Document Type
Article
Abstract
Citizens for Peace
Activities & Accomplishments
2015
Monthly Membership Meetings: Second Tuesday of each month: 7-9 pm at Unity of Livonia (Five Mile Rd. east of Middlebelt)
Jan. 13: Gary Weinstein on Forgiveness
Feb. 10: Conversations on Compassion
March 10: Women and Peace with Kim Bergier and Laura Dewey
April 14: Guns in America with Linda Brundage
May 12: World Beyond War with David Swanson’s keynote talk from the Pax Christi Conference
June 9: Kickoff of the Summer of Youth with Kevin ‘Mr. Peace’ Szawala & Students, and Betty Appleby sharing her Peace Quilt story
July 14: Restorative Practices in Michigan Schools with Bill Sower
Aug 11: Ending Juvenile Incarceration in Prison/ Ann Abdoo/ Taureen Thomas
Sept. 8: ISIS: A Century in the Making with Dr. Saeed Khan
Oct. 13: Previews of “Gandhi’s Gift” with producer Cynthia Lukas
Nov. 10: Candle Lighters: People Who Illuminate the World presentation with Robert Weir
Dec. 8: Annual Veggie Potluck / Raffle drawing for Education Fund/ Anne Jantz Book Signing
Education Committee Meetings: Members attend in-person meetings and then communicate via email to plan and implement such programs as the Nuclear Waste Campaign, the Education Fund Raffle and the Season for Nonviolence Random Acts of Kindness Campaign. They also continue to work on the Nonviolence and Peacebuilding Bibliography and contact libraries about possible donations.
Citizen Action Committee Meetings: Members meet on the first Tuesday every other month and discuss their progress with various actions and share ideas and strategies to implement and further their goals. Members are working on the issues of human trafficking, moving money from the Pentagon budget to peaceful purposes and passage of the Youth PROMISE Act.
Peace Alliance Action Team Meetings: Members of Citizens for Peace and others are invited to participate in monthly conference calls from The Peace Alliance. There is a speaker, discussion and then explanation of the action for the month to increase support for the Youth PROMISE Act and other legislation that supports peacebuilding.
Speaking Engagements
August 6: Colleen Mills was on the panel at the Wave Goodbye to Nukes Program
April 28: Presentation on the key elements of the Youth PROMISE Act by Ann Abdoo to
the Youth Partnership Coalition in southwest Detroit.
Supporting Other Organizations – attending these events
Feb. 18: League of Women Voters Community Conversation
Mar.22: MCHR’s Anniversary Dinner
April 11: Pax Christi Conference – Peace as Policy
April 17: Peace Action’s Charlie King Concert
April 25: Tour of the Fetzer Institute, Kalamazoo
May 1: MI Roundtable for Diversity Program on Juvenile Justice
May 18: The Huntington Woods Peace, Citizenship and Education Project Program on Changing Attitudes Towards Israel at the Birmingham Temple
May 23: Nonviolence Workshop offered by the Newago County Women in Black
June 7: WILPF Program Reporting on the 100th Anniversary Convention at The Hague
June 14: MI Stop the Nuclear Bombs Campaign Fundraiser
June 27: Peace Action Move the Money Workshop
Aug 6: Peace Action Wave Goodbye to Nukes Program
Sept. 11 & 12: Cities of Peace Sustainability Summit in Celebration of the United Nations International Day of Peace at Marygrove College, Detroit
Sept. 20: Kevin Szawala’s Students Empowering Students 10th Annual P.E.A.C.E. DAY (Promoting Ethnic And Cultural Equality Day) in Ann Arbor
Sept. 27: WILPF 100th Anniversary Celebration
Sept. 29: Churchill High School Rededication of their Peace Pole Ceremony
Oct. 5: Alliance to Halt Fermi 3 Presentation of The Future of Energy film
Oct. 17: League of Women Voters Auction
Oct. 21: League of Women Voters Program on Redistricting
Oct. 23-25: The Great Lakes Bioneers Conference at Marygrove College
Oct. 26: Meta Peace Team’s Active Nonviolence – Growing from the Grassroots to the Global program with Medea Benjamin
Nov. 7: Peace Action’s Annual Peacemaker’s Award Dinner
Nov. 19: League of Women Voters Program on Money in Politics
Dec. 9: Michigan Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence Unite, Reflect, React Vigil on the Lansing Capitol Steps
Dec. 12: Gray Panthers Soap Box Gathering
Dec. 13: League of Women Voters Holiday Gathering
Special Events
March 16: Workshop with Dan Kahn of the National Peace Alliance
Oct. 12: Cynthia Lukas, Producer of Gandhi’s Gift Film, Presentation for the Center for Peace & Conflict
Studies Program at Wayne State University
Oct. 13: Cynthia Lukas, Producer of Gandhi’s Gift Film, Presentation for the Marygrove College students in the Masters in Social Justice Program
Working with other Organizations
Feb. 18: Partnered with the League of Women Voters of Northwest Wayne County for the Community Conversations hosted by the Center for Michigan. The survey gathered information on a variety of key issues important to the citizens of Michigan.
