has started an offensive against the Eastern break-away regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.  All three areas are Russian speaking regions that rejected the 2014 coup as far-right and Nazi forces took hold of the government.  The people of Crimea voted by over 90% to break from Ukraine and re-integrate into Russia since they had been part of Russia untill 1956 anyway.  In the Donbass, which is the area of Luhansk and Donetsk, the people organized into the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic, created their own flags and built people’s militias to defend their territory against the right-wing and anti-Russian government of Kiev.  Although a cease fire agreement was reached, it has been consistently violated by Kiev and recently the Zelenskiy government has stepped-up attacks in the regions.  More than 14,000 people have been killed in this war in the Eastern Ukraine.
 
Another reason for the recent US/Ukraine aggression may be because just recently, Russia completed its Nordstream 2 natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany and is ready to turn it on.  This can provide gas to Germany and Europe at a much better price than the US can offer with its fracked gas.  This will also replace the Russian gas pipeline that runs through Ukraine.  Natural gas was a key factor in the 2014 Ukrainian coup.  Like many of the other recent US initiated wars, energy may be a big issue in this situation too.
 
We demand:

– No US weapons or military advisors for the Ukrainian military
– Stop the US saber rattling, No war with Russia
– Keep Ukraine out of NATO

(Editor’s note: UNAC brings together most of the leading antiwar organizations of the United States. A recent video conference of UNAC against war in the Ukraine included representatives of the ANSWER coalition, Black Alliance for Peace, CodePink, International Action Center, Popular Resistance, Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, US Peace Council, Black Agenda Report, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Veterans for Peace and World Beyond War.)

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Europe, North America,

United National AntiWar Coalition: No War with Russia

. .DISARMAMENT & SECURITY. .

An email received at CPNN from the United National AntiWar Coalition

Today (February 6) was an amazing day. In little more than 1 week, the entire antiwar movement came together, signed a joint statement against a war with Russia and organized protests in dozens of cities around the country. We also held an online rally where antiwar leaders from many groups spoke. The consensus is that we must remain unified and continue to organize our movement into the future.


Tomorrow, you will have the opportunity to join our webinar where peace activists from the US, Russia and Ukraine will speak. Hundreds have already registered. You can do so below and help make this a powerful event.

US/NATO Aggression at the Russian Border
A conversation between US, Russian and Ukrainian Peace activists
Webinar, Sunday, February 6,
12 noon Eastern (US/Canada)

Click here to register

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Question for this article:

The peace movement in the United States, What are its strengths and weaknesses?

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Speakers will include:

Ajamu Baraka, National Organizer, Black Alliance for Peace

Larissa Shessler, Chair, Union of Political Emigrants & Political prisoners of Ukraine

Bruce Gagnon, Coordinator, Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space

Joe Lombardo, Coordinator, United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC)

Vladimir Kozin, Correspondent member, Russian Academy of Military Science

Leonid Ilderkin, Coordinating Council of the Union of Political Emigrants & Political Prisoners of Ukraine.

Corporate media in the US has been warning about a possible invasion of Ukraine by Russia. This, Russia denies. But this propaganda has been used by the Biden Administration to whip up sentiment for war. Billions of dollars of US arms have been sent to Ukraine, Ukraine has massed an estimated 145,000 troops on the Russian border with US “advisors” supporting their effort. For years the US and its Western allies have moved NATO into Eastern European and former Soviet States in violation of agreements made with Russia. They have installed missiles at the Russian border and conducted “war games” at the Russian border. Today’s threat is a threat against a major nuclear power that puts the entire world in danger. Join us for this important webinar with voices for peace from Russia, Ukraine and the US.

Click here for UNAC’s statement on the situation on the Russian border

(Editor’s note: See also the CPNN article US Must Take Russia’s Security Concerns Seriously)

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, North America

United States : Marquette Law School Establishes Center for Restorative Justice

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An article by Rebecca Kelliher in Diverse, Issues in Higher Education

Marquette University recently announced its creation of the Andrew Center for Restorative Justice at Marquette Law School. To establish the Center, Marquette alumni couple Louis and Suzanne Bouquet Andrew have committed $5 million. Janine P. Geske, a retired professor of law at Marquette and a current trustee of the University, will be the Center’s inaugural director.

In a statement, Geske described restorative justice as “a powerful, peace means for addressing conflict, promoting healing, and facilitating problem solving that differs from current mediation practices.” Until 1998, Geske had been a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court before teaching restorative justice to students for about twenty years. Prior to her retirement at Marquette, Geske directed the Law School’s Restorative Justice Initiative. 

“It has been my dream to have a permanent restorative justice program at Marquette Law School,” she said. “As a judge and attorney, I experienced both the successes of our criminal justice system as well as its failures in bringing restoration to victims and communities harmed by crime. I left the bench because I wanted to help better address the needs of those who have been harmed and marginalized in society.”

The Center will build upon Geske’s work, training law students in how to use restorative justice at local, national, and international levels. Restorative justice often involves lawyers, judges, or other professionals who engage in a guided civil dialogue to address conflict, promote healing, and facilitate problem solving. Such dialogues can be between the victim, the victim’s family members, the offender, and other members of the impacted community.

