WNPJ + Action Alert – Save our Water! + and,SAVE the Date May 18th for a WNPJ annual mtg + JustDane celebrates its 50th + Rachel Corrie Remembrance Event + Cassandra is going to Gaza + other statewide events *********************************** The WI Network for Peace and Justice is the umbrella non-profit organization supporting the work of 85 member groups around Wisconsin. *********************** TAKE ACTION NOW! This is a critical moment: President Biden’s administration has the power to weigh in on a pivotal decision that could protect the Great Lakes for generations to come. CLICK HERE to urge him to take a stand and support the Bad River Band. In solidarity, Britnie Remer - 350 Wisconsin Fossil Fuel Organizer - britnie.remer@350wisconsin.org ****************************** SAVE the DATE: Saturday May 18th  early afternoon for WNPJ’s Annual Spring Meeting  up North as well as virtual watch-parties in Appleton, Milwaukee, Madison and maybe more…. The WNPJ Spring Steering Committee Meeting is coming up in May, meant for contacts of our 85 member groups, plus interested members. The purpose of this annual Spring meeting is to set our goals and vision for the year ahead, with input from our member groups.  We’ll be listening, as our group contacts report on what their groups are doing “Reports from the Field” …and how we can work together for more impact on issues that unite us.  We’ll be choosing a nominating committee for Board members, too, at this meeting – and we’ll have a program.  Our 2024 theme will be  Environmental Justice - confronting extreme extraction and ending resource wars (on Indigenous and Frontline People). Watch for registration materials and meeting time and places. We’ll be sending out a list of member groups by region – so you can find others who may want to gather near you for a WNPJ virtual event on the 18th! WNPJ can supply these gatherings with some funds for treats!  Let us know if you’re having a gathering! info@wnpj.org And……WELCOME: WNPJ has hired two new people in contract positions to assist our all-volunteer communications team! Meet Tom Boswell – coordinating the Spring newsletter for WNPJ. Tom is a long-time Wisconsin activist working on Safe Skies WI. The newsletter deadline is yet tbd. If you have anything to submit, send it to info@wnpj.org and we’ll forward it Tom’s way! Meet Britnie Remer – She will share her skills in the areas of social media and graphic design, plus event planning ….as we work toward Economic Justice in our state.   britnieremer@gmail.com ************************************ SPOTLIGHT on WNPJ member group JustDane! Did you know?! JustDane's 50th Anniversary event is April 11th! Father Boyle of Homeboy Industries will be presenting at our celebration! Their work in Los Angeles corresponds with the work JustDane has been doing in Dane County. Come hear about their amazing contributions to supporting the people in their community and helping build a safer community! 6 – 8:30 pm at the Madison College Mitby Theater in Madison. We look forward to celebrating this milestone with our supporters, volunteers and the community! Order tickets here: https://JustDane50th.eventbrite.com For contact information – see https://www.wnpj.org/member-organizations-list/justdane ************************************ And, on Gaza….. MADISON Sun Apr 14, 1:30 – 3:30 pm  Remembering Rachel Corrie event. At Christ Presbyterian Church, 944 E. Gorham St. Free & open to all, donations to the Middle East Children’s Alliance welcome. Join Madison Rafah Sister City Project for Madison's annual event honoring the life of Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old peace activist from Olympia, WA who was crushed to death in Rafah on March 16, 2003 by a US-made Caterpillar armored D-9 bulldozer driven by an Israeli soldier as she stood against the demolition of a Palestinian home. As Israel crushes the lives of millions in Gaza, we believe that Rachel’s wish now would be that we do all in our power to end the genocide in Palestine. The event will include readings from Rachel’s writings, a video message from her parents Craig and Cindy, and time to write and call congress and the White House to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire, opening of Gaza to unlimited and adequate humanitarian aid, and an end to US support of the Israeli military. Music by Ensemble Shamaali, featuring the oud, drum and flute. Desserts and beverages will be served. Palestinian crafts, olive oil & olive oil soap will be available for purchase, as will children's books about Palestine and books by and about Rachel Corrie. https://www.facebook.co m/events/371565802454413/?ref=newsfeed Contact: chrepairs@gmail.com   http://madisonrafah.org *************************** Cassandra Dixon, contact for Palestine Partners and Mary House is going to Gaza on an aid flotilla, leaving next week. Cassandra writes: If you would like to donate towards the cost of this travel,  you can mail a check to me at Cassandra Dixon, 3579 County Road G, Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965, or donate via GoFUndMe by clicking the button below, or at https://tinyurl.com/cassandratogaza, or Venmo me @Cassandra-Dixon-11 . Anything raised above the costs of travel will go to the larger costs of funding the flotilla. Contribute here.  Thanks and love, - Cassandra *************************** WNPJ member group events…. MADISON Mon Apr 8, 12 noon – 1 pm Monday Noon Vigil for Peace – Meet at the corner of MLK, Jr. Blvd and Doty St. For more information, call Tim at 608-630-3633. MADISON Mon Apr 8, 5:30 pm Antiwar Film Series: Screening of John Pilger's The Coming War with China. Central Library, Rm 302, 201 W. Mifflin St. Sponsored by Veterans for Peace #25 - World Beyond War Madison. Contact: Bradley Geyer  geyerb@yahoo.com MILWAUKEE POTLUCK Dinner Mon Apr 8, 6 – 9 pm Potluck and  "All People's Forum". At Zao MKE Church - 2319 E. Kenwood. Join Building Unity for the 7th Wisconsin State Senate District Democracy Tour Stop. At this and each of our 35 + Tour Stops, local activists and leaders will host a community forums on the existential issues of our time: PEACE, JUSTICE, SUSTAINABILITY, & DEMOCRACY. All are welcome to participate, share information, and learn about the next steps for our movement to grow our UNITY & PEOPLE POWER. Tour Schedule is still in formation but the current form can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/Spring-Tour-Schedule. This schedule, our Tour Stop Facebook event pages, and our website - www.buildingunitywisconsin.org - will all be updated with information about the tour as it becomes available. Volunteers are needed at all of the stops across Wisconsin! Help us make this tour what it needs to be - a massive wake-up call, a call to action, and an opportunity to collaborate and organize with the other groups and individuals in our area. And, of course, we will do all that we can to make sure that Wisconsinites are registered and ready to vote! To help or for more information, call Building Unity at 608-630-3633. MADISON Tues Apr 9, 8 am – 5 pm The WI Idea Conference! - hosted by the Morgridge Center for Public Service. UW-Madison, Union South (1308 W. Dayton) This year’s theme, ”Community University Partnerships for Stronger Communities,” intends to build understanding and highlight examples of robust community university partnerships, while also increasing capacity for such partnerships and strengthening bridges between UW and Wisconsin communities. This event is great for community-oriented academics, as well as community members in the public or nonprofit sector. Breakfast and lunch included. To register and for more info, visit: Wisconsin Idea Conference – Morgridge Center for Public Service – UW–Madison   Sent to WNPJ by Madison Infoshop peckjohne@gmail.com VIRTUAL Tues Apr 9, 7 pm  UNA USA Dane County Monthly Meeting:  Dr. Ryan Westergaard, MD, PhD, MPH on “Vaccines and Public Health: Past, Present and Future”.  Dr. Westergaard serves as Chief Medical Officer, and State Epidemiologist for Communicable Diseases, Wisconsin Department of Health. This free virtual presentation will address vaccines and public health, exploring the past present and future. The intersection of public health and the health of the community, lessons learned and how we must pivot and change in our approach to health care will be discussed.  Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87505514532?pwd=NFgrR2dGMGxEbTkxTms2YkpIWjU2Zz09#success . Learn more about UNA USA Dane County: https://www.unadane.org/upcoming-events.html MADISON Tues Apr 9, 4:30 – 6 pm Madison Community Event Addressing Youth and Gun Violence. At the Lussier Community Education Center.  Madison high schoolers will be leading an event to address the gun violence that has taken the lives of their family and peers. We are calling on you to please help promote this event so these high schoolers feel that their voices are being heard! Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns. Jonah Frumkin - jonahf@werhize.org  || 202-695-0615 MADISON Tues Apr 9, 7 pm Screening of the movie: The War at Home, with director Glenn Silber. Wisconsin Historical Society, 816 State St. Part of the Waging Peace in Vietnam series of events.  https://www.wnpj.org/post/waging-peace-in-vietnam-exhibit-and-events-in-april-madison MADISON and MILWAUKEE Wed Apr 10, 7 pm Screening of the movie:  Sir! No Sir! with director David Zeiger. Wisconsin Historical Society, 816 State St. Part of the Waging Peace in Vietnam series of events.  https://www.wnpj.org/post/waging-peace-in-vietnam-exhibit-and-events-in-april-madison.  Join this event live-streamed from the Raynor Library meeting site at Marquette University in Milwaukee. MILWAUKEE Thurs Apr 11, 9 am – 12:30 pm United Nations Schools of International Learning (UNSIL) WORLD FAIR. At the Baird Center, 400 W. Wisconsin Avenue. Sponsored by the Milwaukee Public Schools Foundation. Click on the following link to be a volunteer for this event. https://bit.ly/UNSIL2024. Interact and learn with MPS 4th – 8th-grade students as they present on nearly 1,500 research projects about the member countries, organs, cultures, and goals of the United Nations.  Our young people are excited to share their work with you! The UNSIL program is presented in partnership with the Annette J. Roberts & Joan R. Robertson Fund for World Peace, World Law, and Peace Education at the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. For more information, contact Annette Robertson at: annettejoanrobertson@gmail.com (email) or 414.332.3303 (phone) .  Sent to WNPJ by UNA USA Milwaukee - UnaMilwaukeewi@gmail.com MADISON and VIRTUAL Thurs Apr 11, 7 – 8:30 pm WI Faith Voices for Justice Interfaith Intersection event - ”Fasting and Self-denial”. Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 5701 Raymond Rd. This program brings people together to hold intentional conversations on a variety of topics related to faith. An important aspect of this program is that our panelists are lay people, not clergy or academics. Therefore, panelists will address the topics speaking from their own understanding of their faith but not speaking for their faith. Please volunteer if you're interested in being a panelist. Please join us. ·         May 9 - forgiveness - person to person; person to God; at the Bahai Center, 324 W Lakeside St, Madison ·         Sept. 12 - what is your faith’s "high holy day" - location TBD ·         Oct. 17 - cycle of times/seasons in different traditions; location TBD ·         Nov. 14 - giving thanks; Sugar River United Methodist Church, 415 W Verona Ave, Verona PLEASE RSVP HERE. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeyVkki4VyxMj71M62T-77nTjh7WAIlpT0bY_fHRNf6dyuHkw/viewform If you would like to be a panelist for any of these events, email Rabbi Bonnie Margulis wifaithvoices4justice@gmail.com LaCROSSE Thurs Apr 11, 12 noon - 12:30 pm Weekly Women in Black Peace Vigil. Meet at Main St & 4th Street South. A weekly vigil for peace every Thursday. Contact Deborah. dbuffton@yahoo.com VIROQUA Thurs Apr 11, 2 – 3 pm GAZA! Presentation & Community conversation about the current catastrophe and its origins. At the Vernon County Historical Society, 410 S Center Ave. Sponsored by Driftless Palestinian Solidarity dena.eakles@gmail.com MILWAUKEE Fri Apr 12,6:30 pm  Potluck and Film  "The War on Cuba". At Peace Action WI, Zao MKE Church, East Kenwood Boulevard. peaceactionwi@gmail.com MILWAUKEE Sat Apr 13, 12 noon - 1 pm Peace Action WI - Weekly STAND for PEACE: 51st and Silver Spring. Each Saturday, a different location.  Join us. Bring your signs. info@peaceactionwi.org    https://www.peaceactionwi.org/stand_for_peace VIROQUA Sat Apr 13, 11 am - 12 noon Driftless Palestinian Solidarity Weekly Vigil. Meet at Decker and Main. Action Alert: The Driftless Palestinian Solidarity group has a petition to demand that Senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and end financial aid to Israel's military.  If your group is interested in getting signatures, please email  driftless.solidarity@gmail.com. Thank you for your help! RACINE Sat Apr 13, 12:30 – 1:30 pm Weekly Stand for Peace. At 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. We have signs, banners and flags available for all. Check out our website, http://racinepeace.wordpress.com    for weather concerns. Free Palestine! VERONA Sat Apr 13, 1-2:30 pm The Dine' and Uranium Presentation with Omie Baldwin and Cathy Middlecamp. Farley Center, 2299 Spring Rose Road. Register to programs@farleycenter.org. This presentation is co-sponsored with the Physicians for Social Responsibility Wisconsin. Presenter: Omie Baldwinis retired as the Student Service emerita in the University Counseling and consultation Service/University Health Services at UW-Madison. As a counselor and as an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, she and her colleague, Cathy Middlecamp, designed and taught the course "Uranium and American Indians. The first chemistry course, to meet the campus wide ethnic studies requirement. She is past board member of the Farley Center. Presenter: Cathy Middlecamp is professor emerita in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and an affiliate of the Department of Chemistry. From 2015 to 2020, she also served as the director for education and research at the Office of Sustainability. Her scholarship lies at the intersection of science, people, and the planet. For her teaching and work bringing science to the general public, she has received awards at the local, state, and national levels. As a professor, she sought to engage students in learning chemistry in real-world contexts, including chemistry that related to radioactive substances. https://nelson.wisc.edu/staff/middlecamp-cathy/ https://www.facebook.com/events/1507115409867113 MADISON Sun Apr 14, 1:30 – 3:30 pm  Remembering Rachel Corrie event. At Christ Presbyterian Church, 944 E. Gorham St. Free & open to all….see more in the Spotlight above…. https://www.facebook.com/events/371565802454413/?ref=newsfeed MADISON and MILWAUKEE Sun Apr 14, 7 pm Screening of the movie: The Whistleblower of My Lai, documentary on the Kronos Quartet’s making of the opera My Lai, plus live performance by Vanessa Vo, Kronos Quartet soloist. traditional Vietnamese instruments. Wisconsin Historical Society, 816 State St. Part of the Waging Peace in Vietnam series of events.  https://www.wnpj.org/post/waging-peace-in-vietnam-exhibit-and-events-in-april-madison. Join this event live-streamed from the Raynor Library meeting site at Marquette University in Milwaukee. ******************************************************* Join WNPJ!WNPJ welcomes individual members and groups! 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!https://www.wnpj.org/membership We help our member organizations reach a wider audience by amplifying your peace and justice events and actions on our listserve 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. ********************************************************** Here's an opportunity for WNPJ member groups! WNPJ member groups can sign up for a Saturday opportunity to TABLE at the Dane County Farmers Market – this Spring and summer at the Capitol Square. The Farmers Market opening date is April 13th – 7 am to 1 pm …and runs through Nov. 9th on Saturdays. Sign up for your spot today! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4daaa929a5fac34-wnpj#/ Bring your own table and hand-outs to the King Street corner of the Square, site #10, next to the VFP #25 table! You can't sell anything at the non-profit table, but donations to your group are acceptable. Questions? Contact info@wnpj.org *************************************************** If your group would like to get your events posted in the weekly e-bulletin – JOIN US! https://www.wnpj.org/membership Join WNPJ – www.wnpj.org **************************************** 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! Questions? Contact info@wnpj.org

See the developing list here....including World BEYOND War, UNA, Madison Friends, Madison Rafah Sister City Project, WILPF, Palestine Partners, Veterans for Peace, Peace Action, Interfaith Peace Working Group, Unitarian Universalists, PoorPeople's Campaign, Family Farm Defenders, as part of La Via Campesino, Congregation of Sistersof St. Agnes, Madison Democratic Socialists of America, Building Unity, WISDOM, and more.... Veterans For Peace Statement on Hamas-Israel https://www.veteransforpeace.org/ “Our hearts are with all of the victims and their families, and we hope for the safe return of those held captive, and for the safety of the civilians trapped inside Gaza… Together, we must retain our humanity, and value all life as sacred and cherished… The only solution is ending the occupation, uniting Israelis and Palestinians and focusing our collective efforts on achieving peace.” Veterans For Peace is an organization of former soldiers and allies who know too well the costs of war – the obvious, visible wounds; the unseen wounds that curse us and our families for generations and the cost to society of maintaining a military larger than the next ten nations combined. Bitter experience taught us that war is insanity and suffering. We oppose all targeting of civilians. We denounce Hamas’ attacks on Israeli civilians and deplore Israel’s crushing response in Gaza. We also recognize this war did not start last week, it has gone on for decades. Over $150 billion of our tax dollars have provided Israel unlimited weaponry and diplomatic cover has allowed it to expand its occupation such that 16 years ago former President Jimmy Carter clearly labeled it apartheid. Our government fans the flames beneath the pressure cooker of occupation and our taxes make us complicit. We should not pretend shock at a violent response after Palestinian homes are destroyed to make way for Israeli “settlers” and Gaza is locked down, year after year, by a draconian air, sea and land blockade. History is defined by when you start the clock. In the war of competing propaganda, we recognize that U.S. officials fabricate incidents for corporate media consumption, such as President Biden claiming he saw photos of beheaded Israeli children. Hours later, as reported by news outlets from the Palestine Chronicle to Business Insider, a White House spokesperson had to "walk back" Biden's claims. But just like the Bush administration claims in 1991 that Iraqi soldiers threw Kuwaiti babies out of incubators, once the lie is out, the truth rarely catches up. This cycle of violence, coupled with the reality that war is an uncontrollable force with its own agency and purposes, results in the terrors we witness. Neither side has a military path to victory, which is why we strongly oppose our government’s plans to send troops, aircraft carriers and more munitions and President Biden’s promise to fully support Israel’s assault on the people of Gaza. We support a ceasefire, negotiations and release of prisoners from all sides. Only a political process will dismantle the apartheid system, answer the grievances of the Palestinian people, create a democratic system that provides rights for all the people of Israel and Palestine, and finally bring lasting security and peace. Without that political process, the cycle of violence will magnify, dooming more generations of Israelis and Palestinians. We lift up the words of our brother and sister military veterans, both Palestinian and Israeli members of Combatants for Peace: Veterans For Peace - vfp@veteransforpeace.org (photo creadit: Palestinians inspect the damage following an Israeli airstrike on the El-Remal aera in