Witness Witness
& Staff of the Fellowship of Reconciliation
Good News from the Chapters, Affiliates, & Staff of the Fellowship of Reconciliation
Autumn 2014
“Forward Together, Not One Step Back!” by Ethan Vesely-Flad, FOR Director of National Organizing Here in North Carolina, the Moral Mondays movement has made “Forward Together” a compelling mantra. Led by the Rev. William Barber, the charismatic president of the North Carolina NAACP (and recipient of FOR’s 2014 Martin Luther King, Jr. Award, see page 2), a populist fusion coalition has captivated the nation. The product of years of careful grassroots organizing, in 2013 more than 900 people were arrested in a civil disobedience campaign that garnered widespread support. While the right-wing takeover of the state government led some to angry partisan reactions, the Moral Mondays movement’s attraction to the masses is rooted in its positive vision that change is possible. As Rev. King proclaimed in 1965 in Montgomery, Alabama: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice!” We are NOT going back. This belief in change is essential as we grapple with a seemingly endless litany of troubling news: broad attacks on voting rights, a pandemic of killings of black and brown humans by white state security forces, hypermilitarized police crackdowns on peaceful protesters, hateful rallies demanding defenseless undocumented children be deported, bipartisan political support for renewed
U.S. bombings in Iraq, and an innumerable civilian death and injury toll in Gaza, dimming already faint prospects for a just, lasting peace in the region. We’re moving forward? Yes. Not One Step Back. For eight years, organizers of what became Moral Mondays built relationships locally and regionally, before launching the now-famous movement. FOR similarly believes that by organizing locally, we all have the strength and power to take on these overwhelming issues. At the grassroots, through creative and strategic multi-issue alliances – such as the Moral Mondays framework – we make real change possible. We’ve seen this in the environmental movement. In my childhood, we were warned to avoid the terribly polluted waters of the Hudson River near my home. But during the 1970s and early ‘80s, when conservationists joined forces with urban activists, a movement was born that cleaned the mighty Hudson. This summer we saw a similar victory in Mississippi, where environmental & civil rights activists forced utility giant Southern Company to dramatically cut back plans for a fossil fuel energy plant. And back in New York, an amazing coalition that
50th Anniversary of March on Washington photo courtesy of Len Tsou
included FOR members stopped a proposal for a desalination plant on the Hudson. We must keep these wins in mind as we mobilize for climate justice this fall [see page 7] in the face of well-funded climate crisis deniers and seemingly intractable politicians. Cognizant of the difficult challenges named above, FOR will work to strengthen our grassroots connections, develop creative multiissue alliances, facilitate intergenerational approaches, and proclaim our victories. As FOR’s new director of national organizing, I’ll be working hand-in-hand with many of you to advance these goals. From the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, where this August FOR deployed an organizer steeped in the practice of active nonviolence; to the central valley of California, where the Reedley Peace Center represents one of four new grassroots groups nationwide that this summer applied to affiliate with FOR; to Atlanta, where FOR is supporting undocumented immigrant youth seeking human rights and access to education – we will be there, partnering with you at the grassroots. Forward Together, Not One Step Back!
FOR Announces 2014 Peace Prize Winners by Meredith Krashes Nicolich, FOR Advancement Associate
Each year the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) awards an international, national, and local peace prize to individuals or organizations whose work for peace and justice is recognized as a life-long commitment. FOR's Pfeffer Peace Award, established in 1989 by the late Leo and Freda Pfeffer to honor those around the world working for peace with justice, will be awarded to Dr. Widad Akrawi. Dr. Akrawi is regarded as one of Scandinavia’s most successful female human rights activists. Originally from Iraq, she considers herself an international citizen and leads Defend International – an NGO devoted to peace, democracy, diplomacy, human rights and medical research. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Award was established by FOR in 1979 to recognize unheralded persons or groups working in the United States in the tradition of Rev. Dr. King. This year the award goes to Reverend Doctor William J. Barber II, pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church, president of North Carolina’s NAACP, and cofounder of Moral Mondays. Moral Mondays are the civil disobedience protests aimed at North Carolina’s
government for infractions to voting rights, cut social programs, changes in tax legislation, the repeal of the Racial Justice Act, and restrictions to abortion rights. The protests that began in Raleigh, NC in 2013 launched a grassroots social justice movement that, in 2014, spread to Georgia and South Carolina and captured global attention. The 2014 Nyack Area Peace-Prize to honor significant peace and justice work in the community of FOR's national headquarters is awarded to two recipients. The Nyack Center and executive director Kim Cross for their work for creating connections across social, cultural, and economic boundaries will receive the award along with Herb Kurz, the founder of Presidential Life Insurance Company, and life-long progressive supporter of civil liberty activism. Congratulations to the 2014 winners! Prizes will be presented later this year – more details to be announced on www.forusa.org .