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Discussion question

Restorative justice, What does it look like in practice?

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“I am most excited that this gift will enable us to continue Janine’s restorative justice work in a robust way and thereby help give our students a broad sense of what the possibilities are for lawyers in not just the legal system per se but in serving the community generally,” said Joseph D. Kearney, dean of Marquette Law School and a professor of law.

He noted that recent years have drawn greater attention to how a crime harms not only the victims but surrounding communities. A restorative justice approach aims to mend these ripple effects alongside or separate from the formal processes of the legal system.

“This is not intended in most instances to be an alternative to traditional criminal law or a way for people who have committed a substantial wrong to get a lesser consequence for their action by making a face-to-face apology,” said Kearney.

The Center will also support faculty research and strengthen restorative justice work in the wider community. Geske previously participated in restorative justice efforts that addressed bullying in primary and secondary schools, for instance. This sometimes involved creating a safe setting for a student who was bullied to enter an open dialogue with the student who did the bullying. Through the Center, such community work could be expanded, including training school counselors in similar techniques.

Kearney added that restorative justice can be highly sensitive work. In some cases, a facilitator like Geske could work with an offender and victim for up to a year on taking steps toward restorative justice before deciding it is appropriate for the two to have a face-to-face discussion.

“And in some instances, it will be evident that it will not be appropriate, that there may be too great a risk of re-traumatizing the victim,” said Kearney. 

Such delicacy in restorative justice highlights to Kearney why someone as skillful as Geske is an ideal person to come out of retirement to get the Center off the ground. Later this month, Geske will facilitate the Center’s launch and, while director, help search for its permanent director.

“It is so exciting that because of the Andrews’ generous gift, we will be able to permanently support the teaching, practicing, and promoting of restorative processes to some of our society’s greatest problems,” she said. 

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, North America

Peace and Justice Organizations call for Freedom for Julian Assange

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

A petition from United National Antiwar Coalition

Imprisoned Wikileaks founder, journalist and free speech champion Julian Assange today faces life imprisonment for telling the truth about U.S. war crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan and at the U.S. torture base in Guantanamo Bay.

Assange faces charges under the 1917 U.S. Espionage Act. Prosecution under that WWI anti-democratic law placed thousands of antiwar activists in prison for exercising their free speech right to protest WWI.

Ironically, the Dec 19, 2021 New York Times front-page two-part series entitled, Hidden Pentagon Records Reveal Patterns of Failure in Deadly Airstrikes, follows in Assange’s footsteps in reporting U.S. war crimes, yet The Times staff writers remain free.

Some 100 Times reporters evaluated Pentagon confidential document obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. These included reports on 50,000 U.S. airstrikes on Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan conducted under the Obama and Trump administrations. The Times on-the-scene reporters subsequently confirmed tens of thousands of civilian casualties – collateral damage.

“The [Pentagon] documents,” according to The Times, “identify children killed or injured in 27 percent of cases; in The Times’s ground-breaking reporting it was 62 percent.”

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Question related to this article:
 
Julian Assange, Is he a hero for the culture of peace?

Free flow of information, How is it important for a culture of peace?

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The Times and several other major publications worldwide reprinted much of the same Pentagon material that Assange’s Wikileaks released to the world. Yet Assange faces a life in prison for publishing the truth.

The persecution of Julian Assange by the U.S. government is a threat against free speech and free press. It is also a threat to the Peace Movement and all movements for social change since without information and the ability to speak and write freely about U.S. wars and war crimes we are greatly limited, and the people of the world are kept in the dark.

Therefore, Peace and Justice organizations and activists demand:

Free Julian Assange!
No to U.S. wars!
Freedom of the press!
Free journalists!
Free speech!

Initial signers:
Organizations:  United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC), United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), ANSWER coalition, Code Pink, Black Alliance for Peace, International Action Center, US Peace Council, Veterans for Peace, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), World Beyond War, Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, Popular Resistance, Alliance for Democracy, Ban Killer Drones, People’s Opposition to War, Imperialism and Racism, Free Palestine Movement, International Solidarity Movement (Northern Calif), Palestine Children’s Welfare Fund, Syria Solidarity Movement, NakbaTour, Resumen Latinoamericano, One State Assembly, Association for Investment in Popular Action, Upstate NY Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars, Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War, Sanctions kill Coalition (Editor’s note: We have added CPNN.)

SIGN HERE

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, North America

USA: Bernie opposes exorbitant defense spending bill

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from Nation of Change

Outraged at his colleagues for incessantly fighting against social welfare programs while promoting corporate welfare, Sen. Bernie Sanders declared his opposition against the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, which would cost at least $778 billion.

“Many of my colleagues tell the American people, day after day, how deeply concerned they are about the deficit and the national debt,” Sen. Sanders said Tuesday in a press release. “They tell us that we just don’t have enough money to expand Medicare, guarantee paid family and medical leave, and address the climate crisis to the degree that we should if we want to protect the well-being of future generations. Yet, tomorrow, the U.S. Senate will be voting on an annual defense budget that costs $778 billion – $37 billion more than President Trump’s last defense budget and $25 billion more than what President Biden requested. All this for an agency, the Department of Defense, that continues to have massive fraud and cost overruns year after year and is the only major government agency not to successfully complete an independent audit. Isn’t it strange how even as we end the longest war in our nation’s history concerns about the deficit and national debt seem to melt away under the influence of the powerful Military Industrial Complex?”

