...peace for generations
Mission Statement
We are a diverse group of residents of south-suburban Chicago who are committed to promoting peace and justice. We aspire to leave a legacy of hope for our children and future generations and a blueprint for productive conflict resolution through education, diplomacy, action, and leadership-by-example. We have compassion for military personnel and all those affected by conflicts throughout the world, even as we ardently support efforts to end war. We have faith in our ability to make a difference.
You are welcome to join us!
We meet on the 1st Monday of each month, from 7 to 9pm
at 3505 Lakeview, in Hazel Crest.
(In the clubhouse of the Water's Edge Condominiums)
click for map
contact: g4p@generations4peace.org
click here to learn more
Dear
Progressive Caucus Member:
The undersigned organizations and concerned individuals have worked
closely with the Progressive Caucus to prevent and to end the Iraq War.
We appreciate your leadership on this issue and your continued efforts
to ensure the removal of all U.S. troops from the country. We are also
grateful for all that the Caucus, collectively and individually, has
already done to speak out against the widening war in Afghanistan, which
contradicts both our national security and our national values.
At this critical moment, your continued leadership to help reverse the
downward spiral of the security situation in Afghanistan is urgently
required. We urge you to oppose the expansion of the war in Afghanistan;
require the Obama administration to present and implement an exit
strategy; and to press for a greater investment in Afghan-led
development efforts and regional diplomacy to stabilize the country.
We also urge you to press for an immediate end to U.S. air raids that
continue to kill and maim Afghan civilians and destroy Afghan property.
What is euphemistically termed 'collateral damage' not only takes
civilian lives but also inflames Afghans' hostility to the U.S. and wins
new supporters for the Taliban. According to the UN Assistance Mission,
U.S. strikes produced 64% of all civilian deaths caused by the U.S.,
NATO, and Afghan forces in 2008. Just this week, 'collateral damage'
from U.S. air strikes took another 100 innocent lives, according to
Afghan officials.
Secretary of Defense Gates, Secretary of State Clinton, National
Security Advisor Jones, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mullen, and even
President Obama himself, have each acknowledged that
the
internal conflict in Afghanistan cannot finally be won by military means. They have publicly agreed that it will have to be won -- if it
can -- by dramatic improvements in the economy, the political system,
government services, and the courts.
The President's FY 2009 supplemental funding request would clearly widen
the war in Afghanistan. We urge Congress to restructure the package to
focus funding on the expanded diplomacy, development assistance, and
international cooperation that are key to ending these conflicts and
promoting a stable peace in the wider region. To defeat the Taliban and
stabilize the country, the U.S. must enable the Afghan people to develop
public services and an effective justice system essential to create
political stability and support for the government; to develop
agricultural alternatives to drug crops; and to root out corruption.
Given these objectives, the ratio of military to non-military funding in
the Administration's $83.4 billion supplemental budget makes little
sense. More than 90% of the funds allocated for Afghanistan in the
supplemental is for an escalation of war-fighting by U.S. military
units. It would widen -- not wind down -- the war there. That
contradicts the Administration's own admission about how the 'war' will
be won or lost.
President Obama has agreed that the U.S. must convince Afghans we have
"no interest or aspiration to be there over the long term." Yet our
troop escalation, increased operational tempo, and expansion of large
bases suggests just the opposite.
In light of these concerns, we believe that the Congress should
restructure the supplemental spending in several critical ways:
Members of the Congressional
Progressive Caucus are:
|
Co-Chairs
Hon.
Steve Cohen (TN-09) |
Hon.
Elijah Cummings (MD-07) |
Hon.
Jim McDermott (WA-07) |
Thursday, July 2nd
Independence
Day Parade
Evergreen Park
Join Southsiders for Peace in the Evergreen Park Independence Day
parade. Info to come!
T
This conference will bring together a
broad spectrum of people to share skills and form the relationships
needed to build a permanent resistance to militarism. Youth, parents,
educators, veterans, artists, members of social justice organizations
and more will come together for practical training on counter
recruitment, legislative challenges and public pressure to promote
nonmilitary alternatives. For more information call 312-427-2533 or
e-mail to econafsc@igc.org.
Register at nnomy.org.
Thursday, September 17
Speaker: Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General
St.
Xavier University
3700 W. 103rd
St.
Chicago IL 60655
Former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan will deliver an impassioned call for world cooperation entitled "The Five Rules of International Diplomacy” as part of St. Xavier University’s Voices & Visions Speaker Series.
For more information visit the SXU Voices & Visions Speaker Series Web site. General admission tickets are $20 each plus service charge and will be available June 1, by visiting TicketWeb or by calling (866) 468-3401. Ticket sales will begin on June 1, 2009.
Eyes Wide Open Exhibit - October 25, 2008
Generations for Peace honored fallen U.S. military personnel and Iraqi civilians by bringing the traveling exhibition: Eyes Wide Open: The Cost of War to Illinois to Homewood's Irwin Park.
This state exhibit is one of 46 included in the
national Eyes Wide Open network, created by the American Friends
Service Committee. As of the date of the Homewood event, the exhibit
included 151 pairs of boots representing servicemen and women from
Illinois who have died in the Iraq War. A white pair of boots was
included to represent the unknown number of soldiers who have committed
suicide either in Iraq or upon return home. In addition, pairs of
civilian shoes were displayed around the perimeter of the exhibit to
represent the thousands of Iraqi men, women, and children who have died
as a result of the war.
