“We must rapidly begin the shift from a ‘thing-oriented’ society to a ‘person-oriented’ society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.” – Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. “Beyond Vietnam,” April 4, 1967
In December 2019, with the support of the Colombe Foundation, the Kairos Center [a convener of the Poor People’s Campaign] brought over 60 people from nearly two dozen states to a strategic dialogue on ending militarism and the war on the poor. Among this group were grassroots and community organizers working on homelessness, health care, living wages, environmental issues, immigrant justice, education and police brutality; cultural organizers, artists, musicians and poets; clergy; veterans and peace activists; and scholars and policy experts. We came together to explore and expand existing approaches to combating U.S. militarism and the war economy, which are too often isolated from on the ground struggles for racial justice, economic human rights, environmental justice, and democratic accountability. Our goal was to uncover the direct and indirect ways that militarism and the war economy affect our varied communities.
For many people this was the first time they had made clear connections between their community or their work, the declining resources in their communities, and the growing militarization they were experiencing and witnessing every day. The breakthroughs that came out during this convening illustrated so clearly the broad impacts of war and militarism on us all and encouraged a deeper commitment to integrating an analysis of ending militarism and the war economy into our ongoing work. Read the full article by Charon Hribar and Shailly Gupta Barnes of the Kairos Center.
THIS JUST IN! Read about and add your name to the Open Letter from Black Pastors on the COVID-19 Crisis.
United for Peace & Justice is proud to be a mobilizing partner in the Poor People’s Campaign; A National Call for Moral Revival. On June 20, 2020, the Poor People’s Campaign will hold the largest digital and social media gathering of poor and low-wealth people, moral and religious leaders, advocates, and people of conscience in this nation’s history. The global pandemic is exposing even more the already existing crisis of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, the war economy and militarism, and the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism.
