The year 2005 has been extraordinary for the Department of
Peace Campaign. Locally, nationally and internationally we
are making great strides.
In NYC we started just 2 years ago with only 2 and 3 fully
committed people and now we are holding regular monthly meetings
with 12 to 17 dedicated members. We marched in parades, spoke
at events, handed out literature, provided programs and workshops
throughout New York City and reached more than 5000 people.
We provided training to 60 individuals and brought 20 citizens
to the National Conference in DC where we lobbied our members
of Congress. We are growing stronger day by day.
Nationally the number of Congressional cosponsors grew from
44 to 64 with a Senate version introduced this past September.
Internationally
the movement held its first international summit in the UK
in October this past year. We have much to celebrate and so
much to look forward to.
Gandhi said that his work with nonviolence was the equivalent
to Edison's discovery of electricity, and that future generations
would surely refine it. And so it has been and continues to
be.
The book, A Force More Powerful, reminds us that
the great majority of men and women who gather to attend the
United Nations General Assembly are
“democratically
elected presidents and prime ministers. Had such a meeting
been held one hundred years before, all but a few would
have been kings, emperors, generals or other rulers who
reached power by violent force or dynastic inheritance.
This was the most important political change that the twentieth
century wrought and it would not have come to pass without
the actions of ordinary people who defied oppressive rulers
though nonviolent power rather than by force of arms.”
Across
the globe the use and success of nonviolence has been truly
breathtaking; from Thoreau to Tolstoy to Gandhi, to the Suffrage
movement, to the Indian revolution, to the US Civil Rights
movement, to the end of Apartheid, to the Polish Solidarity
Movement, to La Madres – the Argentinian Mothers who
marched for “the Disappeared”, to the overthrow
of Marcos, and the overthrow of Milosovec; these are but some
of nonviolent campaigns waged by ordinary citizens that succeeded
in the past 100 years. When we look beyond daily headlines
to this rich history, the truth is overwhelming. Nonviolence
works and continues to spread.
We are privileged to be part of a growing legacy that is shaping
a better world and establishing a culture of peace. Keep the
faith, stay active and celebrate who you are and what we are
creating together!
Save
the Date: Monday January 16
In Honor
of Martin Luther King Jr., Westiders for Peace is holding
an annual march and has invited the NY Department of Peace
to give the keynote speach at the program following. The march
begins at 2pm, the program of music and speakers begins at
4pm and will take place at Holy Name Church, between Broadway
and Amsterdam at 96th. Stay tuned for more details.
Every
Day A Call For Peace
We continue
with this inspired campaign to call on our elected officials
according to the day of the month that corresponds to our
congressional distrrict. To better assist you, please signup
on our website for your email reminder and we will send you
an email on your day of the month to remind you to make your
calls. We are doing our best to update our database with this
information ourselves, but your help would be greatly appreciated.If
you don't know about the campaign, just visit our website
to learn the details.
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