WAVE has sent WNPJ a link to a program called "ENOUGH! Plays to End Gun Violence." We're calling on TEEN WRITERS (ages 13-19) from across the country to write and submit short 10-minute plays confronting gun violence. To all the young writers out there - or those with a voice who don’t know that they are writers, yet -we need you in this moment. We need you to channel your fear and frustration, your anxiety and anger, and, yes, your hope, into stories. Stories that tackle the issue of gun violence. Stories that show us that this is not normal. Stories that show us how to be better. ​We need your voice now more than ever. ​ With it, together we will say ENOUGH! ​ Write the change you want to see in the world. Submission deadline April 20th Learn more at https://www.enoughplays.com/?fbclid=IwAR3HvGjMrLAr14ZeQ6a5levlOzcvJyMwTeRSXf4haVx8gV1FDrRqUi-X43M https://www.wnpj.org/member-organizations-list/wave-educational-fund

During Black History Month, we will share WNPJ member groups’ activities, positions and resources to help us all move towards deeper understanding and help us to find the courage and the love needed to create Beloved Community. WNPJ member group First Unitarian Society offers a good resource listing of articles for white allies. You can find it at their web page Resources for Antiracism. Become an advocate for racial equity. You can sign on to Taking a Faithful Stand for Equity and connect to people throughout the state that are informed and proactive wherever they live. Find out what is happening in Wisconsin school districts regarding anti-Critical Race Theory and other policies that inhibit our mutual understanding. You need not “profess a faith” for this. Monthly zoom meetings are brought to us by WNPJ member groups WISDOM and Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice.

In the next 16 days, we need to make sure that we make history. We must turn out the vote on Feb. 21 in a very big way. Please urge everyone you know to vote on this date. Let people know that this more important than most primaries! The two candidates who receive the most votes will move into the general election. You can help by promoting the Wisconsin Tour for Justice and Democracy. So far, only one candidate has indicated that he is willing to share his answers at our forums. Please, with your help, one or more of the others will surely join in so that we can get the answers that we need to make an informed decision on the upcoming election days - Feb. 21 and Apr. 4. Join our Letter Campaign asking all WI Supreme Court Candidates to share their answers to our questions. Help the candidates see that we have the support of the people and groups large and small across Wisconsin who are ready to put democracy in the hands of the people - not just the “Big Money Players” - please, sign our Letter of Support. Sign up here to receive links to our virtual events and to receive updates like this one about the Tour. Follow the Tour - Show up in Solidarity - either in person or virtually! The tour launches at noon from the State Capitol this coming Tuesday, Feb. 7th. Noon - Senate Parlor (201SE) 1:00 p.m. - Outside at State St. Corner. Our first stop will be at 3:00 p.m. - Midtown Center - Milwaukee, WI. https://www.facebook.com/buildingunitywi/ The first of eight public forums will be at Turner Hall - 1034 N. Vel R. Phillips Ave. MKE - Sat. Feb. 11 at 1:00 p.m. This forum only will be streamed live to Milwaukee Turners’ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/milwaukeeturners all others will stream to Building Unity’s Facebook Page: Then join us at after the first forum at 3:00 p.m. “Send-off Celebration” from outside Turner Hall We’ll wrap up the first day of the tour at 4:30 p.m. with a “Welcome Celebration” in Kenosha. Check out our schedule for the details of all eight weeks of the tour. We will update this schedule often as tour stop plans are solidified. Join virtually! Much of the tour will be streamed love to Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/buildingunitywi Why the Question-mark? Given that only one candidate has answered us with a “YES” - that he would appear or submit answers in some format at our forums, the question as to IF we will be able to host any “Candidate Forums” is our top concern at this time. Thanks to the flexibility of the Building Unity banner painter, we were able to adapt to this uncertainty and modify our “VoteMobile” Sign accordingly. Each of the eight Saturdays of the Tour, we will host virtual/in-person hybrid forums at 1:00 p.m. and they will discuss the Supreme Court Candidates. With hopes that when more of the candidates hear from more of us, they will make some kind of effort to answer the questions of Wisconsin Tour for Justice and Democracy and help us all make a most informed vote on both Feb. 21 and Apr. 1 elections. Please take part in our letter campaign today. (Its a 6-minute job.) Please Volunteer for the WI Tour for Justice and Democracy! Together we can build a mobile grassroots uprising across WI! Feb. 7 - April 4! Join our weekly planning meetings on Wednesdays at 9:00am via Zoom through March 29th: https://zoom.us/j/99245031795 Can’t make this weekly meeting, call Timothy at 608-630-3633 for other possibilities for getting involved. Make sure that everyone that you know is stoked and ready to vote! Primary Election - Feb. 21. General Election - April 4. Our next meetings: Special Meetings: Weekly Tour planing meetings - Wednesdays at 9:00am through 3/29 Youth & Allies Meeting - Youth Mobilization Meeting - 7:00 pm Monthly Building Unity meetings: Core Team meeting (Steering Committee) - First Wed. of the Month 8:30 am (Mar. 1) General Evening Meeting - there will be no Second Tuesday evening meeting in February due to its falling on Valentines Day. (Feb. 14th) Please join us on Mar. 14th for the next BU General Evening Meeting. Same Zoom link for all of our meetings: https://zoom.us/j/99245031795 Meeting ID: 992 4503 1795 One tap mobile: +13126266799,,99245031795# US (Chicago) Any phone: +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