Nan Wexler and Judith Vicari prepare a pair of boots for the Eyes Wide Open exhibit.
International Day of Peace - September 21, 2008
Generations for Peace sponsored "Imagining World Peace," an event to mark International Day of Peace, designated by the United Nations as a global day of personal and political ceasefire and peace-building. People of all ages gathered together. We sang traditional peace songs, learned dances designed to create peace and unity, and viewed a short documentary about one young man’s dream, Peace One Day. We also wrote messages which were sent to a peace group in Tehran, Iran, which was holding its first-ever International Day of Peace event.
Read about the event on the blog of Karen
Van Fossan, Archibald Bush Artist Fellow:
http://peacetheater.blogspot.com/2008/09/this-bag-is-for-peace.html
Homewood Independence Day Parade: July 4, 2008
Reality Check: A Coffeehouse to Mark 5 Years of War in Iraq- March 14, 2008
Intent on not letting the issue of the War in Iraq be
forgotten, Generations for Peace held a well-attended coffeehouse event
featuring musicians and speakers. Speakers included Margaret Jackson (Midwest
Regional Director for American Friends Service Committee), Ramona Mitchell
(mother of a GI serving in Iraq), and Jenna Kennedy (Partners for Peace). The
gift of music was provided by Anna Stange, the Mother Z's, and Rachel Mylan.
Candlelight Peace Vigil- December 16, 2007
About 40 brave souls gathered at the Veterans Memorial in Homewood to light a candle for peace. We sang songs, participated in choral readings, and....shivered!! The cloth banners draped around some participants are sections of the Peace Ribbon that was wrapped around the White House as a protest to the war in Viet Nam. They were
kindly shared by Rev. Richard Lewis.
Petition Delivery to Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., Dec. 13th
NO WAR IN IRAN!
Generations for Peace "hosted" a petition-delivering event at the Homewood office of Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. This event was organized by MoveOn, which supplied petitions urging our representatives to sign a letter to President Bush to let him know that he has no authority to strike or invade Iran without Congressional approval.
Rally for Peace and an End to the War: October 27th, 2007
This local rally (Homewood) was held as part of a day of
nationwide demonstrations and rallies in support of peace and an end to the war
in Iraq. Generations for Peace was honored to have folksingers Anna Stange and
Candy Heitner lead us in singing for peace. Speakers included Laurie Hasbrook
(from Voices for Creative Nonviolence), Pastor Nancy Dederer, Rabbi Ellen
Dreyfus, and Roderick Bashirr.
Laurie Hasbrook
Pastor Nancy Dederer
Rabbi Ellen Dreyfus
Rod Bashirr with family and friends
Homewood Independence Day Parade: July 4, 2007
History
At the end of May, 2007, eight women met at the home of Jodi Libretti, in Homewood, Illinois, in response to a letter she sent to friends and acquaintances. The letter spoke of a deep longing to find other people in the local community who believed strongly in promoting peace and justice.
By the end of the first meeting, the women had decided to form an activist group that would include anyone committed to peace, not just women, and that, as a reflection of the many ages represented that night, the group would be called "Generations for Peace."
There were thirteen people at the next meeting, in June, where the mission statement was crafted. At that meeting, the decision was made to march in the Homewood 4th of July parade with signs and Generations for Peace t-shirts. In preparation for the parade, a sign-making party was held at the end of June. Over 30 people attended that meeting.
The Homewood 4th of July parade was the first public appearance of Generations for Peace. Parade bystanders reported that G4P was by far, the largest group in the parade. Over 65 women, men, and children walked with the group including one family representing three generations of peace activists, and the response from parade-goers was overwhelmingly positive. While some members of G4P were active protesters of the Vietnam War, many other members had never taken a public stand on any issue. This was a significant, moving, and uplifting event for the group.
Statement of Nonviolence
(adapted from the statement written by Voice for Creative Nonviolence
www.vcnv.org)
While nonviolence is defined in different ways by different people in different
contexts, and while there exists the need to continue discussion and debate on
how nonviolence and nonviolent action is conceived, we are committed to
following these principles in all of our group actions and events:
We will act with love, openness, compassion, and respect toward all people we encounter. We will seek dialogue with those who may disagree with us and maintain a spirit of openness, friendliness, and respect toward all with whom we engage.
We will not be violent in our actions or words toward any person or property and will not damage any property.
We will act fairly and honest with people regardless of the situation or role they play.
We will remain calm and aware at all times. We will keep a clear state of mind.
We will recognize our opposition is to a system of violence and militarism, not to individual members of the system.
We will carry no weapons.
We will gather in a manner that reflects the peaceful world we choose to create.
Contact Information for Congressional Representatives, Chicago south suburbs:
|
Senator
Roland Burris (D) Fax: 202-228-3333
|
Main District Office: |
|
Senator Richard Durbin (D) http://durbin.senate.gov |
Main District Office:
|
|
Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D)
|
|
|
Representative Bobby Rush (D)
|
South Suburban Office: |
|
Representative Jerry Weller (R)
Washington DC: |
Phone: (815) 740-2028 |