The Golden Rule, a storied sailboat that helped bring about an end to atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons, will stop in Milwaukee Sept. 1-4 as part of a 15-month, 11,000-mile voyage to inform and educate the public about the dangers of nuclear weapons proliferation.
A number of public events will be held, and speakers / crew members will be available for presentations at schools, churches or other venues during the four-day visit. Boat tours and visits with the crew will be offered every afternoon.
The 35-foot wooden sailboat will be docked at Lakeshore State Park, on the downtown lakefront between Discovery World and the Summerfest grounds. It will tie up at Discovery World for the first day, Friday, Sept. 1, and be in a slip at Lakeshore State Park Sept. 2-4. September 4 is Labor Day, and the Milwaukee Area Labor Council is encouraging people who attend Labor Fest to visit the nearby boat.
The Golden Rule began its trip on the Great Loop route in September 2022 on the Mississippi River in Minnesota, sailing to the Gulf, and circling the south and east coasts before reaching the Great Lakes this summer. It will make more than 100 stops.
In 1958 a crew of Quakers sailed the Golden Rule from Hawaii towards the Marshall Islands, intending to protest and interfere with atmospheric nuclear weapons tests, although that voyage was halted by the government and the crew arrested. As a result of this highly publicized mission and public outcry about the radiation blowing around the world, President Kennedy signed the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963.
The Golden Rule action inspired many peace makers and peace ships that followed, including Greenpeace.
Golden Rule had been in private hands and sunk inCalifornia's Humboldt Bay, but was rescued from its watery grave in 2010 and restored to her former beauty by Veterans For Peace and others who support her new mission: to promote a nuclear free future, to educate about the dangers of radiation to humanity and the environment, and to support peaceful alternatives to war.
LOCAL SPONSORS
Milwaukee Veterans For Peace, Chapter 102, Peace Action Wisconsin, Physicians For Social Responsibility Wisconsin, Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice, Madison Veterans For Peace, Chapter 25, United Nations Association of Greater Milwaukee. Milwaukee Turners at Turner Hall, Milwaukee Friends Meeting, Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee, Wisconsin Coalition to Normalize Relations with Cuba, Casa Maria Catholic Worker Community, Racine Coalition for Peace and Justice, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom-Milwaukee.
GET INVOLVED! JOIN US!
Plan now to join us and participate in the visit. Help us plan. Do you have ideas for events or venues? Are you connected to schools, churches, or organizations that would like a presentation -- or a boat ride? Can you volunteer to help with events? Interested in helping as a crew member? There are lots of ways to be a part of this exciting visit.
Just email us at vfpchapter102@gmail.com and we will be in touch. Thanks.
More information:
Bill Christofferson, Milwaukee Veterans For Peace Chapter 102 Vfpchapter102@gmail.com, 414-486-9651
Helen Jaccard, Veterans For Peace Golden Rule Project Manager, (206) 992-6364