For the past several years, Transit Equity Day has been held on February 4th in honor of Rosa Parks’ birthday. Nationwide vigils are held by transit riders, community organizers, civil rights groups, environmental/climate justice groups, and transit worker unions. The Transit Equity Network has spearheaded this endeavor declaring public transport as a civil right and connecting Ms. Parks’ act of nonviolent resistance to the rights of all people. The premise is that everyone has the right to high-quality public transportation, run on clean/renewable energy. The Network’s year-round advocacy demands adequate funding to support safe, reliable, equitable and environmentally clean transit systems. There was a local action on Saturday Feb 4 at the North Transfer Point, 1213 Huxley St., Madison. There were also live zoom coverage of nationwide vigils https://www.labor4sustainability.org/transit-equity-2023/livestream/ Thanks to WNPJ member B.E. Smith for contributing this information and helping to organize the Madison event. If you missed these events - watch for more organizing around transit in your community. Let’s all consider learning more about transit rights, the need for renewable energy and how WNPJ's member groups can participate in the future.

WNPJ + Nukewatch Update + Gathering of Catholic Workers in Madison in March + Echo Valley News + Celebrating Black History month + Building Unity Tour stops + statewide events this week ….and more ********************************************* John LaForge, contact for our member group Nukewatch, is in a German prison this month, serving a 50-day sentence for protesting nuclear weapons at a US base in Germany. Read more here: https://nukewatchinfo.org/johns-jail-updates/ John LaForge (center) of Nukewatch – photo credit to Hinrich Schultze You can send John a postcard before Feb. 15th to: John LaForge - JVA Glasmoor 99 – 22852 Norderstedt – Germany ****************************************** There will be a Gathering in Madison March 24 - 27 - you won't want to miss. The 20th Catholic Worker Midwest Faith and Resistance Gathering will be in Madison this year! Join us in a strong war abolition direct action. In 2020, the Air Force decided to base a fleet of F-35 warplanes in Madison. Hundreds of people in Madison got active to oppose the siting, see www.safeskiescleanwaterwi.org The decision to bring the planes is being challenged in Federal court now. The Air Force is planning to bring nuclear-capable F-35s to Madison next spring. We are inspired by the history of Plowshares activists’ work against militarism. And by Italian dock workers unions who in recent years are refusing to load weapons shipments for wars. Can you come learn, reflect, and act with us for war abolition? We’ll also try to include time in the weekend to visit special places in Madison – effigy mounds, and OM Village, a utopian tiny home community. Please drop us a line if you might come. We’re looking for Madison hosts and food donations. Contact Justin and Janet at runner.justin@protonmail.com Learn more at: https://www.wnpj.org/member-organizations-list/madison-for-a-world-beyond-war warabolition@gmail.com https://catholicworker.org/ ************************************************************************* Echo Valley Hope WELCOMING NEW COMMUNITY MEMBERS We call ourselves intentional human beings who are living in community. Respect for the Earth and for one another is key to life here. We choose to farm and to cut paths toward sustainable living. We have dropped most of our LP use and plan to expand our solar and be completely off grid over the next few years. We are queer identified and social justice oriented. We are Echo Valley Farm, a community sustained farm for twenty years and we have openings for people who would like to live a simple, rural life. If you would like to participate in our spring planting through fall harvest please contact us to visit and discuss terms. There is a cabin available