(Article continued on the right column)

Question for this article:

Does military spending lead to economic decline and collapse?

(Article continued from the left column)

In 2018, the Defense Department reported to Congress that from fiscal years 2013 to 2017, over $6.6 billion  had been recovered from defense contracting fraud cases. In 2020, the DOD Office of Inspector General reported that 395 of its 1,716 ongoing investigations—or approximately one-in-five—are related to procurement fraud.

Due to the fact that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report earlier this year determining that the DOD has wasted billions of dollars in less than a decade due to corruption and fraud, Sanders has called for defunding the U.S. military, which consecutively has the largest budget in the world without any reasonable justification. In addition to losing the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. military remains a perpetual drain on the economy despite repeated incompetence and corruption.

Sanders added, “Further, it is likely that the Senate leadership will attach to the National Defense Authorization Act the so-called ‘competitiveness bill,’ which includes $52 billion in corporate welfare, with no strings attached, for a handful of extremely profitable microchip companies. This bill also contains a $10 billion handout to Jeff Bezos for space exploration.

“Combining these two pieces of legislation would push the price tag of the defense bill to over $1 trillion – with very little scrutiny. Meanwhile, the Senate has spent month after month discussing the Build Back Better Act and whether we can afford to protect the children, the elderly, the sick, the poor and the future of our planet. As a nation, we need to get our priorities right. I will vote ‘NO’ on the National Defense Authorization Act.”

As his fellow legislators drag their feet in opposition to repairing failing infrastructure and improving healthcare for all, Sanders remains well aware that the NDAA passes every year with an overwhelming majority due to all the political contributions from defense contractors and lobbyists. By reducing the exorbitant defense budget, more money would be available to improve the quality of life for most Americans.

But as President Eisenhower warned in his farewell address, “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”

On Tuesday, Sanders took to twitter and wrote, “No. Congress should not provide a $10 billion handout to Jeff Bezos for space exploration as part of the defense spending bill. Unbelievable.”

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, North America

Pittsburgh : Black leaders seek ‘city of peace’

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An article from the Post Gazette

A month ago, a group of African American lawmakers announced an initiative to curb the wave of gun violence and violent crime throughout Allegheny County.

The group, which calls itself the Black Elected Officials Coalition, announced it would begin a series of community events to promote peace in the streets. Democratic state Rep. Ed Gainey, who represents Lincoln-Lemington and is favored to win the Pittsburgh mayoral race next week, acted as the primary spokesman for the group, raising dramatically the expectations for the BEOC’s access to resources and cooperation across bureaucracies.

Mr. Gainey said the lawmakers, in cooperation with partners in government, the nonprofit sphere and law enforcement, would work together with at-risk young people to “create a city of peace” and promote a culture of nonviolence. This is a tall order, but not an impossible one, especially when elected officials are willing to stand behind their work with their names and reputations attached.

(article continued in right column)

Question related to this article:
 
How can culture of peace be developed at the municipal level?

(article continued from left column)

Even before BEOC was formed, Pittsburgh City Councilman Ricky Burgess, whose district includes Homewood, East Liberty and Garfield, had been working with Councilman Daniel Lavelle, whose district includes Downtown, the Hill District and Oakland, on the Stop the Violence Trust Fund.
 
Both councilmen are deeply involved in the effort to give $9 million to the Center that CARES, a Hill District nonprofit that deploys a dozen outreach workers to seven neighborhoods where most of the violence has been centered. All studies show that early intervention before neighborhood beefs escalate is the key to curbing conflicts.

This initiative will be one part of the strategy that these elected officials will lean on in the coming years. What BEOC proposes goes far beyond the usual “throw money at the problem and hope for the best.” These are elected officials who understand the nature of the problem and are heartbroken by the disappointing results of previous efforts.

This is too important to be left to law enforcement to figure out. The BEOC believes it has the empathy and motivation required to make this initiative a game changer.

Others on the coalition are Allegheny County Council members Olivia Bennett and DeWitt Walton and state Rep. Jake Wheatley, D-Hill District.

For their willingness to put their names and reputations on the line, the Black Elected Officials Coalition deserves our respect and appreciation. If the coalition succeeds, it will help Pittsburgh to serve all of its people, including those formerly without hope and left to settle scores on their own, in the streets.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, North America

USA: Women Rally for Abortion Justice Amid ‘Unprecedented Attack’ on Reproductive Rights

. HUMAN RIGHTS .

An article from Common Dreams (licensed under Creative Commons – CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. )

Amid an escalating Republican assault  on reproductive rights and a looming U.S. Supreme Court reckoning, women and allies across the United States and around the world took to the streets Saturday to #RallyForAbortionJustice and defend Roe v. Wade.



(frame from video by @Molly JongFast)

Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in Washington, D.C, New York City, Los Angeles, and more than 600 other cities and towns, according to Women’s March, the event organizer.

