 July-August 2000 American Friends Service Committee Peacework Magazine Patrica Watson, Editor Sara Burke, Assistant Editor Pat Farren, Founding Editor 2161 Massachusetts Ave. Telephone number: Fax number:
pwork@igc.org Peacework has been published monthly since 1972, intended to serve as a source of dependable information to those who strive for peace and justice and are committed to furthering the nonviolent social change necessary to achieve them. Rooted in Quaker values and informed by AFSC experience and initiatives, Peacework offers a forum for organizers, fostering coalition-building and teaching the methods and strategies that work in the global and local community. Peacework seeks to serve as an incubator for social transformation, introducing a younger generation to a deeper analysis of problems and issues, reminding and re-inspiring long-term activists, encouraging the generations to listen to each other, and creating space for the voices of the disenfranchised. Views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of the AFSC. |
Pieces
Sunday Afternoons at Bread & Puppet, 7/16-9/3; 3 pm, Basic Needs Circus; 5 pm, concerts; admission by donation; B&P Museum open daily 10 am-5 pm, 6/1-11/1; B&P Farm, Rt 122, Glover VT 05839; 802/525-3031
Vigils against Sanctions & Continued Bombing in Iraq, 7/28, 8/11, 8/25; 8-8:30 am; St. Johnsbury Post Office; contact Bonney Simons, 186 Overcliff Rd., St. Johnsbury VT 05819; 802/748-3663 Health Care Priorities, events at the New Hampshire
World Fellowship Center, Conway, NH: 7/30, 8 pm, Health Services in
Honduras: Ethical & political Isues of Doing Overseas Health Work,
with Linda Jo Stern; 7/31, 8 pm; Toward a Healthier Society, with
Judy Norsigian; NH World Fellowship Center, POB 2280, Conway NH 03818-2280;
Monadnock Summer Lyceum 2000; Jam for Peace! 8/5, noon-3 pm; Boston Common; a celebration of music, peace, & activism; West African drumming, reggae, and ska; join us to celebrate a culture of peace and help us build a global village; co-sponsored by the Disarmament Action Network, Shelagh Foreman, 617/354-2169; Cambridge Peace Commission, 51 Inman St., Cambridge MA 02139 Massachusetts Interfaith Prison Pilgrimage, 8/10, noon-1:30 pm; Community Change, 14 Beacon St. #605, Boston MA 02108; for 3 weeks from 10/21-11/11, people will walk to the major prisons to vigil, pray, & seek a more humane response to our common problems; please join John Schuchardt, one of the organizers, to discuss how to ensure that this action succeeds; part of Community Change anti-racism discussion series; bring lunch, beverages provided; 617/523-0555 Home District Lobby Days, 8/11-31; following National Mobilization to End the Sanctions against Iraq, coordinate with local activists, learn to lobby, meet with your elected officials in their home offices; Education for Peace in Iraq, 1101 Penn. Ave. SE, Washington DC 20003; 202/543-6176; www.saveageneration.org Environmentalist or Petroleum Politician? 8/14, noon; Democratic State Committee Bldg., 129 Portland St., Boston MA; Support the U'wa people by joining this protest of Al Gore's big oil holdings in Occidental Petroleum; sponsored by Boston Rainforest Action Group, 107 Brighton Ave., Boston MA 02134; 617/787-3556; bostonrag_2000@yahoo.com Celebrate La Lucha, 8/18, 6-8 pm; poetry by Renny Golden, photos by Jim Harney; sponsored by Posibilidad, 85 Wiley St., Bangor ME 04401; 207/942-3501; hmvida@aol.com Drums Around the World, 8/26-27, Discussion: Civil Unions in Vermont; 9/7, 7:30, North Congregational Church, Main St., St. Johnsbury VT; led by Beth Robinson, lead attorney in Baker v. State, Vermont's case concerning same-sex unions; contact Bonney Simons, North Country Coalition for Justice & Peace, 186 Overcliff Rd., St. Johnsbury VT 05819; 802/748-3663 GATHERINGS Rainforest Action Chautauqua, 8/9-14; Petersham MA; gathering of activists from grassroots movements to defend forests, fight corporate globalization, & build an equitable global society; contact Rainforest Action Network, 107 Brighton Ave, Boston MA 02134; 617/787-3556; kfoster@ran.org The Power of Partnerships: Schools, Communities,
Youth, Families Making a Difference for Youth, 8/17, 8 am-4
pm; conference for partnership building; keynote by Dr. Lonise Bias;
register with Medical Care Development, attn Mary Brotherton, 11
Parkwood Dr., Augusta ME 04330; Union for Radical Political Economies Conference, 8/19-22; Camp Chinqueka, Bantam CT; Explore the dynamic relationship between capitalism & new technologies; plenaries & lectures; scholarships available; URPE, 37 Howe St., New Haven CT 06511; 203/777-4605; urpe@labornet.org; www.urpe.org Twin Oaks Women's Gathering, 8/25-27; Louisa VA; celebration of women through creative venues & fun activities; Valerie Renwick-Porter, 138 Twin Oaks Road, Louisa VA 23093; 540/894-5126; gathering@twinoaks.org Twin Oaks Communities Conference, The Thinning Metropolis, 9/8-9; Cornell University, Ithaca NY; policymakers, theorists, & practitioners will document land-use trends, examine housing, education, environment & governance, & propose new policies to "thicken" city cores & reduce sprawl; contact Hazel Gunn, Thinning Cities, Dept. of City & Regional Planning, Cornell Univ., 106 W. Sibley Hall, Ithaca NY 14853; hg18@cornell.edu Protest the National Association of Broadcasters Convention, 9/20-23; San Francisco CA; NAB is the lobbying arm of the broadcasting industry working to keep airwaves out of public control; contact Media Alliance, 814 Mission St. #205, San Francisco CA 94103; 415/546-6334; info@media-alliance.org; www.mediademocracynow.org Free Mordechai Vanunu, 9/26-28; Washington,