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS by Gretchen Honnold, FOR Training Coordinator/Centennial Associate
The FOR family kicked off celebrations for 100 years of the struggle for nonviolence with the International FOR’s three day Centennial event in Konstanz, Germany. August 1-3, IFOR commemorated the handshake between English Quaker Henry Hodgkin and German Lutheran Friedrich Siegmund-Schultze that took place in 1914 on the brink of World War I - a handshake that led to the international movement now known as the Fellowship of Reconciliation. The celebration brought together members of the International FOR community, representatives and friends from like-minded organizations, and people from Konstanz to take part in a series of nonviolence workshops, a panel dialogue of intergenerational peacemakers, a direct action, and a concert of Irish folk singer Luka Bloom. Two cohorts of young adults from Austria and Germany arrived in Konstanz by bike tour, spreading messages of peace and nonviolence along the way. The international celebration is a prelude to the centennial season in the USA which will open in November of 2015 with a dinner event in New York City timed in accordance with FOR-USA’s founding conference that took place in November 1915 in Garden City, Long Island. The dinner will serve as the opener for a year of activities intended to celebrate the work of the last 100 years, strengthen the FOR USA network, and set the trajectory for the next 100 years of the fellowship. Following the dinner event, there are a variety of plans underway that include a traveling exhibit (funds pending) and a documentary film. FOR-USA intends to close the centennial celebration year in the summer of 2016 with a national conference to gather, network, and resource the FOR membership. *For more information, please contact ghonnold@forusa.org
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The 5 Powers in New York City See The 5 Powers film trailer: www.peaceisthewayfilms.com
A debut showing of the documentary film The 5 Powers will be screened at the Kimmel Center, Room 914, at NYU, on Monday, September 22. The screening will be followed by a conversation with Gregory Kennedy-Salemi, director and producer of the film and co-founder of Peace Is The Way Films, www.peaceisthewayfilms.com Narrated by award-winning actor Orlando Jones, The 5 Powers tells the story of three superheroes of peace—Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Zen Master whom Dr. King nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967; Sister Chân Không, a Vietnamese peace activist; and Alfred Hassler, the longtime leader of FOR and creator of the comic book Martin Luther King and The Montgomery Story. "The film is a moving fusion of documentary footage, historic montage and vivid animation that sends a powerful message of peace,” commented legendary graphic novel artist, Dave Gibbons. For more details, contact NYU Screening Contact: Anthony Nicotera, JD, MSW, LSW, Adjunct Faculty, NYU, anthony.nicotera@gmail.com. The screening of The 5 Powers event is co-sponsored by NYU’s Center for Spiritual Life and Peace Is The Way Films. The following statement is from Gregory KennedySalemi and Stuart Jolley, the Directors/Producers of Peace Is the Way Films: We are deeply honored to have the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) as fiscal sponsor and partner in The 5 Powers, a film that helps to inspire compassionate and mindful social change and action. Bike tour & peace messengers in Konstanz Germany for IFOR’s 100th.
The Fellowship has been at the forefront of leadership in the civil rights, environmental, and social justice movement for over 100 years. The MLK Montgomery Story Comic Book, the Tennessee Lunch Counter Sit-Ins, Freedom Rides, standing up against the internment of Japanese Americans, rescuing Jews fleeing Nazis in Vichy France during WWII, and the March on Washington are just some of the ways in which FOR has shown courageous leadership. Our world is in need of hope, inspiration and justice for all. The FOR is an organization deeply committed to this cause. Joyfully looking forward to meeting all of you at NYU. ~ Gregory & Stuart
IFOR’s Centennial Opening Ceremony Intergenerational Panel of Peacemakers: Marcelle Zoughbi - Palestine, Beena Sebastian India, Nobel Laureate Mairead Corrigan McGuire - Ireland, Sulak Sivaraksa - Thailand, Blas Garcia – Colombia with interpreter Martin Fyles, and Richard Okwera – Uganda.