“No matter where you live, no matter where you are, this moment is dark—it is dark—but that’s why we’re here,” Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood, told  participants at the Washington, D.C. protest. “It is our job to imagine the light, even when we can’t see it. It is our job to turn pain into purpose. It is our job to turn pain into power.”

At the Houston rally—where signs read “Abort Abbott” in protest of S.B. 8, Texas’ draconian abortion law signed earlier this year by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott—more than 10,000 people turned out, with many chanting, “Our bodies, our choice.”

In Washington, D.C., Women’s March executive director Rachel O’Leary Carmona described the wave of GOP anti-choice laws in at least 16 states as an “unprecedented attack” on reproductive rights.

(Article continued in the right column)

Questions related to this article:

The struggle for human rights, is it gathering force in the USA?

How effective are mass protest marches?

Abortion: is it a human right?

(Article continued from the left column)

“For a long time, groups of us were ringing the alarm bell around abortion access and many of us were told we were hysterical and Roe v. Wade will never be overturned,” Carmona told  USA Today. “But now it’s clear that our fears were both rational and proportional.”

Women’s March  says  that by refusing to block the Texas law—which bans abortions after six weeks  without  exceptions for rape or incest, and offers $10,000 bounties for vigilantes who successfully sue anyone who “aids or abets” the medical procedure—the Supreme Court “effectively took the next step towards overturning Roe v. Wade.”

In May, the Supreme Court announced it will hear a challenge to Mississippi’s near-total abortion  ban , a case that author Lauren Rankin  warned  “may very well be the death knell for Roe v. Wade” given the high court’s conservative supermajority.

 Nearly all  House Democrats  came together  last week to pass the  Women’s Health Protection Act  (WHPA) in response to the Texas law and amid  mounting fears  that the Supreme Court will overturn Roe.  According to  the advocacy group Equal Access to Abortion, Everywhere, the WHPA would establish “a statutory right for health care providers to provide, and their patients to receive, abortion care free from medically unnecessary restrictions, limitations, and bans that delay, and at times, completely obstruct, access to abortion.”

However, the bill faces an uphill battle in an evenly split Senate in which anti-choice Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.)  oppose  the measure.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren tweeted Saturday that Americans “support the right to a safe, legal abortion.”

Speakers at Saturday’s rallies emphasized the harm caused by anti-choice laws. Planned Parenthood of Illinois senior director of public policy Brigid Leahy  told  the Associated Press at the Springfield march that women started traveling to Illinois two days after the Texas law took effect.

“They are trying to figure out paying for airfare or gas or a train ticket, they may need hotel and meals,” she said. “They have to figure out time off of work, and they have to figure out childcare. This can be a real struggle.”

HUMAN RIGHTS, North America

United States and Canada : International Day of Peace

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION .

A survey by CPNN

Here are 159 events for the International Day of Peace located in all the United States except West Virginia and Wyoming, as well as 5 events in Canada in four provinces. In order to save space, one event is given in detail for each state and province and internet links are provided for the others.
The events were listed in Google during the week of September 21-28 this year under the key words “International Day of Peace,” “peaceday” or “Journée Internationale de la Paix” or were listed on the following websites:
– Campaign Nonviolence
– International Cities of Peace Facebook
In addition to the above events, there were several hundred singing events listed on the websites of One Day One Choir and Montessori schools singing for peace, but it was not possible to distinguish events of 2020 from events in previous years.


Here are excerpts from the articles.

* * * CANADA * * *

MANITOBA

MANITOBA: The week of September 15–21, 2021 has been proclaimed as “Peace Days” in Manitoba by the Honourable Minister of Education, Cliff Cullen. It is with hope, that the celebration of Peace Days in Manitoba will encourage educators, students, parents, and community members to participate in activities that promote peace and compassion throughout the year.

NOVA SCOTIA

HALIFAX : Peace Halifax is a day-long festival offered as a gift to the people of Halifax in honour of the United Nations International Day of Peace. Events at Halifax Central Library. Click here for video

ONTARIO

TIMMINS: People are invited to attend the opening of the Schumacher International Peace Park on Tuesday, Sept. 21. . . The new park, located near Little Pearl Lake, includes a peace garden and decorated peace poles. Each pole will have “May Peace Prevail on Earth” written in a different language. . . . The unveiling ceremony is at noon on Tuesday, Sept. 21 at the Schumacher Lions Club Park behind the McIntyre Arena

TORONTO

QUEBEC

ST MALACHIE: La Grande Marche pour la Vie (Sept 6-Oct 14) We will be marching from all 4 directions in the province of Québec towards the provincial capital. This will be a marche for the protection of all forms of life – plants, animals, soil, humans, water, air, trees. We will be walking through many towns giving room for kids and youth to speak about the life they want on earth. This is a walk to give voice to action for protecting our only home – earth and it’s beings.(Survey continued in right column)

* * * UNITED STATES * * * *

ALABAMA

OPELIKA : We will all meet up and gather in our Samford Community with everyone family an friends invited and guests.Starting off with a devotional and song scripture. After that get our young people lined up for the Peacemarch and in our city. Then Ready for the Rally and Celebrate Peace Day with City Officials! Have fun with music and snacks will be provided.

