We need new approaches to organizing in this moment, approaches that will allow us to work across our issue siloes and to build broader, more cohesive movements first to protect basic rights and democracy, and then to make the deeper changes needed to create a more fair, peaceful, and ecologically sustainable society.

UFPJ needs your SUPPORT and the world needs your commitment to continue the struggle!

• Demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the Middle East.
• Organizing at the local level to push back on attempts at the federal level to escalate nuclear weapons modernization and abolish programs to address the Climate Crisis.
• Promoting pro-labor, pro-union policies.
• Confronting the false moral narratives that are fueling racism, anti-immigrant sentiment and economic oppression.
• Opposing restrictions on our democratic rights and the U.S. Constitution.

We all know that ending and preventing wars saves the lives of both civilians and combatants. But as the Unity Statement of United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) directs us: “We will link the wars abroad with the assaults at home, and U.S. militarism to the corporate economic interests it serves. We will work to make the peace movement a strong ally to movements for social and economic justice in the U.S. and abroad.”

PLEASE GIVE A GENEROUSLY AS YOU CAN. Thank you!

In Solidarity,
Jackie Cabasso and Terry Rockefeller
UFPJ National Co-convenors

The post Give Peace AND Justice a Chance appeared first on United For Peace and Justice.

View the webinar here

This webinar features Dr. Carolyn “Rusti” Eisenberg discussing her new book, Fire and Rain: Nixon, Kissinger and the Wars in Southeast Asia. Drawing on documents declassified in recent years, the book explores how management of the war and of U.S. diplomacy by Nixon and Kissinger shaped U.S. foreign policy in ways that still resonate. Professor Eisenberg also provides insights on the impact of the anti-war movement, including how it was viewed from the White House. Rusti Eisenberg, a founder of UFPJ member group Brooklyn for Peace and a former member of our coordinating committee, is uniquely suited to help us reflect on the Vietnam War, the impact of the anti-war movements, and the lessons we might draw for today.

This event is presented by United for Peace and Justice and is cosponsored by Brooklyn for Peace, Historians for Peace and Democracy, Peace Action, Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives, Massachusetts Peace Action, Peace Action New York State, and Veterans for Peace.

The post Webinar Recording: Ending the ‘American War’ in Vietnam: The Impact of the Antiwar Movement and Lessons for the Present appeared first on United For Peace and Justice.

Their first sessions focused on, “What created the conditions for the U.S. to be as wedded to militarism as it is now in 2021?” They looked back to the 15^th century and the beginnings of colonialism in the U.S. and the racial exploitations and violence that created the foundation of the culture we are experiencing now. After establishing how the greed and exploitation of people for land and labor during colonialism still shapes our present, they started to examine what our culture teaches about life.

 They questioned government’s ongoing commitment to the military: spending on weapons, invading and occupying other countries, and endless wars, and asked, does war show ANY value for life? They began to explore the ongoing ecological devastation rooted in White Supremacy and the role of nuclear weapons in the U.S. military arsenal. They looked in detail at the U.S. use of nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, focusing on what this use of nuclear weapons tells us.

The Peacekeepers recognized patterns that have only become more flagrant, routine, and even normalized over time as “patriotism.” It was clear through genocide, slavery, and especially with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (since people were killed basically as an experiment) that U.S. militarism values white lives over other people’s lives. The Seeding Peacekeepers teams agreed that abolishing nuclear weapons should be a core demand for all of their projects.

Their next meetings focused on the local work each team will be doing and where each of the projects are in their plans. The first task was to identify the communities where they want to connect, build community, and make changes, asking, “Who is hurting where you are?” An organizer has the responsibility to identify those communities, amplify the stories that they’re telling, and lift their voices to create the change needed locally.

Future sessions will focus on connecting the dots and building power. Drawing on the stories from those affected communities, “How do we then connect to other organizations and initiatives to build power, expand any victories, address any new concerns and opportunities?”  A big piece of that work is not just connecting the dots between communities, organizations, individuals, and initiatives, but connecting the dots between issues and fronts of struggle – environmental justice, community violence, the overuse of police, criminal (in)justice, the school to prison pipeline and militarism.

