Tag Archives: peace

Remember the Mother’s Day Peace Proclamation

Photo Credit: Julia Ward Howe By John Elliott (1858 – 1925), Public Domain

Every year in May, peace activists circulate Julia Ward Howe’s Mother’s Day Peace Proclamation. But, Howe did not commemorate Mother’s Day in May . . . for thirty years Americans celebrated Mother’s Day for Peace on June 2nd. It was Julia Ward Howe’s contemporary, Anna Jarvis, who established the May celebration of mothers, and even then, Mother’s Day was not a brunch and flowers affair. Both Howe and Ward commemorated the day with marches, demonstrations, rallies, and events honoring the role of women in public activism and organizing for social justice.

Anna Jarvis’ vision of Mother’s Day began when she organized Mothers’ Work Days in West Virginia in 1858, improving sanitation in Appalachian communities. During the Civil War, Jarvis convinced women from both sides of the conflict to nurse the wounded of both armies. After the end of the war, she convened meetings to try to convince the men to lay aside grievances and lingering hostilities.

Julia Ward Howe shared Anna Jarvis’ passion for peace. Written in 1870, Howe’s “Appeal to Womanhood” was a pacifist reaction to the carnage of the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War. In it, she wrote:

“Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience. We, women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country, to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs. From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own. It says: Disarm, disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice. Blood does not wipe out dishonor, nor violence vindicate possession. As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of council.”

As time went on, Congress approved the annual commemoration of Mother’s Day in May, and businessmen quickly capitalized on sentimentality and eradicated the powerful calls-to-action both women intended in the original Mother’s Day concepts. Anna Jarvis’ daughter would campaign for years against flowers and chocolates, seeing clearly the commercialization of honoring women and mothers would lead us further from the call to take action.

Consider these stories as the wheel of the year turns around. By next May, perhaps you’ll find a way to honor your mother for her social and political activism, her engagement with resolving injustice, her care for the sick, elderly, or infirm, or perhaps even her staunch opposition to the carnage of war.

Read the whole Mother’s Day Peace Proclamation here.

______________________

ARivera New Hatuthor/Activist Rivera Sun, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is the author of The Dandelion Insurrection, Billionaire Buddha and Steam Drills, Treadmills, and Shooting Stars, the cohost of Love (and Revolution) Radio, and the cofounder of the Love-In-Action Network. She is a trainer and social media coordinator for Campaign Nonviolence and Pace e Bene. Sun attended the James Lawson Institute on Strategic Nonviolent Resistance in 2014 and her essays on social justice movements appear in Truthout and Popular Resistance. www.riverasun.com

Leave a Comment

Filed under Nonviolence Writings

Teach-Ins and Nonviolent Movements

Antiwar protesters in January 1965, uwdigitalcollections - Student protesters marching down Langdon Street, CC BY 2.0

Antiwar protesters in January 1965, uwdigitalcollections – Student protesters marching down Langdon Street, CC BY 2.0

This week in nonviolent history, we celebrate the effective and versatile tactic of the teach-in. One of the largest teach-ins during the Vietnam War, for example, was held on May 21st-23rd, 1965 at UC Berkeley with 10-30,000 students attending. The State Department was invited to send a representative, but declined. An empty chair was set on the stage during the teach-in with a sign that read “Reserved for the State Department” taped to the back.

“A teach-in is similar to a general educational forum on any complicated issue, usually an issue involving current political affairs. The main difference between a teach-in and a seminar is the refusal to limit the discussion to a specific frame of time or a strict academic scope. Teach-ins are meant to be practical, participatory, and oriented toward action. While they include experts lecturing on the area of their expertise, discussion and questions from the audience are welcome.”
– Wikipedia

As a nonviolent action, a teach-in is often offered in the context of protest or resistance. The first teach-in, for example, was held at the University of Michigan in 1965 to protest the Vietnam War, and was organized as an alternative to the previously planned teachers’ strike. Instead of going on strike, the professors held a teach-in, showing up at the university, but teaching about the Vietnam War instead of their regular curriculum.

Teach-ins are a powerful method of nonviolent action that have been used in a wide variety of situations. In the United States in the 1990s, a new series of teach-ins focused on the corporatization of education and on corporate power generally, called the Democracy Teach-Ins, paved the way for the massive demonstrations, including the 1999 Seattle WTO protests; and the 2003 national Books Not Bombs student strike. In 2011, Occupy Wall St. used teach-ins to inform, educate, and mobilize the massive protests against the 1%, bank bailouts, and wealth inequality.

