This weekend, UFPJ was pleased to participate in the Left Forum at John Jay Community College in NYC. It was great to see many of you there.
According to their own website:
Left Forum convenes the largest annual conference of a broad spectrum of left and progressive intellectuals, activists, academics, organizations and the interested public. Conference participants come together to engage a wide range of critical perspectives on the world, to discuss differences, commonalities, and alternatives to current predicaments, and to share ideas for understanding and transforming the world. The conference is held each year in New York City.
This year, United for Peace and Justice shared a table with U.S. Labor Against the War, and were posted up next to the colorful quarterly Jacobin, throughout the convention. We had a chance to reconnect with some of our old friends, allies, members, and supporters, and to meet some movement newcomers. In addition to the posters and bumperstickers we distributed, some of the most popular literature picked up from our table, were:
- Deepening Anti-racism Work in the Peace Movement
- UFPJ Statement: Moving Away From War in Ukraine
- Tell Your Senators, On Iran: “Yes to Peace!”, and,
- We, the People, Silent No More
This year, there were discussions, workshops, and plenaries centered around the major issues of today, including militarism, corporate greed, foreign politics including threats to peace and emerging movements in Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Black Lives Matter was also a central current throughout the weekend-long conference.
We got to see some UFPJ Alumni, like Rev. Osagyefo Sekou, Medea Benjamin from Code Pink, some old volunteers, and current UFPJ Coordinating Committee members, like Mary Hladky of Military Families Speak Out, which hosted a tremendously powerful session at the Left Forum. MFSO’
s event’s panelists included outspoken Veteran Matthew Hoh and family members of Veterans who’d lost their lives after returning home, due to the mental and physical trauma they sustained while in combat. We also heard from former CIA analyst and Presidential advisor turned anti-war activist, Ray McGovern. The panel entitled Betrayed By Our Government was hosted by none other than Phil Donahue, who was removed from his television show on MSNBC for opposing the War in Iraq in the months leading up to the illegal and immoral U.S. invasion and occupation.
Here’s a list of other workshops that took place at the Forum. You can also watch a streaming video of the closing plenary of the 2015 Left Forum here.
Please contact us on our website or though social media, if you would like to table for UFPJ in your community or if you would like to volunteer with us at any time. We can certainly use the support.