Gaza City Oct. 9, 2023. Wafa | Wikimedia | Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0] ******************************************* UNA USA As we all struggle to understand the dynamics of Hamas invasion of Israel and Israel’s response, here is a brief statement from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. "UN condemns complete siege of Gaza | Israel-Palestine conflict | Al Jazeera." https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2023/10/10/un-condemns-complete-siege-of-gaza-2 Sent to WNPJ from Sam Romano - sromano@charter.net of the UNA USA Dane County Chapter Israel/occupied Palestinian territory: UN experts deplore attacks on civilians, call for truce and urge international community to address root causes of violence Statement from the United Nations Association of Greater Milwaukee (UNA-GM) Board of Directors on the Crisis in the Middle East October 25th, 2023 The members of the United Nations Association of Greater Milwaukee Board of Directors are devastated by the war occurring between Israel and Hamas. The United Nations Association of Greater Milwaukee is committed to upholding the values and principles of the United Nations and the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) including peace and the preservation of human rights for all. The United Nations Association of Greater Milwaukee Board of Directors is in agreement with and supports the statement from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on October 19th, 2023 including his call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to provide sufficient time and space to help realize his two appeals and to ease the epic human suffering we are witnessing. For more information, contact: Steve Watrous – President of the UNA of Greater Milwaukee On behalf of the UNA of Greater Milwaukee Board of Directors UnaMilwaukeewi@gmail.com ******************************** WISDOM APril 4, 2024 Normally, as the WISDOM Executive Committee we do not get involved in issues of foreign policy, where we have no expertise. Regarding the current enormous loss of life and humanitarian nightmare in Gaza, we feel a need to make an exception. In our WISDOM "Prophetic Declaration" we state that: We believe in the God-given dignity and infinite worth of each and every human life, and We believe that our faith calls us to work for justice and liberation, standing against all forms of oppression and inequity We cannot remain silent in the face of so much killing, no matter where it is happening. As human beings we cannot ignore injustice, especially when that injustice is in part supported by our own government. The people in Israel have a right to live in peace and a right to self-defense, as do the people in Gaza and the West Bank. As with every other right, though, there are limits. Security cannot be pursued at the cost of the lives of tens of thousands of non-combatant civilians, thousands of whom are children, as well as the lives of scores of journalists and humanitarian aid workers. Suffering and victimization can help to explain behaviors, but they cannot justify immoral actions. In the same way that the decades of unjust treatment of Palestinians cannot justify many of the actions of October 7, the actions of October 7 cannot justify the brutal bombardment and starvation of people in Gaza in the subsequent five months. There must be an immediate and permanent ceasefire. We do not know the elements of the path toward a lasting, just peace. We know that it needs to include true security, self-determination, and opportunity for Palestinian people as well as for Israeli citizens. It must value every human being in the region as equally valuable. It cannot include the use of starvation, withheld medical supplies or sexual violence as political tools. Finally, we believe that our tax dollars and the power of the US government can never be used to support actions that violate basic human rights. We urge our members to continue to exercise their rights as citizens to speak out against the continuation of the war and to join the call for an immediate, permanent ceasefire with a commitment to work toward a just solution that treats all with compassion and dignity. The WISDOM Executive Committee: Rev. Marian Boyle-Rohloff, President Rev. Wille Brisco, Immediate Past President Mr. Talib Akbar, Vice President Ms. Rachel Kincade, Vice President Ms. Betty Groenewold, Treasurer Mr. John Wagner, Financial Secretary Ms. Sue Spicer, Secretary David Liners, Yolanda Perkins, Freddie Wilson, Staff ****************************** World BEYOND War Sign the petition: The world's leading weapons dealer, the U.S. government, urgently needs to hear from the people of the United States and the world. President Joe Biden has told the U.S. Congress that he will ask for funding to send huge piles of free weapons to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, to prolong two wars and help start a third -- and possibly the world's last. Biden reportedly intends to combine weapons for these three wars, plus additional weapons for further militarizing the U.S. border with Mexico, all in one piece of legislation. The strategic thinking is that various Congress Members who find the nerve to oppose one horrific war will be unlikely to find it to oppose three wars at once. Regardless of how the legislation is concocted, we need to stop the weapons shipments and replace them with diplomacy and a new focus on the human and environmental crises that these wars defund, distract from, and exacerbate. SIGN AND SHARE THE PETITION HERE! World BEYOND War is a global network of volunteers, chapters, and affiliated organizations advocating for the abolition of the institution of war. World BEYOND War ************************************** From Peace Action Wisconsin: an urgent Action Alert: Tell Congress to end the killing in Gaza/Israel https://secure.everyaction.com/7W1UeYLCKkCg_ZWcIsUcQA2 We at Peace Action are heartbroken over the escalating violence in Israel and Gaza. Granted, this violence didn’t come out of a vacuum, there have been decades of violent Israeli government oppression. But the recent violence still shocks one’s conscience. Civilian lives deserve protection. The scenes of Hamas-led forces abusing Israeli children and elderly hostages, or of hundreds of civilians gunned down at bus stops, music festivals, and in homes, are heartrending. Even the strongest supporter of the Palestinian fight for self-determination can condemn the wanton mistreatment of civilians. Our hearts go out to the victims. We hope for a speedy return of hostages. At the same time, if we really care about protecting civilian lives and rights, we must work to end the ongoing crime of the Israeli occupation that drives cycles of violence. This includes the hellish blockade of Gaza for the last 16 years. Many in Congress are ignoring this essential context and pledging unequivocal support for Israel. But with U.S. support, Israeli security forces abuse children and the elderly. Settlers engage in home invasions and burning cars and houses. Police engage in torture. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed this year. Please join us at Peace Action in pushing Congress to call for de-escalation and restraint. Ask your representatives to support a ceasefire now. In the short term, we need our representatives to call for de-escalation and a ceasefire, not offer “unequivocal” military support. Congress must also work to end the occupation. That means ending the unconditional military aid that props up the occupation. The United States is the world’s greatest sponsor of the occupation with $3.8 Billion in military weapons a year. And now Congressmembers are calling for more military aid and giving a green light to unrestrained Israeli military action. This reminds me of 9-11 which led to decades of wasted lives and trillions spent. Already, jets paid for with your and my tax dollars are bombing Gaza indiscriminately. U.S. warships and fighter jets are being sent to the region as a “show of force”. Will Lebanon or Iran get dragged in? Escalation could trigger years of war. Before the casualty counts grow, you and I can help raise the voice for restraint and oppose more arms and military escalation. President Netanyahu is talking about turning Gaza’s “wicked cities” to “rubble”. The Israeli Defense Minister just said that “We are imposing a complete siege on Gaza. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel. We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly”. This is collective punishment that is a violation of humanitarian law. Congress shouldn't offer “unequivocal support” for war crimes in the making. You and I can be the voice for de-escalation before the violations get worse. We can ask Congress to pressure the Israeli government to avoid massacres of civilians. Congressmembers can push to support a ceasefire. At the same time, it’s not too early to press Congress to look at the roots of this violence. Congress needs to re-examine how the billions in military aid we are sending to Israel only maintains oppression and violence. We need to end US complicity in this horrific tragedy. Please join in with all of us today to prevent a widening blood bath. Ask your members of Congress to support a ceasefire. My best to you and yours, especially if you’ve been personally touched by this violence. Our vision at Peace Action is of a just world where all can live their lives in dignity free from political violence and oppression. Even now we push for that vision. For a just and more peaceful world, Jon Rainwater, Executive Director - Peace Action https://www.peaceaction.org/ ************************************ Madison Rafah Sister City Project and Palestine Partners - . These 2 WNPJ member groups have recently joined the WI-Based Coalition for Justice in Palestine.....read their statement below. WISCONSIN-BASED COALITION FOR JUSTICE IN PALESTINE CALLS FOR A FAIR RESOLUTION FROM THE WISCONSIN STATE ASSEMBLY A broad coalition of Wisconsin organizations that work for peace and justice formed on October 8th to respond to the false and one-sided narratives regarding Israel’s war on Gaza and the continued oppression of the indigenous Palestinian population. The coalition’s member organizations include Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition, Jewish Voice for Peace–Milwaukee, Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance, Islamic Society of Milwaukee, Racine Coalition for Peace and Justice, Milwaukee Anti-war Committee, American Muslims for Palestine, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Students for Democratic Society, Adalah Justice Group, Syrian American Medical Society-Milwaukee, Peace Action Wisconsin, Students for Justice in Palestine at UWM, Marquette University and UW-Madison, Arab and Muslim Women’s Research and Resource Institute, Muslim American Society, Party for Socialism and Liberation, Friends of Palestine WI, Milwaukee Islamic Dawa Center, Al-Quran Foundation, Catholics for Peace and Justice, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Black Youth Project 100,We Are Many – United Against Hate, MKE4Palestine, United States Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Sunseekers Milwaukee, Madison-Rafah City Project and Palestine Partners. In a joint statement, they said, “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Israeli and Palestinian lives, and condemn unequivocally the decades of provocation including the years by one of the most extreme supremacist Israeli governments in history. “We are also alarmed by the one-sided narrative in mainstream U.S. media and from President Biden’s administration that posits Israel as a victim and ignores the tremendous suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza under decades of brutal Israeli occupation.” This new Wisconsin coalition is calling for a correction of false narratives and an end to U.S support of Israeli apartheid and the subjugation of Palestinians. It is demanding a ceasefire, humanitarian aid and safety for civilians, thousands who are injured, and an end to the forced dehydration and starvation of the civilian population of Gaza. This coalition is extremely distressed that so many of the elected representatives that have worked with our organizations for years failed to give thought and consideration to the indigenous 2.2 million Palestinian civilians, Muslim and Christian who are facing imminent genocide in Gaza. We note these representatives have often stood against false and one-sided narratives targeting Black Americans, Latinos, the LGBTQ people, and other marginalized and oppressed people. When did it become acceptable for these representatives and the Wisconsin Assembly as a whole to support one of the most racist and supremacist governments in the world? As is seen more often in authoritarian countries, when representatives Ryan Clancy, Darrin Madison, and Lakeshia Myers took a more nuanced position, acknowledging the indigenous Palestinian children and civilians who are suffering, state elector Ann Jacobs threw around the word “antisemitism” and asked for Clancy to be ousted. A coalition of 27 organizations, with more joining each day, representing thousands of voters, we stand unequivocally behind the right of our democratically elected representatives to vote their conscience without intimidation and bullying. We commend Representatives Clancy, Madison and Myers for their principled and moral stand and we call upon our elected leaders to demand that food, water, electricity, medicine and safety be available to innocent civilians in Gaza, of whom half are children. Join the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine now. Add your name or your organization to the list by contacting Janan Najeeb: jnajeeb@mmwconline.org Posted by Janan Najeeb | Oct 17, 2023 | OpEd *************************** Quaker Links provided by Madison Friends Meeting, Peace Subcommittee Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL): https://www.fcnl.org/issues/middle-east-iran American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) new Action Alerts: https://afsc.org/take-action ********************************** WILPF Urgent Response in Palestine The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom is deeply saddened at the ongoing and escalating loss of life in Palestine and Israel, which takes place in the context of ongoing Israeli occupation, war crimes and impunity. We denounce all attacks against civilians by all parties. Indiscriminate attacks on civilians are a crime under international law and cannot be justified. Please read and share WILPF’s statement and demands on the escalation of violence in Palestine and Israel. ******************************** Interfaith Peace Working Group Dear Peacemaking Friends, Tikkun magazine and Beyt Tikkun: A Synagogue without Walls partnered with others to write a joint statement that we hope can help us rise above divisiveness and division and call us to our highest selves. What follows is the joint statement. We invite everyone who agrees with this statement to add your name. You can read the statement below and add your name by clicking here. FROM TIKKUN MAGAZINE & BEYT TIKKUN: A SYNAGOGUE WITHOUT WALLS Solidarity with Israel/Palestine This statement is written and signed by Palestinians, Jews, and others who are committed to holding complex truths and striving to overcome polarization. We feel the pain of our people, identify with their pain, and need to work together to uplift our shared humanity. The unfolding horror in Israel and Gaza is an escalation of decades of state-sanctioned violence by Israel against Palestinians. We condemn the horrific actions of Hamas against Israeli civilians. We likewise condemn Israel’s unbridled bombing and cutting off access to all basic needs, including food, water, electricity, and medical care. Attacks on Palestinian and Israeli civilians are repugnant. Israeli violence against Palestinians has been intentionally hidden, slow, and steady. Contrary to what the media is reporting, this attack was not unprovoked. The Israeli and American governments have worked together to suppress and deny the inhumane acts against Palestinians that have led to this moment. There are Palestinians and Jews who have been raising red flags and warning about this inevitable outcome for decades, only to be dismissed and ignored. The world’s failure to challenge Israel’s ongoing occupation, apartheid, and unbridled violence by settlers and soldiers in the West Bank provides the context for what is happening now. The recent Israeli government’s escalation of violence, encroachment of Al Aqsa Mosque, and its 16-year siege of Gaza has led to the current explosion. We repeat: the brutality of Hamas’ attack on Israeli civilians is unjustified. As we watch the violent attacks and rallying of xenophobia on both sides, we are brokenhearted. Although it feels like a time to stand with “our people,” we know this is a time to come together. This is a time of great suffering for all; a time of painful emotions. It is only by recognizing our shared fears and our shared tears that we will find our way through this nightmare. It is a struggle we need to undertake jointly. When we fall back into our separate and distinct identities we risk becoming part of the problem, not the solution. Both peoples suffer from ongoing trauma. We are all on high alert. The fear is palpable. And it is easy for us to objectify the 'other.' We seek a third path that neither perpetuates a xenophobic response nor sustains an unjust status quo. This moment calls us to slow down, sit with the pain and complexity, and grapple with our discomfort. It is a moment for digging deep, seeing across differences, and remembering our deep yearning for peace and justice. It is only through compassion and empathy that we will find a different way. We recognize and uplift the humanity of all peoples in Israel/Palestine. We call for an immediate ceasefire from Hamas and Israel. We demand that basic needs be provided to Gazans. We demand that the United States provide only humanitarian support to Israel and Gaza. We support the creation of a movement that recognizes and affirms the humanity, dignity, and desire of both peoples to live in peace through reconciliation and justice. Add your name - click here: - Interfaith Peace Working Groups This statement from Milwaukee Faith Leaders was sent to WNPJ by Jerry Folk of the Interfaith Peace Working group on Jan 17th, 2024: https://www.wnpj.org/post/milwaukee-faith-leaders-call-for-ceasefire-and-lasting-peace-in-the-holy-land-jan-2024 ********************************************* Statement from Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) President Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt Regarding the Conflict Between Israel and Hamas Beloveds, I invite you to stop what you are doing if you can and sit with me in the depth of this tragedy. How to reconcile the cost of occupation and of war? How to nuance two very real histories of oppression and violence? I am holding close the words of U.N. Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland who said: "This is a dangerous precipice, and I appeal to all to pull back from the brink." We as a people of faith can condemn violence against civilians while at the same time engaging the full legacies and histories of oppression that shape such devastating conflict. As a faith tradition, Unitarian Universalists have long worked for peace, and our principles and values call for the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all. At the same time, we have not engaged the tangled issues surrounding Israel/Palestine in community since 2018, and our last engagement resulted in severed relationships, and deep pain. I pray for the people of Israel and Palestine. I pray for leaders around the globe who must respond to this latest flare of violence and the untenable ethical considerations that abound. I pray for Muslim and Jewish UUs who experience the impact of this long strife acutely. I pray that those of us less likely to know the trauma of unending brutality and harm will not turn away from generational loss, from the devastating realities and their root causes, or from the relentless tragedy of war and occupation. Be gentle with yourselves when you need to be, but do not turn away unless you must. We are one global family living tenuously on the same human-impacted Earth. Let us center ourselves in justice as we call for peace. For more information contact pr@uua.org October 7, 2023 Media Contact: Suzanne Morse Ph: (508) 259-9354 E-mail: smorse@uua.org Note: There are 2 Unitarian group members of WNPJ: James Reeb and First Unitarian in Madison ************************************************************************** We must say an emphatic ‘no’ to Hamas a thousand times.There is no moral justification for killing, kidnapping and torturing innocent civilians. We must say a clear ‘no’ - Reverend William Barber I am weeping with my Jewish brothers and sisters, both in Israel and around the world, as they mourn the horrific acts of terror in Israel this past weekend. The stories of civilians murdered and families kidnapped are gut-wrenching. In grief, we are wrapped in darkness, and there are no words to express the weight we feel. Yet in the public square, words abound that both compound the grief of many and have the potential to precipitate more violence. So I must rise from the silence of mourning to speak. Killing civilians is indefensible, whether done by Hamas or Israel. I am a Christian, and my moral foundation demands that I unequivocally condemn these acts of terrorism. These were not militants attacking an army, nor were they acts of protest against Israel’s policy in Gaza. They were senseless acts of violence against civilians that have destroyed the lives of human beings. Some say, in a moment like this, you cannot condemn the violence without also mentioning the violence that precipitated it. I will not agree to that position. I cannot. On one side of my own family, I come from formerly enslaved people who chose never to issue violence against the women and children of those who happened to be white, or even against those who held people in bondage. They chose to fight in the American civil war, soldier v soldier; and they believed in the right of self-defense. My people are not weak, nor did they ever dismiss the ugliness of the injustices they endured; but even when enslaved people or persons claiming to care about the conditions of the enslaved used violence against innocent people, claiming it was for the cause of liberation, they said unequivocally: “No. We will not return evil for evil.” We are not talking about slaves versus slave masters in Israel today, but I know from my own context that an unequivocal “no” to the actors within Hamas who chose to commit these heinous acts does not dismiss history and the oppression of Palestinian people when they have been beaten and harmed by the actions of some – not all – in Israel. Nor does it dismiss a moral critique of Benjamin Netanyahu and others who have enacted harmful policies. In this moment, however, we must be clear that terrorism is not a protest against injustice, but rather an act of despair that creates more suffering for everyone. I have spoken out many times against the injustices that I believe the Israeli government – not all Jewish people – are committing against Palestinians. I have done this with Jewish and Palestinian colleagues, and I will continue to challenge the wrong if Israel tells its military to murder innocent Palestinians as some form of retribution. If the United States stands by Israel as they unleash their military against Hamas, that’s one thing; but if the military action is indiscriminate, with no regard for innocent people, just because of the horror of what has happened, moral voices must say that this too is wrong. Likewise, we must decry the irresponsible voices in the United States – many in extreme media – who are urging Israel to wipe out Gaza. Two wrongs cannot make a right. Yes, the perpetrators of violence should face justice, just as some in Israel must be held accountable for its policies of violent apartheid against the Palestinian people (remember, many Israelis have and do oppose these policies, including some who were attacked last weekend). But there is no moral justification for killing, kidnapping and torturing innocent civilians, women, children and tourists. On this point there can be no moral equivalency. We must say a clear and unified: “No.” The history of Black people in America who suffered through brutal domestic terrorism and legal lynchings in the era of Jim Crow has something to say in this moment. We, especially, must say an emphatic “no” to what Hamas – not the Palestinian people – has done. When Emmett Till’s mother received the body of her 14-year-old son, brutalized beyond recognition by a white mob in Mississippi, she did not try to kill white children. When three civil rights workers were murdered in 1964, the movement did not look for Klan members to lynch. Even those within the movement who did not embrace nonviolence did so in the name of self-defense – never to justify a shooting and killing spree. Moral movements for justice have always refused to take on the tactics of those who choose to terrorize. They fight for justice without being consumed by the evil that was perpetrated against them. I come from a faith tradition that says: “Even when the one you call Savior is crucified, you don’t respond with the tools of wanton violence and evil action. Even when life itself is crucified, you cannot start your own campaign of monstrous forms of violence and retaliation.” If anything, my ancestors passed down to me a resolve to organize even more massive nonviolent resistance in the face of injustice and oppression. We need their wisdom today, and to say this is not in any way to dismiss what has happened to Palestinian people. Even many Palestinians are saying that these acts of terrorism do not represent them. While the road to a just peace may be long and difficult, let us begin to build it in this moment on the basis of a broad consensus that acts of terror like those we saw in Israel this past weekend have no place in the struggle for justice. Hate cannot drive out hate. We must meet one another in our shared grief and find a better way. Fri 13 Oct 2023 From The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/13/hamas-no-moral-justification-william-barber Reverend William J Barber II is the president of Repairers of the Breach and the founding director of the Center for Public Theology & Public Policy at Yale Divinity School - as well as the leader of the WI Poor People's Campaign, member group of WNPJ ************************************************ Gaza – Defending the Rights and Dignity Amidst Escalating Military Aggression and Conflict WNPJ member group, Family Farm Defenders is part of La Via Campesina (LVC) La Via Campesina’s Official Statement | 14 October 2023, Bagnolet We are deeply shocked and outraged by the escalation of crimes against humanity committed by the Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. For 75 years, the Palestinian people have continued to suffer from living under occupation and siege and endured numerous attacks and arrests. Now, for more than six consecutive days, Israel has launched hundreds of air and artillery raids on the Gaza Strip, sometimes using internationally banned white phosphorus. Therefore, the collective punishment of more than two million people living in Gaza is unforgivable and must be condemned. Targeting residential areas, schools, medical institutions and government buildings are unacceptable and a violation of international law. As a global peasant movement, we firmly reject violence against civilians and military conflict to resolve disputes. We urgently call for immediate de-escalation on all fronts and a return to the path of dialogue and non-violent conflict resolution. Israel’s attacks against civilians in the past week have resulted in the deaths and injuries of thousands of Palestinians, with the majority being women, children, and babies. Moreover, in this critical moment, power stations have been obliterated, water supplies to the Gaza Strip have been cut off, and food access for over two million Palestinians has been blocked, creating a dire humanitarian crisis, an unjustified collective punishment. This vicious cycle of violence and human suffering stems from a long-standing history of uninterrupted occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people, with Israel’s brutal settler-colonialism, and military siege at its core. For many years, the people of Gaza have been denied food sovereignty, suffered from high levels of food insecurity, unemployment, land and sea dispossession, and limited access to essential services necessary for survival. The Palestinian people have been denied their dignity for decades. Since 2006, they have endured an illegal siege that violates their basic human rights, restricts their mobility, and subjects them to pervasive surveillance. This cruelty must cease. Instead of supporting Israel’s aggression under the guise of retaliation and the ‘right to defend,’ all countries must urgently employ diplomatic means to halt this military escalation and encourage all parties involved to return to negotiations and dialogue. Calls to open corridors for the safe passage for people to flee Gaza play into the long-term plans of Israel to remove them and occupy their lands. Why should the people of Gaza leave their territory? More Palestinian refugees is not the solution! Palestinians endure the continuous humiliation of losing their land to make way for Israeli settlements. Palestinians have a right to stay in their homeland. As La Via Campesina, we express our solidarity and support for the Palestinian people in these tough and complex conditions. As an international peasant movement, we urgently call for: Stopping this military escalation and urging all parties involved to return to a process of negotiation and dialogue. Urging all governments and the UN to use their influence to halt this escalation and act swiftly in all international forums to end this ongoing occupation and the war against the Palestinian people. Urging the immediate provision of international protection for the Palestinian people. Urging the immediate restoration of access to energy, food, and water supplies, as well as the provision of all necessary medical supplies for Gaza. Israel has bombed hospitals and medicine warehouses and destroyed most of the infrastructure, creating a catastrophic situation. As a global peasant movement, LVC will mobilize to provide any support needed by Palestinian peasants and fisherfolk to protect and maintain food production under these increasingly harsh conditions. We are calling upon all social movements to mobilize and support the Palestinian people and to pressure their governments to de-escalate this military conflict and initiate a process of negotiation and dialogue to address the catastrophic situation of the Palestinian people. This is essential to put an end to the conflict, the loss of life, and the destruction, this brutal occupation and ultimately the granting of all rights to the Palestinian people, with their right to establish an independent state being foremost among them. https://viacampesina.org/en/gaza-defending-the-rights-and-dignity-amidst-escalating-military-aggression-and-conflict/ ************************************* Family Farm Defenders statement on Gaza February 2024 The human right to food is sacred and protected under international law. Family Farm Defenders maintains the principles of food sovereignty, including the right to food, as a guide to our response to ongoing and escalating violence, destruction, and loss of life in Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel. Therefore, in good conscience, we must speak up now, joining the millions of voices from around the world who are calling for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the suffering and starvation that is being inflicted on the civilian population of Gaza. Family Farm Defenders is proud to be part of a global movement advocating for food justice and human rights. John Kinsman, one of our founders, was a tireless champion of civil rights, social justice, and food sovereignty both in the US and around the world. As he once stated, “the seven principles of food sovereignty are the finest recipe for global food, social and environmental justice that exist today.” Due to decades of occupation and restrictions imposed by Israel, the ability of Palestinian farmers, fishers, and pastoralists to feed their people, has been greatly diminished. Since the horrific attacks on Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, Israel’s military response, with US support, has created a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Medical supplies, food, clean water, and energy are all in very short supply. The ongoing bombardments and attacks have shattered the lives of its 2.3 million residents and killed over 28,000. Food production and distribution has been severely affected. In addition to United Nations agencies, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), a winner of the USFSA Food Sovereignty Prize in 2014 and member of La Via Campesina, has created a “Stop Gaza Starvation” campaign. Members have put their own lives at risk to provide food and other supplies. Even so, the situation is increasingly dire, marked by widespread hunger, relentless blockades, and continuous bombardment. In January, the International Court of Justice ruled Israel must take all possible measures to prevent acts of genocide. La Via Campesina stated that “this ICJ decision is an initial step in holding the occupation accountable for its heinous crimes and unprecedented use of starvation as a weapon in its war against civilians in Gaza.” For the people of Gaza, time is running out. In fact, now, in early February 2024, instead of responding to the ICJ ruling to prevent genocide, Israel is ramping up its attacks and has begun to implement plans for a ground invasion of the last “safe zone” – Rafah – which has become a massive refugee camp. Experts are warning of a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza with millions of people facing starvation, the cruelty of which is unimaginable. Family Farm Defenders recognizes our responsibility to speak for peace and justice, for food sovereignty, and for human rights. We call on the United States government to demand an immediate ceasefire, the safe release of all hostages and political prisoners, and the stoppage of its own military support to any country or entity violating international law. Our government must end its imperialist ambitions and join the global community, accepting its humanitarian duty, and work toward a just and lasting peace in all regions of the world. Ceasefire, now! ******************************** Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes is part of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), which has issued this statement: LCWR Stands in Solidarity with the People of the Middle East Wed, 2023-10-11 21:58 by asanders “Never has the use of violence brought peace in its wake. War begets war, violence begets violence.” Pope Francis, Angelus, September 1, 2013. The members of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), in solidarity with the global community of faith, stand in the shadow of the horrors initiated on October 7, 2023 in Israel and Gaza. As women of the Gospel, we grieve with those who grieve, seek release of those held captive, and recognize the root causes of violence as well as the urgent call for the use of all possible resources to stabilize the Middle East, secure refuge for those in humanitarian crisis, and negotiate peace that will last. United with the interfaith community, we take seriously our responsibility to protect the safety of all people of faith throughout the world. We stand united with leaders of other faiths, intolerant of any form of hate or violence towards places of worship, and ready to witness to the transformation of consciousness necessary for sustainable peace. LCWR is compelled to work toward a world where reverence for all living beings finds expression in a life of nonviolence. We stand in solidarity with the victims of brutality and with faith leaders as we heed the Gospel call to follow Jesus’ way of nonviolence, reconciliation, and care for the most vulnerable across lines of division. We commit ourselves and the members of our religious communities to choose the peaceful path of Jesus and exercise all of our rights and duties as citizens to urge our leaders to act as responsible members of the world community. We join our prayer with religious people of all faiths who recognize that war is not the solution, and we commit ourselves to be those who believe that peace is possible. We call upon world leaders and the United Nations to activate those mechanisms necessary for an immediate ceasefire and the negotiation of peace, so that justice may prevail. We are each responsible to be aware, to be informed by factual information, to look at root causes, and to reject rhetoric that fuels violence. We, the members of LCWR, will continue to speak on behalf of the truth of faith, the strength of prayer, the power of nonviolence and the only pathway that will provide a future for our children: peace. ************ From the Madison Democratic Socialists of America: Please see our executive committee's finalized statement in support of Palestine. We stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine, indigenous and colonized people everywhere, and all those here in Madison and around the world who are struggling for their liberation. Since October 7th, Israel’s military has intensified its 17 year blockade of Gaza into a full siege, blocking off water, electricity, and basic supplies. In the first 6 days of this conflict, over 6,000 bombs were dropped on the 140 square miles of the Gaza Strip. Over 1.1 million Palestinians, half of them children, have been ordered to leave their homes. This is genocide. This violence is not new. It is the culmination of 75 years of ethnic cleansing with support from the US government. We grieve the thousands of lives that have been and will be lost and upended in the current conflict. There is one, and only one way to end the violence: End the apartheid. End the Israeli government’s occupation. End the genocide. Support the liberation of the Palestinian people. The Biden administration has pledged further unconditional support for Israel, on top of the 3.8 billion dollars per year in military funding they already receive. We condemn in the strongest possible terms our nation’s continued and unqualified support of the apartheid regime in Israel. We demand the end to military funding of Israel, and an end to the blockade. There must be an immediate ceasefire and provision of humanitarian aid. We remember the devastating results of Islamophobia and dehumanization in the wake of the attacks on September 11th, and are distraught by the militaristic and genocidal rhetoric that we are seeing yet again from our country’s political leaders and in the news media. Social media is awash with this as well, as false claims spread even more quickly and easily. Standing in solidarity with the powerless in the face of oppression is often difficult, when so many are so eager to side with the powerful. We as socialists must not back down in the face of bad faith criticism, opposition, and disinformation intended only to silence critics and manufacture consent for the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestine. The chapter has donated $250 to the Middle East Children’s Alliance as well as $250 to Palestine Partners. Additional places to donate are Medical Aid for Palestine, Al-Awda Health and Community Association, American Near East Refugee Aid, and the Hebron International Resource Network. You can find other ways to take action with the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action Toolkit. ***************************************** Please… Join us in Building Unity for Peace Building Unity leaders call on all lovers of Peace, Justice, Sustainability, and Democracy to call on President Biden and your elected leaders in congress to work for an immediate cease fire, a robust flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza and the Ukraine, an end military aid to Ukraine and Israel, and a global push for negotiated settlements both in Israel/Palestine and in Ukraine. Please read the appeal and petition from Win Without War. Then call your Senators and Representative in Congress. Phone numbers can be found below: Senator Tammy Baldwin - (202) 224-5653 Senator Ron Johnson - 202-224-5323 Find your Congressperson’s number here: https://www.house.gov/representatives Thank you for caring enough to do something for peace. There are solutions that don’t involve killing people. **************************** Note to other WNPJ member groups... If your group issues a statement - please send to info@wnpj.org .