CAMP HILL
HUNTSVILLE
SCOTTSBORO

ALASKA

ARIZONA

SEDONA: Sedona celebrated International Day of Peace with the fifth year of the Sedona Human Library – 15 Human Books and 100 readers dissolving our biases and prejudices and creating understanding – Unjudging someone. Also with our Meditation Mondays – in four locations – people collectively meditating for peace – for there to be workd peace we need to transform our own inner conflict – Inner peace. And on Tuesday we celebrated our connection in community with Sedona Dances for Peace honoring all the work of peacemakers throughout the world in so many ways!
Many of also participated in the Ekam World Peace Festical Launch and our peacemaker Sherab Shey Khandro continues Follow the Peace Trail online. These events are in partnership with sponsors Sedona Public Library, Rotary Club of Sedona, City of Sedona, Arizona Community Foundation and local community partners (El Rincon, Vino De Sedona, Sedona Arts Academy, Yoga/meditation/healing studios and more!

PRESCOTT
TUCSON

ARKANSAS

FAYETTEVILLE: The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra will accompany a rare public screening of the silent anti-war film classic All Quiet on the Western Front, at the U of A’s Faulkner Performing Arts Center, in recognition of this year’s Sept. 21 observance of the United Nations International Day of Peace. The musical score was arranged by Mont Alto’s pianist and director, Rodney Sauer, and this is only the third time it will have been performed in public.  This special screening of All Quiet on the Western Front will be held at the Faulkner Performing Arts Center on the U of A campus at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 21, and is free and open to the public. The celebration is sponsored by the Department of Communication Film Appreciation Society; the OMNI Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology; and the Center for Multicultural and Diversity Education.

LITTLE ROCK

CALIFORNIA

SANTA BARBARA: Join us for a special night on September 21st, the United Nations designated International Day of Peace as we award the UNA Santa Barbara Peace Prize 2021 to Roger Durling! Roger Durling has put our community on the world map as a destination for important international film world premieres. We’ve noticed many of the films in the SBIFF are on important topics in the world. They are artistically compelling, to be sure, but they are also enlightening and help people connect more to the world, to issues and struggles across it. Peter Yeo, president of A Better World campaign, will be our special guest speaker. Live music performance from Jackson Gillies too!

MANTECA, CALIFORNIA
BAKERSFIELD
CASTRO VALLEY
EUREKA
LONG BEACH
LOS ANGELES-GARDENS
LOS ANGELES-PAX CHRISTI
MORRO BAY
NOVATO
ORANGE
SAN DIEGO BAHAIS
SAN DIEGO PEACE RESOURCE CENTER
SAN FRANCISCO
SUNNYVALE

COLORADO

MONTROSE: Week of Unity and Peace. A peace prayer gathering will be held at the Peace Pole in Ute Indian Park.

DENVER
LITTLETON

CONNECTICUT

MYSTIC: Join us for a reflective walk at the Peace Sanctuary as we observe the International Day of Peace. Please note this walk is of moderate difficulty over uneven terrain. Meet at the bottom of the driveway at the Peace Sanctuary, located at 233 River Road, Mystic.

BOLTON
FARMINGTON
NEW LONDON
NEWTON

DELAWARE

PEACE WEEK DELAWARE

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

DC PEACE TEAM : 9/22 We will offer an ONLINE Restorative Justice Conversation with Native American Anita ‘JoJo’ Shifflett from 7-9pm EDT. 9/25 We will offer an ONLINE Spirituality and Restorative Justice

DC HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER
DC NONVIOLENCE INTERNATIONAL
DC VIETNAM PEACE COMMEMORATION COMMITTEE
INTERFAITH COUNCIL OF METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON

FLORIDA

WINTER PARK: The International Day of Peace, Sept. 21, marks the start of the 19th Annual Global Peace Film Festival, which presents a selection of feature-length and short films at various locations in Winter Park. Themes include civil and human rights, environmental and social justice, immigration, LGBTQ+, and music. There will be both ticketed and free opportunities to watch a virtual rendition Sept. 27-Oct. 1 on the website. peacefilmfest.org

DUNEDIN
FORT MYERS
KEY WEST
MIAMI BEACH
ORANGE CITY
ORLANDO
SARASOTA

GEORGIA

ATLANTA: In recognition of the International Day of Peace, the Rotary Club of Gwinnett County and the Ismaili Council for the Southeastern USA invite you to attend their peace and unity program. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms will deliver the keynote address virtually. Dr. Mahmoud Eboo, Aga Khan Development Network Diplomatic Representative to Canada, will also deliver a virtual address as a distinguished speaker for the event.

SANDY SPRINGS
SMYRNA
VALDOSTA

HAWAII

HAWAII: The Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawai‘i and its network of Buddhist temples across the state, along with the United Nations Association of Hawai‘i and the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa KTUH radio station will celebrate this year’s Ring Your Bell for Peace Day at 9:01am local time (7:01pm UTC) on 21 September. Invitations to participate in the event were sent to the governors of all 50 US states, as well as mayors of all of the Hawai‘ian islands. People from around the world can also join by completing a registration form at the Honpa Hongwanji website.. . .Buddhist temples in Hawai‘i, including the West Kaua‘i Hongwanji, Lihu‘e Hongwanji, and Kapa‘a Hongwanji, will participate in Peace Day by ringing their bells.