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The Tompkins County/Ithaca Veterans Alternatives To Incarceration (ATI) Project by Jim Murphy, FOR National Council member and founder of Veterans FOR
The Veterans Fellowship of Reconciliation (VFOR) is kicking off another model program for young veterans involved in the judicial system. There is a surge in growth of Alternatives To Incarceration (ATI) but there is need for much more work. Often these veterans enlist due to financial circumstances, lack of information, conservative media and/or to escape local environments.
Our model for Tompkins County/City of Ithaca courts begins with the identification of the defendant as an OIF or OEF veteran. We ask that this be one of the initial questions following arrest and the trigger for our program. We then will recommend that specific judges be selected for the first step following arrest. Ideally the judges would be war veterans or era veterans.
Approximately 1.6 million American troops have served in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom) and/or in Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom). Noteworthy are national reports regarding the frequency of these returning veterans with mental illness and/or substance addictions. War related illnesses may contribute to escalated suicide attempts, arrest, incarceration, divorce, domestic violence, homelessness and despair. Due to the anticipated increase of these veterans appearing in our criminal courts, we are proposing a process and a support program for these young veterans. We are closely following the process of the Buffalo, NY Veterans’ Court/Treatment Program. Buffalo created a model now used in many regions of the country.
An additional element provided by the VFOR is that of mentoring ATI veterans when released from jail or as part of alternative sentencing such as drug rehabilitation. As mentors we make sure young veterans fulfill their agreements with the court system and attend their VA counseling appointments by providing transportation, helping to research employment and/or training or educational opportunities. If you wish to investigate replication of this program or discuss existing ATI programs, please contact me at ivetsfor@gmail.com
Teach Your Children Well by Rev. Sam Smith - Chicago FOR chapter chair, FOR-USA National Council member, and Freeman Fellow “Teach your children well
Their father's hell did slowly go by And feed them on your dreams The one they picks, the one you'll know by.” ~ Graham Nash
FOR USA’s I Will NOT Kill Pledge is a short, concise statement of Peace and Nonviolence offered to youth of all faiths (and even youth of no faith). One way to utilize the Pledge is by “tabling” the I Will NOT Kill card. As we “table the card,” we engage passersby in the subjects of Militarism and Nonviolence. All kinds of “support materials” can be utilized in this process. I have found that many young Americans have never actively engaged in such discussions and are open to conversations. It is a perfect starting point for young Americans interested in the Peace Community. Ultimately, we urge young people to fill out the card as a first step toward becoming a conscientious objector (CO). They do not have to be strict pacifists to sign the card, and it can serve as a basis of conscientious objection in the event of a hastily called military draft when young men and women are required to show proof of a long-standing peace stance in order to become a CO. The Pledge can be found at WWW.FORUSA.Org as well as on Facebook WWW.Facebook.Com/IWillNOTKill. If you wish to converse with someone regarding I Will NOT Kill, please feel free to call Sam Smith 630-240-5039 or email FORchicago@Comcast.Net. Sam also offers counter-recruitment workshops. Page 4
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Pursuing the Spiritual Roots of Protest - 1964-2014 by Mark Meade, Assistant Director of the Thomas Merton Center and FOR-USA National Council Member
Fifty years ago this fall a group of peace advocates gathered with the contemplative monk and writer Thomas Merton at Gethsemani Abbey to discuss the “spiritual roots” that nurtured their calling and shaped their actions. The idea for the retreat and initial invitations came from Fellowship of Reconciliation staff member John Heidbrink. He brought to Merton’s monastery other luminaries of FOR and of the peace movement including A.J. Muste, John Howard Yoder, and John Oliver Nelson. It marked a coming together of these Protestant peace pioneers with emerging Catholic peace writers and protesters like Daniel and Phillip Berrigan, Jim Forest, Bob Cunnane, Tom Cornell, and Thomas Merton. The era included the March on Washington and calls for nuclear disarmament. It was a time when fear of global destruction haunted everyday lives, and our country was in turmoil over race relations, war overseas, and poverty.