VOTE! + WNPJ welcomes new member group, Sustain Rural Wisconsin Network + Waging Peace in Vietnam Exhibits dates/locations + Weaving the Web + other statewide events *********************************** The WI Network for Peace and Justice is the umbrella non-profit organization supporting the work of 85 member groups around Wisconsin. ************************************** IMPORTANT Wisconsin Constitutional Amendments on the April 2 ballot!!! If passed, two Constitutional amendments on the current ballot would limit the ability of election administrators to adequately fund and conduct elections. If passed, they are binding and cannot be vetoed. The non-partisan League of Women Voters offers this information: https://my.lwv.org/wisconsin/vote-no-2-april-constitutional-amendments Go to https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/ to make sure you are registered with your current address, and have what you need to vote. Early voting has already begun and you can find locations and hours here: https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/Vote-Absentee-In-Person ************************************** WNPJ welcomes new member organization: Sustain Rural Wisconsin Network Sustain Rural Wisconsin Network is a statewide coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to preserving the environment while maintaining the health and economic vitality of rural communities. Contact: Forest JahnkeE-mail fjahnke@crawfordstewardship.orgWebsite: https://sustainruralwisconsin.org/ ************************************ Spotlight on the Waging Peace in Vietnam Exhibit - three weeks in April in both Madison AND in Milwaukee. Co-sponsored by Veterans for Peace #25 and #102 and the Marquette Center for Peacemaking Contact: judykarofsky@gmail.com  or Vfpchapter102@gmail.com MADISON Tuesday, Apr 2, 5 – 6 pm Waging Peace in Vietnam Opening Reception and Panel on “Soldiers in Revolt” Dissent and Resistance Within the Armed Forces, Wisconsin Historical Society, State Street, Madison. Host John Nichols and moderator Al McCoy. Panelists include: ·        Susan Schnall, national president, Veterans for Peace; ·        Ronald L. Haeberle, former Army photographer of the iconic My Lai Massacre photographs; ·        David Cortright, Professor Emeritus and special advisor for policy, Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame. Author and editor of over 20 books including Waging Peace in Vietnam: U.S. Soldiers and Veterans who Opposed the War. To see a full list of all the events going on in Madison, including film screenings and panel discussions, go to https://www.wnpj.org/post/waging-peace-in-vietnam-exhibit-and-events-in-april-madison ********************* And, in MILWAUKEE: “Waging Peace in Vietnam: U.S. Soldiers and Veterans who Opposed  the War.” April 3-17: Exhibit at Marquette’s Raynor Memorial Library, Milwaukee.  Opening event at noon, April 3, at Alumni Memorial Union, Lunda Room (1442 W. Wisconsin Ave.)This special Soup with Substance panel will include: Susan Schnall, national president, Veterans for Peace; Ronald L. Haeberle, former Army photographer of the iconic My Lai Massacre photographs; David Cortright, Professor Emeritus and special advisor for policy, Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame. A light lunch of soup and bread will be provided. Free and open to the public. April 4:  Waging Peace in Vietnam Panel. A War Without End: Legacies of the American War 12:30-1:45 pm, Marquette Alumni Memorial Union, Room, 227 1442 W. Wisconsin Ave. Panelists:  Ngo Xuan Hien, communications manager, Project RENEW; which is locating and disarming unexploded ordnance; Chuck Searcy, co-founder and international advisor to RENEW; Heather Bowser, founder of Children of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance, advocacy for offspring of Vietnam Veterans exposed to Agent Orange. Light snacks will be provided. Free and open to the public. April 15: Peacemaker in Residence & Waging Peace in Vietnam Keynote A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace, 4-5 pm, Marquette’s Raynor Memorial Library Beaumier Suites BC, 1355 W. Wisconsin Ave. Le Ly Hayslip, Vietnamese-American author, philanthropist, peace activist, and speaker, will deliver the closing keynote of the Waging Peace in Vietnam series at Marquette. She is the author of two memoirs—When Heaven and Earth Changed Places and Child of War, Woman of Peace—which were adapted into the film Heaven & Earth, written and directed by Oliver Stone. Since 1986, she has founded two charitable organizations: the East Meets West Foundation and the Global Village Foundation. Free and open to the public. For more information about Milwaukee’s events, contact: Vfpchapter102@gmail.com Bill Christofferson, 414-587-6477 ************************ WNPJ's Weaving the Web - all welcome! VIRTUAL Thurs Apr 4, 12 noon – 1 pm WNPJ’s Weaving the Web Drop-in Hour – with Debra Gillispie. All welcome! Zoom info:  https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89361313008?pwd=UmxCOUcxL3ZFb244aXp0SnBVTFRSZz09. Meeting ID: 893 6131 3008 - Passcode: 797041; +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) Contact: office@wnpj.org ****************************************************** WNPJ member groups and affiliates issue Statements and Action Alerts on Hamas/Palestine/Israel See the developing list here: https://www.wnpj.org/post/statements-from-wnpj-groups-and-their-national-affiliates-on-palestine-israel-hamas Petitions to sign https://www.change.org/p/sign-and-share-this-urgent-petition-calling-for-a-ceasefirenow-in-gaza-and-israel and phone calls to make. Go to the Madison Rafah Sister City sites: http://madisonrafah.org/   and/or https://www.facebook.com/madisonrafah to learn more. ******************************** Upcoming Events this week for WNPJ groups: MADISON Mon Apr 1, 12 noon – 1 pm Monday Noon Vigil for Peace – Meet at the corner of MLK, Jr. Blvd and Doty St. For more information, call Tim at 608-630-3633. VIRTUAL Mon Apr 1, 7 – 8:15 pm  350 Wisconsin Webinar Mtg “ The transformative potential of the Inflation Reduction Acton”.  The IRA could accelerate climate action in Wisconsin—if we take full advantage of the opportunities. At our April 1 Monthly Meeting, Kathy Kuntz, Director of the Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change, will talk about what the IRA means for Wisconsin. She will outline the opportunities available to individuals, businesses, nonprofits, and local governments under this landmark legislation.  ONLINE VIA ZOOM: Register in advance for the meeting: http://tinyurl.com/350-monthly-mtg Contact: https://350wisconsin.org   julia.isaacs@350wisconsin.org MADISON Tues Apr 2, 5 – 6 pm Waging Peace in Vietnam Opening Reception and Panel on Dissent and Resistance Within the Armed Forces, Wisconsin Historical Society, State Street – see info above.. VIRTUAL Thurs Apr 4, 12 noon – 1 pm WNPJ’s Weaving the Web Drop-in Hour – with Debra Gillispie. All welcome! Zoom info:  https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89361313008?pwd=UmxCOUcxL3ZFb244aXp0SnBVTFRSZz09. Meeting ID: 893 6131 3008 - Passcode: 797041; +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) Contact: office@wnpj.org LaCROSSE Thurs Apr 4, 12 noon - 12:30 pm Weekly Women in Black Peace Vigil. Meet at Main St & 4th Street South. A weekly vigil for peace every Thursday. Contact Deborah. dbuffton@yahoo.com MILWAUKEE Thurs Apr 4, 12:30 – 1:45 pm  Waging Peace in Vietnam Panel. A War Without End: Legacies of the American War.  Marquette Alumni Memorial Union, Room, 227 1442 W. Wisconsin Ave.  See detail above …. VIROQUA Thurs Apr 4, 2 – 3 pm GAZA! Presentation & Community conversation about the current catastrophe and its origins. At the Vernon County Historical Society, 410 S Center Ave. Sponsored by Driftless Palestinian Solidarity dena.eakles@gmail.com VIRTUAL Thurs, April 4, 6:30 pm (6:00 for visiting beforehand) WILPF Book Circle Conversation Let's talk about... The book tonight: Hell of a Book, A Novel by Jason Mott – virtual WILPF Book Circle conversation. An African-American author sets out on a cross-country book tour to promote his bestselling novel. That storyline drives Jason Mott's novel and is the scaffolding of something much larger and more urgent: since his novel also tells the story of Soot, a young Black boy living in a rural town in the recent past, and The Kid, a possibly imaginary child who appears to the author on his tour. For login details, email: wilfpmadison@gmail.com VIRTUAL Thurs Apr 4, 6:30 – 7:30 pm “The Power of Storytelling” with Dane County Poor People's Campaign. Our stories are powerful and can be an amazing tool to not only build the movement, but change the narrative. There are 140 million poor and low-income people in this country and we all have a story to tell.  Are you interested in telling your own story or helping others to share theirs? We'll discuss why we share our stories + how to do it in the most impactful and effective ways possible. Register here for your zoom link: https://actionnetwork.org/events/storytelling-training... MADISON Fri Apr 5, 12 noon:  Panel on “A War Without End: Legacies of the American War in Vietnam and Among American Veterans”, Wisconsin Historical Society, State Street. With Ngo Xuan Hien, communications manager, Project RENEW;  Chuck Searcy, co-founder and international advisor to Project RENEW; and Heather Bowser, founder of Children of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance, advocacy for offspring of Vietnam Veterans exposed to Agent Orange. Special guests Mike Boehm and Brad Geyer. See more info above…. MADISON  Fri Apr 5, 8 am Wisconsin Peace Institute Conference Conference at Edgewood College, Predolin rotunda. "RESOURCE WARS"- Conflict & Peacebuilding in a World of Environmental Challenge. Join students, academics, activists, community members and organizations from around the state for this participatory event exploring: Local & Global Environmental Challenges | Peacebuilding for Sustainable Change | Environmental Equity in a Post-Colonial World | Faith-Based Responses to Climate Change | and Much More. Same day registration - no fee - lunch included. For more info contact: John Fields, at jfields@edgewood.edu or at 608-663-3407. Sent to WNPJ by Maureen McDonnell WHITEFISH BAY Fri Apr 6, 6 pm Author/theologian Jim Wallis on Christian Nationalism and The False White Gospel. At United Methodist Church of Whitefish Bay, 819 East Silver Spring Drive.  Organized by the We All Belong Campaign of MICAH, this event is free and open to the public. Jim will be addressing the alarming and dangerous rise of white Christian nationalism and its perverse distortion of the Gospel with reference to his new book The False White Gospel (to be released on April 2).  Register in advance for this event at bit.ly/FWGospel. This event can be viewed online through the website of the United Methodist Church of Whitefish Bay: umcwfb.org Sent to WNPJ by WISDOM  office@wisdomwisconsin.org APPLETON Sat Apr 6, 11 am – 12 noon Fox Valley Monthly Stand for Peace  Houdini Plaza, West Lawrence Street. Every month - the first Saturday! Bring your signs! Organizer: Ronna Swift ronnajean61@gmail.com MILWAUKEE Sat Apr 6, 12 noon - 1 pm Peace Action WI - Weekly STAND for PEACE: 43rd and Forest Home. Each Saturday, a different location.  Join us. Bring your signs. info@peaceactionwi.org    https://www.peaceactionwi.org/stand_for_peace VIROQUA Sat Apr 6, 11 am - 12 noon Driftless Palestinian Solidarity Weekly Vigil. Meet at Decker and Main. Action Alert: The Driftless Palestinian Solidarity group has a petition to demand that Senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and end financial aid to Israel's military.  If your group is interested in getting signatures, please email  driftless.solidarity@gmail.com. Thank you for your help! RACINE Sat Apr 6, 12:30 – 1:30 pm Weekly Stand for Peace – Stand for Palestine. At 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. We have signs, banners and flags available for all. Check out our website, http://racinepeace.wordpress.com    for weather concerns. Free Palestine! MADISON Sun Apr 8, 7 – 8:30 pm Dane Sanctuary Coalition General Meeting - At First Unitarian Society, 900 University Bay Drive. Our keynote speaker is Mary Campbell, director of AMMPARO - Accompanying Migrant Minors with Protection, Advocacy, Representation and Opportunities - the ELCA (Lutheran) Church's national immigrant justice initiative. Mary will share with us the amazing work AMMPARO does for migrants and refugees around the world, and update us on what AMMPARO is seeing at our own border and around the country. Also at the gathering, we will hear reports from the DSC steering and advocacy committees, a treasurer's report, and a report from our volunteer driver program. Congregations will have the opportunity to share the great work they are doing, including trips to the border and to Tucson which several congregations have recently sponsored.  Please RSVP by April 1 to let us know you will be joining us! RSVP here - https://forms.gle/wvUJ9RD74uUfH9Cj9 rabbibonnie@charter.net ******************************************************* Join WNPJ!WNPJ welcomes individual members and groups! 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!https://www.wnpj.org/membership We help our member organizations reach a wider audience by amplifying your peace and justice events and actions on our listserve 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. Here's an opportunity for WNPJ member groups! WNPJ member groups can sign up for a Saturday opportunity to TABLE at the Dane County Farmers Market – this Spring and summer at the Capitol Square. The Farmers Market opening date is April 13th – 7 am to 1 pm …and runs through Nov. 9th on Saturdays. Sign up for your spot today! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4daaa929a5fac34-wnpj#/ Bring your own table and hand-outs to the King Street corner of the Square, site #10, next to the VFP #25 table! You can't sell anything at the non-profit table, but donations to your group are acceptable. Questions? Contact info@wnpj.org *************************************************** If your group would like to get your events posted in the weekly e-bulletin – JOIN US! https://www.wnpj.org/membership Join WNPJ – www.wnpj.org **************************************** 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! Questions? Contact info@wnpj.org

Are you registered and ready to vote on April 2nd, Wisconsin? There are TWO important constitutional amendments on this April ballot. WNPJ as a 501c3 can't tell people how to vote but we can encourage you to take a look and see what these amendments are about! **************************************** The WI Network for Peace and Justice is the umbrella non-profit organization supporting the work of 85 member groups around Wisconsin. ************************************ Spotlight on the Waging Peace in Vietnam Exhibit - three weeks in April in both Madison AND in Milwaukee. Co-sponsored by Veterans for Peace #25 and #102 and the Marquette Center for Peacemaking Contact: judykarofsky@gmail.com  or Vfpchapter102@gmail.com ************************************************************ MADISON: US Soldiers and Veterans who Opposed the War; Wisconsin Historical Society 816 State St., Madison, Wisconsin 53706 During America’s War in Vietnam, tens of thousands of GIs and veterans created a robust movement in opposition to the war. Yet its history is largely unknown. The Waging Peace in Vietnam exhibit and its companion book show how the GI movement unfolded, from the numerous anti-war coffeehouses springing up outside military bases, to the hundreds of GI newspapers giving an independent voice to active soldiers, to the stockade revolts and the strikes and near-mutinies on naval vessels and in the air force. It’s time to set the record straight. Exhibit photographs and informational panels will be on display in the Wisconsin Historical Society lobby, April 1-21. Tuesday, Apr 2, 5 – 6 pm Waging Peace in Vietnam Opening Reception and Panel on “Soldiers in Revolt” Dissent and Resistance Within the Armed Forces, Wisconsin Historical Society, State Street, Madison. Host John Nichols, moderator Al McCoy. Panelists include: ·        Susan Schnall, national president, Veterans for Peace; ·        Ronald L. Haeberle, former Army photographer of the iconic My Lai Massacre photographs; ·        David Cortright, Professor Emeritus and special advisor for policy, Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame. Author and editor of over 20 books including Waging Peace in Vietnam: U.S. Soldiers and Veterans who Opposed the War. To see a full list of all the events going on in Madison, including film screenings and panel discussions, go to https://www.wnpj.org/post/waging-peace-in-vietnam-exhibit-and-events-in-april-madison ********************* And, in MILWAUKEE: “Waging Peace in Vietnam: U.S. Soldiers and Veterans who Opposed  the War.” April 3-17: Exhibit at Marquette’s Raynor Memorial Library, Milwaukee.  