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In This Issue:
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Hello from Doug Renick, the Interim Program Coordinator
What a privilege to be of service in this Western Mass AFSC office. In our area there are so many good people working hard for peace, justice and sustainability. It is impossible to keep up with all the events and campaigns. I’ve been meeting with the Northampton Committee to Stop the War in Iraq and with SAGE in Amherst, and of course, the WM AFSC Program Committee. I am hoping to connect with the three Friends meetings in the area—Northampton, Mt. Toby and Southern Berkshires. All these settings provide me with spaces to talk about what we—WM AFSC—are doing for peace and justice and where we can best provide support to others. In addition, I am tracking calls for action through contacts with other AFSC staff in the region and the national office, as well as through United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), a national coalition of groups of which AFSC is a member.
I must confess it’s taken a few months to feel like I know how to get my bearings without being totally overwhelmed. I still feel overwhelmed at times, but don’t we all! So, I’m glad to be in the office in Florence, but I’m also glad to go out on the streets for demonstrations and meetings with other activists. I feel really fortunate to be paid for such important work that I love! So, let me hear from you or stop by the office for a chat. I’ll try to keep you informed about ways you can stay engaged and help create that more peaceful, just and sustainable world we all want! Go to www.westernmassafsc.org and check out the Calendar. Peace, Doug
Anti-War and Pro-Peace Activities
As the new activist on the block, I am grateful for collaborations with organizations that have been working in the area for a long time. WM AFSC has co-sponsored events with SAGE, Pioneer Valley Committee on Secrecy and Torture, Northampton Committee to Stop the War in Iraq, Raging Grannies, United for Peace and Justice, Codepink, the New England Peace Pagoda, and the Western Mass Social Forum Organizing Coalition. We’ve participated in demonstrations to close Guantanamo and in opposition to Bush’s “surge”, as well as to support Ehrin Watada. Both at home and in Washington, DC we lobbied Representatives Neal and Olver and Senator Kerry to end the war and marked the anniversary of the war through a march, rally and letter writing campaign. We took cookies to recruiters and asked them to cease land desist with their deceit and provided core support to the WMA Social Forum.
In the near future we will be co-sponsoring events with the Anti-War Coalition and the Radical Student Union at U. Mass, Citizens Awareness Network, Traprock Peace Center and the Western Mass Coalition for Immigrant and Worker Rights to end the wear (by not funding it), bring the troops home and care for them once they are home. We are committed to re-instating civil rights lost in the Military Commissions Act, to struggling for fair and just immigration reform, closing Guantanamo, and the abolishing nuclear weapons. Not simple goals but it is wonderful to see so many united to achieve them. Thanks for joining us, or for allowing us to join you, in one or many of these events. It’s important to find the gold in the process—mostly in the deepening relationships and shared experiences—and not be too impatient for immediate outcomes. But we do want change! And when do we want it? Now!
Mayors for Peace
News: Mr. Kazunaga Itoh, mayor of Nagasaki, was shot and later died on Wednesday, April 18, 2007, by a member of an organized crime group. The International Tribune reported: "My honest belief is that crime happened because Mayor Itoh probably went too far in his peace activism," said Hirotami Yamada, secretary general of the Nagasaki Council of A-Bomb Sufferers, which opposes nuclear weapons. Mayor Itoh was one of the founders of Mayors for Peace along with Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba who has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Our prayers are with the Mayor Itoh’s family and the citizens of Nagasaki.
This wave of Mayors for Peace work began in North Adams in November with a Thanksgiving for Peace celebration held on the Sunday before the Thanksgiving Holiday. In collaboration with the Women’s House of Peace, an Art for Peace event was held at Kids’ Space in MASS-MoCA. The event culminated with a play, Sadako and the Peace Cranes, written and performed by children of the Clark School, who then received the Women’s House of Peace Peacemaker’s Award presented by North Adams Mayor for Peace, James A. Barrett, III, who so graciously came out on a Sunday afternoon to bestow this award.
Together with the New England Peace Pagoda, we supported, the 6th Annual Walk for a New Spring. The Walk was an ambitious one—from February 18th to March 21st—and covered, in all kinds of weather, an enormous territory in three states and over sixty-five cities, towns and/or sites in the name of peace! All who participated were humbled by the commitment to peace and to Mayors for Peace by the monks and nuns of the Peace Pagoda.
