With cities and the citizens who live in them being their targets, and catastrophic consequences on a global scale to be inflicted by their use, nuclear weapons are the greatest threat to the safety and security of citizens' lives. We will urge global leaders to effect peace-oriented policy change by calling on the UN and national governments, especially the nuclear-armed states and their allies, to take concrete action for the total elimination of nuclear weapons.
Mayors for Peace, July 2021
Poor People's Campaign Announces a Season of Nonviolent Moral Direct Action
The Time is Now!
The Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, with dozens of partners, including United for Peace & Justice, 42 State Coordinating Committees, and thousands of faith leaders, are joining together for a Season of Nonviolent Moral Direct Action, July 12 - August 8. Demand that by Aug. 6, 2021, the anniversary of the signing of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the U.S. Senate: End the filibuster; Pass all provisions of the For the People Act; Fully restore the 1965 Voting Rights Act; and Raise the federal minimum wage to $15/hr. Sign the Open Letter to the U.S. Senator and White House and demand they take these steps immediately to save our democracy from massive attacks on voting rights and economic justice across the country. Get involved!
Hiroshima and Nagasaki Never Again!
This has been a year (and a half) like no other! Nuclear weapons were worse than worthless in preventing the COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to devastate countries and populations. What we need instead is unprecedented worldwide cooperation to eradicate the virus and prepare for future pandemics. Yet, according to a recent report by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, in 2020, the nine nuclear-armed states spent $72.6 billion on nuclear weapons, with the U.S. leading the pack at $37.4 billion, or $70,881 per minute! On August 6th and 9th, the 76th anniversaries of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, groups across the country and around the world will remember the victims and demand the abolition of nuclear weapons. Take action!
Seeking Peace in Afghanistan: September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows' Webinar Explores Prospects for Afghan Civil Society
Afghan civil society activists have richly informed the work of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows over many years. Four of these activists--Dr. Zaher Wahab, Tahmina Hashimi, Lailuma Sharifi Yama, and Nematullah Ahangosh--joined Kelly Campbell, a founder of Peaceful Tomorrows and Kathy Kelly, long-time peace activist who has been working with the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers in Kabul since 2010 to discuss prospects for peace. The panelists analyzed the successes and shortcomings of expanding opportunities for civil society engagement since 2002, the forces that threaten to reverse recent improvements, and some radically creative ideas for building peace in a land that has suffered endless war. Read more and view the webinar HERE.
The U.S.-China Competition and Its Impacts Abroad and at Home
The foreign policies of states don't necessarily represent the interests of all their people. The people of the Asia-Pacific region find themselves caught between the agendas of those who rule in two great powers as China-U.S. tensions increase. In June, the Asia Pacific Working Group hosted a webinar, "The U.S.-China Competition and Its Impacts on the People Caught in the Middle." A recording of the webinar is available here. Here in the United States, distorted rhetoric about China's role in everything from the pandemic to U.S. economic ills drive anti-Asian sentiment. Justice is Global has published a new report, "How China Threat Narratives Feed Anti-Asian Racism and How to Fight Back."
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A Red Road to D.C.
In July, the Native Organizers Alliance will accompany the delivery of a totem pole from Lummi carvers and spiritual leaders to the new Administration, along with events in Washington, D.C. This will be the summit of a cross-country tour connecting twenty of the country's Native-led struggles where sacred lands, waters, and wildlife are imperiled by dams, climate change, and extractive industries. On July 14, Judith LeBlanc, Director of the Native Organizers Alliance wrote: "Today, we started our journey leaving the Lummi Nation.... We are coming together with the commitment to our obligations in honor of all of our ancestors and for all future generations.... Join us on this journey by signing and sharing our petition to take urgent and immediate action." Read more and sign up for updates.
Countering the "China Threat"--At What Price?
Koohan Paik-Mander writes about the "China Threat" in her latest piece discussing the political establishment's most recent justification for increasing military spending. In her article, Paik-Mander argues that targeting China with a "new paradigm for mass destruction will not bring about global security." Even if it were to somehow not culminate in a nuclear conflict, the ecological and climate costs of commanding war from outer space would be devastating." She further explores how the "China Threat" trades in on racist stereotypes to inflate the threat of China, arguing that "Hashing out differences at the same conference table would be a lot less expensive and have the added benefit of not risking all life on Earth." Read the full article here.
Mayors for Peace: Peacebuilding by Cities for Disarmament and Common Security
At its 12th Executive Conference, held virtually July 7, 2021, Mayors for Peace adopted a new Vision and Action Plan, titled "Vision for Peaceful Transformation to a Sustainable World: Peacebuilding by Cities for Disarmament and Common Security." The new plan adds a third pillar, "promote a culture of peace," to "realization of a world without nuclear weapons" and "realization of safe and resilient cities," as mutually reinforcing means to achieve lasting world peace. Mayors for Peace was founded in 1982 and is led by the Mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As of July 1, 2021, Mayors for Peace has grown to 8,037 cities in 165 countries and regions, with 218 U.S. members. Mayors for Peace seeks to reach 10,000 member cities as soon as possible. Is your Mayor a member?Learn more.
Victory: By 10-1 Vote Burlington Vermont City Council Passes a Resolution to Divest From Weapons Manufacturers!
