WNPJ has new signs! Contact yardsigns@wnpj.org to learn how to get yours. Suggested $10 donation for our two-sided sign. War is Not the Answer + The Answer Rises Every Morning. THANKS to the WNPJ member group, PC Foundation, for their grant to purchase the signs. To learn more about the history of WNPJ and our many yard sign projects, check out Bonnie Block's review written in 2010, pp.19-22!

Harvest is one of the most joyful times of the year. Yes, it’s taken a bit of work to get here but if the garden was well planned and Nature cooperated even a little there are delicacies to be had. Today’s walk through the squash was very exciting. The biggest Blue Hubbard’s I’ve ever seen and bright red curry are starting to reveal themselves through receding greenery. Our heirloom orchard is having a grand year. From slugs and bees to deer and human, everyone is taking a bite of the sweetness of the season. With each day, as another tree’s apples are ready to be picked, another has all but lost its fruit. That is the sad tale of harvest. The trees are like friends. You get to know the order in which they will ripen, you know the years they will rest and you wait eagerly for their return. One doesn’t need a large garden or an orchard to appreciate harvest. A single tomato plant will do. There is some undeniable kinship we have with the earth and the sustenance that comes from her. And there is an undeniable fulfillment in co-creating with the soil and dancing with the seasons. Gratitude and celebration come easily at this time. Even when the onion crop is a bit on the weak side, there are friends and neighbors whose onions did well and we can share, barter or buy. We were made for this simplicity however challenging. The exuberance is not only in the gathering. If all goes well we’ll delight in the abundance of harvest throughout the winter months and it will ready us for spring. Pickles, kraut, apple butter, cider and jellies galore will dress the table. And this, my friend, is the cycle of thankfulness. Today's "Let Kindness Win" BLOG post by Dena Eakles of Echo Valley Hope - Sept 15 - 2022 Let Kindness Win - is a periodic blog, created by Dena Eakles of Echo Valley Hope https://www.wnpj.org/echo-valley-hope

Racism and economic injustice are brutal in a multitude of ways. Deja Garner, Director of Equity and Outreach at WAVE Educational Fund, knows that deadly gun violence in her Milwaukee community is one such way. Sadly, she has lost more people to gun violence than she can count on her fingers and toes. Despite young Black men statistically being the most disproportionately impacted by gun violence and coming from a community that has experienced traumatic oppression for generations, they are rarely looked to for insight to more deeply understand what’s going on and where we need to go from here. “It’s not intuitive to consider the youth voice’ says Garner. She explains it could be as simple as asking ‘Why do you think gun violence is such a big issue?’ ‘What do you think is needed?’. Children as young as 2nd and 3rd grade can have something to share. And yet, it’s not enough to engage young people. The way we engage and interact with young people matters. Garner explains that young people need the space and opportunity to be themselves, to talk through their experiences in an unfiltered way without adults offering advice or judgment. One of the last things young people need are people in power coming in from the outside believing they have all of the solutions. Garner believes we must genuinely listen to what young people have to say. Jaylin Stueber, Mentoring Connections Match Specialist at Just Dane, also believes the way we engage and interact with young people matters. Much of her work involves training adults in mentorship roles. One such program is called Drive to Succeed, a partnership with an organization called Operation Fresh Start. The Drive to Succeed program offers mentoring and drivers license attainment for young people ages 17 ½ - 21, who have not completed high school, do not currently have a license, and are involved in the legal system. Just Dane’s onboarding for prospective mentors involves an acknowledgement of the pervasiveness of systemic racism. Stueber explains it is important for mentors to be open to continuously learning how systemic racism impacts life all around us. And how critical it is for us all to move forward from a place of cultural humility. During the mentorship training process, Just Dane shares an educational video about cultural humility. The three main tenets are as follows: Lifelong learning and critical self reflection Mitigating the power imbalances Working to make institutions reflect these principles WNPJ thanks Jaylin and Deja for their continued leadership. To learn more about their organizations visit waveedfund.org and justdane.org

It is with sadness we report that WNPJ lost a ‘30 year member’ this last week, with the death of Joann Elder. Joann was there at the beginning of WNPJ in 1991 in Madison – and her story of activism is woven throughout our history over the last thirty years. Click here to hear a short interview of Joann on WNPJ’s 20 th anniversary (interview by Judy Miner) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLGd465gkaw She was a good friend to many and an amazing activist. Here are just some of the things she was involved in: Educator labor organizer - founder of Madison Academic Staff Association anti-war - working to get ROTC off UW campus PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and gays) past member of the Madison School Board And she was an active member in these WNPJ organizations as well: United Nations Association of Dane County WILPF Madison Raging Grannies Madison Friends Meeting We will remember Joann with fondness – and inspiration.

