November Peace News

Join us at the School of the Americas Protest

Next week, FOR members will gather with thousands of activists at the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia for the 12th annual Vigil and Nonviolent Direct Action to Close the School of the Americas. Please visit SOA Watch to learn more about the event and find travel information. We hope you will join us in marching against the violent repression of Latin American peoples that SOA has made possible. Also, please join us for a for a workshop to learn skills to support nonviolent action and the demilitarization of U.S. foreign policy.

Advocacy, Demilitarization and Accompaniment in Colombia

Participate in dynamic, interactive workshops where you will learn about protective accompaniment of Colombian communities that have taken a stance for peace and nonviolent resistance; about counter-recruitment in the U.S. and the conscientious objector movement in Colombia. See how you can get involved in advocating for a complete cut in military aid to Colombia, stopping America’s Other War, the worst human rights crisis in the Western Hemisphere.The Fellowship of Reconciliation's Colombia program and Youth &; Militarism program will lead this training event. For more information: susana@forpeace.net.

Call for volunteers to table at SOA vigil

FOR is also looking for volunteers to help tabling at the SOA vigil. Volunteers are needed for shifts Saturday and Sunday morning. Please contact: susana@forpeace.net.

Support FOR's work for peace and justice

Last month, we sent you an e-mail highlighting the accomplishments and challenges of the past year as part of our annual appeal for financial support.  As you know, the 2007 year has been a tumultuous one for the Fellowship of Reconciliation. This past summer, a sprinkler malfunction caused severe damages to Shadowcliff, our Nyack headquarters, requiring more than $50,000 in repairs.

To counteract violent conflict and military aggression, FOR is committed to increasing person-to-person dialogues to raise recognition and understanding of our common humanity.  Your contribution to the Fellowship of Reconciliation is essential, now more than ever, as we focus on sustaining our work in Colombia, the Middle East, and the United States, and rebuilding the interiors of our Shadowcliff headquarters. For this, we are most grateful.

Blog highlight

October 27th speech: "Enough"

I am an Iranian-American who loves both Iran and America.

I am Iranian enough to be worried for my people, their cultural heritage, their history, and above all the path towards democracy that they have taken for the past 100 years. I see that today they are closer than ever to reaching this dream: the Iranian women, students, workers, and other groups have worked hard to get here and are willing to even work harder to achieve this dream.

What I feel my fellow Iranians are saying now, and they hope that everyone hears them, is that they are intelligent enough to make their own decisions. I hear their cry, loud and clear, when they say, “Please do not destroy our dream that we have worked so hard for.” I hear them say, loud and clear, “Please let us determine our own future by ourselves.”

Read the rest on our blog, FORpeace.net.

Burma: not forgotten

In our last monthly Peace News we highlighted the unfolding tragedy in Burma where Buddhist monks and every day citizens took to the streets to demand an end to the cruel junta that has ruled the formerly prosperous nation since 1962.  Two weeks ago, FOR hosted Burmese exiles in the midst of a 200+ mile Peace Walk to the U.N. as they stopped for a talk, dinner, and rest at our national headquarters in Nyack.

Although the streets have been emptied of protesters, Aung San Suu Kyi and the people of Burma continue to press for freedom.

This is an historical moment of opportunity and danger in Burma. The function of a movement here and in Asia is to show the world, the activists in Burma, and the junta that people everywhere are watching and supporting a movement of democracy and human rights that ultimately will succeed. We can also be allies to monks and citizens of Burma by bringing pressure on China, Russia, and India, and maintaining support for U.S. efforts.
 - Message from the Buddhist Peace Fellowship

Our own Richard Deats (former director of FOR and editor emeritus of Fellowship) visited Burma and led clandestine trainings in the practice of nonviolent resistance just days before the nation exploded in August. He recommends The Irrawaddy as a good source of information from the Thai/Burmese border.  We are also following the news at BuddhistChannel.tv and through our friends at the Buddhist Peace Fellowship who have posted an update this week on How You Can Support the People of Burma.

To stay up to date, follow the Burma section of our blog at FORpeace.net/tag/burma.

Give the gift of peace

FOR's bookstore is packed with wonderful gifts for friends and family - and for yourself! 

Visit the FOR bookstore or look for our holiday catalog in your mailbox for these and many other gifts of peace.

The FOR family is growing

Welcome, Liza!