The Burlington, Vermont City Council passed a resolution on July 12, 2021 that would keep the city from investing in weapons manufacturers and requests that the Burlington Employees' Retirement System divest from any weapons manufacturing companies if any assets are currently invested.The resolution, introduced by City Council member Jane Stromberg, came after months of work by a coalition of activists in Vermont which included members of CODEPINK, WILPF, Veterans for Peace, and World Beyond War. This is just the beginning of the coalition's work in Vermont. Find more information and Read more here.
How Do We Move from a Dysfunctional World to a World Without Nuclear Weapons?
The 26th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Abolition 2000 Global Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons took place, virtually, on June 19, 2021. Two sessions were held to accommodate participants fromthe Asia/Pacific region, the Americas, Europe, and Africa. The AGM included updates and reports from working groups and affiliated networks, including United for Peace & Justice, a strategy discussion, discussion of proposals, and Abolition 2000 administrative and governance matters. Short presentations by eight leading figures from different fields, addressing the question: "How do we move from a dysfunctional world to a world free of nuclear weapons?" were pre-recorded. One of the presenters was Rev. Liz Theoharis, Co-Chair of the Poor People's Campaign. Read more.
For Nuclear Disarmament, the Long Run Is Here, and It's Time for an Accounting
On July 8, 1996, the International Court of Justice published an Advisory Opinion on the Legality of the Threat and Use of Nuclear Weapons. The Court found unanimously that states are obligated "to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control." Twenty-five years later, the time has come for an accounting. Two members of the UFPJ coordinating committee have written op-eds looking at the new round of confrontations and arms racing among nuclear-armed countries in light of the 1996 ICJ opinion: "Nuclear Weapons Have Always Been Illegal; It's Long Past Time to Abolish Them," by Jacqueline Cabasso, and "For Nuclear Disarmament, the Long Run Is Here," by Andrew Lichterman.
President Biden: Listen to the World & End the Cuba Embargo!
On June 23, during the UN vote on the U.S. blockade of Cuba, President Biden could have followed the lead of President Obama by abstaining and using the opportunity to announce the measures his administration would take towards the normalization of bilateral relations with Cuba. Unfortunately, Biden chose to position the U.S., along with Israel, as the only countries in the world to support the crippling U.S. embargo. The vote was 184 to 2. When it comes to Cuba, Biden is following the belligerent path of Donald Trump, not the path-breaking diplomacy of Barack Obama. Join CODEPINK in telling President Biden to listen to the world community and lift the blockade. Sign the petition here!
California Poor Peoples Campaign Stands in Solidarity with the People of Palestine
The bloodshed in Israel-Palestine has subsided, for now, but the humanitarian crisis continues. The California Poor Peoples Campaign (PPC) has issued a statement calling out the Israeli government and its Christian and American enablers: "Christian Zionism can be seen as a continuation of the same white supremacist views embodied in the Manifest Destiny genocide against Native Americans and the enslavement of Africans." Providing figures that expose America's obscenely distorted priorities, the statement closes with a reminder that the PPC will always be a fusion movement: "We stand together with our Jewish siblings who have been great advocates for justice and equality throughout much of the history of this country, as well as essential and highly valued members among our own ranks."
'The White Republic': Concluding Thoughts
Bob Wing, UFPJ's former National Co-chair's article, "The White Republic and the Struggle for Racial Justice," generated many comments from activists. Two months after his original article, Bob offers some concluding thoughts. Arguing that "fascism" and "fascists" are overly broad terms, Bob writes, "The specific form of authoritarianism and far-right populism in the U.S. is not fascism but racist authoritarianism. And the specific name of the U.S. version of fascists is white supremacists/nationalists." He enumerates the "racist political institutions: the Electoral College, the Senate, gerrymandering, and various forms of voter suppression," which are embedded in U.S. federalism, and make it "likely that a powerful white nationalist movement will survive Trump."Read Bob's concluding thoughts here.
Setting the Stage for Wars During a Global Pandemic
M.V. Ramana, Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security at the University of British Columbia, has written an op-ed observing that even a global pandemic has been unable to slow the momentum of resurgent nuclear arms racing and endless preparation for war. He notes that the world's governments spent almost two trillion dollars on armaments in 2020, while the WHO estimates that those governments spent only $560 billion to stem a pandemic that has taken the lives of millions of people. "This disparity in spending demonstrates the skewed priorities of the ruling elites in countries around the world," Ramana writes. And the only solution he sees is social movements, movements more multi-issue than the Cold War peace movements.Read the article here.
The Power of the Pen: More Than 100 Groups Demand Biden End Unlawful Drone Strikes
On June 30, 2021, United for Peace & Justice was among 113 organizations from the United States and around the world that sent a letter to President Biden calling for an end to the U.S. program of lethal strikes outside recognized battlefields, including through the use of drones. The groups' focus varies from: human rights; civil rights and civil liberties; racial, social, and environmental justice; humanitarian approaches to foreign policy; faith-based initiatives; peacebuilding; government accountability; veterans' issues; and the protection of civilians. The letter has since been covered by multiple outlets includingThe Hill, Common Dreams, Voice of America, Middle East Eye, TRT World, The Daily Caller, and Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights.
UFPJ is a diverse network of peace and justice organizations. If your organization is interested in joining UFPJ, please read our Unity Statement, and if it is consistent with your principles click here to join.