Building on a successful campaign to remove the Niagara County Law Enforcement Academy from their campus, students at Niagra University in upstate New York, including Peacekeepers Matthew McKenzie, Katrina Giordano, and Marissa Meyers, are leading a project to reclaim the space as a “Student Hub for Equity and Inclusion.” Through their club, Peace Action, they plan to incorporate and develop a food pantry, a menstrual hygiene bank, a clothing exchange, and more. This hub will be a safe space for all students, and will be used to foster a sense of community through action, advocating, and organizing. According to a December 13 organizing statement by the three Peacekeepers: “There is symbolic beauty in the transformation of the space from one that would incite fear and political violence, to one that will build a sense of community, peace, and unity.”

Early next year, after their thematic online meetings end, George will be available to the Peacekeeper teams as they implement their projects.  By next Spring they will all have completed the work in their communities and on their campuses and be ready for their next steps.

The post Seeding Peacekeepers: Emerging Activists Begin to Prepare Local Projects appeared first on United For Peace and Justice.

This webinar highlighted UFPJ member groups’ and allies’ work to raise awareness of the impacts of war industries in communities around the U.S., including approaches ranging from focusing on particular armament companies to the use of local resolutions to educate publics about endless funding for the military while the frontline services provided by local government are short-changed. The keynote speaker was Rev. Liz Theoharis, National Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.

Other presenters included:

Carley Towne, with Code Pink’s Divest From the War Machine campaign
Ken Jones, with the campaign against Raytheon in Asheville, NC
Denise Duffield, with the Back From the Brink campaign
Jackie Cabasso, UFPJ National Co-convener, with Mayors for Peace
Helen Jacquard with the Veterans for Peace Golden Rule Peace Boat project
Brian Garvey of Massachusetts Peace Action Raytheon Anti-War Campaign
George Friday, UFPJ’s National Organizer, on Seeding Young Peacekeepers

The post UFPJ Webinar: The Costs of War at Home, recording now available. appeared first on United For Peace and Justice.

Our hope is to encourage younger leaders to question our culture of violence, ongoing ecological devastation rooted in White Supremacy and the role of nuclear weapons in the U.S. military arsenal. We see their work post the project as taking steps to help realize peace and justice in their own communities.

Any student entering college as a freshman this year grew up in a country at War: A country that has not known peace in their lifetime.

Starting a few months ago we began seeking activist minded young people to work in teams to participate in organizing and antiracism training then take on local, statewide, or regional action or projects that advance and catalyze needed changes on a range of issues connected to war & militarism.

UFPJ’s National Organizer, George Friday (she/they), and our Coordinating Committee members reached out through the network to identify possible participants. Our movement needs to be strengthened from the grassroots up and this requires skill building as we confront injustices and build power to demand change.  The best to our Peacekeepers as they begin this adventure!

The post UFPJ Seeding Peacekeepers Launched appeared first on United For Peace and Justice.

Seeding Peacekeepers, a project of United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), seeks to identify, support, and “train up” young activists, prioritizing those from BIPOC communities across the U.S., to become leaders who reject fear, violence, militarism, and continuing conflict as “normal”, and who will promote equity, justice, and a recognition of the connections all beings have to one another and the planet. The trainings will particularly emphasize the social, economic, and political impacts of war, the dual existential threats of nuclear weapons and climate change, and the need to address oppression at all levels of society in order to create a more equitable and sustainable global order.

Over a period of 26 weeks, UFPJ’s National Organizer, George Friday (she/they), a nationally recognized expert in confronting racism, oppression, and privilege to build power, will conduct trainings for project participants who will develop workplans for local work. Trainees will organize educational online webinars and Town Halls focused on issues they have identified and that connect to peace and justice issues in their own communities. Ideally these young leaders will go on to support and sustain intersectional, multi-issue organizations and networks for the long term.

