Come to the ICPJ Annual Meeting featuring Nadia Tonova speaking about the Liberty and Justice All Campaign to protect due process rights for immigrants.

When: Sunday, March 30
6:30 Dessert and appetizer potluck reception
7:00 Program
7:45 Business meeting

Where: King of King’s Lutheran Church, 2685 Packard Rd., Ann Arbor.

Who: Nadia Tonova serves as the Advocacy Coordinator for the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS). In this capacity, she oversees the advocacy campaigns and activities of ACCESS and assists in technical assistance on advocacy related issues. She also serves as the Great Lakes Regional Coordinator of the Liberty and Justice for All Campaign, a campaign of the Rights Working Group. Before coming to ACCESS, she worked as the office assistant with the Democratic Communications Office for the Michigan House of Representatives. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Political Theory from Michigan State University and is currently completing her MA in Near Eastern Studies at Wayne State University.

What: In addition to the presentation on the Liberty and Justice for All Campaign, there will be voting on proposed by-law changes and election of new Steering Committee members.

How: The meeting is free and open to the public, voting during the business meeting is limited to current members only. Membership dues are $25 regular, $10 student low income, and must be paid by March 23. You may pay your membership dues online or by sending a payment to ICPJ, 730 Tappan, Ann Arbor, MI 48104.

Download and Print the Annual Meeting Flier and help spread the word.

Charlie King is one of the peace movement’s most poignant musicians, and he’s coming to Ann Arbor on April 6.

Who: Charlie King, you, and other music-loving peacemakers.

When: Sunday, April 6, 2:00 p.m.

Where: The Ark, 316 South Main in downtown Ann Arbor.

How Much: $15 regular admission, $50 benefactor. Benefactors get to join Charlie for a post-concert reception.

What else? You can also take out an ad in the program. Ad prices are $45 for a business cardsize ad, $60 for a 1⁄2-page ad (5”x 4”), and $75 for a full-page ad (5”x 8”).

Details: chuck@icpj.net, 734-663-1870

“Exactly what a folk music recording should be: songs that make you think, laugh, weep and dance.” Matt Watroba, Folk DJ WDET, Detroit MI.

Download the flier and help spread the word!

FUNERAL MARCH to the FEDERAL BUILDING - Through the streets of Ann Arbor to the Federal Building, we bury the old, failed policies of war and pledge peace in our community and nation. Sat., March 15th. 3:00pm, Corner of Thompson and Williams (near St. Mary Student Parish)

INTERFAITH PRAYER SERVICE – to mourn lost lives and call for peace. All faiths and backgrounds welcome. Sat, March 15th, 2:30pm. St. Mary’s Student Parish, 331 Thompson St., Ann Arbor. (Interfaith Prayer Service flier)

STUDENT “DIE-IN” — students from UM, EMU, WCC, and local high schools will have a “die-in” to highlight the true costs of war. Sat. March 15th, 3:30pm, corner of St. and N. University, Ann Arbor.

COMMUNITY GATHERING, an informal social time after the march to build community and expand solidarity. Arbor Brewing Company, 114 E Washington St.

IRAQ WINTER SOLDIER — Winter Solider film showing and firsthand reports from Washington D.C.’s Iraq Winter Soldier hearings. Hear from veterans Iraq, Gulf War, Vietnam, and WWII. Tues. March 18th, 6:00pm, 3463 Mason Hall, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

CANDLE LIGHT VIGIL, 5th ANNIVERSARY of IRAQ WAR - 5 years after the invasion of Iraq, we will mourn the dead and remember the suffering of war as we read the names of all Michigan soldiers lost in Iraq. Wed., March 19th, 7:00pm, Eastern Michigan University Lake House, 900 Oakwood Street, Ypsilanti, 48197 (Map).

PLEDGE PEACE - Join the undersigned in building a Peace Surge. Pledge peace in tangible ways to create a community and nation that rejects war and embraces peace & justice by: attending one of the events above; helping further Dingell’s peace legislation; boycotting defense contractors; getting to know veterans and their families who need community support; supporting peace clubs and counter-recruitment in area schools; organizing a congregational study group on religious perspectives on peace; joining the Peace Surge activists for 2 hrs/month; and much more. For details and to sign the Peace Pledge, go to:

http://michiganpeaceworks.org/bury_the_war_sig_ad.html

Gather with people from various faiths and backgrounds on the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq to mourn the lost lives and to call for peace.

Saturday, March 15, 2008,2:30 pm
St. Mary Student Parish, 331 Thompson St. Ann Arbor, MI
Contact: 734-663-1870, chuck@icpj.net
Followed by a community-wide funeral march to lay war to rest and pledge peace in our community and nation.

Sponsored by Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice, Michigan Peaceworks, and St. Mary Student Parish

Download the Interfaith Peace Service Flier and help spread the word (note: when you print this, you may have to select the “shrink to fit” option is Adobe Acrobat Reader).

Human Rights in Mexico: The Oaxaca Rebellion of 2006
When the people of Oaxaca decided they’d had enough of bad government,
they didn’t take their story to the media…

They TOOK the media.

“A Little Bit of So Much Truth” Un Poquito de Tanta Verdad), a new documentary by filmmaker Jill Freidberg

When: Wednesday, March 5, 6:30 p.m. (A light dinner will be served)
Where: Ecumenical Center and InternationalResidence, 921 Church St., Ann Arbor.

This event is free and open to the public.

It is sponsored by the Ecumenical Center and the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice (www.icpj.net).

Download the Poster for March Movie Showing of Un Poquito De Tanta Verdad

The March 2008 ICPJ Newsletter is getting ready to ship-out, but you don’t need to wait. You can download the newsletter now! (pdf, 45 mb)

In this newsletter you’ll find:

• Five ways you can help fix health care in Michigan
• What’s planned for the ICPJ annual meeting
• Seven ways your congregation can promote peace in Iraq
• and much more!

At the ICPJ annual meeting on March 30, one of the items of business is to vote on some proposed changes to our by-laws. You can review the proposed by-law amendments, see how the by-laws will read if the amendments are accepted and compare them to our current by-laws. Read on for a summary of the changes and a description for the voting procedure.

Read the rest of this entry »

The co-directors of the first joint Israeli-Palestinian think tank, IPCRI, are coming to Ann Arbor to share a first-hand assessment of the peace process. While recognizing the challenges that lie ahead, they explain why an agreement is possible, and what we can do to help. Read the rest of this entry »

On March 30, ICPJ members will have a chance to vote for five new members proposed for the ICPJ board of directors (which we also sometimes call our steering committee).

I’m excited by this slate of candidates. We have some excellent people who have agreed to serve. Read the rest of this entry »

Thursday March 6,6:30-9:30pm
Christian Love Fellowship Ministries Int’l, 1601 Stamford Ypsilanti, MI

RSVP by MARCH 4. Contact Caitlin Graziano for more information or to register at (734) 929-6509 or caitlin.mpri@gmail.com

Join us and hear how local congregations and community organizations are helping citizens re-enter back into the community from prison. The conference will include testimonies from MPRI clients and information about our areas of greatest need including housing, employment, and mentoring. Group discussion and Q&A will follow. Read the rest of this entry »