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WNPJ Member Events Around the State for the Week of May 19th

  • WNPJ
  • May 18
  • 13 min read
WNPJ + Special Two-Week issue + Vets for Peace Memorial Mile, Walk for the Water, WAVE Advocacy Day + GAZA donations + PPC Bookclub + Building Unity + Urban Triage Gala + other statewide events


The WI Network for Peace and Justice is the umbrella 501c3 non-profit organization

supporting the work of 87 member groups around Wisconsin.



As the network continues to grow we realize the vital role it plays in Wisconsin grassroots organizing. We hope to expand our board to keep the momentum towards peace and justice vibrant and relevant. Keeping us connected and helping each other in timely ways is critical. If you or someone you know would like to become a board member of WNPJ, please let us know: info@wnpj.org -- and thank you for all you do.




Memorial Mile

Join Veterans for Peace Madison Chapter #25 to set up the Memorial Mile on Atwood Avenue – Saturday, May 24th at 9 am! The display will be up all week!


Then join the community at the NEW venue (Madison Masonic Center) on Monday May 26th at 1pm for the annual peace rally!

Questions and to volunteer, contact John Fournelle jhfour@gmail.com






2025 Day of Action with WAVE - Madison

Tuesday, 20 May, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm


Today is your most impactful opportunity this year to demand an end to gun violence in Wisconsin. Join us for an inspiring day of advocacy as we work to build a safer, more peaceful Wisconsin. The morning will be dedicated to preparing you for legislative visits so that when you meet with your lawmakers in the afternoon, you feel informed and confident. Not comfortable speaking directly with legislators? No problem—you can still show up and demonstrate the power of our movement. Your presence alone sends a powerful message.

Gun violence is a crisis, and new, fairer maps mean we have greater opportunity to bring policy change to Wisconsin than we’ve had in over a decade. Our legislators work for us, and it’s time to hold them accountable.



This year, we’ve brought in the entire Wisconsin Gun Violence Prevention Coalition! That means we’ll have more partners than ever before, making our impact even greater. Together, we will raise our voices and push for real change.

Let’s make Wisconsin safer – together.


Nick Matuszewski, Associate Executive Director



You are invited to donate items to a Summer Silent Auction for Gaza Aid sponsored by Madison-Rafah Sister City Project


This silent online auction will be held later this summer, with all proceeds going to Middle East Children’s Alliance to be used as direct and immediate humanitarian aid.

Madison-Rafah Sister City Project has had a relationship with the city of Rafah in Gaza for 22 years. During these terrifying and difficult times, Middle East Children's Alliance's (MECA) team in Gaza is still working to bring humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.


You can learn more about Madison's fundraising campaign for Middle East Children's Alliance at Tinyurl.com/madisontogaza and see their 100% Charity Navigator rating

Cassandra Dixon Chrepairs@gmail.com 608-445-0357.



You are invited to donate items to a Summer Silent Auction for Gaza Aid sponsored by Madison-Rafah Sister City Project


This silent online auction will be held later this summer, with all proceeds going to Middle East Children’s Alliance to be used as direct and immediate humanitarian aid.

Madison-Rafah Sister City Project has had a relationship with the city of Rafah in Gaza for 22 years. During these terrifying and difficult times, Middle East Children's Alliance's (MECA) team in Gaza is still working to bring humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.


You can learn more about Madison's fundraising campaign for Middle East Children's Alliance at Tinyurl.com/madisontogaza and see their 100% Charity Navigator rating

Cassandra Dixon Chrepairs@gmail.com 608-445-0357.



Wisconsin Poor People’s Campaign's virtual book club

Wednesday, 21 May, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm


Dr. King said, “Education without social action is a one sided value because it has no true power potential.” It is both social action and education that we need right now. In a time where there is so much social action, the requirement is to build clear, competent, committed, and connected people that are leaders. We feel a deep need to bring people together, educate with the rich history of our movement, and build the base that is focused on abolishing poverty. This is our commitment, as Bernice Robinson said, “We are going to learn together.”