On the breezy and beautiful first day of Spring, the Walk for a New Spring ended, gloriously, at the State House with the event sponsored by: Rep. Ellen Story; Rep. Gloria Fox; Rep. Peter Kocot; Rep. Benjamin Swan; and Sen. Stan Rosenberg. James Leary spoke on behalf of the Lieutenant Governor acknowledging the power of a few to bring about great change—citing the hopeful movement towards reconciliation in Ireland as an example.
Special thanks to: Brad Dye, Rep. Story’s aide, who helped us tremendously; to the many who offered shelter, sustenance, and good will along the way; and, to all the supporters of Mayors for Peace and the ever-more-imperative movement to abolish all nuclear weapons before 2020. Also, special thanks to Carol Rinehart for her work on organizing the closing event and gallery installation at the State House.
Submitted by Joyce Rosenfeld
Immigration
Are you less human if you cross a national border? even if you don’t have
official government papers that say you can? ... We think not. We deplore the U.S. government’s treatment of people who’ve migrated here and we reject the concept of “illegal presence”. Raiding the workplace (New Bedford, MA; Colorado; and elsewhere), pulling people off public busses (San Diego, CA), rounding up day workers waiting to be hired (Danbury, CT), separating people from their families and homes (whenever they are detained/jailed), passing local ordinances making it illegal to rent to people who can’t prove the government has said they can be here (Hazelton, PA; Farmers Branch, TX; and elsewhere), local police assistance to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), setting up a so-called guest worker system and then looking the other way while those workers labor under atrocious conditions and lose their jobs when they speak up (New Orleans, LA; Pascagoula, MI; and elsewhere), turning the U.S.- Mexico border into a militarized zone - all this (and more) we reject
as detestable treatment of human
beings.
Nationally, the AFSC sees these policies and their implementations as violations of the human rights of migrants. We are working to provide on-the-ground support for those affected by such treatment, and to advocate fair and just governmental immigration reform. We do not see immigration as a problem, as something broken, to be fixed. It is a natural condition of humanity, which has always existed. What is a problem is life for immigrants under U.S. law and its enforcement. Trade agreements under globalization (such as NAFTA) remove restrictions on the movement of capital but intensify restrictions on the movement of people. They have had a devastating effect on local economies, helping to propel economically displaced persons toward survival, wherever that may be had. Historically, the newest wave of immigrants to the U.S. has always been blamed for economic inequities (e.g. lack of decent jobs) and scapegoated for the dilution of “American” culture. Not much about the
current anti-migrant climate is
new.
The national AFSC ‘s Project Voice seeks to document immigrants’ and refugees’ own experiences, to build alliances and develop leaders through organizing within communities, and to impact public policy toward justice and dignity. For more information on Project Voice and for what we believe constitutes humane immigration policy, see www.afsc.org/immigrants_rights. For general information see also NNIRR, National Network for Immigrant & Refugee Rights, www.nnirr.org, and the ACLU, www.aclu.org. To get involved in educational and advocacy efforts locally, call our office at 584-8975. Please join us in the Stop the Raids & Deportations! Event on May 1st. Check our calendar at www.westernmassafsc.org for upcoming events .
Submitted by Michele Emanatian
Ballot Initiative—End the War and Bring the Troops Home!
Press Release—April 2, 2007
On the heels of Vermont's Resolution against the War…Massachusetts State Senate passes anti-war resolution--House version calling for "Immediate End to the War" remains in committee.
The Massachusetts state senate has passed a resolution urging the United States Government "to move toward a reduction in troops and withdrawal of the United States Armed Forces from Iraq at the earliest opportunity". The resolution calls upon the President and Congress "to work together to develop a plan for expediting an end to our military engagement in Iraq"
A stronger resolution calling for an immediate end to the war has been filed by Representative David Linsky of Natick in response to the desires expressed directly by voters on November 7. On election day voters in all 36 state representative districts across the Commonwealth where it appeared on the ballot called upon their state representative "to vote in favor of a resolution calling upon the President and Congress of the United States to end the war in Iraq immediately and bring all United States military forces home from Iraq". The measure received the support of 61% of the voters statewide. The resolution filed by Rep. Linsky is now co-sponsored by 44 other state representatives. It is presently awaiting action by the House Rules Committee.