for two people, perhaps more. We will be planting saplings in March or April and removing a section of the old farmhouse to prepare to add a straw bale addition. Please no drugs or alcohol abuse. Let’s talk. 608-337-4578 https://echovalleyfarmwisconsin.com. Echo Valley Hope is a member group of WNPJ. Let Kindness Win blog by Dena Eakles is celebrating Black History Month. Read more here… ****************************************** Upcoming Events this week for WNPJ groups: * Tues. Feb. 7 th 12 noon – 1 pm Building Unity kicks off the WI Justice and Democracy Tour. Meet at the State Capitol, East Main Street, Madison. Learn more about the Tour here. * Tues. Feb 7 th 7 – 8 pm Statewide National Gun Violence Survivors Week Virtual Meeting. Please join our Wisconsin chapter of Moms Demand Action for this virtual event. We will hear from local survivors about the impact of gun violence and we will discuss how you can lend your voice to amplify these stories and how you can get involved in our movement. There will be an opportunity for attendees to share their survivor story if they want to do so. You must register here in order to receive the call-in information: https://bit.ly/GVSWmtg. https://www.momsdemandaction.org/ lindsey.madisonwi@gmail.com *Tues. Feb 7th - 7 - 8:15 pm Native Book Discussion Series: Becoming Kin; - via zoom — Throughout 2023, Eric Anglada, Sinsinawa’s Ecological Programming Coordinator, will be leading a Native book discussion via Zoom. Visit our website at //www.sinsinawa.org/moundcenter for more information. *Wed. Feb 8th - 6 - 7 pm Webinar: Legacy of Agriculture at Sinsinawa: 175 Years of Farming . Join Laurana Snyder, Sinsinawa Mound’s Horticulturist and Farm Coordinator for this presentation. visit our website at //www.sinsinawa.org/moundcenter *Thurs Feb 9th 7 - 8:30 pm Statewide Planning call for WI Poor People's Campaign. Wisconsin Poor People's Campaign asks you to join our effort to fight for Medicaid expansion, continue enrollment for all people already on Medicaid, and to recognize that we should all have full health care access as a basic human right! We are calling on our legislature, and especially the Joint Finance Committee, to choose to move “forward together, not one step back!” Learn more and register for the zoom call here: Organizer: wisconsin@poorpeoplescampaign.org *Sat. Feb 11th - 10 - 11:30 am UNA Meeting - Cuba, the US, the UN, and Our Media with Art Heitzer. In person at Peace Action of Wisconsin, East Keefe Avenue, Milwaukee - or via zoom. Art Heitzer is the contact for the WNPJ member group, the WI Coalition to Normalize Relations with Cuba. Contact Steve Watrous: watrous@uwm.edu / 414.429.7567/ - Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7165675210?pwd=WjJUcTE3c0gwd1NhQndab3dFQ3hRQT09 *Sat. Feb. 11 th 1 pm - State Supreme Court Candidate Forum in Milwaukee - Turner Hall - 1034 N. Vel R. Phillips Ave. - 1:00 PM buildingunitywisconsin.org ***************************************** Read about all of these events and many more on our events page: https://www.wnpj.org/event-calendar And if your group would like to get your events posted in the weekly e-bulletin – JOIN US! https://www.wnpj.org/membership Interested in a yard sign? WNPJ has yard signs available! yardsigns@wnpj.org ******************************************************************* See our new Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WisNPJ/ "Like" and follow us! Questions? Let us know! info@wnpj.org

Madison residents: We need YOU to contact your city alder and ask them to endorse the City of Madison Back from the Brink Resolution! Feb. '23 Action Alert sent to WNPJ by Physicians for Social Responsibility - PSR www.psr-wisconsin.org/ info@psrwisconsin.org More information and to take action > https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55b8f343e4b01341cb1a19e6/t/63d9c138033b26295a52781a/1675215162566/Bftb+Action+Alert+One+Pager+Handout_FINAL.pdf #StopNuclearWar #BackFromTheBrink

