Events and Action Alerts from WNPJ member groups for the week of Sept. 24th. The WI Network for Peace and Justice is the umbrella non-profit organization supporting the work of 79 member groups around Wisconsin.
If you’d like to share this WNPJ e-bulletin, go to https://www.wnpj.org/blog for this week’s issue!
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SPOTLIGHT on WNPJ’s Annual Fall Assembly - for all members and allies!
"Every Drop Counts: Coming Together for Water" Saturday, October 28, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm We're meeting at the Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2600 E. Philip Lane, Appleton - as well as virtually. You are welcome to join us in-person or via zoom (links coming soon). We are working with local organizations to bring pressing issues for consideration and we will be celebrating efforts and victories. Program in development.....to include:
The assembly is dedicated to the work of Dawn Sturdevant Baum -
Peacemaker of the Year Award to Bill Christofferson of Milwaukee, lead organizer for The Golden Rule.
Music and slides to remember our George Paz Martin - "We are Family"
'Sold Down the River' video, introduced by John Peck
PLUS.....
WNPJ business meeting,
Food and sharing,
Member group tabling,
And more!
If you'd like to help plan the event, contact Board member Dena Eakles at dena.eakles@gmail.com and watch www.wnpj.org for new developments!
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Action Alert from Safe Skies Clean Water Wisconsin safeskieswi@gmail.com :
The Madison 'Back from the Brink (BftB)' Resolution was introduced to the City Council in late September and will be voted on 10/3/23. Time for you to take action, Madison! As you know, the F-35 fighter jets are named as part of the U.S. strategic nuclear triad. Community efforts that make it clear that we do not condone nuclear weapons can build into a larger movement. And maybe, just maybe, we can ultimately make those horrible jets go away. But we definitely need to prevent nuclear war. Back from Brink Resolutions call on our federal government to: · Actively pursue a verifiable agreement among nuclear-armed states to eliminate their nuclear arsenals. Renounce the option of using nuclear weapons first. · End the president's sole, unchecked authority to launch a nuclear attack. · Take U.S. nuclear weapons off hair-trigger (launch ready) alert. · Cancel the plan to replace the entire U.S. arsenal with enhanced weapons. · The City of Madison Back from the Brink Resolution also commits Madison to nuclear weapon-free investments and contracts. The BftB recommendations were developed by members of the Union of Concerned Scientists and Physicians for Social Responsibility USA in consultation with experts on nuclear security. The financial recommendations are the result of research on other cities that have committed to nuclear weapon free investments/contracts, and the hard work of the Madison Finance Director and City staff. If you have already contacted your Alder, contact them one more time and urge them to vote on 10/3 for the Back from the Brink Resolution. If you have not already contacted your Alder, this is the time to do it! Nuclear disarmament sometimes feels like an impossible goal. But the grassroots Nuclear Freeze movement of the 1980's led to negotiations between Russia and the US that resulted in a decrease in the world arsenal from 60,000 to today's 12,500 warheads. To find your alder, go to: https://www.cityofmadison.com/council/councilmembers/findalderbyaddress.cfm Here's a link to the national campaign: https://preventnuclearwar.org/
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Upcoming Events this week for WNPJ groups:
FITCHBURG Mon Sept 25th, 10am - 12 noon UN In the News Discussion Group - Fitchburg Public Library, Lacy Road. Questions? Agenda and readings for the day, contact Sam Romano. sromano@charter.net (This group also meets on-line on the 2nd Monday of each month. Contact Sam Romano for the zoom call-in details.)
VIRTUAL Mon Sept 25th, 7 pm Zoom Meeting on Understanding "Wisconsin Rights of Nature Campaign." Organized by WISDOM. About a year ago, we launched the "Wisconsin Rights of Nature Campaign." After a couple of general presentations, a core group of about 25 leaders has continued to meet regularly, to better understand Rights of Nature, to develop some materials and resources, and to pilot some activities. We now have a website, a brochure, and are on the verge of having a Rights of Nature resolution passed by the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors. We invite you to join us for this Zoom event to learn more about the campaign and what has been done. More importantly we want to share a vision for the future of the campaign and show ways, large and small, that people can get involved. Rights of Nature is a movement rooted in the indigenous community that calls for legal recognition and protection of the natural world. It is a recognition that lakes, rivers, forests and animals have a right to exist, to evolve and to thrive. They also have a right to remedies when they are harmed. It is an end to the dangerous assumption that the natural world is ours to consume and exploit, without recognizing its intrinsic value. We need only look at global warming, mass extinction and water crises of all kinds to recognize that our assumptions have to change. Register for the event. One thing you can do immediately is to sign our petition below urging elected officials to adopt rights of nature laws, and share it with friends and neighbors. Sign the petition . Sent to WNPJ by WIDOM. office@wisdomwisconsin.org
MADISON Mon Sept 25th 7-8pm Madison Area Bus Advocates in-person meeting. Central Public Library, West Mifflin Street, in room 104. MABA will be holding its first in-person meeting in over three and a half years. It ideally will have a virtual option. Contact Susan De Vos info@busadvocates.org for more information.