We are seeking activist minded young people to work in teams and undertake projects of their own design that advance reform, spur debate, and catalyze change on a range of issues connected to war & militarism. Projects could range from public education and protest to grassroots organizing and policy advocacy to social media campaigns and other forms of movement building.

Here is what you can share with a perspective participant;

We want to identify young individuals who are committed to building political awareness & activism within their organizations and in their community to work for justice, defend bottom-up democracy and promote international human rights. We are a partner of the National Poor People’s Campaign so we will invite participants to embrace their analysis and policy recommendations.

These organizers can expect to;

• be a part of an activist team, receive training and learn about local and National peace and justice issues and efforts,
• have access to field experts on U.S. foreign policy and military intervention,
• use UFPJ resources to take action on key legislation,
• design and implement strategies to make desired impacts in your district, the state, and in Washington, D.C.

Participants will convene with staff biweekly for 2-3 hours for the first 3-4 months and then have with one-on-one check-in calls (or Zoom meetings) as needed in the 2-3 month period when they are designing and implementing their projects. The time commitment is about 6 hours per week and interns will receive a $200 stipend to defray expenses.

TO APPLY: Email George Friday at info.ufpj(at)gmail.com with the subject line: APPLICATION: Seeding Peacekeeper

The post UFPJ Seeks Young Peacekeepers appeared first on United For Peace and Justice.

Read Col. Ann Wright’s op-ed in Truthout: “For Peace With North Korea, Biden Must End the US-South Korea Military Exercises.” And check out this short powerful video, “For Peace in Korea, No More War Drills!”

On February 11, UFPJ joined nearly 50 organizations and over two dozen individuals in a letter to President Biden thanking him for “announcing an end to the United States’ ongoing military support and weapons sales for offensive operations in the Saudi- and Emirati-led intervention in Yemen.” The letter, which was reported in Foreign Policy goes on to call on Biden to permanently cancel dozens of arms deals worth tens of billions of dollars to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The post The Power of the Pen appeared first on United For Peace and Justice.

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UFPJ is inviting member groups that have young interns, staff or volunteers to have them apply to participate in a 6-month program that will provide training in organizing for peace that centralizes ending systemic oppression.

We will select 3 possible participants from member groups who will attend educational and organizing sessions online with George Friday who will conduct training and strategic planning to support each group’s plan and hold events based on issues that are pressing where they are, then coach them to use information and contacts from that event to identify potential members, volunteers, and plan future actions. We hope to work with young interns from at least two member groups from the Northeast, one group from the South, one from the Midwest, and two from the West, in addition to an intern for UFPJ itself.

See George’s bio on the UFPJ Coordinating Committee page.

Please have your team of young leaders email for an application – info.ufpj(at)gmail.com

The post Young Peacemakers appeared first on United For Peace and Justice.

Several UFPJ member groups also took part in activities marking the International Day. The Western States Legal Foundation participated in a    workshop on law and abolition of nuclear weapons organized by Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy. Activists from CODEPINK and Mass Peace Action joined the national movement to stand out for the elimination of nuclear weapons and to call on Congress to divest from war and invest in human needs. Click here to see highlights from actions held across the country.

A Global Appeal to end the nuclear threat, abolish nuclear weapons and shift the weapons budgets and investments to support public health, COVID-19 recovery, the climate and sustainable development was also launched.

The key calls in the Appeal were introduced to governments on October 2, 2020 by Mr. Saber Chowdhury and Ms. Vanda Proskova, the two civil society representatives invited by the President of the UN General Assembly to address the UN High Level Meeting on the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.

The Appeal will be presented to various forums including the UN General Assembly, Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference and Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly, as well as to national parliaments and civil society events. Click here to read and endorse the Appeal.

United for Peace & Justice joined #WeThePeoples2020, a coalition of international civil society organizations to promote United Nations and UN-focused events from the International Day of Peace (Sept. 21) through the International Day for Nonviolence (Oct. 2).

The post September 26: International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons appeared first on United For Peace and Justice.