April 17: Charlie King Fundraiser Concert with Peace Action of MI
Program to honor the 2014 Season for Nonviolence:
Feb. 7: Season for Nonviolence Discussion of the book The Day the World Came to Town – 9/11 in Gander Newfoundland
Jan. 30 – April 4th: Random Acts of Kindness Campaign
Nonviolence and Peacebuilding Bibliography
Since 2007, the Education Committee has been working on a Nonviolence and Peacebuilding Bibliography for children and adults. It now lists over 800 titles. Since June of 2007, there have been 3,201 downloads of the Nonviolence and Peacebuilding Bibliography. This bibliography is shared with public libraries, so they can select titles, and the Citizens for Peace then donates the materials. So far Livonia Civic Center Library, Redford, Westland, Farmington Hills, and Commerce Township public libraries have added books to their collections about peace and nonviolence. Through MelCat, (MI e-Library), these books are available to all Michigan citizens.
Tabling
This activity involves setting up a table at an event and passing out information and talking with people about the mission and activities of Citizens for Peace.
Jan. 11: Martin Luther King Program at Hope United Methodist Church
Mar. 11: Pax Christi Conference
Mar. 13: Citizens for Peace materials at the Buck Dinner
April 17: Charlie King Concert
Sept. 11: Cecilia St. King Concert
Nov. 14: Holiday Mart at Swords into Plowshares Peace Gallery
Dec. 6: Care & Share Fair at the Community Unitarian Universalist Church in Brighton
Fund Raising Events
April 17: Charlie King Concert
Sept. 11: Cecilia St. King Concert
Dec. 8: Education Fund Raffle
Contact with Political Leaders:
Aug. 25: Meeting with Chris Matus, Senator Peters’ Regional Representative at Detroit office
Throughout the year, we have called, emailed and sent postcards to numerous political leaders
on a variety of important issues relating to peace and nonviolence.
Nuclear Waste Campaign
There is an ongoing letter writing campaign, to stop the licensing of nuclear power plants until there is safe storage for the radioactive waste from 100 plus nuclear power plants in the U.S. In addition, members are actively writing their legislators to prevent the State of Michigan from being a site of disposal for low and medium levels of radioactive waste. More information can be found on the Citizens for Peace blog “Nuclear Age R We Safe?”
Media Coverage
Livonia Observer Newspaper
Notices and press releases of all meetings and special events
Detroit Free Press Play Section
Notice of the Cosmic Comedy Show
Online Outreach
Monthly newsletters sent using Constant Contact
Website: www.citizens4peace.com
Facebook: CitizensforPeaceLivonia
Publications
The Political Action Guide for Peace (2015-2017); published by Citizens for Peace.
The Get Involved Guide; a Guide to Peace and Political Action by Dana Marks; published by Citizens for Peace.
Disciplines
Peace and Conflict Studies