Photo by John Lyons courtesy of the Merton Legacy Trust and the Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University.
The Thomas Merton Center in Louisville, Kentucky, is hosting a conference October 24th - 25th, 2014 to bring together some of the alumni of the retreat and to engage a new generation of peacemakers who will speak about how the legacy of the retreat lives on today. Among the conference speakers who were at the original event are Tom Cornell, Bob Cunnane, and Jim Forest. Speaking about the peace movement today will be John Dear, Kelly Johnson, Joe Grant, and Jake Olzen.
Gordon Oyer will discuss his new book about the Gethsemani retreat. The conference opens with the local premier of Hit and Stay, a new film about draft board resistance in the 1960’s, and a discussion with filmmaker Joe Tropea. For more details about the conference and to register, please visit merton.org/roots/, or call 502272-8187 for more information.
MN FOR’s Annual Fall Conference by Duane Cady
Minnesota FOR is happy to announce that FOR-USA Executive Director Kristin Stoneking will attend our Annual Fall Conference on November 2, 2014. Kristin will give a brief report from national FOR and introduce our featured speaker, former SNCC President Chuck McDew, who will receive the MN FOR Peacemaker of the Year Award. A past president of SNCC, Chuck was a student participant who helped register voters in Mississippi in the summer of 1964. At the Minnesota fall conference, he will relate stories of his experiences. Acting as a nonviolent advocate of racial justice, he was subjected to threats on his life and witnessed friends being beaten and killed. Awarding Chuck McDew the Peacemaker of the Year Award helps us mark the 50th anniversary of Freedom Summer, when the movement for voter registration in Mississippi was at its peak. We will also update our Campus Initiative, a MN FOR divestment project involving Twin Cities Colleges and Universities. Everyone is welcome.
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Peace Day Prayer Campaign by Matt Guynn, Director of Nonviolent Social Change at On Earth Peace
“Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one's weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi The United Nations’ International Day of Peace has been observed around the world on September 21st for thirty years. Last year, On Earth Peace recognized an opportunity and called for an International Day of Prayer for Peace on September 21st and created the Peace Day Prayer Campaign. Sponsored by FOR and multiple religious peace fellowships, the theme for this year’s ecumenical prayer campaign is “Visions and Dreams of Building Peace.” On Earth Peace invites you to plan an event on or near September 21st to seek a vision of how violence can be confronted in your community or in our world. Past events have included street corner prayers about gun violence, peace pole installations, congregational worship services focused on peacemaking themes, the painting of children’s peace murals, and more. Resources for Christian worship services, other activity ideas, event descriptions from 2013 and 2014 participating groups, and online registration can be found at www.PeaceDayPray.org
More than 100 rallies, marches, and vigils are planned across the United States to publicly oppose violence and to call for a culture of peace and nonviolence. The Fellowship of Reconciliation is among the many endorsing organizations of the Campaign Nonviolence (CNV) week of actions happening September 21 – 27, 2014. Initiated by Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service, the actions of CNV help to connect the dots between peace, economic justice, and healing the earth. For this reason, Campaign Nonviolence is also participating in the September 21st People’s Climate March in New York City, a massive march on the eve of the UN Summit on Climate Change. The march, coinciding with the launch of CNV’s week of actions, will reinforce the call for swift, global action to reverse the climate crisis.
To learn more, sign the pledge, register your local action, and find resources, please visit: http://paceebene.org/
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FOR Witness ~ Autumn 2014
Vast Sky
Join FOR and more than 10,000 people on September 21st – Int’l Peace Day – in New York City to take a stand to bend the course of history. We'll take to the streets to proclaim the world we know is within our reach: a world with an economy that works for people and the planet; a world safe from the ravages of climate change; a world with good jobs, clean air and water, and healthy communities. March kicks-off at 11:30AM from Columbus Circle.
The crisp desert air Filling my lungs up Curvaceous hills A horizon of light, shadows, and texture Delicate beauty surrounds Music is in the landscape Formations slowly moving through geological time An intimate knowledge of the soil, where my feet rest The Joshua Tree rising its limbs into the heavens A connection to the Earth and sky at once An eternal resonating moment I am home here on this piece of Earth Called the Mojave, stretching from Death Valley to the Colorado River Mt. Charleston to Joshua Tree National Park The majestic regions of Zion and the Eastern Sierra border the area Home to pinyin pine, coyote, bobcat, quail, bright sun, and vibrant stars. Rain is always a gift for survival—maintaining the delicate balance for what is At this moment I know I am one with this divine place on Earth And am indebted with Thankfulness for all that is.