Join us in a growing national and international effort to oppose the F-35 fighter jet program! People from coast to coast in the US and in countries including Canada, Germany, and Australia are coming together in a major effort to GROUND THE F-35. Locally we are organizing with a number of organizations and working up to a series of activities and action at the end of March. STAY TUNED. We have a crucial opportunity to push back NOW · The DoD is delaying production, potentially for another year, pending a crash investigation and problems creating a testing simulator. · President Biden will be releasing his military budget proposal in the coming months. We want him to exclude the F-35. What you can do right now: · SIGN THE LETTER to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin A little more from CODEPINK: A couple of weeks ago F-35 fighter jet production was halted pending an investigation into a crash where the pilot was ejected from the aircraft. Now the Dept. of Defense is delaying full-rate production, potentially for another YEAR. This is a win for the people and the planet and bad news for the war profiteers at Lockheed Martin. Basically the DoD is delaying production of the F-35 (again) because Lockheed Martin designed a plane so convoluted that they can't even finish building the testing simulator yet. More problems with the F-35 gives us a crucial opportunity. In the coming months Biden will release his military budget proposal and we want him to exclude the F-35 from his FY2024 plans. The F-35 is a microcosm of the war machine. It's harmful, expensive, bad for the environment, and only benefits a small group of executives at the company that makes them: Lockheed Martin. Oh, and the politicians Lockheed donates to! From your friends in Madison at Safe Skies Clean Water Wisconsin: Vicki, Brad, Tom, Jane, Lance and so many others www.safeskiescleanwaterwi.org

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. VFP Chapter 102 is working with project coordinator Helen Jaccard to plan the schedule and recruit sponsors. The boat began its trip on the Great Loop route in September on the Mississippi River in Minnesota and is 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 the mission and others it inspired, 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 was rescued from a 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. The Golden Rule Project supports the climate justice movement and conversion from fossil fuels and nuclear power to renewable energy. Its goal is a nuclear-free world. SPONSOR THE VISIT Our organizational sponsors benefit greatly from collaboration with the VFP Golden Rule Project. We can offer, depending on mutual interest and benefit, some or all of these options: • A speaker from your organization is invited to speak at Golden Rule press conferences and educational events that you sponsor and will be invited to participate in interviews with the press. • Your organization is featured on our press releases, flyers, Facebook page, web site and PowerPoint presentations as an event sponsor. • Literature about your organization and issues will be distributed at events as a way to give the public a way to take action and be engaged. • Contact information of attendees from events that you sponsor will be shared with your organization, and attendees will be encouraged to contact you. What the VFP Golden Rule Project would like from our sponsors: • Help us raise funds for the Golden Rule voyage – our goal is to raise $2000 during our Milwaukee stop. The money doesn’t all have to come directly from your organization and we can help with fundraising. Some of the funds will be donated at the events themselves by attendees. But we would appreciate a donation from your organization of any amount. • Promote the Golden Rule, events and the voyage to your members through your newsletters, social media, web site and email notifications. • Assist in media outreach for the events and the voyage. Please consider this offer and contact us regarding your organization’s interest in sponsorship. SPONSORS SO FAR: Milwaukee Veterans For Peace Chapter 102, Peace Action Wisconsin, Physicians For Social Responsibility Wisconsin, Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice, Wisconsin Coalition to Normalize Relations With Cuba, United Nations Association of Greater Milwaukee, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom-Milwaukee,Interfaith Conference of Greater 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. This is an early notice, but seven months will fly by, so think about getting involved now. Thanks. Donate to the Golden Rule project 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 VFP Golden Rule Project, P. O. Box 87, Samoa, CA 95564 web: www.vfpgoldenruleproject.org email: vfpgoldenruleproject@gmail.com Phone: 415-794-5235