These Iraq resolutions in Massachusetts are part of a national trend. Under pressure from voters across the country, letters or resolutions on Iraq have been drafted in 28 state legislatures. Some of them focus on bringing the troops home, others on stopping President Bush's escalation. So far they have been adopted in 14 states including New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Maine and Massachusetts.
Paul Shannon of the American Friends Service Committee and an organizer of the statewide campaign that placed the war on the ballot adds: "There is no single issue of more importance for everyone in Massachusetts than the Iraq war. Hopefully our legislators will abide by the vote of their constituents and step up to the plate by using this resolution to bring pressure to bear at this critical moment in Washington."
WM AFSC volunteers Gordon Tripp and Barb Chalfonte, with the help of many others, spearheaded getting the initiative on the ballot in Western Mass cities and towns. Many groups have used the results of this ballot initiative in their lobbying with representatives and senators to “stop the war immediately and bring the troops home.”
Youth Work: Help Increase the Peace Project (HIPP)
Western Mass AFSC has been doing HIPP since 1998. HIPP is an interactive conflict transformation program. HIPP empowers youth to reduce violence, strengthen cross-racial and cross-cultural understanding and become agents for social change. Eric Wissa and Anna Megyesi worked with local organizations to seed a HIPP program and Western Mass HIPP has continued to use the original model of three weekend trainings—introduction, advanced and training of trainers. AFSC works in collaboration with Franklin County Action Corporation (now Community Action) and Youth Leadership in the Arts (formerly Youth Leadership Academy) to organize and offer free HIPP trainings to youth and adults in the community. Last year Raul Matta, working on a fellowship for AFSC, focused some of his time on HIPP. Jo Comerford, before Jo moved to the Food Bank, and Raul worked together with Community Action and YLA to begin three training cycles, one in Holyoke, one in Greenfield, and one
in Amherst. Out of these three training cycles, 23 new HIPP trainers emerged and have begun to train others as part of our program. Fifty-seven (57) more youth are in the process. The “heavy lifting” this program requires is worth it, as young people themselves take on the work of creating a more just and less violent world.
Youth Work, 2007 MLK Day in Northampton: I Still Have a Dream—Youth Voices, Action and Leadership
MLK, Jr. Day in Northampton on January 15--held at Northampton High School--was youth led and youth oriented, and young people presented and performed at plenaries and in workshop sessions. Central to the day was the showing of the video of the young people’s Birmingham march. Estimates of attendance ranged from 200-300, but many people new to the event came with their children. In the evening there was a lively dance and performance with a richly diverse group of young people and adults attending. The program was complemented by two sessions for all high school students on the next day, Tuesday, facilitated by Raul Matta and the Students of Color organization at the high school. The MLK Committee is energized to continue the emphasis on youth at the 2008 MLK Commemoration. The planning committee this year was ably facilitated by Thea Som.
The 2008 MLK Committee seeks interested members. It will begin its planning meetings for next year’s event at the end of May. Call our office if you would like to participate.
Youth Work: Counter Recruitment (CR)—
The CR work in the valley, supported by the Military Recruitment Education Network and by AFSC, has really spread and will have the continued funding for a fellowship—currently held by Raul Matta—out of the AFSC office. Over the last year and a half we have made relationships with schools and now have a responsibility to continue to offer the information to students who are targeted by the recruiters.
Submitted by Raul Matta.
Western Mass Social Forum
Under the banner, “Another World is Possible,” we have just held a very successful Western Mass Social Forum at U. Mass. Well over thirty organizations offered workshops that highlighted their efforts at change for a better world in six arenas: Economic Justice, Human Rights, Environment/Sustainability, War/Militarism/Peace, Common Wealth, Culture/Arts/Spirit . The focus of the event was movement building and indeed there was much networking and many calls for more mutually effective work in seeking justice, peace and sustainability in Western Mass. Now it’s on to the U.S. Social Forum in Atlanta at the end of June and then, perhaps, an even larger Forum in 2008 here in Western Mass. Working with representatives of a coalition of groups, the WM AFSC office provided significant staff time and organizational support for this event.
Thanks to the Great Volunteers
Every week we have people who come into the office to do the ongoing, nitty-gritty work of making peace and justice. We are immensely grateful. To name a few: Wendy Redfield, John Howard, Michele Emanatian, Charles Simpson, Gordon Trip, Peggy Anderson, Joyce Rosenfeld, Roger Conant and Milton Hanzel. We also get help for specific events. Thanks to all of you!
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