VIRTUAL Tues Sept 26th, 12 noon. Building Unity is hosting a virtual “Letter to the Editor Workshop” led by Bill Lueders. Join us with Wisconsin writer, and champion of investigative journalism and transparent government, Bill Lueders. Lueders is a strong proponent of using “letters to the editor” as a powerful tool to help citizens shape the public conversations of our time. Register at the link below and you will receive the zoom link and more information about the workshop: https://tinyurl.com/LTEWorkshopReg . More information from Building Unity: Timothy Cordon at 608-630-3633
MAUSTON/TOMAH Tues Sept 26th, 3:45 - 4:45 pm Monthly VIGIL AGAINST THE DRONES, outside the gates of Volk Field, Camp Douglas. We need YOU there. Arrive at the wayside around 3:30 so we have time for introductions and to process to the base together where we will hold a solemn vigil for one hour to remember those killed by drones. The vigil at Volk Field is a legal vigil where we will be on public property. As always, it will be a solemn vigil, remembering the victims of US government drone attacks. DIRECTIONS - To get to the vigil, take the Camp Douglas exit off Interstate 90/94 between Mauston and Tomah. When you exit take County Rd. C to the northeast. You will see the base straight ahead, but follow County Rd. C to the right and within a few blocks is a picnic wayside where you can park. The wayside is now closed for the winter, but you can legally park on the side of the road. There are no bathrooms available during the winter months. Bring posters if you can. Call Joy at 608 239-4327 joyfirst5@gmail.com or Bonnie at 608-256-5088 blb24@earthlink.net for an update before you make the drive; car-pooling option. We usually vigil on the 4th Tuesday of every month. Wisconsin Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars
SINSINAWA Tues Sept 26th, 6 to 8 pm Healing Haunted Histories - Sinsinawa Mound Center, County Road Z. Eric Anglada, Sinsinawa’s Ecological Programming Coordinator, will be leading this presentation. We live in a land that is haunted, where the spirit of past colonial violence and Native dispossession is still present among us. This retreat will explore the hauntings of this continent, region and landscape, while delving into practical ways of healing. This is both an inward and an outward journey. To prepare for the event, please research your family history and bring that information to the retreat. The fee is $15 per person, and registration ends on Monday, September 25. Contact Arrangements at 608-748-4411 or visit our website at https://sinsinawa.org/moundcenter for more information. Sinsinawa Mound, the motherhouse for the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, is located in southwest Wisconsin on County Road Z, off Highway 11, about five miles northeast of Dubuque.
MILWAUKEE Tues, Sept 26th, 7 - 8 pm Vets for Peace #102 Monthly Meeting. St Johns On The Lake. Please make a note on your calendar and join us if you can. Zoom call may be an option. vfpchapter102@gmail.com
MADISON Wed Sept 27th 12:30 - 1:30 pm Radical’s Journey from Campus to the Shop Floor in 1970s – (and virtual) with Jon Melrod. UW-Madison Social Science Bldg. Rm. 8108 (1180 Observatory Dr.) Hosted by the UW Havens Wright Center for Social Justice. Wisconsin born into the political and cultural quiescence of the 1950s, Jon Melrod grew up in apartheid-like Washington D.C. Active in the student movement that opposed the Vietnam War and a supporter of Black liberation, Jon embraced the ideology that the working class held the power to radically transform society. He left the campus for the factory in 1972. For thirteen years he immersed himself in the day-to-day struggles of Milwaukee’s working class, both on the factory floor and in the political arena. Despite FBI and Milwaukee Police “Red Squad” interference, Jon organized a militant rank-and-file caucus and rose through the union ranks to a top leadership position in UAW Local 72. Please register if you wish to attend virtually: https://havenswrightcenter.wisc.edu/event/jonathan_melrod/ Sent to WNPJ by Madison Infoshop - jepeck@wisc.edu
SINSINAWA Wed Sept 27th TWO EVENTS!
Wed Sept 27th, 3 pm. The Windows of Queen of the Rosary Chapel: A Story of Faith in Color, Light and Glass (part 3 of 3) Sinsinawa Mound Center, County Road Z. Join S. Priscilla Wood, OP, Director of the Office of Arts and Cultural Heritage, for a sitting tour of these “jewels in the crown” in our chapel at Sinsinawa Mound. Learn not only the special techniques used but the story that each window contains as each takes the viewer on a journey through faith. This is open to the public and admission is free. Contact Arrangements at 608-748-4411 or visit our website at www.sinsinawa.org/moundcenter for more information.