What is the book? And Why? The book is called Revolutionary Nonviolence: Organizing for Freedom by James M. Lawson. James Lawson, in the introduction of the book, invites us into power and vision. We in isolation lack both. Together, we have both. “We have to find ways to create a new power, and the new power is the power of people who get engaged and are willing to work on developing a plan and a strategy…that enables us to work as a people to make change,” said Lawson. The challenge remains the vision, “to endure and to take the movement for a better world further than it has ever gone before.” There is a violence that is harming us all. What we need is revolutionary nonviolence. Click here for the zoom link.




Building Unity - “Our Wisconsin Spring Unity Gathering”

Saturday, 31 May - 10:00 am - 5:00 pm


Memorial Union on UW-Madison Campus, 800 Langdon St.

This gathering will bring together many groups, causes, strategies, and dreams so that together we can continue to figure out the steps of our unity plan.

So many of us are hungry for a united and sustainable approach. Now is our time - our time to take turns, to co-create, and to make sure that nobody is left out.


Info? - call 608-630-3633 or use this link: tinyurl.com/BU-Opportunities .


The people of Earth are under attack by militaristic oligarchies including the U.S. Government. Voices opposed to fascist oppression and genocide are being illegally imprisoned. Our democracy is eroding. Essential programs for people and our world are being severely cut while billionaires get more tax breaks. Our world is collapsing and many are dying at the hands of violent oppression and senseless war. Now is the time for all who stand for the protection of PEOPLE, PEACE, & OUR PLANET to unite and organize. Please join these endorsing partners and help create OUR next unity gathering.

Call 608-630-3633 to add your group’s logo!


Contact Timothy Cordon if you're interested in planning this event - or if your group wants to sponsor! buildingunitywi@gmail.com



Black Brilliance Gala, hosted by Urban Triage - Madison

Saturday, 31 May, 6:00 pm - 10:30 pm - 201 State St


Get ready for an unforgettable night of elegance, empowerment, and celebration at the second annual Black Brilliance Gala, hosted by Urban Triage at the iconic Overture Center for the Arts. This isn’t just a gala—it’s a bold tribute to Black excellence, resilience, and community power. Join leaders, visionaries, and changemakers for an inspiring evening filled with live entertainment, fine dining, and unforgettable moments.


Be part of something extraordinary!


Embracing a masquerade ball theme, the evening will feature spectacular entertainment including an aerialist performance, a talented violinist, and a captivating saxophonist. This year, our gala proceeds will support the groundbreaking Hemp Specialty Crop Program and the Support Youth Transitional House initiative.




WNPJ Member Group Events

Click here to see a listing of recurring Vigils across the state!


Madison

  • 5/20 @ 10:00am-3:00pm: Advocacy Day for WAVE at the Capitol. See the Spotlight above.

  • 5/20 @ 5:00pm-6:30pm: JustDane Service Fair. At Madison College Goodman South Campus. 2429 Perry Contact for more information: info@justdane.org

  • 5/20 @ 11:30am-12:00pm: Weekly Vigil for Peace with the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa. At the corner of Monroe St and Edgewood Ave. near Edgewood High School. Details here. opjustice@sinsinawa.org

    Contact Info: dsamadison@gmail.com Reserve for the zoom link.

  • 5/22 @ 7:00pm: "When Rubber Hit the Road" – special screening of the new documentary. At the Barrymore Theater (2090 Atwood Ave.) , hosted by The Progressive magazine and Wisconsin Humanities, in honor of the film's 5/20 premiere on PBS Wisconsin. Introductory remarks by journalists Norman Stockwell and John Nichols, Tony Sansalone of Wisconsin Humanities, plus filmmakers B.J. Hollars and Steve Dayton. The film tells the story of the departure of the Uniroyal Tire plant from Eau Claire, Wisconsin and a Midwestern city’s attempt to reinvent itself in the wake of America’s manufacturing decline. Admission is $5.00 at the door. More info? Visit: https://barrymorelive.com/event/when-rubber-hit-the-road/