DC; Conference 9/26, Women's Voices for the Environment, 8/25-27; Camp Vega, Reedfield ME; Gathering in the spirit of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & the early suffragists, we will inspire women & girls to join in new efforts to save our precious national heritage; concert by Libby Roderick, 8/25, 7:30 pm; workshops & rallies; Sierra Club, Maine Chapter, 1 Pleasant St., Portland ME 04101; 207/761-5616; maine.chapter@sierraclub.org; www.sierraclub.org/chapters/me Independent Media Convergence Project, 10/14; Montpelier VT; activists, advocates, and progressive media workers in northern New England will come together to share experiences, look at the current media environment, discuss alternatives, develop a common agenda, and take concrete follow-up steps to build a sustainable movement for media democracy; look for more details in upcoming issues of Peacework; to get involved, contact Joseph Gainza at AFSC, 73 Main St., Montpelier VT 05602; 802/654-8024 OPPORTUNITIES Peacework seeks fall & spring interns; Peacework is a peace & justice monthly magazine dedicated to the movements for nonviolent social change, published by the American Friends Service Committee; interns help create calendar listings, expand web site, proofread & edit, research & write for publication; resume & letter to Phyllis Cohen, AFSC, 2161 Mass. Ave., Cambridge MA 02140; 617/661-6130; pcohen@afsc.org East Timor Action Network seeks Washington Coordinator, part-time fundraiser, & other positions; contact Diane Farsetta, 620 S. Ingersoll St. #B2, Madison, WI 53703; diane@etan.org; www.etan.org National Interreligious Service Board for Conscientious
Objectors, a small interfaith organization in Washington DC
advocating on behalf of conscientious objectors to war, seeks Executive
Director; contact Jonathan Ogle, Board Chair; Westtown School, Westtown
PA 19395; Tri-Valley CAREs, the primary community group
monitoring Livermore Nuclear Weapons Lab, seeks Program Associate
& Resources Developer; letter, resume & writing sample to
Marylia Kelley, Executive Director, Tri-Valley CAREs, 2582 Old First
Street, Livermore, CA 94550; Skills for Change; August; Washington DC; for ages 17-25; focuses on multiculturalism, racial & social justice, & strategies for creating positive social change; part of Fellowship of Reconciliation's Peacemaker Training Institute; contact FOR, Box 271, Nyack NY 10960; 914/358-4601; forpti@igc.org Action for Boston Community Development is researching its 40-year history in preparation for a book; ABCD seeks stories from past program participants & staff. If you ever worked with ABCD or participated in one of its programs & have stories, pictures or papers, contact Jen Douglas, 617/357-6000 x533; jennifer.douglas@umb.edu; ABCD Documentation Project, c/o Planning Dept, 178 Tremont, Boston MA 02111 Writers & Journalists Invited to Join Delegation to the Middle East, 9/5-15; Join Grassroots International for a 10-day tour through Palestine & Israel to witness first-hand the challenges the region faces & meet people active in the struggle for peace and justice; contact Sona Bari, Grassroots International, 179 Boylston St. 4th floor, Boston MA 02130; 617/524-1400; sbari@grassrootsonline.org; www.grassrootsonline.org RESOURCES The Color of Words: An Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Ethnic Bias in the United States, Philip Herbst; 280 pp.; $27.95 hb; Herbst examines over 850 words & expressions that have carried ethnic bias or are commonly regarded today as controversial or confusing; also from Intercultural Press, Reflections on Multiculturalism by Robert Eddy, & The Third Culture Kid Experience: Growing Up Among Worlds, by David Pollock & Ruth Van Reken, about children who grow up abroad; IP, POB 700, Yarmouth ME 04096; 800/370-2665; books@interculturalpress.com; www.interculturalpress.com Grassroots Fundraising Journal; Interfaith News Network, an Internet connection to faith-based activist groups which provides links to their on-line publications; www.humanitarian.net/inn.html New Peace & Justice Videos available from the AFSC film & video library; titles include Howard Zinn: Teaching History to Children; After Hiroshima: A Call for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons; & Deadly Debris: The Explosive Aftermath of the War in Vietnam ; Film Library, AFSC, 2161 Mass. Ave., Cambridge MA 02140; 617/497-5273; www.afsc.org/nero/nevlib.htm NeXus: Journal of Peace, Conflict & Social
Change, student-run publication; $20/2 issues; Zac Moore, 410