Opening event at noon, April 3, at Alumni Memorial Union, Lunda Room (1442 W. Wisconsin Ave.)This special Soup with Substance panel will include: Susan Schnall, national president, Veterans for Peace; Ronald L. Haeberle, former Army photographer of the iconic My Lai Massacre photographs; David Cortright, Professor Emeritus and special advisor for policy, Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame. A light lunch of soup and bread will be provided. Free and open to the public. April 4:  Waging Peace in Vietnam Panel. A War Without End: Legacies of the American War 12:30-1:45 pm, Marquette Alumni Memorial Union, Room, 227 1442 W. Wisconsin Ave. Panelists:  Ngo Xuan Hien, communications manager, Project RENEW; which is locating and disarming unexploded ordnance; Chuck Searcy, co-founder and international advisor to RENEW; Heather Bowser, founder of Children of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance, advocacy for offspring of Vietnam Veterans exposed to Agent Orange. Light snacks will be provided. Free and open to the public. April 15: Peacemaker in Residence & Waging Peace in Vietnam Keynote A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace, 4-5 pm, Marquette’s Raynor Memorial Library Beaumier Suites BC, 1355 W. Wisconsin Ave. Le Ly Hayslip, Vietnamese-American author, philanthropist, peace activist, and speaker, will deliver the closing keynote of the Waging Peace in Vietnam series at Marquette. She is the author of two memoirs—When Heaven and Earth Changed Places and Child of War, Woman of Peace—which were adapted into the film Heaven & Earth, written and directed by Oliver Stone. Since 1986, she has founded two charitable organizations: the East Meets West Foundation and the Global Village Foundation. Free and open to the public. For more information about Milwaukee’s events, contact: Vfpchapter102@gmail.com Bill Christofferson, 414-587-6477 ************************ WNPJ member groups and affiliates issue Statements and Action Alerts on Hamas/Palestine/Israel See the developing list here: https://www.wnpj.org/post/statements-from-wnpj-groups-and-their-national-affiliates-on-palestine-israel-hamas Petitions to sign https://www.change.org/p/sign-and-share-this-urgent-petition-calling-for-a-ceasefirenow-in-gaza-and-israel and phone calls to make. Go to the Madison Rafah Sister City sites: http://madisonrafah.org/   and/or https://www.facebook.com/madisonrafah to learn more. *************************************** Upcoming Events this week for WNPJ groups: MADISON Mon Mar 25, 12 noon – 1 pm Monday Noon Vigil for Peace – Meet at the corner of MLK, Jr. Blvd and Doty St. For more information, call Tim at 608-630-3633. FITCHBURG Mon Mar 25 10 am UN in the News discussion group. At the Fitchburg public library. This group meets the  4th Monday of each month -  We'll be discussing several important foreign policy topics and concerns for 2024. These include the Israeli war on Gaza, climate change, the continuing war in Ukraine, migration trends and major elections in 2024. Questions? Contact Sam Romano of the UNA USA Dane County chapter. sromano@charter.net MADISON Mon Mar 25, 6 – 9 pm Screening of Israelism. Madison Central Library, Room 301. When two young American Jews raised to unconditionally love Israel witness the brutal way Israel treats Palestinians, their lives take sharp left turns.  They join a movement of young American Jews battling the old guard to redefine Judaism’s relationship with Israel, revealing a deepening generational divide over modern Jewish identity. More information here. You may also want to check out this interview with the film-makers from The Intercept, both audio and transcript are included.  http://www.madisonrafah.org VIRTUAL Tues Mar 26 11 am Webinar: “How to Fight the Climate Crisis and Militarism”, with Veterans For Peace and 350.org ;  a training on taking action on climate and militarism. The presentation will focus on how US militarism and wars worsen the climate crisis, and how peace and climate activists can take action together, especially by participating in the No MAS (No Military Air Shows) campaign. Please click here to register: bit.ly/protest-airshows. Contact: geyerb@yahoo.com VOLK FIELD  Tues Mar 26 3:45  - 4:45 pm Monthly VIGIL AGAINST THE DRONES. Volk Field Air National Guard Base, Independence Drive, Camp Douglas Please make this vigil part of your new monthly routine. We must keep vigilant and continue to speak out against killer drones. Our first vigil against drone warfare was at Volk Field on December 1, 2011, and so we are into our 13th year of vigiling. 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. Bring posters if you can. If you have any questions please call or email Joy at 608 239-4327 or joyfirst5@gmail.com or Bonnie at 608-256-5088 or blb24@earthlink.net MADISON Wed Mar 27 6 – 7 pm Mutual Aid Tools for Healthy Business and Organizing. At the Social Justice Center 1202 Williamson and on meet.coop https://ca.meet.coop/syb-qar-wz9-f48 - click the green ‘join’ button when you arrive. The Madison Mutual Aid Network (MAN) Cooperative has some new capacities that can benefit our local economic ecosystem. We'd like to share them with you in a one-hour session where we also learn your needs and offers, and see what priorities would best serve our local community. Tools include timebanking, price-based mutual credit, clearing of invoices, the Common Good fee-free debit card, a Common Fund pool of money for loans or emergencies; plus tech tools for contact management, outreach, invoicing, membership management, project management, and more. Please invite people you think would benefit, or places you do business with! steph@at-home.coop LaCROSSE Thurs Mar 28, 12 noon - 12:30 pm Weekly Women in Black Peace Vigil. Meet at Main St & 4th Street South. A weekly vigil for peace every Thursday. Contact Deborah. dbuffton@yahoo.com MILWAUKEE Thurs Mar 28, 12 noon – 1 pm Anti ROTC Vigil -  Marquette University Raynor Memorial Libraries, West Wisconsin Avenue.  Organized by Casa Maria Catholic Worker casamariamke@gmail.com MILWAUKEE Sat Mar 30, 12 noon - 1 pm Peace Action WI - Weekly STAND for PEACE: Cesar Chavez (16th) and Greenfield. Each Saturday, a different location.  Join us. Bring your signs. info@peaceactionwi.org    https://www.peaceactionwi.org/stand_for_peace VIROQUA Sat Mar 30, 11 am - 12 noon Driftless Palestinian Solidarity Weekly Vigil. Meet at Decker and Main. Action Alert: The Driftless Palestinian Solidarity group has a petition to demand that Senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and end financial aid to Israel's military.  If your group is interested in getting signatures, please email  driftless.solidarity@gmail.com. Thank you for your help! RACINE Sat Mar 30, 12:30 – 1:30 pm Weekly Stand for Peace. 909 Dr Martin Luther King Dr. Supported by the Racine Coalition for Peace and Justice. We have signs, banners and flags available for all. Check out our website, http://racinepeace.wordpress.com    for weather concerns. Free Palestine! MADISON Sat Mar 30, 6 pm Jewish Voice for Peace Madison Vigil in memory of Aaron Bushnell.  In James Madison Park, E Gorham St. Bushnell was an active duty member of the US military that self-immolated in protest of the US war machine profiting from genocide in Gaza.  This is  an opportunity for our community to come together, remember Aaron, and advocate for justice and change. madison@jvp.org ******************************************************* Join WNPJ! WNPJ welcomes individual members and groups! 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! https://www.wnpj.org/membership We help our member organizations reach a wider audience by amplifying your peace and justice events and actions on our listserve 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. ************************************************** Here's an opportunity for WNPJ member groups! WNPJ member groups can sign up for a Saturday opportunity to TABLE at the Dane County Farmers Market – this Spring and summer at the Capitol Square. The Farmers Market opening date is April 13th – 7 am to 1 pm …and runs through Nov. 9th on Saturdays. Sign up for your spot today! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4daaa929a5fac34-wnpj#/ Bring your own table and hand-outs to the King Street corner of the Square, site #10, next to the VFP #25 table! You can't sell anything at the non-profit table, but donations to your group are acceptable. Questions? Contact info@wnpj.org *************************************************** If your group would like to get your events posted in the weekly e-bulletin – JOIN US! https://www.wnpj.org/membership Join WNPJ – www.wnpj.org **************************************** 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! Questions? Contact info@wnpj.org

Special events in Madison during April.... including an Essay Contest for UW-Madison students. There will be exhibits and events in Milwaukee and Oshkosh, too. Co-sponsored by Veterans for Peace #25 and #102 and the Marquette Center for Peacemaking Soldiers and Veterans who Opposed the War Apr 1, 2024 to Apr 21, 2024 Wisconsin Historical Society 816 State St., Madison, Wisconsin 53706 During America’s War in Vietnam, tens of thousands of GIs and veterans created a robust movement in opposition to the war. Yet its history is largely unknown. The Waging Peace in Vietnam exhibit and its companion book show how the GI movement unfolded, from the numerous anti-war coffeehouses springing up outside military bases, to the hundreds of GI newspapers giving an independent voice to active soldiers, to the stockade revolts and the strikes and near-mutinies on naval vessels and in the air force. It’s time to set the record straight. Exhibit photographs and informational panels will be on display in the Wisconsin Historical Society lobby, April 1-21. Scheduled Events and Participants All programs will be in the Wisconsin Historical Society auditorium Tuesday April 2, 5 PM: Opening reception, with talk: "Soldiers in Revolt" -Dissent and Resistance Within the Armed Forces, jpst John Nichols, moderated by Al McCoy - with Susan Schnall, national president, Veterans for Peace; Ronald L. Haeberle, former Army photographer of the iconic My Lai Massacre photographs; David Cortright, Professor Emeritus and special advisor for policy, Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame. Author and editor of over 20 books including Waging Peace in Vietnam: U.S. Soldiers and Veterans who Opposed the War. Friday April 5, noon: A War Without End: Legacies of the American War in Vietnam and Among American Veterans, by Ngo Xuan Hien, communications manager, Project RENEW; Chuck Searcy, co-founder and international advisor to Project RENEW; Heather Bowser, founder of Children of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance, advocacy for offspring of Vietnam Veterans exposed to Agent Orange guests Mike Boehm and Brad Geyer Tuesday April 9, 7 PM: Movie: The War at Home, with director Glenn Silber Wednesday April 10, 7 PM: Movie: Sir! No Sir! with director David Zeiger Sunday, April 14, 7 PM: Movie: The Whistleblower of My Lai, documentary on the Kronos Quartet’s making of the opera My Lai, plus live performance by Vanessa Vo, Kronos Quartet soloist. traditional Vietnamese instruments. Tuesday April 16, 7:00 PM A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace, talk and book signing of her memoir When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, by Le Ly Hayslip, Vietnamese-American author, philanthropist, peace activist, and speaker, with Norman Stockwell, interlocutor Sunday April 21, 2 pm: Movie: Hunting in Wartime, directed by Samantha Farinella. A documentary film exposing the mistreatment of patriotic Native American soldiers while they served in Vietnam and upon their return to the United States. Introduced by Samantha Skenandore, tribal advocate. Further information: Judy Karofsky judykarofsky@gmail.com Phone: 608-770-5600 ********************************************* For UW-Madison Students: deadline April 25th! seasia@seasia.wisc.edu

MILWAUKEE: “Waging Peace in Vietnam: U.S. Soldiers and Veterans who Opposed  the War.” April 3-17: Exhibit at Marquette’s Raynor Memorial Library, Milwaukee.  Opening event at noon, April 3, at Alumni Memorial Union, Lunda Room (1442 W. Wisconsin Ave.)This special Soup with Substance panel will include: Susan Schnall, national president, Veterans for Peace; Ronald L. Haeberle, former Army photographer of the iconic My Lai Massacre photographs; David Cortright, Professor Emeritus and special advisor for policy, Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame. A light lunch of soup and bread will be provided. Free and open to the public. April 4:  Waging Peace in Vietnam Panel. A War Without End: Legacies of the American War 12:30-1:45 pm, Marquette Alumni Memorial Union, Room, 227 1442 W. Wisconsin Ave. Panelists:  Ngo Xuan Hien, communications manager, Project RENEW; which is locating and disarming unexploded ordnance; Chuck Searcy, co-founder and international advisor to RENEW; Heather Bowser, founder of Children of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance, advocacy for offspring of Vietnam Veterans exposed to Agent Orange. Light snacks will be provided. Free and open to the public. April 15: Peacemaker in Residence & Waging Peace in Vietnam Keynote A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace, 4-5 pm, Marquette’s Raynor Memorial Library Beaumier Suites BC, 1355 W. Wisconsin Ave. Le Ly Hayslip, Vietnamese-American author, philanthropist, peace activist, and speaker, will deliver the closing keynote of the Waging Peace in Vietnam series at Marquette. She is the author of two memoirs—When Heaven and Earth Changed Places and Child of War, Woman of Peace—which were adapted into the film Heaven & Earth, written and directed by Oliver Stone. Since 1986, she has founded two charitable organizations: the East Meets West Foundation and the Global Village Foundation. Free and open to the public. For more information about Milwaukee’s events, contact: Vfpchapter102@gmail.com Bill Christofferson, 414-587-6477

WNPJ is Hiring! + SPOTLIGHT on Defending Wisconsin's Sacred Waters from Dangerous Mine Proposals + Action Alert from Superior + WISDOM special training + other statewide events *********************************** The WI Network for Peace and Justice is the umbrella non-profit organization supporting the work of 85 member groups around Wisconsin. WNPJ is hiring: We’re looking for a Spring Newsletter Coordinator: What does that entail? Gather content for the Spring 2024 WNPJ Network News, edit as needed and create a finished document with articles and images (PDF). Arrange for printing and assist with mailing or arrange with volunteers. The layout can be done with a simple word processor (see examples at https://www.wnpj.org/newsletter). The timeline is somewhat flexible as long as it's sent out this spring. Time required is estimated at 10-20 hours, and there is the potential for coordinating future fall and spring newsletters. Members of the WNPJ Board will supervise and provide necessary resources, suggestions and some content. This is a temporary contract position which pays $20/hour, Contact info@wnpj.org with your interest and skills and experience. ************************************ Spotlight on the WNPJ member group WI Resource Protection Council Al Gedicks Webinar: Defending Wisconsin's Sacred Waters from Dangerous Mine Proposals Monday, 18 March, 6  - 8 pm Supported by Great Waters Group - Sierra Club The Great Waters Group represents Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties in southeast Wisconsin, on the shores of Lake Michigan. New plans for exploratory drilling for copper and gold deposits northwest of Medford mark the beginning of yet another round in the fight to protect Wisconsin’s waters. Meanwhile, Back 40 Mine opponents remain vigilant. Presenter Dr. Al Gedicks has been instrumental in uniting Wisconsin’s tribes with grassroots rural mine opponents to form winning coalitions. Meet Dr. Al Gedicks: Dr. Al Gedicks is an environmental sociologist and Indigenous rights activist and scholar. He has written extensively about Indigenous and popular resistance to ecologically destructive mining and oil projects. In 1977 he founded the Center for Alternative Mining Development Policy and assisted the Mole Lake Sokaogon Ojibwe Tribe in successfully resisting Exxon's proposed metallic sulfide mine upstream from the tribe's wild rice beds. His documentary film about the Crandon mine battle, Keepers of the Water, won the Best Environmental Film award at the Red Earth American Indian Film Festival in Oklahoma City in 1997. He is the executive secretary of the Wisconsin Resources Protection Council and presently working with the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin and the Coalition to SAVE the Menominee River to oppose the proposed Back Forty metallic sulfide mine next to the Menominee River on the Wisconsin-Michigan border. Register online https://act.sierraclub.org/events/details?formcampaignid=7013q000002HwsnAAC&mapLinkHref Zoom link will be emailed before the program. Contact:  jasmine.viges@gmail.com  (414) 702-7452 ********************************** And there’s a film coming your way this month – with screenings in Ashland, River Falls, Milwaukee and Madison – Don’t miss it!  Check out the dates and theaters here: Bad River – a Story of Defiance.  