Greetings from Rev. Kristin Gill Stoneking FOR’s 24th Executive Director mandatory conscription, the poverty draft that beckons to Following a six-month search, young adults as the only path Rev. Stoneking began her tenure th toward respect and a job is as FOR USA’s 24 Executive very much in force. Though we Director on August 5, 2013. We have fair housing laws, persons are excited and blessed to have of color and of minority her leadership as we move into religions, or sexual orientations our second 100 years. must carefully consider the climate and record of the local I write this morning following a police force in the neighborproductive and memorable trip to hoods in which they might Washington, DC, where I was invited choose to live. Though we to speak by the Martin Luther King, have fair employment laws, as Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social long as we are exporting Change at the commemoration of the American dollars to fight wars 50th anniversary of the March on born of fear and sprouting Washington. I chose to focus my seeds of violence abroad, we remarks on the legacy of pacifism will not have enough jobs or and nonviolence, FOR’s connection adequate education for decent to that legacy, and the implications for employment here at home. our militarized culture today, especially with respect to Syria. Dr. King warned us that “the road ahead will not always be Interestingly, though most speakers smooth. There will still be rocky focused on themes of the legacy of places of frustration, and King and the original march—jobs, meandering points of economic opportunity, dignity for bewilderment.” But Dr. King persons of all races and gains won showed us the way to navigate through the achievement of civil this path. As a Christian rights—only Representative John minister in the Baptist tradition, Lewis and President Jimmy Carter he demonstrated and urged focused the majority of their remarks over and over that love must on the way of nonviolence. guide us in our efforts toward change. His gospel was both While the vicious cycle of what Dr. the Christian gospel and the King called “the triple evils” of racism, gospel of nonviolence that economic exploitation and militarism draws from and but does not still weighs heavily on us, we still wholly belong to any one of the have work to do today. Though we world’s religious and spiritual have no more formal process of traditions.
FALL 2013
Nonviolence is the unifying framework that lights our path through the complexities of ethical decision making today, just as it has throughout the last century. When Southeast/Mid Atlantic Regional Coordinator Lucas Johnson and I met with U.S. Representative John Lewis and his staffer, Andrew Aydin, they shared with us the great need for training in nonviolent strategy, tactics and theory. FOR, through our national and international networks, is well positioned to offer leadership on the nonviolent way of life. As the twenty first-century unfolds, we look forward to partnering with you to be witness to this way, always persevering for peace. Thank you for your commitment, your action and your support which makes the work of FOR possible. Contact: Kristin Gill Stoneking, kstoneking@forusa.org