Maxwell Hall, Syracuse U, Syracuse NY 13244; Fostering Friendships: A Study Guide to Iraq for Elementary & Middle School Teachers; introduces rich culture & history of Arab world, offers students opportunity to evaluate US actions & policies in the region; $30 for study guide, fact sheet & video; $10 for fact sheet & video only; AFSC/Literature Resources, 1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia PA 19102-1479; 888/588-2372; plems@afsc.org Teaching for Change: Multicultural Education Resources, new titles include Classrooms & Courtrooms: Facing Sexual Harassment in K-12 schools, Nan Stein; Education is Politics: Critical Teaching Across Differences, K-12, Shor & Pari, eds; The Cola Conquest (video), DLI productions; NECA/TFC; POB 73038; Washington, DC 20056; 800/763-9131; necada@aol.com; www.teachingforchange.org Toward a Women's Agenda for a Culture of Peace, Ingeborg Breines, Dorota Gierycz, & Betty Reardon, eds.; 12 essays review peace & security practices from a gender perspective, & study women's initiatives for peace; Unesco Publishing, Promotion & Sales Division, place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France; www.unesco.org/publications; publishing.promotion@unesco.org Videos and films on Hiroshima & Nagasaki, nuclear weapons, & US nuclear policy available from AFSC film library; complete listing at www.afsc.org/nero/nevlib.htm CAMPAIGNS Protect Prisoners' Right to Vote in Massachusetts; the November ballot contains a Constitutional amendment to eliminate this right; for more information, contact the Criminal Justice Policy Coalition, 617/482-3170 x319 Support the Wellstone Amendment to the "Colombia Aid Package", a $1.6 billion package which calls for an anti-drug fumigation program proven ineffectual & damaging to health of rural Colombians; Wellstone Amendment diverts funds from the Colombian military into money for drug treatment in the US & reduces funds for aerial spraying; Contact your Senators at the Congressional switchboard, 202/224-3121; www.colombiasupport.net Support Innu Nation Land Rights in Quebec & Newfoundland; these native people are demanding a halt to mining, logging, highway & hydroelectric projects on their land without Innu consent & a ban on NATO low-level flight training & bombing practices over their land until Canada recognizes Innu ownership of their land & resources; for guidance on how to join the protest effort, visit the Innu nation's web site at www.innu.ca Letters Jay Allain, West Yarmouth, MA Peacework provides feature stories month after month about dedicated individuals on the cutting edge of social change. Their work is important and they deserve to be recognized. Yet there are others doing "movement building" in their own way -- and often without the sense of community one finds in a Cambridge, Northampton or Burlington (VT). Can Peacework be a critical link for us too? Is the movement, however defined, not more than the sum of its most conspicuous parts? As such, I would like to see this publication leave room for the least among us -- those who crave a saner and more just world and try to make it happen while juggling work, families and just plain survival. It is we who also need occasional pieces about how we're making a difference and being heard. Surely our movement is inclusive enough. What about it Peacework? Isn't it time someone discovers what empowers people and tries to provide more of it? Betsy Lincoln, North Kingstown, RI Editors' note: In her speech to the graduating class of UC Berkeley, which appeared in an edited form in the June 2000 Peacework (ìUpstaged but Not Silenced, a UC Berkeley Senior Speaks Truth to Power," Fadia Rafeedie shared the following quotation: "Fear not the path of truth for the lack of people walking on it." We worked from the text of the speech posted on the Internet by Rafeedie, and we also included excerpts from the letter she posted with it. However, we did not include the source of the "path of truth" quotation, which Rafeedie named in her letter as "the unamended PLO charter." After spending an intense week of daily Email exchanges with a well-informed 'liberal' Jewish friend, I doubted the wisdom of my having forwarded Fadia Rafeedie's entire dispatch to everyone on my Email list. Surely, your edited version, leaving out the source of her quotation, "Fear not the path of truth..." makes it more palatable, less controversial. But is it honorable to avoid controversy by suppressing the source of Fadia's "truth"? I want to know how Peacework would address the "truth" that Fadia, by association (or implication), supports "the destruction of the state of Israel." That's the sticking point even though the Israelis are on record (in a more subtle version of "destruction") as aiming to "change the character of the land from an Arab country to a Jewish one." (Anita Shapira in "Land and Power" as quoted by Norman G. Finkelstein in Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict.) Engaging with my friend Jim was exhausting but, in
the long run, productive. At the end of our week of discourse, we
had given each other quite a lot to think about. I'm hoping others
will continue the dialogue in a subsequent issue of Peacework.
The pursuit of truth seems a precondition for the work of peace.
Maybe even for encouraging more people to walk that path. |
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