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Dear Friends,
Please join FOR in working for a world free from war and nuclear weapons.
If you have not already done so, please sign our petition to President Obama, adding your name to a list of millions that will be delivered to the president at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in May at the United Nations. You can follow up your letter to the president by contacting your senators and asking them to take immediate action on the treaty.
FOR is also a part of interfaith peace walks in support of a nuclear-free future. Peace walks will be passing through the following communities in the United States:
- Western New York to NYC, including the Seneca Nation, Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester, Ithaca, Albany, Nyack, NY; and Englewood, NJ.
- Appalachians to NYC, including Oak Ridge, TN; Piketon, OH; and Harrisburg, PA.
- New England to NYC, including Burlington, VT; Boston, MA; Bretton Woods, NH; Brunswick, ME; Portland, ME; Hartford, CT; New Haven, CT; and White Plains, NY.
- Learn more and download maps of the peace walks.
Join FOR to end the wars this Saturday, March 20
A coalition of organizations have organized a major march to call for an end to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq this Saturday. FOR will participate in the Washington, DC march. Marches are also occurring in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle (on Sunday) and Chicago (today).
In Washington, the FOR delegation will meet at the corner of 16th and H Streets NW at 11:30 AM. Tens of thousands are expected for a rally outside the White House. We will then march to various sites connected with the war effort. The Fellowship of Reconciliation USA will be there and invites you to march with us. You may bring signs or use signs provided by the organizers.
Public transportation: Take the DC Metro (subway) to the McPherson Square Station on the blue or orange lines. From McPherson Square (17th and Eye Streets NW), walk one block to 16th Street and one block to H Street to the FOR gathering area. The rally begins at noon and the march is estimated to conclude at 3:30 PM.
Learn more about the Washington march or events in other cities.
Iraq Memorial to Life in Washington, DC
The Iraq Memorial to Life is a project of the Fellowship of the Reconciliation and will be erected on March 19 on the National Mall in Washington. A vigil and candlelight procession is planned for 7:30 PM that evening, with a special remembrance to be held at 10:30 PM. The memorial will be available to visitors on March 20, beginning with the Lighting of the Chalice at 10:30 AM and open until the concluding ceremony at 7:00 PM.
Learn more about the Iraq Memorial to Life.
Public hearings on conscience in war in New York City
Sunday, March 21, 4:00 to 8:00 PM, featuring veterans and "just war" experts
You are invited to join to this important fact-finding hearing. Mark Johnson, executive director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation USA, and FOR national council member Rev. Sam Smith of Chicago will serve as commissioners at this historic commission.
The first truth commission on conscience in war will be held at the same location where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his historic "Beyond Vietnam" speech. Commissioners will receive testimony from recent veterans, religious leaders and legal experts about issues of conscience facing service members serving in war.
Joshua Casteel, who served as an Army interrogator at Abu Ghraib, will be among those who testify. Casteel grew up an Evangelical Christian and attended West Point. He was featured in the Emmy-nominated documentary Soldiers of Conscience. Casteel will be joined by Rev. Herman Keizer, Jr., the commission's honorary host. Keizer is a retired Army Chaplain and former chair of the National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces.
Learn more about this free public hearing on March 21.
Testifiers and expert witnesses include: Jacob C. Diliberto, Marine Special Forces veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq, Founder of Rethink Afghanistan, Fuller Theological Seminary; Logan Laituri, Army veteran with service in OIF II, Co-founder of Centurion's Guild; Camilo Mejia, Army veteran and conscientious objector, author of Road from Ar Ramadi; Chris Hedges, Pulitzer Prize-winning former war correspondent for The New York Times and author of War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning; Dr. Camillo "Mac" Bica, Professor of Philosophy, School of Visual Arts, former Marine Corps Officer and Vietnam Veteran; Rev. Dr. Pamela Lightsey, Associate Vice President, Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary, Army veteran; J. E. McNeil, Executive Director, Center on Conscience & War.
Why is this commission important? Current requirements for conscientious objector status require opposition to "war in any form." This requirement denies freedom of conscience to any service member who believes that some wars may be morally justified while others are not. Service members who oppose a particular war, such as those in Iraq or Afghanistan, have no legal basis for refusing to deploy. Instead, they face sanctions, and even court martial and prison for following their conscience.
International Conference on Nuclear Weapons
Registration now open for April 30 to May 2 events in New York City
Registration has opened for this international conference, which will focus on eliminating nuclear weapons and addressing related nuclear issues. The conference will be held in New York City on April 30 and May 1 to coincide with the official report to the United Nations monitoring the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Learn more and register for the conference today.
The conference at Riverside Church features speakers from around the world and opportunities for workshops in four areas: nuclear weapons abolition, peace, environmental sustainability, and economic justice.
The registration fee is $30 per person (students with ID, $20). Early registration is encouraged. Space is limited, so register soon!
The Fellowship of Reconciliation USA is coordinating accommodations for out of town attendees, on a first-come first serve basis. New York area FORers and friends are offering accommodations (including sofas) while many houses of worship and faith based communities are offering social halls for those with sleeping bags and bedrolls. For more information, contact preston@forpeace.net.
In addition to the conference at Riverside Church on April 30 and May 1, related activities are planned in New York City, including an Interfaith Convocation on Sunday, May 2, followed by a rally and march to the United Nations.
Make plans now to attend these important events:
- Friday evening, April 30: International Conference begins (Riverside Church)
- Saturday, all day, May 1: International Conference with workshops (Riverside Church)
- Sunday morning, May 2: Interfaith Convocation
- Sunday, 2:00 PM, May 2: Rally near Times Square followed by March to the UN
- Register for the conference and events now.
We hope you will join us in some of these actions to help create a more peaceful, nuclear-free world!