HAWAII PEACE AND JUSTICE
HONOLULU PACIFIC JUSTICE AND RECONCILIATION CENTER

IDAHO

BOISE : Gates of Hope.

ILLINOIS

DEERFIELD: Please join the Bahá’is of Deerfield at the Deerfield train station garden on Tuesday, September 21st at noon as we dedicate a new public bench and commemorate the UN’s International Day of Peace. We’ll say a prayer for peace and unveil a new public bench. This event will take place outside. We ask that all participants wear a mask. We hope to see you there!

CARBONDALE
CHICAGO CHRISTIAN PEACEMAKER TEAMS
CHICAGO PEACE SCHOOL
CRETE
DEKALB
LINDENHURST
MURPHYSBORO
ROCK ISLAND

INDIANA

HUNTINGTON : Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters. We will be observing Action Week September 18-26, 2021 by holding a Prayer gathering for Non-violence Wednesday, September 22nd.

INDIANAPOLIS

IOWA

IOWA CITY: At 4:30 p.m., visit the Blackhawk Mini Park in the Ped Mall for the dedication of a stainless-steel peace pole, a new piece of art that features the word peace in several languages on its sides. This dedication is in honor of International Day of Peace, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and is themed “Recovering Better for a Sustainable and Equitable World.”

CHARLES CITY
DAVENPORT
DUBUQUE

KANSAS

WICHITA: Global Village (radio show) marks International Day of Peace. The program highlights topical tunes from a variety of artists from around the world, including Third World, Vieux Farka Touré, Sameer Gupta, The Holmes Brothers, Edwin Starr, and more.

KANSAS CITY

KENTUCKY

NONVIOLENT OWENSBORO : at 9/11 Memorial; Nonviolence Conflict Resolution in Education with Robin Wildman; International Day of Peace Celebration on the Riverfront.

LOUISVILLE: DREPUNG GOMANG CENTER FOR ENGAGING COMPASSION

LOUISIANA

NEW ORLEANS: Academy of the Sacred Heart. September 21. This morning, Preschool and Lower School gathered together in the Philippine courtyard to observe the United Nations International Day of Peace. We kicked off our all-school Red & White Spirit Day with prayers in hopes that peace may be realized among all people.

MAINE

SOUTH PORTLAND: Mahoney Middle School continued its tradition of celebrating International Peace Day. We again studied the origins of the day in Connections groups while we learned how our own attitudes toward peace complement out school’s commitment to kindness and respect for all people. Thanks once again to Mrs. Pitt for her energy, enthusiasm and faith in peace and to Mrs. McQuinn and Mr. Kozaka for their help organizing our “Stand for Peace” activity. Click here for their video

MARYLAND

ACCCOKEEK : Little Friends for Peace will be doing a week-long Peace Week at the Chance Academy in DC. We want to provide teachers, students & support staff with the tools and practices for conflict resolution by building a culture of peace at the school.

LJAMSVILLE
NATIONAL HARBOR

Question for this article

What has happened this year (2021) for the International Day of Peace?

(Survey continued from left column)

MASSACHUSETTS

WORCESTER : The Center for Nonviolent Solution has three events planned for Campaign Nonviolence:
Tuesday, September 21, Peace Vigil at Lincoln Square in downtown Worcester.
Tuesday, September 21 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Robin Wildman of Nonviolent Schools Rhode Island presents on Kingian Nonviolence in Education, virtual.
Sunday, October 3: 2:00 -3:30 p.m. – A walking tour of Worcester’s peace history.. . .

CHELMSFORD
BRIDGEWATER
CAMBRIDGE
CUMMINGTON
FOXBORO
NEWBURYPORT
SPRINGFIELD
SWAMPSCOTT

MICHIGAN

LANSING : For those of us in Greater Lansing, one way we can celebrate peace is by taking part in an annual event known as PeaceQuest, which happens during the entire month of September. PeaceQuest is a series of peace-related events to not only celebrate our oneness as a people, but also mark the 40th anniversary of the United Nations International Day of Peace, which was adopted by the UN on Sept. 21, 1981. Events will highlight the efforts of individuals, organizations and governments that take action to end conflict and promote peace, as well as encourage others to do the same. For a full list of PeaceQuest events, visit peacequestgreaterlansing.org/events-schedule/.

MID-MICHIGAN SCHOOLS
OAKLAND UNIVERSITY
OKERNOS
TRAVERSE CITY

MINNESOTA

MINNEAPOLIS : Friends for a Nonviolent World. Join artist and educator Susanne Crane as we take a thoughtful walk through the art on Nicollet Mall. Leah Robshaw Robinson of Friends for a Non-Violent World and her associates will present mini workshops on peace & conflict resolution. Singer-songwriter Elisha Marin will also perform for us!

