What Next For the Peace Movement–video
Here is the video from the “What Next for the Peace Movement” panel discussion on January 22, 2009. This video covers the first 1/2 hour, focusing on the initial presentations by Chris Savage, Fr. Fred Thelen, Laura Russello, and Bhavik Lathia.
Tell us what you thought of the forum and what your ideas are for next steps for the peace movement in the comments below. Also please scroll down to see a summary by Toni McNamara
Panel Summary
Chuck Warpehowski moderated the fast paced Panel Discussion “What next for the Peace Movement?” on Thursday, January 22, at Memorial Christian Church. The panel members were Chris Savage, an Obama team leader during the presidential campaign; Laura Russello, Michigan Peace Works Director; Fred Thelen, chairperson for Pax Christi Michigan; and Bhavik Lathia, co-founder of the U of M Progressive Alliance.
The Discussion started with the premise that for the last eight years, the peace movement has focused on opposing President Bush’s policies and with the election of Barack Obama as President, how would we organize to keep people engaged in the peace movement and what would be our goals. How would we support, challenge, and encourage new initiatives from this administration? And finally, challenged already, how do we respond to the new president’s proposal to increase troop levels in Afghanistan?
Chris Savage started the discussion by stating how important organization on the grass roots really is: “Organizing is important to stay focused and to press the people we elected making sure they do the things we would like to see changed in peace and justice. We have to stay with the momentum we have built up during the campaign”.
Fred Thelen was in Chappas, Mexico, during the inauguration visiting a sister parish and he said, “It really brings it home about the importance in the United States of the non-violent revolution of the ballot box. We have to hold tight to a hopeful vision and remind ourselves that what we plan to do must be for the common good of all. The Bush administration has shown us our worse selves: fears, torture, war-making- all these things we have done these past eight years to preserve our way of life…but in that time we have also become aware that what we do here does have an effect in the world even to small places like Chappas, Mexico. We have to hold this new administration just as accountable as we held the Bush administration. There will be challenges and perhaps this is the right moment for a new perspective on world-wide nuclear disarmament. And we need to look inward, too at our flawed immigration policy. The peace movement needs to work immediately with groups and cross-cultural involvement.”
Laura Rusello was optimistic and foresaw some serious peace initiatives coming out of this administration. “But we cannot follow sheep like. We need to examine what is important and join with other grassroots peace and justice organizations to get projects done. Like the Iraq Water Project the Michigan Peace Works is now engaged in. We have to keep motivated and show people in community how things can be affected by policy. In fact, pressure on the escalation of the war into Afghanistan can be in the form of showing people the economic side of the war and that the amount of money we spend in the Middle East on war can be spent on more life-giving measures like clean water, education, or health care.”
Bhavik Lathia’s family moved to the US from Calcutta, India, during his childhood and he stated baldly that he has seen real poverty and people in the US need to be educated about peace and justice. “It is very important that all these small grass roots peace and justice organizations be brought together discussing not just war and peace but justice in all areas of life, finding common goals and moving together with one strong voice. The economy has eclipsed the war in the Middle East. We must link everyone together to show all peace and justice issues are tied together”.
After the panel shared their visions for a new peace and justice direction, comments were given by the 50 panel discussion attendees. Most seemed to be cautiously optimistic to the first steps of this new administration, but everyone agreed on the importance of grass roots organizing and open dialogue with each other, with other action groups, and the opposition whoever or whatever it may be as imperative to the future of the peace and justice movement in the U. S.
I think the new administration brings a lot of potential to see some victories on issues we’ve been working on, but we’ll have to work for them.
I think that one of the biggest challenges we face will be figuring out what we’re for instead of just what we’re against, and that may highlight some splits within the movement. Are we for immediate withdrawal from Iraq? Partition? Phased withdrawal?
Finally, I think we’ll need to be very thoughtful and strategic. With an administration that shares more of our values, we will have to put a lot of thought into identifying what issues we can win on and putting our resources there. During the Bush years, we didn’t win on much, so we didn’t have to face this question as much. Now it is a crucial one.
