State of the Peace Movement Panel
One year ago the peace movement was jubilant at the election of a new administration. One year after a new administration came to office, where does the peace movement see itself?
A panel of community leaders and peace activists from ICPJ task forces will discuss the policies and actions of the administration of the past year and the effect on the peace movement. Panelists will focus on ICPJ’s issue areas including climate change, Latin America, hunger, Israel/Palestine, war and disarmament, and racial & economic justice.
Date: Wednesday, January 20th
Time: 6:30-8:30pm. Join us for dessert and coffee/tea at 6:30pm, followed by panel speakers and discussion.
Location: Church of the Good Shepherd (2145 Independence Blvd., Ann Arbor).
For more information, call (734) 663-1870 or email info@icpj.net. Free and open to the public. Join us!
Download the poster to help spread the word.Here are the panelists for the event:
- La’Ron Williams will represent the Racial and Economic Justice task force. La’Ron is a long-term Ann Arbor resident, and a nationally recognized, award winning professional storyteller who has toured extensively presenting performances and workshops in schools, theaters, clubs, and religious institutions of all kinds. His stories are crafted to help improve literacy, promote peaceful conflict resolution, foster cooperation, encourage community, build self-esteem, and deepen our historical understanding of the ideal of American democratic inclusion. He is the author of the story “From Flint, Michigan to Your Front Door” — a part of a study curriculum used nationally by High School students to aid in examining systemic racism. Available free online through Racebridges.net;
- Ron Gregg will discuss peacemaking in Israel and Palestine for our Common Ground working group. In addition to a successful career in law and business, Ron was a key planner in the 2009 Morikawa conference on religion and peacemaking. He has also led efforts to create a sustainable development program in Nicaragua and is currently working to develop a plan to expand services to people who are homeless in Ann Arbor.
- Mary Anne Perrone will discuss human rights and justice in Latin America
- Jesse Worker will discuss Global Warming. Jesse Worker is grassroots organizer for Clean Water Action and the 1Sky campaign. He has seen the manifestation of climate change vulnerabilities with groundnut farmers in Senegal and coffee farmers in Jamaica. A recent graduate of the School of Natural Resources and Environment and the School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, he is working to pass U.S. climate policy that will be the necessary first step towards tackling climate injustice.
- Lester Wyborny will discuss hunger. Lester is a group leader for the Ann Arbor Results group and has participated with Results since its creation in the mid-80s. As an organization, Results’ mission is to end the worst aspects of domestic and global poverty through lobbying and education. Results is active in many congressional districts across the US, and in several other countries. Lester also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Central Africa.
- Erika McNamara will discuss broad peacemaking issues such as torture, nuclear weapons, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Erika is an attorney and serves as the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice representative to the Regional and State Partners Council for the National Religious Campaign Against Torture.
He is the author of the story “From Flint, Michigan to Your Front Door” — a part of a study curriculum used nationally by High School students to aid in examining systemic racism. Available free online through Racebridges.net.