~ Stacey Mitchell FOR Accountant/Bookkeeper
PLANNED GIVING: Create a Legacy of Peace by Supporting FOR USA Whether we give ourselves by sharing our time, or give goods that aid another’s needs, or make a monetary offering as a declaration of commitment, the act of giving is considered an act of grace and an act of service. When we give, we plant seeds that give birth to the type of life legacy we want reflected to our children, family, friends, and coworkers. As you envision your life’s journey and reflect on those issues that are closest to your heart, consider creating a legacy of Peace by supporting the Fellowship of Reconciliation USA. One way of showing your support is by making a stock donation. Gifts of appreciated stock can offer donors tax savings in two ways: 1) donors avoid paying capital gains tax on the increase in the value of the stock; and, 2) donors receive a tax charitable deduction for the stock’s full fair market value (at the time of the gift). For more information, or directions on how to make a stock donation to FOR USA, contact: Jonette O’Kelley Miller, jomiller@forusa.org, 845.358.4601, x29.
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Hope’s House Notes by S. Hope Altkin, FOR’s Peace House Host and Events Coordinator
Hope teaches Pete & Toshi Seeger song “Turn, Turn, Turn” to the children of the Rivertown Music & Arts Summer Camp
It takes a village; and Shadowcliff, FOR’s national headquarters in Nyack NY, thrives by hosting an array of groups and gatherings, and through the support of a village of generous folk. Since the spring, we’ve hosted events that have included several weddings and memorials and a 70th birthday party. We were blessed to provide rest and respite for the New England and Grafton Peace Pagoda walkers as they journeyed with their message for a Nuclear Free Future; and Rivertown Music held their Music and Arts Camp and Composition Festival here this summer. FOR-sponsored events open to the public included a workshop called “Exploring Nonviolence” and an Emergency Peace Team training.
The upkeep of Shadowcliff is an ongoing concern as there is continuous need for significant maintenance. In July, we discovered that a leak in the roof led to severe damage in the second floor office area, requiring extensive repairs that are currently underway. Meanwhile, we are deeply grateful to the Garden Club of Nyack for the purchase and installation of two beautiful Serviceberry trees and ten Summersweet bushes for our entranceway, as well as the wonderful care that the Garden Club donates to FOR in exchange for hosting their meetings. In addition, the fountain in the front of the house was lovingly restored by Jordan Lovelace and Louisa Parkinson, who will hold their wedding reception here. In the months ahead, we will welcome back Rinpoche Achtok this autumn for the Nyack Buddhists’ weekly gatherings on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM. We will also be hosting a Rockland Coalition to End the New Jim Crow (RCENJC) benefit on October 12th and the annual Solstice Celebration on December 14th. Hope to see you there! Please contact Hope if you’re interested in holding an event or program at Shadowcliff: shaltkin@forusa.org
Solstice Celebration 2014 by Susan Murphy, Solstice Organizer
On December 14, 2014, the 5th annual Solstice Concert will happen at Shadowcliff. This labor of love was first initiated by Mary Heckler, former peace house host and events coordinator for FOR, as a holiday celebration for the community featuring musicians, a potluck social, peace-related artists selling their holiday wares, and the presentation of FOR’s local peace awards. Each year, the Peace Room, full of the "eyes of elders," is transformed into a concert hall to honor "the darkest day". The last Solstice celebration was particularly poignant because Pete Seeger was slated to perform. A longtime member of FOR and the 1984 winner of the FOR MLK Peace Award, Pete would have graced our community with his voice, his ethics, his banjo, and his energy had he not been ill. Still, the house was filled to capacity with more than 400 attendees and musicians. If you'd like to help, please contact Susan at mondzakmurphy@gmail.com. We currently seek volunteers to assist with food donations and promotion for our 2014 celebration. This is a wonderful way to raise funds and awareness for FOR! Page 8
FOR Witness ~ Autumn 2014