This amazing course from World BEYOND War is being offered a second time, later in the year, after the first one filled up fast and a lot of people requested a spot. Reserve your spot or one as a gift now. When: This course will meet for 1.5 hours weekly for 6-weeks on Tuesdays from July 11 to August 15, 2023. The start time for the first week's session in various time zones is as follows: July 11, 2023, at 1 pm Honolulu, 4 pm Los Angeles, 5 pm Mexico City, 7 pm New York, midnight London, and July 12, 2023, at 7 am Beijing, 8 am Tokyo, 9 am Sydney, 11 am Auckland. Where: Zoom (details to be shared upon registration) What: Online peace writing course with Author/Activist Rivera Sun. Limited to 40 participants. The pen is mightier than the sword … or the bullet, tank, or bomb. This course is about how the power of the pen can be lifted to promote peace. While war and violence are normalized in books, movies, news, and other aspects of our culture, peace and nonviolent alternatives are often overlooked or under-represented. Despite the evidence and options, most of our neighbors and fellow citizens have no idea that peace is possible. In this 6-week course with award-winning author Rivera Sun, you will explore how to write about peace. We’ll look at how the written word can portray solutions like unarmed peacekeeping, violence de-escalation, peace teams, civil resistance, and peacebuilding. We’ll dig into examples of how writers from Tolstoy to Thoreau to today have spoken out against war. From anti-war classics like Catch-22 to sci-fi peace literature like the Binti Trilogy to Rivera Sun’s award-winning Ari Ara Series, we’ll look at how weaving peace into story can capture cultural imagination. We’ll work on best practices for writing about peace and antiwar themes in op-eds and editorials, articles and blogs, and even social posts. We’ll also get creative, exploring story and poetry, looking at novels and fictional portrayals of peace. This course is for everyone, whether you think of yourself as a “writer” or not. If you love fiction, join us. If you gravitate toward journalism, join us. If you’re not sure, join us. We will have a lot of fun in this welcoming, encouraging, and empowering online community. You will learn: How to write about peace and anti-war themes for various publications How to address/debunk misperceptions around peace How to capture readers’ attention and convey a powerful message Creative ways to portray peace in nonfiction and fiction The art of the op-ed, blog post, and article The science of creative writing featuring alternatives to war Participants should have a working computer with a microphone and camera. Each week, participants will be given a reading assignment and an optional writing assignment to complete. About the Instructor: Rivera Sun is a change-maker, a cultural creative, a protest novelist, and an advocate for nonviolence and social justice. She is the author of The Dandelion Insurrection, The Way Between and other novels. She is the editor of Nonviolence News. Her study guide to making change with nonviolent action is used by activist groups across the country. Her essays and writings are syndicated by Peace Voice, and have appeared in journals nationwide. Rivera Sun attended the James Lawson Institute in 2014 and facilitates workshops in strategy for nonviolent change across the country and internationally. Between 2012-2017, she co-hosted nationally two syndicated radio programs on civil resistance strategies and campaigns. Rivera was the social media director and programs coordinator for Campaign Nonviolence. In all of her work, she connects the dots between the issues, shares solutionary ideas, and inspires people to step up to the challenge of being a part of the story of change in our times. She is a member of World BEYOND War’s Advisory Board. REGISTER HERE. WNPJ member group is Madison World BEYOND War warabolition@gmail.com

Ready for a deep dive into immigration and workers rights in our state? Listen to WDRT 91.9 fm Driftless Community Radio's show "Conversations" this Thursday morning. WNPJ Board member Dena Eakles welcomes the Founder and Executive Director of Voces de la Frontera, Christine Neumann-Ortiz and UW - Madison Professor Armando Ibarra to discuss their work here in Wisconsin. Not to be missed; lots of great information and lots of opportunities to get involved. Open those compassionate hearts and let's get busy with initiatives like "licenses for all". Making life a bit better for all of us. After it airs, you can also listen to the show in the archives or as a podcast at https://www.wdrt.org https://www.facebook.com/dena.eakles

This past week, nine Palestinians were murdered in the West Bank city of Jenin by Israeli forces. I went to one of WNPJ’s member groups, Madison–Rafah Sister City Project’s website to learn more about the massacre in Jenin and the current plight of the Palestinian People. From a Massacre Took Place in Jenin: “2022 was the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank in nearly 20 years and more deaths than since the United Nations began recording fatalities in 2005. The new, far-right Israeli government and its forces remain adamant about continuing, if not increasing their brutality. We're only 26 days into 2023, and Israel has already killed 30 Palestinians, including five children—setting a pace to double the murder of Palestinians in 2022.” The Madison-Rafah Sister City Project is a wonderful website, full of good endeavors like creating housing, playgrounds, providing fresh food and clean water as well as hosting educational events and providing well-written articles on BDS and more. How to Help will bring you additional information and offer ways for you to be involved. ​ I have deep appreciation for the efforts of our member groups that keep us informed and inspired. May Peace Prevail. Submitted by Dena Eakles, WNPJ Board Member

Wisconsin has continued to reject $1.6 billion additional funds from the federal government to expand Medicaid. We are one of eleven states rejecting Medicaid expansion and hindering low-income people’s access to better health care. In addition, we are facing an exacerbated health care crisis as the federal public health emergency (PHE) is phased out this year. Hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites could lose Medicaid coverage. Let us move forward together covering as many people in our state with the best access to healthcare possible and not allowing anyone to be removed from Medicaid. Please sign this petition from WNPJ member, Wisconsin Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival To: Wisconsin's Joint Finance Committee We call on the Wisconsin Joint Finance Committee to: * Accept federal funds to expand Medicaid as 39 other states have done. * Fully fund access to healthcare to ensure that no person in Wisconsin is removed from Medicaid. * Recognize that Healthcare is a Human Right. ​ photo:Creative Commons Attribute 2.0