April 2025
We are facing an unprecedented attack on our Constitutional Democracy from a President who took an oath to protect and defend it.... As people committed to collective liberation both at home and abroad, we must be prepared to counter this plan.
A Grassroots Call to Courage
Poor People's Campaign: Break the Silence: We Demand a Moral Budget!
The U.S. Congress is attempting to make cuts that will hurt poor and directly impacted people first and worst. Join the Poor Peoples Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival to break the silence and make calls to ensure that our elected leaders hear directly from poor and low-wage communities, faith leaders, and advocates about the issues impacting us most. We demand a moral budget, and not a death-dealing scheme! There are over 135 million people in the United States who are poor or one emergency away from being in poverty. Congress must hear directly from us about why we demand a moral budget, not a death-dealing scheme! Call your congresspersons and register your moral dissent! We must tell the truth about the impacts of federal budget cuts on the lives of our communities! We demand an expanded social safety net, not a devastated one!
Call to Courage: Do Not Turn On Us
"Do Not Turn On Us" is a grassroots response to the terrifying likelihood that the Trump Administration will deploy the U.S. military domestically, using it for immigration enforcement and to unconstitutionally suppress protest and dissent. Initial response has been extremely positive with many UFPJ member organizations deciding to talk with active duty service members and national guard members, reminding them that they took an oath to the Constitution and service members have a Right to Refuse an order that violates the Constitution. The Call to Courage PDF is an excellent summary of the initiative. Find the PDF, along with information for those wanting to participate, a brochure, a poster, and resources for active duty service members HERE.
The U.S/Mexico Border: A Slippery Slope Toward Martial Law and Greater Presidential Power
Without invoking the Alien Enemies Act or the Insurrection Act, the Trump Administration militarized a portion of the southern border, asserting that service members can search and detain migrants there. First, Trump signed a memorandum transferring the Roosevelt Reservation from Dept. of the Interior to Dept. of Defense control. Next, the DOD declared a 60-foot-wide strip of land in New Mexico along the border part of Arizona's Fort Huachuca, giving the Army authority to enforce immigration laws on this "military-controlled land." While a "60-foot-wide strip of land" may seem small, militarizing that strip is one step on a slippery slope toward martial law and ever greater presidential powers. ALL citizens need to understand the statutory and constitutional limits on military participation in law enforcement.
United for Peace and Justice Welcomes Susan Smith of the Fellowship of Reconciliation to its Coordinating Committee
Susan Smith is director of operations and community engagement of the Fellowship of Reconciliation-USA and a member of the International Committee of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation, as FOR's UN representative. In 2024, on behalf of IFOR and FOR-USA, she helped develop a Global Solidarity for Peace in Palestine network. She is a founding member of the International Sanctuary Declaration Campaign and has been involved in justice and resettlement work with migrants in the Middle East and Mediterranean, as well as with the unhoused in the USA. She is a former resident of the Community of Living Traditions at Stony Point Center, an intentional community of Jews, Christians and Muslims drawing upon their faith traditions to engage in peace and social justice work. Welcome Susan!
Seeding Young Peacekeepers: UFPJ Plans a Second Training
Young people in 2025 grew up in a post-9/11 world of endless war. They question the U.S. culture of violence, racism, and ecological devastation, yet they may fail to understand how war and militarism are substantial drivers of these problems. Seeding Young Peacekeepers, which UFPJ piloted in 2021, will identify, support, and "train up" 18 young activists, from up to nine locations, prioritizing those from BIPOC communities. They will become leaders who reject fear, violence, and conflict as normal, and promote equity, justice, and a recognition of the connections we have to one another and the planet. We've worked for months to raise $20,000 and we are excited that the Telemachus Foundation has awarded us HALF that amount. Read about the first Seeding Young Peacekeepers project, and please CONTRIBUTE to make another training possible this year.
Abolition 2000 -- Live From the NPT PrepCom!
From April 28 -- May 9, States parties to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) will meet at the UN in NYC for the third Preparatory Committee meeting for the 2026 NPT Review Conference. The NPT represents the only binding commitment to the goal of disarmament by the five original nuclear-armed States. The Abolition 2000 Global Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons was founded during the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference, with the launch of an appeal to the NPT States Parties calling on them to commence negotiations on a nuclear weapons convention (treaty) and to undertake other measures to end the nuclear arms race, prevent nuclear war, and support the global elimination of nuclear weapons. A lot has changed since 1995, but Abolition 2000 is still here and will be celebrating its 30th anniversary during the 2025 NPT PrepCom. Read more.