https://www.badriverfilm.com/the-film/ ************************ ACTION ALERT! Sign the Petition to oppose the proposed NTEC Power Plant in Superior, WI IF YOU ARE NOT A CITY OF SUPERIOR RESIDENT, you may still sign the petition. Your signature will be collected and submitted separately from the residents of the City of Superior. We, the undersigned concerned residents of the City of Superior, urge officials to oppose the proposed NTEC Power Plant.This project endangers our community's health, threatening increased rates of asthma, respiratory infection hospitalization rates, and COPD hospitalization rates. (Source: National Institutes of Health research). Additionally, pollutants from gas plants have already outpaced those from coal plants as contributors to death in 19 states. (Source: Harvard research). https://secure.everyaction.com/3WQYV9Ag6kqg36602fWtNg2?fbclid=IwAR3M3lUpzooST9354B8e7ewt993P5UFXoYXucVdhItq150DVTy-RyX40XzQ *************************************** Spotlight on the WNPJ member group - WISDOM: https://www.wnpj.org/member-organizations-list/wisdom-wisconsin NEW FREE TRAINING. Join the IVE Team for School of Democracy's session Thursday, March 21 – 6:30 – 7:30pm: “Online to Offline Organizing” led by WISDOM's Digital Organizer Amanda Ali! You will learn about digital tactics to move people from online spaces to offline and encourage them to take action and engage with your organization. Link below to register. Who is this training for? ·         Organizers, Faith Leaders, Executive Directors, Presidents, Board Members, Digital Organizers ·         Beginners passionate about organizing ·         Leaders with a commitment to protecting our democracy ·         People who have an interest in electoral politics ·         Anyone interested in strengthening their digital skills Register here: https://bit.ly/schoolofdemocracymarch Once you register, you will receive a separate email from Zoom with a Zoom link. For questions, please contact Amanda Ali at aali@wisdomwisconsin.org . **************************************************** WNPJ member groups and affiliates issue Statements and Action Alerts on Hamas/Palestine/Israel See the developing list here: https://www.wnpj.org/post/statements-from-wnpj-groups-and-their-national-affiliates-on-palestine-israel-hamas Petitions to sign https://www.change.org/p/sign-and-share-this-urgent-petition-calling-for-a-ceasefirenow-in-gaza-and-israel and phone calls to make. Go to the Madison Rafah Sister City sites: http://madisonrafah.org/   and/or https://www.facebook.com/madisonrafah to learn more. *************************************** Upcoming Events this week for WNPJ groups: MADISON Mon Mar 18, 12 noon – 1 pm Monday Noon Vigil for Peace – Meet at the corner of MLK, Jr. Blvd and Doty St. For more information, call Tim at 608-630-3633. VIRTUAL Mon Mar 18, 6 – 8 pm Al Gedicks Webinar: Defending Wisconsin's Sacred Waters from Dangerous Mine Proposals. Learn more in the Spotlight above….. On-AIR! Mon Mar 18, 9 – 10 am Somos Voces Radio Show on La Movida. On the air at 94.5 FM & 1480 AM . Join Madison organizers and hosts, Nindik and Stephanie, during Voces’ new monthly Spanish language radio show! We speak with Lupita from La Movida Radio and cover the latest updates from our statewide organizing and campaigns. Each show features a variety of topics with special guests and opportunities for call-ins and questions. The show airs live on 94.5FM (Dane County) and is broadcast on Facebook Live. Please support our efforts by listening, and or sharing on Facebook. Facebook Live at @LaMovidaMadison / @VocesDeLaFronteraWI vdlf@vdlf.org VIRTUAL Mon Mar 18, 6 – 7”30 pm Worker Justice Wisconsin Annual Meeting. Join us and help us celebrate WJW's 2023 accomplishments and partnerships with community, faith, and labor allies! Join the zoom call here -  https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88680154780 ...¡Acompáñenos el lunes 18 de marzo para nuestra Reunión Anual! 🌟 ¡Venga y celebre los logros y asociaciones de Justicia Obrera Wisconsin con la comunidad, la fe y nuestros aliados laborales en el 2023!Esta reunión se llevará a cabo virtualmente en Zoom aquí: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88680154780... info@workerjustice.org MADISON Tues Mar 19, 5 – 6:30 pm JustDane Reentry Service Fair - Madison College South, 2429 Perry St. Meet with local vendors offering resources. Food, too! Contact Mark at mark@justdane.org MILWAUKEE Tues Mar 19, 7 – 8 pm CHAPTER MEETING of Milwaukee's Veterans for Peace Chapter #102. St Johns On The Lake. Contact:  vfpchapter102@gmail.com LaCROSSE Thurs Mar 21, 12 noon - 12:30 pm Weekly Women in Black Peace Vigil. Meet at Main St & 4th Street South. A weekly vigil for peace every Thursday. Contact Deborah. dbuffton@yahoo.com MILWAUKEE Thurs Mar 21, 12 noon – 1 pm Anti -Gun Vigil. At Dunham Sports store, 2550 S. 108th St. Dunham advertises and sells guns and assault rifles. Organized by  Casa Maria Catholic Worker casamariamke@gmail.com MADISON Thurs Mar 21, 7 pm Wild & Scenic Film Festival – Where Activism Gets Inspired! Barrymore Theater (2090 Atwood Ave). Hosted by the River Alliance of Wisconsin. Tickets are $24.50 in advance. For more info, visit: https://barrymorelive.com/event/wild-scenic-film-festival-2024/  Sent to WNPJ by Madison Infoshop  peckjone@gmail.com MILWAUKEE Sat Mar 23, 12 noon - 1 pm Peace Action WI - Weekly STAND for PEACE: King and North. Each Saturday, a different location.  Join us. Bring your signs. info@peaceactionwi.org    https://www.peaceactionwi.org/stand_for_peace VIROQUA Sat Mar 23, 11 am - 12 noon Driftless Palestinian Solidarity Weekly Vigil. Meet at Decker and Main. Action Alert: The Driftless Palestinian Solidarity group has a petition to demand that Senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and end financial aid to Israel's military.  If your group is interested in getting signatures, please email  driftless.solidarity@gmail.com. Thank you for your help! RACINE Sat Mar 23, 12:30 – 1:30 pm Weekly Stand for Peace. 909 Dr Martin Luther King Dr. Supported by the Racine Coalition for Peace and Justice. We have signs, banners and flags available for all. Check out our website, http://racinepeace.wordpress.com    for weather concerns. Free Palestine! VERONA Sun Mar 24, 9:30 – 11 am Farley Center/Natural Path Sanctuary Bird Walk with Badgerland Bird Alliance.  Farley Center land, the Natural Path Sanctuary.  THIS EVENT IS LIMITED TO 20 ATTENDEES - register on the link below. Set amidst 25 acres of woods and meadows on Farley Center land, the Natural Path Sanctuary is the first cemetery in Dane County, Wisconsin that exclusively follows natural and green burial practices. The nature preserve encompasses a diverse variety of habitats, including a pond and rocky ridges. We will explore the sanctuary on an early spring morning, looking and listening for birdlife. We will also be joined by staff who can share more about the history and management of this meditative place. As a reminder, spring weather in Wisconsin can be inconsistent, so be sure to bundle up with layers and wear appropriate shoes for possibly icy, muddy, or wet conditions. Feel free to also bring a water bottle to stay hydrated, binoculars, and/or field guide. The field trip leader will share a checklist of all identified birds after the event. Kaitlin Svabek, field trip leader (ksvabek@madisonaudubon.org) ACCESSIBILITY. Want to use an all-terrain, outdoor wheelchair for this field trip? Access Ability Wisconsin offers them for free! APPROXIMATE DISTANCE: 1-3 miles; can be adjusted based on participants’ needs and desires RSVP REQUIRED https://madisonaudubon.org/all-events/2024/03/24/birding-natural-path-sanctuary?fbclid=IwAR1hRg1C17ZInxn0EV66Vf7JshuAsQSbJinhffOD_TIzQowl0xlsgC-G-Z8 VIROQUA Sun Mar 24, 2 – 3 pm GAZA! Presentation & Community conversation about the current catastrophe and its origins. At the Vernon County Historical Society, 410 S Center Ave. Sponsored by Driftless Palestinian Solidarity dena.eakles@gmail.com ******************************************************* Join WNPJ!WNPJ welcomes individual members and groups! 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!https://www.wnpj.org/membership We help our member organizations reach a wider audience by amplifying your peace and justice events and actions on our listserve 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. ************************************************* Here's an opportunity for WNPJ member groups! WNPJ member groups can sign up for a Saturday opportunity to TABLE at the Dane County Farmers Market – this Spring and summer at the Capitol Square. The Farmers Market opening date is April 13th – 7 am to 1 pm …and runs through Nov. 9th on Saturdays. Sign up for your spot today! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4daaa929a5fac34-wnpj#/ Bring your own table and hand-outs to the King Street corner of the Square, site #10, next to the VFP #25 table! You can't sell anything at the non-profit table, but donations to your group are acceptable. Questions? Contact info@wnpj.org *************************************************** If your group would like to get your events posted in the weekly e-bulletin – JOIN US! https://www.wnpj.org/membership Join WNPJ – www.wnpj.org **************************************** 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! Questions? Contact info@wnpj.org

WNPJ + Action Alert to Protect the Great Lakes + Spotlight on MASCP and their Summer Tour to El Salvador + Voces de la Frontera comes in as a new member group + other statewide events *********************************** The WI Network for Peace and Justice is the umbrella non-profit organization supporting the work of 83 member groups around Wisconsin. ************************************ Action Alert – Sign this 350 WI petition today – to save the Great Lakes! Deadline to sign is Monday, March 11th!!! Tell the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Don't Take Shortcuts on Line 5! As far as national treasures go, the Great Lakes rank near the very top - there’s no question that these pristine freshwater lakes are a pillar in the survival of not just our region, but our planet. Every year, access to clean, fresh water diminishes due to drought, lack of rain, pollution, and more. So why would anyone ever gamble with 84% of North America’s surface freshwater? Enbridge, a Canadian multinational oil company with a long track record of highly destructive environmental disasters, and operator of the deteriorating 70-year-old Line 5 pipeline, is doing just that. As they continue to run a dangerous, outdated tar sands oil pipeline, the company is seeking permission from the USACE to reroute 41 miles of pipeline around the Bad River Band Reservation, where it has been operating illegally for over a decade, threatening tribal sovereignty and treaty rights. It’s more clear now than ever - if we want the planet to continue to be livable, we have to stop our reliance on fossil fuels. This expansion is not a solution and it’s far past time to #ShutDownLine5. Tell the USACE to stop allowing Enbridge to gamble with the Great Lakes, and to conduct the most thorough environmental review possible. Signatures will be delivered in-person to the USACE office in DC on 3/13 - CLICK HERE to add your name! https://wisconsin-350.salsalabs.org/ArmyCorpsL.../index.html Questions? Contact Britnie at britnie.remer@350wisconsin.org And there’s a film coming your way this month – with screenings in Ashland, River Falls, Milwaukee and Madison – Don’t miss it!  Check out the dates and theaters here: Bad River – a Story of Defiance.  https://www.badriverfilm.com/the-film/ ************************************** SPOTLIGHT on the Member group – Madison Arcatao Sister City Project MADISON Sat Mar 16, 10 am – 12 noon Madison Arcatao Sister City Project Gathering. Finca Coffee, 2500 Rimrock Rd #105. The 2024 MASCP's trip to El Salvador is scheduled for June 9-16, 2024 and you are invited to join us! We sponsor these trips for three reasons: 1-      Offering the opportunity to people in Madison to experience our sister city for themselves, 2-      Renewing our friendship with the people of Arcatao and be witness to the joys and challenges of their lives 3-      Bringing current personal stories from Arcatao and El Salvador to the Madison community and to Wisconsin’s representatives in Congress. The theme this year is water quality, water rights, and how sugar cane production affects water and environmental quality in El Salvador. To explore these areas, we’ll be talking with social justice activists in San Salvador, visiting the organized southern community of Las Anonas where sugar cane is produced, and renewing friendships in Arcatao where our sister city is fighting to retain control of their water and avoid privatization. We’ll be exploring El Salvador, too. Some options are hiking El Boqueron, the volcano outside San Salvador, visiting Shicali Cerámica, a pottery workshop in El Salvador, and exoloring St Romero’s home, chapel, and meditation garden. Join the group now and help plan our itinerary! As usual, we’ll be traveling with US El Salvador Sister City (USESSC) staff member, Zulma Tobar, who will be making all our travel, housing and activity arrangements in El Salvador. Depending on air fare, the total cost should be under $2000. This amount includes all meals, transportation, visits and home stays as well as a payment to USESSC for the organizing, guiding and interpreting. Last year the total cost was around $1700. Interested? Have questions? Want more information? Friends of MASCP, past travelers to El Salvador, curious about MASCP, lovers of great coffee and pupusas? You are all invited to these gatherings! See you there! info@mascp.org or you can text Joan at 608 556-0717 https://www.mascp.org/ (photo: MASCP volunteers-  Marilee Sushoreba and Barb Alvarado) ****************************** WNPJ welcomes VDLF – Madison to our organization. Voces de la Frontera is a membership-based community organization led by low-wage workers, immigrants and youth whose mission is to protect and expand civil rights and workers’ rights through leadership development, community organizing and empowerment. We strive to create a world where all people live free of poverty and discrimination, have access to safe, dignified work, quality education, and health care; where immigrants can cross borders with dignity; and human rights and workers’ rights are respected; where government is truly “of the people”, and all families thrive. Contact: Stephanie Janeth Salgado Altamirano stephaniejsa123@gmail.com (608)250-9982  https://vdlf.org/ **************************************** WNPJ is hiring: We’re looking for a Spring Newsletter Coordinator: What does that entail? Gather content for the Spring 2024 WNPJ Network News, edit as needed and create a finished document with articles and images (PDF). Arrange for printing and assist with mailing or arrange with volunteers. The layout can be done with a simple word processor (see examples at https://www.wnpj.org/newsletter). The timeline is somewhat flexible as long as it's sent out this spring. Time required is estimated at 10-20 hours, and there is the potential for coordinating future fall and spring newsletters. Members of the WNPJ Board will supervise and provide necessary resources, suggestions and some content. This is a temporary contract position which pays $20/hour, Contact info@wnpj.org with your interest and skills and experience. **************************************************** WNPJ member groups and affiliates issue Statements and Action Alerts on Hamas/Palestine/Israel See the developing list here: https://www.wnpj.org/post/statements-from-wnpj-groups-and-their-national-affiliates-on-palestine-israel-hamas Petitions to sign https://www.change.org/p/sign-and-share-this-urgent-petition-calling-for-a-ceasefirenow-in-gaza-and-israel and phone calls to make. Go to the Madison Rafah Sister City sites: http://madisonrafah.org/   and/or https://www.facebook.com/madisonrafah to learn more. *************************************** Upcoming Events this week for WNPJ groups: MADISON Mon Mar 11, 12 noon – 1 pm Monday Noon Vigil for Peace – Meet at the corner of MLK, Jr. Blvd and Doty St. For more information, call Tim at 608-630-3633. VIRTUAL Mon Mar 11, 7 pm The 2024 annual meeting for the Richland Center-Santa Teresa Sister City Project. The meeting will be conducted via Zoom. If you are interested in joining, please reply to this email and request an invitation. santateresascp@gmail.com  https://www.wnpj.org/member-organizations-list/richland-center---santa-teresa-sister-city-project VIRTUAL Tues Mar 12, 6:30 pm A Path to Peace….supported by member group Echo Valley Hope. Join us for a virtual Introduction to TPRF'S Peace Education Program. Peace Education Is a free, ten week, interactive zoom class that helps individuals discover their inner strength. Subjects include: peace, appreciation, clarity, understanding, self awareness, choice, dignity, and contentment. Learn more: https://tprf.org/peace-education-program/ LaCROSSE Thurs Mar 14, 12 noon - 12:30 pm Weekly Women in Black Peace Vigil. Meet at Main St & 4th Street South. A weekly vigil for peace every Thursday. Contact Deborah. dbuffton@yahoo.com VIRTUAL Thurs Mar 14, 7 – 8 pm Webinar Know Your Co-op; Own Your Co-op - with Sierra Club, Vernon Co Electric District, and WNPJ's Environmental Justice team. Contact dena.eakles@gmail.com for registration and zoom info. EAU CLAIRE Fri Mar 15, 5 – 6 pm Monthly Peace. Meet at Trunk and Golf Road, Wisconsin 93 - The 3rd Friday of each month is Peace Stand time in Eau Claire, going on since 2004. We gather with, we visit one another and sometimes we sing. Stand and be counted. Mark Helpsmeet is with Northern Spirit Radio, a member group of WNPJ. Contact for more information: helpsmeet@usa.net MADISON Fri Mar 15, 7 pm Kick-off for the Building Unity Democracy Tour.  Madison Labor Temple, 1602 S. Park.  The bus is going to 33 districts in 3 months.  Please join the tour whenever and wherever you can! We are still working on scheduling tour stops. Let us know if you can help in your part of Wisconsin. BuildingUnityWi@gmail.com MILWAUKEE Sat Mar 16, 10  - 11:30 am Webinar: “Inspire Inclusion: Invest in Women” – with UNA of Greater Milwaukee’s celebration of the “2024 International Women’s Day”.  Rickey Gard Diamond, Bernadette Karanja, and Bianca Shaw will present their views on a gender-equal world.  A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.  