MISSISSIPPI

SOUTHAVEN : 9/21, 2:15 PM to 4:00 PM at the Olive Branch Senior Center. Yogis perform 108 Sun Salutation for peace and enlightenment on the solstices and equinoxes.

MISSOURI

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI: The local community is invited to join us for our 2021 International Day of Peace Commemoration on Tuesday, September 21!

MONTANA

HELENA : Oregon City UMC

NEBRASKA

GRAND ISLAND : Nebraskans for Peace

NEVADA

RENO : Reno’s Weekly Peace Presence Vigil. Since the first week of October, 2001, when the United States began bombing Afghanistan in response to the 9/11 attacks, a group of peace-minded people in Reno has gathered weekly. . . We will reflect on the 20 years of purposeful public witness to peace and nonviolence at this final Peace Presence Vigil. 400 S Virginia St. / corner of Liberty & S Virginia St.

LAS VEGAS

NEW HAMPSHIRE

CONCORD : New Hampshire Peace Action. September 20, 7 pm: Peace & Justice Conversations: Palestine Education Network Two peace activists, Will Thomas and Sandra Yarne, who have visited Palestine and Israel will discuss how the United States supports the oppression of Palestinians. . .

DOVER

NEW JERSEY

MAHWAH : Event listing from Mahwah Public Library – Teen and Tween Schedule: Tuesday, September 21 from 3:45 PM to 5:00 PM, Today is International Day of Peace, and teens in grades 5 & up can join us and help spread messages of hope and positivity by making a beautiful pinwheel for peace!

NEW MEXICO

ALBUQUERQUE: Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice and community members gather to celebrate World Peace Day September 21.

TAOS NONVIOLENCE NEWS
TAOS ELCA ROCKY MOUNTAIN SYNOD CREATION CARE TEAM

NEW YORK – UNITED NATIONS

United Nations Events :
International Day of Peace Youth Observance
Friday, 17 September 2021, 10:00-11:30 a.m. EDT
A youth observance for the 2021 International Day of Peace will take place online on 17 September 2021 at 10:00 -11:30 a.m. EDT, with the participation of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Messengers of Peace and students from around the world.
— Peace Bell Ceremony
Friday, 17 September 2021, 3:00-3:30 p.m. EDT
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and the President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly Abdulla Shahid will celebrate the International Day of Peace (21 September) in the Peace Garden at United Nations Headquarters by ringing the Peace Bell and observing a minute of silence
— Secretary-General’s message
This year’s International Day of Peace comes at a crisis point for humanity. COVID-19 has turned our world upside-down. Conflicts are spinning out of control. The climate emergency is worsening. Inequality and poverty are deepening. And mistrust and division are driving people apart at a time when solidarity and collaboration are needed more than ever. As a human family, we face a stark choice — Peace or perpetual peril. We must choose peace. That is why I call for a 24-hour ceasefire today. And by working in solidarity for a lasting, sustainable peace every day, we can tackle the issues facing us. We need peace to urgently deliver lifesaving vaccines and treatment for COVID-19. We need peace to recover from the pandemic and re-build shattered systems and shattered lives. We need peace to level the playing field and reduce inequalities. We need peace to renew trust in one another — and faith in facts and science. And we need to make peace with nature — to heal our planet, build a green economy, and achieve our net-zero targets. Peace is not a naïve dream. It’s a light in the darkness. Guiding us to the only pathway to a better future for humanity. Let’s walk the pathway of peace as if our lives depended on it. Because they do.

NEW YORK

NEW YORK CITY : Walk of Shame with CODEPINK. We will be hosting a walk from the BlackRock headquarters to the UN on the International Day of Peace. Along the way, we will stop at corporations in New York City to call out their role in the war machine and environmental destruction across the world and “award” them their very own War Machine Walk of Shame Star. Our event will conclude at the UN, where we will make a plea for peace, for the safety of ourselves and our planet. Join us on this powerful and educational event that shows us how the war machine is everywhere–including in our very own neighborhoods. WHEN September 21, 2021 at 12:00pm – 2:00pm (EDT) WHERE March route starting at BlackRock Headquarters NYC, 45 E 51st,

CUBA
GENESEO
HARRISON
LAKE GEORGE
NEW YORK CITY – WORLD TRADE CENTER
NEW YORK CITY – RISING TOGETHER
NEW YORK CITY – PAX CHRISTI
ROCHESTER
SARATOGA SPRINGS

NORTH CAROLINA

MOORESVILLE: Students at The Brawley School created a display with pinwheels in recognition of International Day of Peace.

NORTH DAKOTA

FARGO: International Day of Peace . Event starts on Tuesday, 21 September 2021 and happening at Fargo Public Library, Fargo, ND.

OHIO

DAYTON : The Peace Museum will be celebrating the International Day of Peace by gathering in front of the new Museum location on downtown Dayton’s Courthouse Square. With guest speakers and live music from the World House Choir, the museum will give a sneak peek of our new home at 10 North Ludlow Street downtown. The Museum is expected to open to the public in late fall of this year.