  • 5/23 @ 12:00pm-1:00pm: Madison Weekly Vigil in support of Palestine. Meets near the entrance to the Memorial Library across from the Catholic student center. Signs not provided. Contact joel.garb@gmail.com

  • 5/23 & 31 @ 9:00am: Set up the Memorial Mile with VFP no. 25 – and then help take down the markers. See the details in the SPOTLIGHT

  • 5/24 @ 2:00pm-8:00pm: Farm Aid to School 2025! Troy Gardens (502 Troy Dr.) Celebrate the unofficial start to summer with a family-friendly music fundraiser with food vendors, kids’ activities and music from local bands Tani Diakite & the AfroFunkstars, Cris Plata and Extra Hot, Free Dirt, and Teresa Marie Hardy of the People Brothers Band. All proceeds from Farm to School Aid will directly benefit our Gardener-in-Residence program in partnership with Madison Metropolitan School District. For more? Visit: https://rootedwi.org/event/farm-to-school-aid/

  • 5/25 @ 5:00pm-7:00pm: Screening of No Other Land. At the Bartell Theater, 113 E Mifflin St.. World BEYOND War in Madison will screen the 2025 Oscar-winning film as a premier and fundraiser for Masafer Yatta. The 5 pm screening is SOLD OUT. You can reserve tickets for the 7 pm screening at www.bartelltheater.org. (There is an additional screening on June 8th, at the Christ Presbyterian Church on E Gorham – get your reservations here for that screening: Reserve you seat here.) Sponsors: Madison Rafah Sister City Project, Madison for a World BEYOND War, Veterans for Peace Madison, Jewish Voice for Peace Madison, Bartell Theater, Christ Presbyterian Church, Interfaith Peace Working Group. Watch the trailer here. Watch the Oscar acceptance speech here. Contact: warabolition@gmail.com

  • 5/26 @ 1:00pm: Veterans for Peace Annual Peace Rally, John Nichols featured speaker. At the NEW venue of the Madison Masonic Center. See the Spotlight above.

  • 5/27: Action Day at the Capitol with Citizens Action of WI and WISDOM – on the WI BUDGET. Save the date and watch for upcoming information. office@wisdomwisconsin.org.

  • 5/26 @ 1:00pm: Veterans for Peace Annual Peace Rally, John Nichols featured speaker. At the NEW venue of the Madison Masonic Center. See the Spotlight above.

  • 5/29 @ 7:00pm-8:00pm: Gaza and the West Bank: A Struggle for Survival Amid Genocide with Rev. Khader el-Yateem. At the Midvale Lutheran Church 4329 Tokay Blvd. Israel’s extreme violence in Gaza and the West Bank is uprooting entire communities, destroying homes, displacing civilians, many of them children, and depriving inhabitants of food, water, shelter and medical care. This violence is putting the continued existence of the entire Gazan people at risk and making each day a struggle for their survival. The question is no longer when peace will come, but whether the people of Gaza and the West Bank will survive long enough to see it.

    CO-SPONSORS: Interfaith Peace Working Group & South-Central Synod of Wisconsin, ELCA info@interfaithpeacewg.org

  • 5/31 @ 10:00am-5:00pm: Our Wisconsin Spring Unity Gathering. At UW-Memorial Union. See the Spotlight above to register and learn more. buildingunitywi@gmail.com

  • 5/31 @ 6:00pm10:30pm: Urban Triage Annual GALA. At the Overture Center on State Street. See the Spotlight above.


Milwaukee

  • 5/22 @ 12:00pm-1:00pm: Anti Gun Vigil. A Shooter’s Shop, 84th & Arthur St. Guns are made to maim or kill. We have more gun homicides than any other country.Sent to WNPJ by Casa Maria don2roberta@yahoo.com

  • 5/22 @ 6:00pm: Nakba Day Action - MARCH ON DERCO AEROSPACE 📍 Rallying Point: 8155 N 76th St. Contact Peace ACtion WI for more information info@peaceactionwi.org