We are thrilled to welcome Liza Smith to our staff as an organizer for our national campaign to end U.S. military aid to Colombia. Liza recently completed a national speaking tour after serving for 18 months on the human rights accompaniment team of Peace Brigades International.  Prior to her work with PBI, she served as Colombia Program Associate with Global Exchange, as an interpreter, a Spanish teacher, and for a shelter for homeless people in Colorado. Liza coordinated two national FOR delegations to Colombia in 2003 and 2004. She is also a talented musician, and for many years has organized a summer Buddhist camp for kids. “Wherever I have lived and worked,” Liza says, “Colombia has been the ongoing theme that continues to inspire and motivate me.” Welcome, Liza!

We're hiring

We're also hiring for several other new positions.  Please check out the descriptions and share them with anyone who might be interested in working with us.

• Full-time Director of Operations in Nyack, NY
• Temporary Bookstore Assistant in Nyack, NY
• Part-time Special Events and Peace House Coordinator in Nyack, NY
• Full-time Marketing & Bookstore Manager in Nyack, NY

Upcoming delegations & peacemaking opportunities

Delegations

Dec. 1 - 15: FOR Iran Peace Delegation, co-led by Leila Zand and Mark Johnson. (full)

Feb. 25 - March 10: FOR Iran Peace Delegation, co-led by Sister Ellen Francis Poisson
Participants will visit Tehran (the contemporary capital), Qom (the world center of Shi’i theology), Esfehan (the legendary capital of medieval Persia), and Shiraz (the jewel of classical Islamic culture as well as the seat of Iran’s ancient pre-Islamic civilization).  Applications due Nov. 15.
Learn more: forusa.org/programs/iran, iran@forusa.org

Mar. 6 - 13: SIPAZ Delegation to Guerrero, Mexico
Get to know Guerrero from the inside, the problems, local resistance processes, and the struggle of indigenous people for a life with justice and dignity. Visit indigenous villages, ecologists, human rights defenders, and much more.
Learn more: www.sipaz.org/gini_eng.htm, info@sipaz.org

Mar. 22 - 30: FOR Youth Arts and Action Delegation to Colombia
Join the Fellowship of Reconciliation on a powerful delegation as we share skills and learn with youth-led organizations who are fighting for the right to say no to armed conflict and are creating real peace and justice from the grassroots up. Applications due Jan. 10.  Some scholarships available.
Learn more: forcolombia.org/springdelegation, forcolombia@igc.org

Mar. 29 - Apr. 12: IFPB Delegation to Israel and Palestine
Voices of the Peacemakers: Palestinians and Israelis Chart a Shared Future
Learn more: www.ifpbdel.org/del26

Peacemaker trainings

Nov. 10: Youth, Militarism and Art - Another Reality is Possible Strategizing Session, Minneapolis, MN.
Come join the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Youth Against War and Racism and Iraq Veterans Against the War in plotting for: truth in military recruiting; demilitarized youth culture; career, educational and creative community opportunities; generational economic justice and more!
Learn more: grassrootsnonviolence@gmail.com

Nov. 14 - 16: Civilian Diplomacy workshops at School of the Americas
Dynamic, interactive workshops about protective accompaniment of Colombian communities that have taken a stance for peace and nonviolent resistance; about counter-recruitment in the US and the conscientious objector movement in Colombia.
Learn more: above

Jan. 3 - 10: Peacemaker Training Institute, Kirkridge Institute, Bangor, PA.
Youth and young adults ages 16-29 are invited to a week-long training in nonviolence and anti-oppression dialogue and activism. Applications due Dec. 1. 
Learn more: youth.forusa.org

Feb. 15 - 18: Advanced Peacemaker Training, Shadowcliff, Nyack, NY.

These events and more are listed in our Grassroots Civilian Diplomacy calendar.

Vote tomorrow!

Many states in the US hold municipal and referenda elections in odd years.  These local elections are one of the places where grassroots activism can have its greatest impact.  Tomorrow, November 6, is an opportunity for those of us who value peace and justice to cast our ballots for people and policies that will work against the militarism of our schools, communities, and economy.  Please find out about the local elections in %pa_city%, and cast a vote for peace tomorrow.

Your support keeps us going

The latest issue of Fellowship magazine focuses on Pluralizing Sustainability; Sustaining Pluralism. If you have donated to FOR in the past year, you should have already received your copy. If not, now's a great time to subscribe.

 

You can sustain and strengthen FOR's essential work for peace and justice in many ways.

Membership is free, and demonstrates your support of our Statement of of Purpose. Donations are always welcome, and we'll thank you with a year of Fellowship magazine. Visit our blog and leave a comment. Or just share this message with a friend who understands the importance of peace and justice with nonviolence.

Now federal employees can support us at work, too! FOR was recently chosen to receive donations from the Combined Federal Campaign, the largest workplace fundraising drive. We are a part of the new Peace and Reconciliation category. If you are a federal employee please choose FOR, CFC number 12436.