CINCINNATI
CLEVELAND
COLUMBUS
FREEMONT
TOLEDO

OKLAHOMA

NORMAN : Norman Peace Team. Light a Candle for Peace, 7:00 p.m., September 21st. We will hold a candlelight vigil to commemorate the International Day of Peace. The location will be at the recently-erected Peace Pole at Rotary Park in Norman, OK. In addition to a candle-lighting vigil, the evening will include readings of peace, music, and a moment of silence for those who gave their lives in the pursuit of peace.

OKLAHOMA CITY

OREGON

SALEM : Oregon PeaceWorks & Association for Communal Harmony. Tuesday, September 21, 2021, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.; We will mark the 41st International Day of Peace with a symposium entitled “Making Peace Happen: Working for an Equitable & Sustainable World”

EUGENE
HILLSBORO
PORTLAND

PENNSYLVANIA

PHILADELPHA -PEACEDAY PHILLY: – Listing of all events
Fliers for specific events:
Walking while Black:L.O.V.E.is the answer; Concerting peace; Peace in the Streets; Restorative justice; Roots and Branches program

FRANKLIN
GETTYSBURG
LANCASTER
PHILADELPHIA ARTS EVENT

RHODE ISLAND

WESTERLY : Members of the Artists’ Cooperative Gallery of Westerly will share their interpretations on the theme of peace during the month of September in honor of the International Day of Peace. Ten of the works on display will be selected for cash awards courtesy of a group from the Westerly-Pawcatuck International City of Peace.. . . “Visitors to the gallery and to the gallery’s website will be invited to consider each peace-themed work and to vote for their favorites,” says gallery member and artist Lois Lawrence, writing in her monthly email about upcoming shows at the gallery, noting that September will also feature the works of photographers Ardie Harrison and Nancy Nielsen.

KINGSTON

SOUTH CAROLINA

COLUMBIA : Carolina Peace Resource Center

SOUTH DAKOTA

SIOUX FALLS : One Book Siouxland
Number

TENNESSEE

OAK RIDGE : The International Friendship Bell and Peace Pavilion in Oak Ridge will serve as a gathering place for activities observing the United Nations International Day of Peace on Tuesday, Sept. 21. With a featured Music for Peace program presented by the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association, the evening will include a “Gardens for Peace” design raked into the gravel karesansui garden at the Bell. The program also includes comments about the peace garden project and from Peace Pavilion architect Ziad Demian on the tradition and technology in the Pavilion design. Oak Ridge Girl Scouts, who began organizing and participating in the Day of Peace observation in 2015, will lead singing and present quotes for peace. They will also have activities for children, including raking a small personal Japanese rock garden to take home.

MEMPHIS

TEXAS

AUSTIN : Each day from Sept 18-26, Nonviolent Austin will hold a daily vigil at noon in front of the state capitol. We’ll have a different vigil theme and musician each day. Nonviolent Austin will also join the Texas Poor People’s Campaign Rally on Sept 20th on the capitol grounds.

SAN ANTONIO

UTAH

SALT LAKE CITY : Utah Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. SEPT. 20th @ 6PM, We are having a celebration for the end of nuclear weapons. It will be a potluck picnic in the north central section of Liberty Park. All are welcome!

SALT LAKE CITY GANDHI ALLIANCE FOR PEACE

VERMONT

VERMONT COUNCIL ON WORLD AFFAIRS: The Vermont Council on World Affairs will observe the International Day of Peace on Tuesday with speakers talking about peace locally and globally, with a “sub-theme” focusing on current events in Afghanistan, organizers said. . .. The schedule includes several other events related to Afghanistan, including: A celebration of Lida Nadery, the Vermont Council on World Affairs 2021 person of the year. Nadery is an Afghan woman who works on peace-building in Afghanistan, specifically with women and girls. A panel on current events in the country featuring Ronald E. Neumann, former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, and Paula Nirschel, founder of the nonprofit Action for Afghan Women.A keynote speech from Jim Sciutto, CNN’s chief national security correspondent, who will bring insights from his time reporting in Kabul 20 years ago and analysis on the U.S. response to Afghanistan. He also plans to speak on the link between journalism and peace in the age of disinformation.

LINCOLN
SHELBURNE

VIRGINIA

NORFOLK : Members of the Hampton Roads Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons held a Vigil for Nuclear Disarmament at the US Federal Building in downtown Norfolk, VA.

GOODE
HARRISONBURG

WASHINGTON

TACOMA: On the United Nations International Day of Peace, Tacoma events will take place at Thea’s Park, 405 Dock St., 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Among the presentations, music and food, numerous dignitaries will be there including Mayor Victoria Woodards, Pierce County Councilman Ryan Mello, Hilltop Action Coalition Board President Brendan Nelson, Tacoma Sister Cities President Clare Petrich, Tacoma Refugee Choir, Steve and Kristi Nebel, and 2021/22 Tacoma Peace Laureate Marilyn Kimmerling will be presented with a medallion for the Greater Tacoma Peace Prize. . . . The highlight of the day will be the dedication of a new 12-foot stainless steel peace pole that bears the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in the languages of Tacoma’s 13 sister cities. . .

BELLINGHAM
OLYMPIA
SEATTLE

WISCONSIN

EAU CLAIRE : Community Coalition for Non-violence

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