  • 5/24 & 31 @ 12:00pm-1:00pm: Peace Action WI Weekly STAND for PEACE at Lincoln Memorial/La Fayette Hill on the 24th + Locust and Humboldt on the 31st. Details here. Questions? Contact: info@peaceactionwi.org


Racine

  • 5/24 & 31 @ 12:30-1:30pm: Weekly Stand for Peace. At the NW corner of Highways 31 and 20. Park in the SW corner of the Kohl's parking lot near the AT&T store. Supported by the Racine Coalition for Peace and Justice. Details at the Vigils list. Contact https://racinepeace.wordpress.com


La Crosse

  • 5/22 & 29 @ 12:00pm-12:30pm: Weekly Women in Black Peace Vigil. Meet at Main St & 4th Street South. Details at the Vigils list. Contact dbuffton@yahoo.com


Viroqua


Superior

  • 5/25 & 6/1 @ 12:00pm-12:30pm: Women in Black weekly silent vigil. Meet at Center City Park on the Corner of Tower and Belknap. Details here. Contact Christine christineolson3@gmail.com

  • 5/31 @ 11:00am-1:00pm: "Fish for the Future" Origami fish event! At the Superior Public Library Classroom. Family-friendly event as part of the 350 Wisconsin Project to protect WI waters; hosted by Christine Olson, Northland Grandmothers for Peace and more. From 350 WI: Help us break a world record by folding origami fish! We invite you to join us and stand united for clean water and a future free from the threats posed by the incredibly risky Line 5 pipeline. Learn more about this project and sign up to receive materials by visiting: tinyurl.com/FishWR

    For more information, contact christineolson3@gmail.com


Fitchburg

  • 5/12 @ 10:00am: UN in the News Monthly Meeting. At the Fitchburg library. We'll be talking about anticipated funding cuts to UN budget. Hope you can join us. Sam Romano sromano@charter.net


Virtual

  • 5/19 @ 1:00pm: Virtual Training with WI Poor People's Campaign to support Medicaid and Healthcare. Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II launched Moral Mondays with clergy, moral leaders, and scores of people who will be directly impacted by the disastrous budget that Congress has just come back into session to work on. $1.5 trillion cannot be cut from the federal budget without slashing Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, Head Start, Section 8, and other life-saving and life-sustaining programs that millions of Americans rely on.Join WI Poor People's Campaign to break the silence and make calls to ensure that our elected leaders in Wisconsin hear directly from poor and low-wage communities, faith leaders, and advocates about the issues impacting us most. RSVP for Training - Contact Bruce Grau brucegrau8@gmail.com

  • 5/19 @ 6:30pm: Immigration Update Webinar: How Faith Communities Can be in Solidarity & Advocate for Immigrants . Do not miss this important Zoom workshop with CILC attorney Aissa Oliverez. Register today. Sent to WNPJ by WI Faith Voices for Justice. Facebook posting here. matt@wifaithvoices.org https://www.wifaithvoices.org/events

  • 5/21 @ 6:30pm-8:00pm: The Wisconsin Poor People’s Campaign's virtual book club. Revolutionary Nonviolence: Organizing for Freedom by James M. Lawson. See the Spotlight above to register.

  • 5/22 @ 9:00am-10:00am : Radio Conversation with Debra Gillispie.- WDRT Community Radio's Conversations hosted by WNPJ Board member, Dena Eakles

    Debra is the Founder of Milwaukee's Mothers Against Gun Violence/MAGV and a fellow Board member of WNPJ. dena.eakles@gmail.com https://www.wdrt.org/

  • 5/27 @ 7:00pm: Webinar: When Orwell Goes to War: Jim Carrier on Nuclear Weapons. Sponsored by Interfaith Peace Working Group The U.S. has launched a 30-year, $1.7 trillion program to completely replace and upgrade its nuclear defense system, the so-called “triad” of land, air and sea weapons. This project has received very little news coverage, but it will involve new nuclear warheads and bombs, and new missiles, airplanes and submarines to deliver them.

