Jun 032010
Strategies to Expand our Movement for Peace and Justice
Below are strategies that groups organizing for peace and justice are using. As we work here in
- Which strategies are most relevant to your community? Why? How?
- How is this strategy relevant to the current economic crisis?
- How is this strategy relevant to U.S. foreign policies?
- How does this strategy link the wars at home and abroad?
- How does this strategy broaden the traditional peace movement?
- What skills and support would you need to take this strategy on?
Strategies for Peace and Justice Organizing
- Language and messages that emphasizes the cost of war, opposition to war funding and the military budget versus human needs and job creation, actions on trillion $ mark
- Counter Recruitment – working with youth targeted by military recruiters, opt-out
- Accountability actions directed towards the Obama administration
- Organizing with returning veterans to support their needs and services
- Building multi-racial/multi-ethnic leadership and coalitions that reflect our community
- Cross race conversations with youth about economic opportunities and alternatives to the military
- Music and Arts events – focusing on outreach to youth, for example, public visual displays of Postcards to Obama calling for an end to the wars
- Focusing on corporations that militarize the border and profit from wars abroad – making links between war/peace and immigration/migration
- Listening sessions with veterans about their perspective on the current wars
- Police Accountability – stop violence by the police on our communities, particularly targeting people of color
- Anti-nuclear weapons organizing
- War Tax Resistance – not paying taxes to support war
- Diversifying history panels and education events – sharing other perspectives on the history of wars, for example, the 1st Gulf War
- Film nights or speakers with discussions
- Grassroots Lobbying and Lobby Days – asking, demanding, putting pressure on our elected officials, call in days, sign on letters
- Opposition to military contracts with schools, for example, Starbase Program in Portland Public Schools brings 5th graders to military bases
- Peace organizing in 2010 versus the 60s and 70s – for example, taking advantage of new social networking media, Facebook, YouTube
- Being a peace community now/peacemaking (versus organizing for peace externally) and integrating justice work into our peace organizing
- Engaging with community civic life, for example through joining community boards, partnering with faith community and spiritual fellowships, walking in parades
- Department of Peace organizing
- Making connections between war and climate change
- Civil disobedience and resistance
- Learning from community struggles and resistance in the global South
- Opposing military presence around the globe in the name of the War on Drugs
- Local City or County Resolutions and Signature Ads in local papers calling for the troops to be brought home, supporting Dept. of Peace, or other action
For more information, contact Rural Organizing Project, www.rop.org, 503-543-8417.