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Wed Sept 27th, 4 pm. Final Sinsinawa Mound Market for the season! The market is held at our farm at 2551 County Road Z, Sinsinawa, WI 53824. The vendors at the market will include Collaborative Farmers, Sandhill Farm, Dropseed Farm, City Girl Farming, The Mound’s Farm, Sinsinawa Bakery, Sinsinawa Book and Gift Gallery, plus more! Contact Arrangements at 608-748-4411 or visit our website at https://sinsinawa.org/moundcenter for more information. Sinsinawa Mound, the motherhouse for the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, is located in southwest Wisconsin on County Road Z, off Highway 11, about five miles northeast of Dubuque.
MADISON Wed Sept 27th, 6 - 8:30 pm Screening of: SEEKING ASYLUM: A Mother’s Journey - Madison Christian Community - Community of Hope UCC and Advent Lutheran, ELCA, 7118 Old Sauk Road. SEEKING ASYLUM is an award-winning feature documentary that bears witness to the endless deterrents migrants face when petitioning for asylum in the United States. In a system that has been designed for failure, we follow one woman’s journey as she searches for protection for herself and her children. Many people view getting to the United States as the final hurdle in the migration journey, but we quickly learn that once in the U.S., the fight has just begun. During one of the most uncertain times in our country's history, Seeking Asylum documents the challenges asylum seekers face and shows why asylum is an integral part of the American Dream that we cannot afford to lose. We are requesting donations of $25 per person, to be paid online or at the door. Members of the immigrant community are invited at no cost. Donations go to support the sponsoring organizations’ work for immigrant justice. Donate here - https://www.wisconsinfaithvoicesforjustice.org/donate.htmlUnder 'designation', please click on Seeking Asylum. Light refreshments and beverages will be served. Questions? Contact Stephanie Selgado at 608-250-9982. Sponsored by: Voces de la Frontera, Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice, the Community Immigration Law Clinic, and Jewish Social Services of Madison. wifaithvoices4justice@gmail.com
MADISON Sat. Sept 30th, 9:30 - 11 am. World BEYOND War Madison Speak Out! at the Dane County Farmers Market, East Main St. Debate: Is War in Ukraine Justified? Speak-out on issues; we will broadcast our messages "a viva voce" to the market-goers! We hope you’ll join us! Questions, ideas, RSVP? warabolition@gmail.com
NEENAH Sat Sept 30th, 12 noon - 3 pm Worker and Community Summit; Lessons from the Field - 157 S Green Bay Rd., Fox Valley Labor Council, Hall. Potluck from 12 NOON - 1 P.M. followed by a 1-3 P.M. panel. From fast food and retail, to the public sector, throughout the logistics industry, healthcare and beyond, workers across Wisconsin and nationwide are in motion and fighting back! Join us for a public discussion between worker leaders in organized and non-collective bargaining workplaces to discuss the current political environment and to share lessons drawn from the struggles they’ve been engaged in. We'll then discuss how these lessons can be applied in our work now to build a broader, member led worker movement in the Wisconsin that can exercise power and organize the unorganized in alliance with community allies. $20 contribution (sliding scale) to defray expenses and for the Teamster 662 strike fund but no one would ever be turned away for lack of funds. For more information: werisefighting@gmail.com or 313-559-7074.
MILWAUKEE Sat Sept 30th, 12 noon - 1 pm Weekly Stand for Peace - Meet at North Lincoln Memorial Drive & East Lafayette Hill Road. Each week, a different vigil site in Milwaukee. Bring your signs for peace! Questions? Contact Peace Action WI -info@peaceactionwi.org or see https://www.peaceactionwi.org
VERONA Sun Oct 1st, 10:30 - 3:30 pm The Farley Center Fall Festival - Farley Center, Spring Rose Road. https://www.facebook.com/events/1148142479225032 . https://farleycenter.org/event/farley-center-fall-festival-2023/
MADISON Sun Oct 1st, 7 - 8 pm Candlelight Vigil for Peace in Ukraine for People of Faith and Conscience. Meet at Capitol Square - State Street Steps. Sponsored by Madison World BEYOND War. RSVP if you can to warabolition@gmail.com .
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WNPJ member groups can sign up for a Saturday opportunity to TABLE at the Madison Farmers Market – this Spring and summer at the Capitol Square. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4daaa929a5fac34-wnpj#/
The Farmers Market opening date is April 15th – 7 am to 1 pm …and runs through the Fall on Saturdays. Sign up for your spot today! Bring your own table and hand-outs to the King Street corner of the Square, next to the VFP #25 table! Questions? Contact info@wnpj.org
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Interested in a yard sign? WNPJ has yard signs available! yardsigns@wnpj.org
See our new Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WisNPJ "Like" us and follow us!