The year, Campaign Nonviolence is inviting teachers, peace educators, nonviolence trainers, and activists to offer teach-ins during the Campaign Nonviolence Week of Actions September 18-25th, 2016.

Imagine . . . where could you offer a teach-in? How about a de-escalation training with your local police department? Or perhaps a teach-in on climate change at your city council meeting? What if you offered a teach-in on living wages to your local business associations? Maybe you could offer nonviolent communication training for the youth groups in your area . . . the possibilities are endless, and they all help to bring the skills and knowledge of a culture of active nonviolence into our communities.

Join the growing movement for a culture of active nonviolence by organizing a teach-in in your area or online during the Week of Actions September 18-25th.

Learn more about the history on Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teach-in

____________________________

ARivera New Hatuthor/Activist Rivera Sun, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is the author of The Dandelion Insurrection, Billionaire Buddha and Steam Drills, Treadmills, and Shooting Stars, the cohost of Love (and Revolution) Radio, and the cofounder of the Love-In-Action Network. She is a trainer and social media coordinator for Campaign Nonviolence and Pace e Bene. Sun attended the James Lawson Institute on Strategic Nonviolent Resistance in 2014 and her essays on social justice movements appear in Truthout and Popular Resistance. www.riverasun.com

Leave a Comment

Filed under Nonviolence Writings

Love-In-Action Taos Builds Winter Momentum Through Film Screenings

Rivera Sun introducing Gasland film at Moby Dickens Bookshop.

Love-In-Action Taos is activism at high-altitude … which means the winters are cold and snowy. We don’t do so much protesting outdoors during this season, but we keep active anyway! This winter, we’re screening documentaries at the local bookstore, Moby Dickens. We’ve selected a few films out of the thousands our group has collectively seen. Here’s the line-up for the next few months. Popcorn will be served (vegan and nonvegan, GMO-free). We accept donations, but no one is turned away.

Full Winter Schedule of Movies At Moby’s:

TheForgottenBomb_KeyArt_DVD.wideaThe Forgotten Bomb Sat, Jan 10th at 7pm w/ filmmaker Bud Ryan speaking afterwards. “Join filmmaker Bud Ryan on an epic journey to discover what the Bomber can learn from the Bombed and what the true state of the nuclear threat is today.” With Los Alamos National Laboratory just down the road and the continuing waste storage crisis at the WIPP facility, this is a timely and relevant film to witness as we enter the 70th year since the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We are also very fortunate to have filmmaker Bud Ryan in attendance, so please tell all your friends! Watch trailer here.

A Force More Powerful Sat, Jan 17th at 7pm This groundbreaking film explores one of the 20th century’s most important but least understood stories: how nonviolent power has overcome oppression and authoritarian rule all over the world. Narrated by Ben Kingsley, and nominated for an Emmy, A Force More Powerful premiered on PBS in September 2000. Watch the trailer.

Gasland Part II, Sat, Feb 7th, at 7pm After the eerie and unsettling Gasland I screening at Moby Dickens, we’re substituting fact for horror in our film series. GASLAND PART II will provide you with a compelling narrative, shocking facts, clear science on the largest domestic drilling campaign in modern history and an understanding of why drilling can never be made safe. From faucets lighting on fire to dead cows to a bevy of healthcare complaints to entire rivers contaminated with waste fracking fluid, this issue is catastrophe wreaking havoc on our nation. Watch the trailer.

the_salt_of_the_earth_poster-2Salt of the Earth, Sat, March 7th, at 7pm Based on an actual strike against the Empire Zinc Mine in New Mexico, the film deals with the prejudice against the Mexican-American workers, who struck to attain wage parity with Anglo workers in other mines and to be treated with dignity by the bosses. In the end, the greatest victory for the workers and their families is the realization that prejudice and poor treatment are conditions that are not always imposed by outside forces. This powerful film is one of the few films to have been blacklisted by the US government. Today, it is considered a masterpiece and a treasure. Rivera’s note: This film is outstanding! Incredible cinematography, good acting, and startlingly progressive message. Watch the original and very entertaining trailer.