A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive.  A world where difference is valued and celebrated. The theme of their presentations is “We can forge women's equality.  Collectively, we can all ‘inspire inclusion,’ celebrate women's achievements, raise awareness about discrimination, and take action to drive gender parity.” Attend Virtually Through the Following Zoom Link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88650140165?pwd=bElvK1Q0bFFuMlNyK2hNRzF4YkM4UT09 Co-sponsored by:  Peace Action of WI & Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom info@peaceactionwi.org MILWAUKEE Sat Mar 16, 12 noon - 1 pm Peace Action WI - Weekly STAND for PEACE: Capitol and Oakland. Each Saturday, a different location.  Join us. Bring your signs. info@peaceactionwi.org    https://www.peaceactionwi.org/stand_for_peace VIROQUA Sat Mar 16, 11 am - 12 noon Driftless Palestinian Solidarity Weekly Vigil. Meet at Decker and Main. Action Alert: The Driftless Palestinian Solidarity group has a petition to demand that Senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and end financial aid to Israel's military.  If your group is interested in getting signatures, please email  driftless.solidarity@gmail.com. Thank you for your help! RACINE Sat Mar 16, 12:30 – 1:30 pm Weekly Stand for Peace. 909 Dr Martin Luther King Dr. Supported by the Racine Coalition for Peace and Justice. We have signs, banners and flags available for all. Check out our website, http://racinepeace.wordpress.com    for weather concerns. Free Palestine! MADISON Sat Mar 16, 10 am – 12 noon Madison Arcatao Sister City Project Gathering. Finca Coffee, 2500 Rimrock Rd #105. …..See the Spotlight above….. ******************************************************* Join WNPJ!WNPJ welcomes individual members and groups! 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!https://www.wnpj.org/membership We help our member organizations reach a wider audience by amplifying your peace and justice events and actions on our listserve 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. ******************************************* Here's an opportunity for WNPJ member groups! WNPJ member groups can sign up for a Saturday opportunity to TABLE at the Dane County Farmers Market – this Spring and summer at the Capitol Square. The Farmers Market opening date is April 13th – 7 am to 1 pm …and runs through Nov. 9th on Saturdays. Sign up for your spot today! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4daaa929a5fac34-wnpj#/ Bring your own table and hand-outs to the King Street corner of the Square, site #10, next to the VFP #25 table! You can't sell anything at the non-profit table, but donations to your group are acceptable. Questions? Contact info@wnpj.org *************************************************** If your group would like to get your events posted in the weekly e-bulletin – JOIN US! https://www.wnpj.org/membership Join WNPJ – www.wnpj.org **************************************** 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! Questions? Contact info@wnpj.org

Spotlight on WNPJ member groups: Interfaith Peace Working Group, Peace Action WI, and World BEYOND War They are inviting you to an online teach-in on media activism:“Make War Visible ... And End It” …. with Norman Solomon, author of the book War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine.  Tuesday, March 5th – 7 pm Kathy Kelly, President of World BEYOND War will introduce journalist and activist Norman Solomon -- As wars continue in Gaza, Ukraine, and elsewhere, efforts to stop them are up against a powerful military-industrial-media complex in the United States. No matter how much coverage of war comes through mainstream news outlets, the human realities of war are scarcely conveyed. Cosponsored by the RootsAction Education Fund. Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMlfuyrrDMoGdSwBfeKXSMwV9OSebr_8Hg5 ****************************** JOIN WNPJ for our Monthly Weaving the Web Virtual Drop-in Hour – Thursday, Mar 7th, 12 noon. Board member, Mary Kay Baum is hosting today’s call! All welcome! Zoom info: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89361313008?pwd=UmxCOUcxL3ZFb244aXp0SnBVTFRSZz09 . Meeting ID: 893 6131 3008 - Passcode: 797041; +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)  info@wnpj.org ************************** Our member group Clean Water Action Council reminds us that Wisconsin's Focus on Energy offers multiple energy-saving packs full of a variety of efficient home products for every room and need—all sent straight to your doorstep for FREE! https://focusonenergy.com/residential/energy-saving-packs contact@cleanwateractioncouncil.org *************************** Register today – for this course, A Path to Peace: VIRTUAL First session - Tues Mar 12, 6:30 pm ….supported by member group Echo Valley Hope. Join us for a virtual Introduction to TPRF'S Peace Education Program. Peace Education Is a free, ten week, interactive zoom class that helps individuals discover their inner strength. Subjects include: peace, appreciation, clarity, understanding, self awareness, choice, dignity, and contentment. Learn more: https://tprf.org/peace-education-program/ **************************************************** See the developing list here: https://www.wnpj.org/post/statements-from-wnpj-groups-and-their-national-affiliates-on-palestine-israel-hamas Petitions to sign https://www.change.org/p/sign-and-share-this-urgent-petition-calling-for-a-ceasefirenow-in-gaza-and-israel and phone calls to make. Go to the Madison Rafah Sister City sites: http://madisonrafah.org/   and/or https://www.facebook.com/madisonrafah to learn more. *************************************** Upcoming Events this week for WNPJ groups: *********************************** The WI Network for Peace and Justice is the umbrella non-profit organization supporting the work of 83 member groups around Wisconsin. ************************************ MADISON Mon Mar 4, 12 noon – 1 pm Monday Noon Vigil for Peace – Meet at the corner of MLK, Jr. Blvd and Doty St. For more information, call Tim at 608-630-3633. VIRTUAL Mon Mar 4, 6:30 pm "What’s On My Ballot – Spring 2024 Elections" Webinar. You can register in advance here. This webinar is cosponsored by the Wisconsin Council of Churches, Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice, WISDOM, the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee, MICAH, the Wisconsin Council of Rabbis, the Wisconsin Public Education Network, and the Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Campaign. On April 2, Wisconsinites will be voting for much more than the presidential primary. The election will also include: Two referenda to change the Wisconsin constitution in ways that will affect how our elections are run. Many Wisconsin School Districts will be voting on school funding referenda. We will be joined by our friends from the Wisconsin Public Education Network who will help us understand more of what's at stake there. And more!  Sent to WNPJ by David Liners office@wisdomwisconsin.org MADISON and VIRTUAL Mon March 4, 7 – 8:15 pm EcoEanxiety, Climate Grief and Solastalgia – talk with Mirtha Pacheco, hosted by 350 Wisconsin Friends Meeting House (1704 Roberts Court) and zoom option. Mirtha Pacheco is the Outreach Program Coordinator with the Loka Initiative of the UW’s Center for Healthy Minds. The Initiative’s mission is to “support faith-led environmental and climate efforts locally and around the world by helping build capacity of faith leaders and culture keepers of Indigenous traditions, and by creating new opportunities for projects, partnerships and public outreach.” For more info and to register for login details, visit: https://350wisconsin.org/monthly-meetings/ MADISON Tues Mar 5, 9 am – 3 pm WISDOM is celebrating International Women's Day with our partner, FREE. At the Wisconsin State Capitol (Gar Hall Room 413 N).  FREE focuses on the unique issues of women who have experienced incarceration. FREE works to end the shackling of incarcerated, pregnant women and girls and ensures dignity before, during and after childbirth through Wisconsin's first doula program. Join leaders to advocate for improved housing options, health care, birth experiences and dignity for incarcerated women and girls as well as women in reentry in honor of International Women's Day. There will be a continental breakfast and lunch provided as well as a t-shirt. Be sure you register in advance through this link  For questions, you can email Peggy West-Schroder at peggy@freemvmnt.org. Sent to WNPJ by WISDOM office@wisdomwisconsin.org MADISON Tues Mar 5, 5:30 – 7 pm Building Community and Collective Healing Shared  Threads: Stories that Weave Us Together - Chrysalis Inc, 1342 Dewey Court.  Promoting mental health and substance use recovery in our community by supporting work opportunities that encourage hope, healing, and wellness. We are so excited to be hosting our 2nd annual Storytelling Event. We are so grateful to have Araceli Esparza as our emcee for the evening. Araceli is a motivational speaker, podcast host, Chicana poeta, consultant and the founder of Midwest Mujeres Collective. We invite you to attend this FREE event. Click here to reserve your spot at Shared Threads! rischall@workwithchrysalis.org VIRTUAL Tues Mar 5, 7 pm  Online Teach-in on Media Activism: “Make War Visible…and End it” See spotlight above for zoom details. MADISON Thurs Mar 7, 10 am – 4 pm  Wisconsin's Day of Empathy at the Wisconsin State Capitol.  Day of Empathy is the nation’s largest day of action for criminal justice reform, & this wouldn’t be possible without everyone’s collective effort in fighting for what’s right. It brings together people from all walks of life who have been negatively impacted by America’s criminal justice system – from survivors of violent crime to those who are currently incarcerated individuals to the loved ones on the outside who advocate for their freedom and systemic reforms, from children of incarcerated parents to people on mass supervision to all community members impacted by crime, public safety issues, and violence. Join us for a legislative day at the Wisconsin State Capitol to uplift your voice alongside justice impacted people, families, allies to discuss with legislators how supervision (probation, parole and extended supervision) should be changed to transform our state towards public safety and thriving communities for all people. There will be a panel, live Supervision Simulation and Educational Legislative Visits. Sign up through this link. Contact Peggy West-Schroder at peggy@freemvmnt.org or David Liners of WISDOM office@wisdomwisconsin.org LaCROSSE Thurs Mar 7, 12 noon - 12:30 pm Weekly Women in Black Peace Vigil. Meet at Main St & 4th Street South. A weekly vigil for peace every Thursday. Contact Deborah. dbuffton@yahoo.com VIRTUAL Thurs Mar 7, 12 noon – 1 pm WNPJ’s Weaving the Web Drop-In Hour. All welcome! Zoom info: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89361313008?pwd=UmxCOUcxL3ZFb244aXp0SnBVTFRSZz09 . Meeting ID: 893 6131 3008 - Passcode: 797041; +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)  info@wnpj.org DE PERE Thurs Mar 7, 6 – 8 pm End The Lockdowns Community Forum – at the St. Norbert  Mulva Library, 3rd St.  Join WISDOM for the Forum with JOSHUA-Green Bay and ESTHER-Fox Valley. Join us to meet Green Bay elected officials, learn about WISDOM’s End The Lockdowns Campaign and provide input on transformational justice priorities in Wisconsin. Confirmed panelists include Sara Williams, JOSHUA Community Organizer, Dant'e Cottingham, EXPO - EX-incarcerated People Organizing Interim Executive Director and Representative David Steffen (R-Assembly District 4). Register in advance:  https://bit.ly/greenbayendthelockdowns MADISON Thurs Mar 7,  3 pm Watchdogs: The Role of Political Commentary in Our Democracy – talk with John Nichols, Madison College, Rm. A2025 – Truax Campus (1750 Wright St.) John Nichols is a national correspondent for The Nation and associate editor of the Capital Times. Part of the Writer's Life Lecture Series. Nichols is a prominent figure in political journalism, known for his insightful commentary and in-depth analysis of American politics. He has covered a wide range of political issues, from grassroots movements to presidential campaigns, with a keen focus on social justice and progressive values. More info? Visit: https://www.theonlineclarion.com/e-newsletter/2024/02/14/renowned-journalist-john-nichols-to-speak-at-madison-colleges-writers-life-series/  Sent to WNPJ by Madison Infoshop peckjohne@gmail.com VIRTUAL Thurs Mar 7, 6:30 – 7:30 pm WILPF Monthly Book Circle Conversation - The first Thursday of each month. The book tonight: American Prison; a Reporter's Undercover Journey into the business of Punishment - by Shane Bauer. Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom-Madison. For questions or more information on getting the zoom link, send a message to:wilpfmadison@gmail.com 608-609-7961 http://wilpfmadison.org/ MADISON and VIRTUAL Thurs Mar 7, 7 – 8:30 pm WI Faith Voices for Justice Interfaith Intersection event. 7118 Old Sauk Road. This program brings people together to hold intentional conversations on a variety of topics related to faith. An important aspect of this program is that our panelists are lay people, not clergy or academics. Therefore, panelists will address the topics speaking from their own understanding of their faith but not speaking for their faith. Please volunteer if you're interested in being a panelist. Please join us: (all events are Thursday nights, 7:00 to 8:30 in person and on Zoom) ·         March 7 – Sin; at Madison Christian Community, 7118 Old Sauk Road, Madison ·         April 11 - fasting/self-denial; location TBD ·         May 9 - forgiveness - person to person; person to God; at the Bahai Center, 324 W Lakeside St, Madison ·         Sept. 12 - what is your faith’s "high holy day" - location TBD ·         Oct. 17 - cycle of times/seasons in different traditions; location TBD ·         Nov. 14 - giving thanks; Sugar River United Methodist Church, 415 W Verona Ave, Verona PLEASE RSVP HERE. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeyVkki4VyxMj71M62T-77nTjh7WAIlpT0bY_fHRNf6dyuHkw/viewform If you would like to be a panelist for any of these events, email Rabbi Bonnie Margulis wifaithvoices4justice@gmail.com VIRTUAL Sat Mar 9, 10 – 11:45 am  Annual Meeting of WI Transit Riders Alliance. In the first hour of the zoom call, we will hear about the special jobs-oriented FlexRide Milwaukee project from Dave Steele, Executive Director of MobiliSE. There will be time for questions and discussion after the presentation. Our annual business meeting of the WI Transit Riders will begin at 11:00 a.m. We’ll be updating our bylaws and Strategic Plan, hearing reports of our current situation and generally launching ourselves into another year. https://witransitriders.org/events/annual-meeting/  Register at https://tinyurl.com/WTRA0324  Contact: Susan DeVos https://witransitriders.org/ info@witransitriders.org VIROQUA Sat Mar 9, 11 am - 12 noon Driftless Palestinian Solidarity Weekly Vigil. Meet at Decker and Main. Action Alert: The Driftless Palestinian Solidarity group has a petition to demand that Senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and end financial aid to Israel's military.  If your group is interested in getting signatures, please email  driftless.solidarity@gmail.com. Thank you for your help! RACINE Sat Mar 9, 12:30 – 1:30 pm Weekly Stand for Peace. 909 Dr Martin Luther King Dr. Supported by the Racine Coalition for Peace and Justice. We have signs, banners and flags available for all. Check out our website, http://racinepeace.wordpress.com    for weather concerns. Free Palestine! MILWAUKEE Sat Mar 9, 12 noon – 1 pm Weekly Stand for Peace with Peace Action WI. St. Paul and Water.  Each week a different venue. Bring signs. Contact: info@peaceactionwi.org MADISON and VIRTUAL Sun Mar 10, 7 – 8 pm  Casa Alitas Presentation - Beth Israel Center, 1406 Mound St. Please join Beth Israel Center and the Dane Sanctuary Coalition  for a presentation from members of Beth Israel Center on their recent volunteer trips to Casa Alitas in Tucson. Throughout October, groups of volunteers from Beth Israel Center journeyed to Tucson to volunteer at Casa Alitas, a migrant welcome center. As the crisis at our border increases, the needs for help at Casa Alitas and similar migrant centers will only increase. Join us and hear about the volunteers’ experiences and how the trip came together. The event will be in Madison and also on Zoom. Please RSVP by March 8 using this google form: https://forms.gle/363KwRqsxQwyV3Q59. Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice -  Dane Sanctuary Coalition Steering Committee. ******************************************************* Join WNPJ!WNPJ welcomes individual members and groups! 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!https://www.wnpj.org/membership We help our member organizations reach a wider audience by amplifying your peace and justice events and actions on our listserve 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. *************************************** Here's an opportunity for WNPJ member groups! WNPJ member groups can sign up for a Saturday opportunity to TABLE at the Dane County Farmers Market – this Spring and summer at the Capitol Square. The Farmers Market opening date is April 13th – 7 am to 1 pm …and runs through Nov. 9th on Saturdays. Sign up for your spot today! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4daaa929a5fac34-wnpj#/ Bring your own table and hand-outs to the King Street corner of the Square, site #10, next to the VFP #25 table! You can't sell anything at the non-profit table, but donations to your group are acceptable. Questions? Contact info@wnpj.org *************************************************** If your group would like to get your events posted in the weekly e-bulletin – JOIN US! https://www.wnpj.org/membership Join WNPJ – www.wnpj.org **************************************** 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! Questions? Contact info@wnpj.org