    In this online Zoom presentation, Jim Carrier will describe the history of its launch under President Obama—ironically after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize and calling for an end to nuclear weapons. Carrier has titled this presentation as such because the language used to describe it, chiefly the word “deterrence,” masks the effort to maintain U.S. nuclear dominance that has lasted 80 years. Carrier has traveled throughout the U.S. nuclear complex and will be speaking just three days after returning from Nagasaki where he will be interviewing Hibakusha (bomb-affected people). This Zoom presentation is free but registration is required. REGISTER

    info@interfaithpeacewg.org interfaithpeaceworkinggroup@gmail.com

  • 5/28 @ 7:00pm-8:30pm: 350 WI Webinar with Bill McKibben, about Utility Justice!

    Join this call with 350 Network Affiliates from across the country and Third Act, including founder Bill McKibben, to learn about Utility Justice! We will be discussing the following agenda: 7 pm presentation and discussion: What is an electric & gas utility, and what is utility justice? The problems our utilities create and how to solve them Why are my electric bills so expensive? How utilities leverage political power, and how we can fight back! 8:00-8:30pm optional breakouts by geographic region or state for participants to discuss their own utilities, campaigns and strategy together. Register here. contact@350wisconsin.org

  • 5/29 @ 5:30pm-6:30: Webinar: Surviving the World: finding queer resiliency in art and nature. Hosted by Fair Wisconsin and led by artist Rhea Ewing. REGISTER

    It has been a tough few months, and even that is an understatement. An onslaught of anti-LGBTQ+ - and specifically anti-trans - actions from our federal administration, angry rhetoric from the White House, anti-trans bills receiving marathon hearings at our own state capitol… our community is facing so much hostility right now. And as we do, we must remember that our LGBTQ+ community has faced hostile governments before, and we are still here fighting for queer liberation because we know how to come together in community to connect and build together.info@fairwisconsin.com



WNPJ has a NEW website page on IMMIGRATION JUSTICE! Many WNPJ member groups are organizing around Immigration with webinar events and more. Send any events you're involved with to WNPJ info@wnpj.org and we'll add them to this developing page!




Tabling Opportunity at the Saturday Farmers Market in Madison - Available now for WNPJ member groups!

WNPJ enjoys public interface at a variety of locations. The Network shares the spots we reserve with interested member groups. We already have a spot reserved at the largest farmer’s market in WI at the state capitol in Madison on Saturday mornings. Site #15 at the King St corner of the Square. https://dcfm.org/


 Click here for your WNPJ member group to sign up to share the table!​



The Spring Network News is here! How are we continuing our peace and justice work in the face of rapid changes in our country? How do we resist violence and injustice, build stronger communities, and support healing in these times?


Our member organizations share their thoughts as they continue their vital work.

Click here to read the Spring 2025 Network News along with issues from the past 3 years!



Videos of the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Spring Assembly are available!

March 24-28, 2025

We gathered each evening for this week to bring you the voices of Wisconsin activists as we championed our diversity and our unity.


Topics included:

Coalition and Community Building: Our Common Denominators · Immigration & Palestine: The Connections · Protecting All Our Rights · Environmental Justice · Anti-war / Anti-militarism / Abolition




Join WNPJ - Individual members and groups welcome!

For individuals, join at a sliding scale rate of $35/year – or whatever fits your budget!


For between $50 - $75/year, a WNPJ membership keeps your group connected with peace and justice efforts and helps keep the Network going - and growing!


Visit our website to find out more about the benefits of membership and join us!


We help our member organizations reach a wider audience by amplifying your peace and justice events and actions on our list-serve and Facebook page. Membership also provides access to our community tabling opportunities, our online toolbox of peace and justice resources, and a community that cares about your peace and justice journey.



If your group would like to get your events posted in the weekly e-bulletin – JOIN US!

WNPJ has a YouTube Channel! Check it out here to view members videos!



Interested in a yard sign? WNPJ has yard signs available!  yardsigns@wnpj.org


Follow us on Facebook!

Questions? Contact info@wnpj.org

 

The WI Network for Peace and Justice is the umbrella 501c3 non-profit organization

supporting the work of 86 member groups around Wisconsin.

 
 
 

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