Bonus film: Cowspiracy, Mural Room, Friday, April 24 (time TBA & there may be an admission charge.)
“Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret” is a groundbreaking feature-length environmental documentary following intrepid filmmaker Kip Andersen as he uncovers the most destructive industry facing the planet today – and investigates why the world’s leading environmental organizations are too afraid to talk about it. This film is being presented by the Vegan Meet-up Group as part of their Earth Day event series. *Rivera’s note: Not so much a vegan film as a must-see for anyone concerned about climate change. We made an exception in our Moby’s series to include this film because it’s so important for everyone to know about, watch, and tell their friends about. It’s life-changing.Watch the trailer.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Events, Love-In-Action News!, Uncategorized

“Seeds of Change Workshop” – Rivera Sun’s Powerful Workshop on Strategic Nonviolent Action

Seeds-of-Change-WorkshopLove-In-Action co-founder Rivera Sun brings her powerful workshop to Taos, NM before embarking on a 40+ city tour. Not local to Taos? You’re in luck! She’s on her way to you … and she’s also teaching Love-in-Action Workshops. See her full tour schedule and contact her here.

Come to the Seeds of Change Workshop on Sat, Jan 24th 2-6pm at Moby Dickens Bookshop, Taos, NM:

Ordinary people like you have made change using the tools of Dr. King, Gandhi, Jesus, and Cesar Chavez. Learn these strategies for change and apply them in your community. This workshop covers the basic dynamics and strategies of nonviolent action. Participants discover how to envision and build campaigns, become familiar with the 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action, the Pillars of Support, the Spectrum of Allies, and learn to connect the dots between the many issues our communities face. Bring your friends, neighbors, elders, and students. Together we’ll explore how ordinary people can make extraordinary change!

$30/person, 4hrs long, Facilitated by Rivera Sun
Register at the door or by calling (575) 776-3973 (scholarships available, please call.)

 

Pssst … here’s Rivera Sun’s Love-In-Action Workshop description. Very exciting!

Heroes 1 Group ShotLove-In-Action for the Times We’re In! Workshop w/ Rivera Sun
Love in action is the phrase used by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Buddhist monk and peace activist, Thich Nhat Hanh, to describe what happens when “the heart bursts open and springs into action!” This workshop brings you hope, courage, and practical skills for being love in action. Drawing from inspiring stories of nonviolent action, you’ll learn how to bring people together, create a plan, and become a vibrant part of the growing Movement of Movements that is sweeping across the nation and into our lives!

See her full tour schedule and contact her here.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Events, Love-In-Action News!

70,000 Cranes For Peace – Send a Creative Message of Peace to the Cradle of the Bomb

70000 Cranes for PeaceLove-In-Action Taos has joined in with a beautiful project you may want to participate in. Send a creative message of peace to the “cradle of the bomb” to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the horrific bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This year, as people around the world take action to commemorate the massacre and ban the bomb, Campaign Nonviolence and Upaya Zen Center are calling on citizens to fold 70,000 paper cranes for peace to be brought to Los Alamos National Laboratory, on Hiroshima and Nagasaki Days. Sign up here.

Sadako statue with paper cranes in Japan.

Sadako statue with paper cranes in Japan.

Seventy years ago, the United States dropped two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing 80,000 women, children, and men instantly; and over 150,000 in total. The symbolism of the paper crane began with Sadako Sasaki, who was two years old when the blast from the Hiroshima bomb threw her out a window. She was ten when purple spots formed on her arms and legs. Hospitalized for leukemia in Feb 1955, the popular girl died in October 1955. In her last year of life, she folded 1300 paper cranes as a prayer for healing. The paper crane is now an international symbol of peace, and a poignant reminder of the human costs of nuclear bombs.

On Aug 6-9th, hundreds of citizens will be gathering in New Mexico to embody Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous words regarding nuclear weapons, “It is no longer a choice between violence or nonviolence. It is nonviolence or nonexistence.” They will be participating in a National Conference on Nonviolence and traveling to the heart of nuclear weapons research, Los Alamos National Laboratory, to hold a vigil, a peace march, and deliver 70,000 paper cranes that have been folded by people like you.

Love-In-Action Taos folded paper cranes designed by Taos member, Paul Gutches.

Love-In-Action Taos folded paper cranes designed by Taos member, Paul Gutches.

Come to New Mexico in person or send a delegation of paper cranes to represent you, your family, friends, and neighbors, your peace and justice center, church or spiritual group, school or classroom. Learn how to fold cranes and sign up here.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Events, Love-In-Action News!