After Freedom from U.S. Nuclear Weapons for 18 years, U.K. Activists Challenge the Return of U.S. Nuclear Weapons with a Two-Week Encampment at Royal Air Force Base Lakenheath
In anticipation of U.S. nuclear weapons returning to U.K. soil after their removal 18 years ago, activists from the U.K. and around the world gathered at the Lakenheath Peace Camp from April 14 - 26, with a 24 hour a day, 7 days a week vigil at the main entrance of RAF (Royal Air Force) Lakenheath. Organized by Lakenheath Alliance for Peace and a coalition of many groups including CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament), the encampment, culminated in an international peace conference on April 24, "Analysing and Resisting U.S. Nuclear Expansion," and a nonviolent blockade of the air base on April 26. Colonel (Ret) Ann Wright was at the encampment and was a featured speaker at the conference. She wrote about the experience on April 17, and provided a detailed history of nuclear weapons in the U.K. Read her article here.
Good Friday Protest at Lockheed Martin, King of Prussia, PA
On Good Friday, 200 people gathered outside Lockheed Martin, the world's largest weapons manufacturer, which supplies Israel with F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, Apache Helicopters, Hellfire Missiles and weaponized drones to bomb civilian communities throughout Palestine. Shane Claiborne of Red Letter Christians quoted Jesus, who said: "What you do unto the least of these, you do to me," and that we must love and protect Palestinians. Ariel Gold, of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, said that the liberation of the Palestinians from occupation and genocide is connected to Passover and the liberation of the Jews from Egypt. 26 people crossed the property line and were arrested for "disorderly conduct and creating hazardous or physically offensive conditions by an act which serves no legitimate purpose." Most plan to plead not guilty.
War Beyond the Reach of Law: UFPJ Israel/Palestine War Resources
The assault on Gaza has resumed, and the erosion of international law with it. Israel's military killed humanitarian workers in marked vehicles and buried the evidence, and continues to throttle essential humanitarian aid flows. The aid cut-off combined with bombing and other military action has led to what the UNWRA calls "likely the worst humanitarian crisis" of the 18 month war. The U.S. government refusal to condemn these atrocities may be more than mere hypocrisy. Naz K. Modirzadeh argues that it may reflect the influence of factions in the U.S. military seeking to reshape U.S. doctrine on the law of armed conflict, and to prepare the public for the extreme violence of large-scale war against another "great power," such as China. Find more Israel/Palestine war resources here.
Image: Rousseau Diderot, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Bullying and Toadying--the Entire Trump Diplomatic Toolbox: UFPJ Ukraine War Resources
The war grinds on with the Russian government ceaselessly bombarding Ukraine's cities, making more nuclear threats, forcibly Russifying Ukrainians in the territories it has seized, and imprisoning those who oppose the war at home. Trump and his negotiators appear to lack competence, patience, and any strategy beyond pressuring Ukraine's government to meet all the Russian government's demands, while portraying a willingness to forgo seizing all of Ukraine as a sufficient "concession" by Russia. Ukraine's government so far refuses to capitulate, but faces an uncertain future if the Trump government decides to abandon both negotiations and further military support. Find these and other resources on the UFPJ Ukraine War Resources page.
MLK's "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence" -- Now More Than Ever
On April 4, the 57th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s tragic and untimely assassination, and the 58th anniversary of his prophetic speech, "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence," peace and justice advocates gathered in different parts of the country for participatory readings of the speech. In his prescient speech, Dr. King declared: "I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values…. 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, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered." Learn more about this year's participatory readings here.
Newly Updated! Mayors for Peace Action Tool Kit
Mayors for Peace, founded in 1982 and led by the Mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, is working for a world without nuclear weapons, safe and resilient cities, and a culture of peace, in which peace is a priority for every individual. As of April 1, 2025, Mayors for Peace has grown to 8,477 cities in 166 countries and territories, with 229 U.S. members -- representing in total over one billion people. The next membership goal for Mayors for Peace is to reach 10,000 member cities as quickly as possible. This updated Tool Kit provides ideas and resources for action on disarmament in your city or town. It includes a new section on Frequently Asked Questions. Is your mayor a member? Check the list of U.S. Mayors who are members of Mayors for Peace.