Chuck,
I haven’t gotten to watch the video, but here are my thoughts on what to keep working for:
Encourage Pres. Obama in his efforts to take a different tone with Middle Eastern countries, encouraging moderate governments to help us through diplomacy to reign in radical Islamists and terrorists.
Work for nuclear disarmament.
Andrea Rumpsza
One major focus of the peace movement, in my mind, must be on children. Our Manchester Library book group read Greg Mortenson’s book THREE CUPS OF TEA–and what struck me was that Mortenson showed yet again what one person, alive with passion, can do. General discussions are all well and good, but VISION must be translated into very definite ACTIONS. Mortenson saw the vital importance of educating children–especially girls. So he began his process of building schools in the mountains of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Right now the Bush 8 years have left a legacy of youth in the Middle East who HATE us–and that hatred must be carefully considered. So rather than being the anti-WAR movement that has tended to be the center of the Peace Movement, we need to start working on the roots of war–that hatred.
We need to find ways for youth from all faiths/races to work together–not at a conference, but on a task that is helping other people. Obama has called us to service, and the Peace movement can be one of the main organizers of that service. Make connections between SCHOOLS, so that all youth can be involved. Devise projects with real outcomes–that’s why Habitat for Humanity works, because the common goal can be seen through to completion.
I taught for 31 years–and students want to do more than have discusssion.
1. At the local level, the Peace movement needs to coordinate with other civic organizations is devising local service projects where youth can work together with people different from themselves, whether by race or religion. If possible, a Peace component should be proposed for the K-12 curriculum in each community.
2. At the national level, the Peace movement needs to press for a Peace Academy–we finally have an administration that might consider such a place. Wayne State’s Center for Peace and Conflict Studies could be of great help in this effort.
3. At the international level, we need to work with any agencies that sponsor home visits by U.S. youth to other countries. The Peace Corps and AmeriCorps must be stressed, but exchange programs providing homestays can plant the seeds for such work while students are still in high school.
a) I suggest The Experiment in International Living as a place to start. Sargent Shriver, who helped Kennedy initiate the Peace Corps, was an Experiment participant. My tiny hometown in Ohio sponsored a Community Ambassador through the Experiment, so the cost of my summer in Israel was covered by the town’s clubs, and I came back to present what I’d learned to each and every one.
b) AFS (American Field Service) has good programs in place, where the Peace community could sponsor a student’s participation, much like the Experiment does.
So, to sum up, I see the Peace movement becoming more PRO-peace than ANTI-war. I hope we will work together more closely with other community groups, especially in the area of sponsoring international homestays for youth. And I hope we will press for a Peace Academy.
Thanks,
Julia
I’ve been reading an article on Organizing in the Obama Years: A Progressive Moment or a New Progressive Era?, and one point they make is that part of ACORN’s success is that as a Federated organization, they can get their chapters to work together to push for state and national policy.
Anybody involved in the Peace Movement knows it’s hard to get peace groups to work together. We all want to do our own thing.
Part of Obama’s success was how his efforts were coordinated state-by-state.
Should we be considering how to increase our coordination? And will it take giving up some of our local autonomy to do so?
I’m conflicted here. I would like to be more effective, but I don’t want to give up our local voice.
Well now that Obama has expanded the war in Afghanistan and is committed to an open end arrangement in Iraq, we should all feel betrayed.
PEACE NOW! When do we storm the Diag in protest against the war mongering Obama?
Obama was saying all along that he would expand military operations in Afghanistan, so while disappointing, it’s hardly a betrayal.
He has offered a date to get out of Iraq, which is progress.
The Diag protest is schedule for March 21, it’s up on our events calendar.
Though I found this discussion a few months after it began, I am really interested in these questions about the direction of the peace movement. In particular, how can we encourage peace teachings in schools? What kinds of peace resources do we have? I’m looking for a research project for my next year of thesis work, and, if there is a need, it might be helpful to research and compile a list of peace teachings for our Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area. Or if that isn’t quite right, what needs do you see in the community that could be addressed by academic research, interviews, and analysis? I’m doing a program in Social Anthropology and I want it to be useful.