10 things we can do for Peace

Here is a helpful list of things we can do for Peace in this warring world of ours, from the editor of Fellowship magazine of the FOR in Nyack NY: I have been a member of FOR for nearly 70 years, and had a mother-in-law who was one of the founding members back in 1919. Peace seems to tak a while to bring about.
Message fromThe Fellowship of Reconciliation
A "Top Ten" List of How You Can Support Peacemaking in the Coming Month

On September 11, 1906, Mohandas K. Gandhi launched the modern nonviolence movement. On that day, one century ago, a gathering of 3,000 Indians in Johannesburg, South Africa, was challenged by Gandhi's call for Satyagraha, or "the force that is born of truth and love." His message of "non-cooperation" with an oppressive law, the Asiatic Law Amendment Ordinance, has inspired countless civil disobedience actions for justice and peace in our time.

Today, we are called to once again follow in that tradition of Satyagraha -- in response to immoral and illegal wars and conflicts across the world. Inspired by Gandhi's legacy, FOR offers the following suggested actions for peacemaking in the coming weeks.
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1. Sign the Declaration of Peace. Join tens of thousands across the U.S. who are committing to taking part in nonviolent action, marches, rallies, demonstrations, interfaith services, candlelight vigils, and other creative ways to declare peace from September 21-28.

2. Support the call for an immediate cease-fire in Lebanon and Israel. United for Peace and Justice has a peace delegation in Lebanon right now working to support this effort. Tikkun has organized an ad which has been published in the NY Times and LA Times, and which they now hope to publish in Israeli and Palestinian papers.

3. Oppose the profiling and targeting of Muslims, South Asians, and Arabs. The ACLU and the Council on American-Islamic Relations are helpful resources.

4. Support Voices for Creative Nonviolence as our sister Kathy Kelly travels unarmed with members of a new coalition in Lebanon, the Campaign for Resistance, by foot to southern Lebanon. This effort of Lebanese and internationals will seek to bring medical supplies, food, and relief to suffering and starving people.

5. Support the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. Sign its "Torture Is a Moral Issue" petition and help to organization anti-torture efforts in your community.

6. Continue the call for accountability and relief for the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, as the one-year anniversary approaches. The Gulf region is still a disaster area, and the federal government must safeguard the human rights of those whose lives have been devastated. Good resources are the People's Hurricane Relief Fund and Common Ground.

7. Help identify candidates for the job search for the national coordinator of Clergy and Laity Concerned about Iraq (CALC-I).

8. Support and attend the September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows international conference. An extraordinary gathering of international victims of war and violence will gather in New York City at the time of the fifth anniversary of the attacks in the U.S.

9. Honor the 100th anniversary of Gandhi's call for Satyagraha by joining the "Work a Day for Peace" initiative organized by the Nonviolent Peaceforce or supporting the "100 Years of Non-Violence" campaign launched by the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence and the New Yorkers for a Department of Peace.

10. And finally, please attend or support FOR's second annual Festival of Peace! Come to Nyack on September 17th, donate items for our silent raffle, or simply hold your own local gathering in honor of the U.N. International Day of Peace (September 21).

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