Thirteen Years On, the Guantanamo Military Commission Fails to Issue a Verdict, or Schedule a Trial in the 9/11 Case -- A Path to Finality is Increasingly Confounding
In late January, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit heard arguments about whether or not guilty pleas by three of the five 9/11 defendants remain valid, after Sec. Def. Austin's attempt to invalidate them. To date, there is no ruling, and further appeal to the Supreme Court is likely. Earlier this month, the judge in the military court at Guantanamo threw out the confession a fourth defendant made to the FBI, as being tainted by his previous torture by the CIA. The prosecution is now appealing that decision to the Court of Military Commission Review. Meanwhile, the fifth defendant remains unable to stand trial, by virtue of incompetence, which his attorneys argue is the result of his torture in CIA black sites. The next 9/11 pre-trial hearings at Guantanamo are scheduled for July; what if anything can move forward is unclear.
Webinar Recording: Phyllis Bennis interviewed about her new book, Understanding Palestine and Israel
In Understanding Palestine and Israel, Phyllis Bennis unpacks the history that led to this moment, from the Balfour Declaration to the Occupied Territories, from Zionism to the US role in financing and arming Israel's military. She examines the conditions in Gaza before the October 7, 2023 attacks, the roots of Palestinian resilience, the role of the U.S. government in enabling Israel's genocide in Gaza, and the global movement for ceasefire and justice, including South Africa's initiative at the World Court to hold Israel accountable for its war crimes. The book's epilogue examines the 2024 election of Donald Trump. To watch the recording of Ariel Gold, Executive Director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, interviewing Phyllis Bennis on FOR's "Gathering Voices" program please click here; enter Passcode: MJx+l4*7
Webinar Recording: How to Divest Your City to Protect People and Planet
On April 10 the Warheads to Windmills Coalition, American Friends Service Committee, and World Beyond War hosted a highly informative and practical webinar on municipal divestment. Municipal Divestment has a strong history of moving our money out of humanitarian and environmental crises. Getting your city to shift funds away from unethical systems sends a clear message about what we value as a society. The first panel featured three stories of successful city divestment campaigns across the country that took a stand against companies complicit in the climate crisis (Berkeley, CA), the threat of nuclear war (NYC), and the genocide in Gaza (Portland, ME). The second panel provided resources, tools, and tips. More information here. Watch the recording here. Webinar Q&A document here.
Webinar Recording: Repairing the Social Fabric in an Age of Misinformation
We are living through a period of tremendous change in our information ecosystem. Nick Rabb, a postdoctoral researcher at California State University, Los Angeles, organized this webinar to help people think critically about misinformation's effects on politics and social life. As a scholar and organizer, Nick is motivated to develop strategies to move towards a more just and cooperative society. The webinar was designed to "complicate the concept of misinformation;" to show how it affects all of us, regardless of our political orientation and to suggest strategies we call all use to repair the social fabric. Presented by the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security, a UFPJ member organization. Watch here.
The Power of the Pen
This month UFPJ joined with dozens of peace groups supporting a letter to President Trump asserting Congressional war powers regarding unauthorized and escalatory U.S. military strikes in Yemen and expressing serious concern about the reckless manner in which senior Administration officials planned these strikes. The letter, released on April 9 by Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA), Ro Khanna (CA), and Val Hoyle (OR) was signed by 30 additional members of Congress, and was reported in The Intercept. UFPJ also was among a diverse group of military analysts, veterans, scholars, and experts who sent an open letter to Trump on April 16, urging the closure of unnecessary U.S. military bases abroad. The letter outlines how these bases, which cost taxpayers approximately $66 billion annually, are not only wasteful but also undermine national security.
UFPJ is a diverse network of peace and justice organizations. READ ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP. If your organization is interested in joining UFPJ, please read our UNITY STATEMENT, and if it is consistent with your organization's principles contact our National Organizer, George Friday, at info.ufpj[at]gmail.com.
PLEASE DONATE to help us continue sending out our monthly newsletter "UFPJ Currents" to our members and supporters. And THANK YOU for all your work for peace and justice!