WNPJ member groups are co-sponsoring this month-long series of exhibits and events throughout Wisconsin. Pax Christi-Madison, World BEYOND War - Madison, Veterans for Peace #25 Madison, Madison Friends Meeting, Physicians for Social Responsibilty - Madison, Veterans for Peace #102, and Marquette Center for Peacemaking. MILWAUKEE The Veterans for Peace Chapter of Milwaukee #102 has these events planned April 2 - 17, working with Marquette's Center for Peacemaking: WAGING PEACE IN VIETNAM EXHIBIT will be  on display in the lobby of  Marquette's Raynor Memorial Library lobby. All events are free and open to the public. April 3: Grand opening event with My Lai photographer Ron Haeberle, national VFP President Susan Schnall, and activist/author/scholar David Cortright at 12:00 noon at Marquette's Alumni Memorial Union's Lunda Room. April 4: Chuck Searcy and Ngo Thien of Project RENEW, which works to locate and remove mines, bombs and other unexploded ordnance in Quang Tri Province, will speak. Room/time to be announced. April 15: Author Le Ly Hayslip, whose memoir, When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, was the inspiration for Oliver Stone's film, 'Heaven and Earth', wll tell of her experiences as a war refugee. Meet in the Beaumier Suites at Raynor Memorial Library, 4:30 pm. -- Watch for more updates here! Veterans for Peace Chapter 102 vfpchapter102@gmail.com

WNPJ + Poor People’s Campaign and Madison Rally + ACTION ALERTS from IPWG on Gaza AND from Clean Water Action Council & Citizens Climate Lobby on the environment + other statewide events *********************************** MADISON; On Saturday, March 2 at 10 am at the State Capitol…. Wisconsinites from all corners of the state will be gathering to take part in a day of nationally coordinated actions at over 30 statehouses across the country. Together, we will use our collective voice to demand an end to poverty and lift up ALL of the interlocking injustices that we face as poor and working-class people. Will you join us? Here’s a reason someone from Beloit will be in Madison on March 2nd. Check it out! Wisconsin PPC leader and coordinating committee member Rodolfo Abarca, from Beloit, shared why he will be in Madison on March 2nd! With 140 million poor and low-wealth people in America (the wealthiest nation on earth) we know that poverty is a moral failure of our leadership and we won’t be silent anymore. Chronic poverty is the 4th leading cause of premature death in this country - more than gun violence and car accidents. It doesn’t need to be this way, and as the majority, we can make a difference. Want to get involved? Here's how you can take part in this mobilization: There are many volunteer opportunities leading up to, as well as on the day of, the march and mass assembly. No prior experience is needed! Please CLICK HERE to fill out the form and be involved in this historic day. RSVP HERE for the March 2 Assembly and March SIGN UP to volunteer on March 2nd Follow us on Facebook + RSVP and share the Facebook event for 3/2! Car-pooling options: Buses will be departing from Beloit, Milwaukee, and Racine! Do you want to ride the bus? Sign up here: To ride from Milwaukee    To ride from Beloit     To ride from Racine A sliding scale donation of $0-15 is suggested for bus tickets — pay what you can. Need a ride from a different part of the state? Email us at wisconsin@poorpeoplescampaign.org to be connected to carpools to the best of our ability. ************************************************** Urgent Action Alert on Gaza….. Dear Peacemaking Friends, What follows is a statement on the tragedy in Gaza developed by the WNPJ member group Interfaith Peace Working Group. If you agree with this statement, we encourage you to sign it and be a part of this peace witness of people and communities of faith in Wisconsin. You can read the statement below and add your name by clicking here. https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSdxwBglewRg8x.../viewform Please share this statement with others whom you think might be interested in signing it. –Interfaith Peace Working Group interfaithpeaceworkinggroup@gmail.com **************************************** ACTION ALERT from Clean Water Action Council and Citizens Climate Lobby As early as this week the WI State Senate and then the Assembly will be voting on Assembly Joint Resolution 6 (AJR6), which proposes a constitutional amendment that would shift control over federal funds received by the state from the Governor to the State Legislature. As authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, massive federal funding for clean energy development, green jobs, and climate resilience is coming into Wisconsin already, and much more is ahead. The proposed amendment could severely jeopardize Wisconsin’s timely access to those funds and so its transition to a clean energy economy. To amend Wisconsin’s constitution, the proposed amendment must be approved by the legislature in two consecutive sessions and then approved in a state-wide referendum. It has already been approved by the previous legislature. If it’s approved by the Wisconsin Senate and Assembly again, a referendum for its approval will be held this coming November. So, please– 1. Find the email addresses of your State Senator and State Representative. Enter your address beneath the “WHO ARE MY LEGISLATORS?” heading, click on “Find Your Legislator,” and then click on your district. https://legis.wisconsin.gov/ 2. Send emails to both of them urging them to oppose AJR6. Here’s a sample message that you can cut and paste. (You can, of course, modify it as you see fit, or come up with your own.) Dear [Senator][Representative][______________] I am deeply concerned about the proposed Assembly Joint Resolution 6 (AJR6). This resolution poses a significant threat to Wisconsin's ability to efficiently accept and allocate federal funds, jeopardizing timely access to critical investments in clean energy initiatives and emergency response. I strongly urge you to oppose AJR6 and ensure that Wisconsin's access to federal funds remains efficient, responsive, and aligned with the state's urgent needs. [Your name] [Your address IS VERY IMPORTANT SO THEY KNOW YOU ARE A CONSTITUENT] 3. Send an email with the message “Done!” to this email address: CCLWisco@gmail.com as soon as you’ve taken this highly commendable action. ************************************************ See the developing list here: https://www.wnpj.org/post/statements-from-wnpj-groups-and-their-national-affiliates-on-palestine-israel-hamas Petitions to sign https://www.change.org/p/sign-and-share-this-urgent-petition-calling-for-a-ceasefirenow-in-gaza-and-israel and phone calls to make. Go to the Madison Rafah Sister City sites: http://madisonrafah.org/   and/or https://www.facebook.com/madisonrafah to learn more. *************************************** The WI Network for Peace and Justice is the umbrella non-profit organization supporting the work of 82 member groups around Wisconsin. ************************************ Upcoming Events this week for WNPJ groups: MADISON Mon Feb 26, 12 noon – 1 pm Monday Noon Vigil for Peace – Meet at the corner of MLK, Jr. Blvd and Doty St. For more information, call Tim at 608-630-3633. MADISON Mon Feb. 26,, 6:30 – 8:00 pm Lights up for Palestine Vigil – before the Journey Freedom concert. Corner of N. Frances and W Dayton St. More info? Visit: http://madisonrafah.org/ FITCHBURG Mon Feb 26, 10 – 11 am 'UN in the News' Monthly Discussion. Fitchburg public library. UN in the News discussion group meets the 4th Monday of each month -We'll be discussing several important foreign policy topics and concerns for 2024. These include the Israeli war on Gaza, climate change, the continuing war in Ukraine, migration trends and major elections in 2024. Questions? Contact Sam Romano of the UNA USA Dane County chapter  sromano@charter.net VOLK FIELD Tues Feb 27th 3:45 – 4:45 Monthly Vigil to Ground the Drones - End the Wars. Camp Douglas near Mauston.  More info - Joy First, 608 239-4327, Joyfirst5@gmail.com MILWAUKEE Wed Feb 28, 12 noon – 1 pm ANTI-GUN VIGIL. 2027 S 108th St at Dunham Sports store. Dunham advertises and sells guns and assault rifles. Casa Maria Catholic Worker casamariamke@gmail.com LaCROSSE Thurs Feb 29, 12 noon - 12:30 pm Weekly Women in Black Peace Vigil. Meet at Main St & 4th Street South. A weekly vigil for peace every Thursday. Contact Deborah. dbuffton@yahoo.com APPLETON Sat Mar 2, 11 am – 12 noon Fox Valley Monthly Stand for Peace. Houdini Plaza, West Lawrence Street. Every month - the first Saturday! Bring your signs! Organizer: Ronna Swift ronnajean61@gmail.com MADISON Sat Mar 2, 10 am Poor Peoples Campaign Assembly and March. Meet at the State Capitol. For details, see the SPOTLIGHT above…. MILWAUKEE Sat Mar 2, 12 noon - 1 pm Peace Action WI - Weekly STAND for PEACE: Each Saturday, a different location.  Join us. Bring your signs. info@peaceactionwi.org    https://www.peaceactionwi.org/stand_for_peace VIROQUA Sat Mar 2, 11 am - 12 noon Driftless Palestinian Solidarity Weekly Vigil. Meet at Decker and Main. Action Alert: The Driftless Palestinian Solidarity group has a petition to demand that Senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and end financial aid to Israel's military.  If your group is interested in getting signatures, please email  driftless.solidarity@gmail.com. Thank you for your help! MADISON Sat Mar 2, 11:15 am – 12:30 pm Sara Alvarado: Healing Through Storytelling Workshop. At First Unitarian Society, 900 University Bay Dr. Afte r the 10AM book talk at First Unitarian Society, join author and storyteller, Sara Alvarado, for a reflective workshop on the practice of healing through writing and storytelling. Bring your notebook and pen (or a computer) and learn ways to uncover stories that offer healing and liberation. Your story matters. Payment of $20 can be made by writing a check to FUS and noting the event, paying at the door with cash or check. Sign Up Here:  http://tinyurl.com/writewithsara MILWAUKEE Sat Mar 2, 12 noon – 1 pm Weekly Stand for Peace with Peace Action WI. 76th and Layton.  Each week a different venue. Bring signs. Contact: info@peaceactionwi.org RACINE Sat Mar 2, 12:30 – 1:30 pm Weekly Stand for Peace. 909 Dr Martin Luther King Dr. Supported by the Racine Coalition for Peace and Justice. We have signs, banners and flags available for all. Check out our website, http://racinepeace.wordpress.com    for weather concerns. Free Palestine! ******************************************************* Join WNPJ! www.wnpj.org WNPJ welcomes individual members and groups! 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! https://www.wnpj.org/membership We help our member organizations reach a wider audience by amplifying your peace and justice events and actions on our listserve 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. *************************** Here's an opportunity for WNPJ member groups! WNPJ member groups can sign up for a Saturday opportunity to TABLE at the Dane County Farmers Market – this Spring and summer at the Capitol Square. The Farmers Market in Madison has an opening date of April 13th – 7 am to 1 pm …and runs through Nov. 9th on Saturdays. Sign up for your spot today! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4daaa929a5fac34-wnpj#/ Bring your own table and hand-outs to the King Street corner of the Square, site #10, next to the VFP #25 table! You can't sell anything at the non-profit table, but donations to your group are acceptable. Questions? Contact info@wnpj.org *************************************************** 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 (facebook icon image) See our new Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WisNPJ "Like" us and follow us! Questions? Contact info@wnpj.org

BUILD UPON RECENT YEARS We can now be glad with the changes made in redistricting this year. Much of this improvement started in past years of working intensely for fair maps for all. WNPJ and its members were very active for Fair Maps in 2021-2022 cooperating along with many other organizations. These included events, testimonies and YouTubes involving Justice Peche, Dan Folkman, Dan Russler, Joe Miller, Paddy Brzezinski, Paul DeMain, Sarah Hinkley, WI Progress North, etc. Our emphasis was front line communities. This brought us to study and understand and encourage dozens of maps being submitted to the People's Maps Commission emphasizing fairness for indigenous populations. TODAY'S IMPROVEMENT AND ITS CHALLENGE The 2023-24 year benefited from the new map leadership of  the Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes (M.A.I.N.) and the Lac du Flambeau Tribe. If nothing else, let us follow the fairness presented by their briefs, a court that “strives to preserve and keep intact local governments and political subdivisions such as counties and municipalities surely should pay the same respect to Tribal governments and their American Indian reservations. “ Like the Wright Map, endorsed by Native groups, the Governor's Map kept the reservations whole and united as much as humanly possible. The far North is also much more fair than before. The older Northern districts were typically cut vertically separating tribes. But now there is much more connecting across the North horizontally in or near wild rice country. But to this day, the regular media and the public in general were not yet covering or emphasizing this principle. Our job is to continue to work for this requirement in future maps. Many states have formally required redistricting to preserve reservations as legitimate, long-standing sovereign communities recognized federally that should be kept whole within assembly and senate districts. We can work now so our policies become legal requirements. EXAMPLES OF RECENT WRONGDOING Ten Wisconsin Tribes  through the Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes and Lac du Flambeau Tribe Amicus Brief remind us that,"the map that the Wisconsin Legislature proposed in 2021 and that this Court adopted in 2022 divided and broke apart Wisconsin’s Indian reservations, disrespecting Tribal communities of interest. For example, the Forest County Potawatomi Community was split across two assembly districts; the Lac du Flambeau Reservation was, too. The Oneida Nation was fractured across three assembly districts, as was the St. Croix Chippewa Indians’ reservation. And the reservations of the St. Croix Chippewa and amicus curiae the Lac du Flambeau Tribe were each needlessly sliced by senate-district boundaries, as well." EXAMPLES OF ANCIENT BEGINNINGS Much farther back in the 1820s, the Stockbridge-Munsee, pushed west from New York, asked to obtain some land for their use. The Menominee agreed to a US treaty that shared some of their land which adjoined what is now the Menominee Middle Village in Red Springs township of Shawano County.  All the Stockbridge Munsee are within Red Springs or Bartelme Townships of Shawano County.  So redistricting to also include some more of Shawano County into the same Assembly District honors the significant Community of Interest around these two reservations and their Shawano neighbors. Interestingly,  our work on restoring Stockbridge Munsee and all Menominee reservations was satisfied in 2022.  Still some of the 2023 maps (Legislature and Clarke) kept thiem separated. The possibility of  flipping back and forth is terrible. SPECIAL CELEBRATION FOR THREE TRIBES Joe Miller of the Stockbridge Munsee, Michael Fish, Jr of the Menominee, and George Swamp of the Oneida are pictured here with Governor Evers above. These three recognized how their respective Reservations will, for the first time, be each whole and yet together within one Senate District! They look forward to their voices and values being heard more strongly in the Legislature due to the Governor's Map just adopted. Mary Kay Baum 608/935-5834 821 W Browning, Appleton, WI 54914 marykbaum@gmail.com ************************************************************* From the WI Democracy Campaign: Dear Friend, This week, we made history because of you. After years of our collective hard work and our organization’s leadership within the Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition, we have ended the partisan gerrymander that has disenfranchised Wisconsin voters for years [Pictured: Gov. Evers proudly displays 2023 Wisconsin Act 94 with Fair Maps Coalition partners and WDC Executive Director Nick Ramos jubilantly at his side.] We couldn't have achieved this without your support and dedication to our organization. For the first time in years, Wisconsinites will have the opportunity to have their voices heard at the ballot box through representation that is reflective of the will of the people. We made it clear: Politicians shouldn't pick their voters; it should be the other way around. Even though we have made a HUGE step in the right direction, our work is not finished. Our next step? Wisconsin must adopt a nonpartisan, independent redistricting process so that we can avoid political power grabs. You can support our work going forward: https://www.wisdc.org/get-involved/donate Nick Ramos, Executive Director ramos@wisdc.org