For some people, daydreaming about coalition work can conjure up visions of seamless unity, love and collective belonging. While these conditions are admirable to strive for, it is important to remember many people do not experience coalitions in this way. The communities experiencing the most brutal direct assaults from our currently oppressive, extractive economy are also the same communities with the least access to institutional power. Joining forces in coalition with those who have more privilege and access can be a worthwhile strategic move and also can leave those most marginalized vulnerable to further oppression and exploitation. When referring to Coalition Politics, Dr. Bernice Reagan Johnson (of Sweet Honey in the Rock fame) explains “The only reason you would consider trying to team up with someone who could possibly kill you is because that’s the only way you can figure you can stay alive”. Let that sink in for a moment. The only reason you would consider trying to team up with someone who could possibly kill you is because that’s the only way you can figure you can stay alive. Whew. The stakes are high folks. Lives are on the line. Deep reflection of these power dynamics by those with more access to power and privilege in coalitions is of the utmost importance. Check out this piece summarizing some of Dr. Reagan Johnson’s work around coalitions as well as exercises to deepen your understanding of how to more deeply understand where your political home and coalition work are positioned in your life. WNPJ members can find this resource as well as numerous other resources and tools in our membership portal. Log in is located on the wnpj.org home page. Not a WNPJ member yet? Join today!

WNPJ intern, Erica Werner, interviews longtime WNPJ volunteer and former WNPJ Network Director, Judy Miner. They explore the value of collaboration across generations, potential challenges that can arise and the Just Transition Framework. Judy Miner first got involved with WNPJ while still a nurse at a UW hospital. During this time, the United States was about to invade Iraq, and as someone who was opposed to this, Judy asked around in an effort to get involved and was told to go to the WNPJ office on State St. and volunteer. She did database work as a volunteer, and when the WNPJ office manager suddenly quit, Bonnie Block (then director) hired her part time. During Judy’s time with WNPJ she has taken on the role of office manager, director, network coordinator (2001-2016), and volunteer! At the height of the Iraq war WNPJ had about 170 member groups, 30 different towns across WI protesting weekly against the war, and was working on a statewide referendum to see if people in Wisconsin supported the war, and the results showed that the citizens of Wisconsin did not support the war in Iraq. There was international coverage as a result of the referendum because Wisconsin was the first place in the country that broke with Bush and said that they didn’t want this war and to bring our troops home. After a while, things changed and the focus shifted towards corporate accountability, the anti nuke campaign, and Judy decided it was time for her to take a step back from WNPJ and spend more time with her grandkids. Judy got involved with WNPJ again in 2020 after being asked to help with the website and email. Q: What do you believe are the biggest gifts elders have to offer our collective peace and justice efforts? What about young people? A: Looking at other societies as well as ours, you can see that elders are respected due to their wisdom and perspective, as they have seen better and worse times than the current. However, this big picture also needs a sense of urgency which is what young people provide with their energy and new ideas for change to spur on the movements. Q: Why do you think there are these age gaps in activism and have they always existed? A: Age gaps form due to human nature. Generations organize around events of their times and when the event is over or the problem has been resolved, it can be difficult for organizations to continue working on new issues. There is a disconnect between younger activists and older groups both culturally and practically, as there are obvious cultural differences in each generation, but there is also a different way that people get involved in social movements. With the rise of the internet and COVID-19 disconnecting people, activism now can occur online and globally, making the more traditional meetings of the past not appealing to some younger individuals due to the change in news and media to soundbites of information in comparison to traditional newspapers or radio, adding to the disconnect between generations. Q: How can we bridge these generational gaps and what would the benefits of this be? A: Connecting younger and older groups is very important to building collective power, as younger groups have lots of energy and drive but need connections and funding which older, more established groups can provide. Having an incentive to connect and not compete helps further the goals of all groups as it bridges gaps and brings people together to share tactics and discuss methods for success. Q: What were some of your favorite times at WNPJ? A: Diversity training with Barb Munson of the Oneida Nation, as it enabled her to recognize how much work still needs to be done by the board in the journey to become anti-racist, learning the most important aspects of growth as an individual in order to help the movement for peace to also become more inclusive and intersectional. Q: What do you think about the Just Transition Framework? A: It is a wonderful way to show how we want to move forward as a network and is important to center as a model for how groups similar to WNPJ have used the grounding principles of the framework. It will help WNPJ understand its role as a network for our member organizations so we can work together to create long lasting change.