In 1959, a group of activists led by Quaker Larry Scott began a vigil at Fort Detrick in Maryland to protest the development and testing of biological and chemical weapons there.  In 1961 the group moved into D.C. with a mission to expand their work, to include peace education through film showings, discussions and the publication of a local newspaper.  With the acquisition of office space at the Friends Meeting of Washington, in 1963 the group formally organized as the nonprofit Washington Peace Center. 

Despite its small size and budget, the Washington Peace Center has played a significant role in the development of peace and justice initiatives in the D.C. metropolitan area. The Peace Center was active in the anti-nuclear movements of the 1970s and was a key player in the Central America and Middle East solidarity movements of the 1980s.  In the 1990s, the Peace Center played a critical role in organizing regional opposition to U.S. militarism in Iraq.  Further, the organization’s leadership was working to build the Peace Center's domestic agenda by addressing important race and class issues within the organization and across the metropolitan area.

The local/global nexus continues to shape the Peace Center’s work.  Early work with the Anti-Racism/Anti-Oppression Education Network, the D.C. Statehood Party and the D.C. Citizen Action Network (D.C. CAN) revealed a path toward addressing the concerns of residents and organizers in D.C.  Recent work with the Anti-Sanctions and Fair Trade movements also reveal a path toward addressing the concerns of a global economy.  In all, the Center’s primary goal has been  to strategically link local organizing for economic and social justice to national and international struggles toward establishing structures and relationships that are nonviolent, non-hierarchical, humane and just.

A Principled & Visionary Program

For over 35 years, the Washington Peace Center has worked to engender a more peace-filled world.  We actively train our constituency against all forms of oppression and the violence inherent in thesewhether based on race, class, gender or sexual orientation.  We reveal through our work that all people, including those with whom we disagree, are entitled to respect and their basic human rights. We maintain our strong opposition to acts of violencewhether domestic or foreign, in the home or on the battlefield.  And, most of all, we continue to affirm our belief in the power of people, united, to foster change in their neighborhoods, their countries and around the world.

More specifically, the Peace Center :

• works to dismantle the structures and beliefs that perpetuate racism and all other types of oppression;
• creates and fosters an awareness of and interest in the challenges of building a just and peaceful world;
• produces educational materials and programs that help individuals develop the leadership skills needed to work for peace and social justice;
• provides leadership, information and assistance, for organizing and executing public demonstrations, mobilizations and direct actions which challenge oppressive structures and promote positive change; and
• encourages and supports diverse groups working to empower oppressed individuals and communities.

We believe that, with continued support, the Peace Center can reach its goal of becoming a larger, stronger and more representative organization in the coming year, more so than at any other time in its history.  In fact, volunteers and staff have already set that vision in motion.  

In 1999, we reorganized the Peace Center’s working groups to more effectively develop the Peace Center’s program areas and provide a solid structure within which more activists can participate.  We expanded our community outreach by tabling at community festivals through the spring and summer months, introducing ourselves to members of area communities who have never met us, and reconnecting with some who have lost touch with us over the years.  The Peace Center also directly invited our long-time supporters to weigh-in with their reflections on the Peace Center's work, and invited them to join one or more of the working groups.

The results are already encouraging. 

The Economics for the People! working group successfully held a semester long educational series in the Spring.  Resist and the A.J. Muste Memorial Institute provided additional support to the project, which illustrated the links between global, national and local economic decisions and the impact they have on our daily lives.  Class participants enjoyed films and speakers, and were given supplimental materials.  In addition, the working group-- as part of the Domestic Links Caucus of the 50 Years is Enough: U.S. Network for Global Economic Justice-- participated in the Network's annual conference in D.C. last September.  The working group plans to hold monthly forums on economic issues in the coming year, while it plans its next workshop series.

The Coalition and Organizing Support Network continues to provide resources, fiscal sponsorship and technical assistance to community action groups.  Sound equipment and bullhorns were provided for demonstrations lead by groups such as the East Timor Action Network, the Pennsylvania Low-Income Housing Coalition, D.C. Stop the War Now, and anti-Klan organizers.  It published the November 1999 Media Guide for Activists and will expand upon the Peace and Justice Action Guide in 2000.  This working group holds incredible promise for next year because it is the vehicle through which the Peace Center conducts its community outreach, builds relationships, trains individuals on anti-oppression issues, and assists with strategic development in community groups across the region.

The Peace Talks media working group has made plans to expand the Washington Peace Letter by 50%, and dramatically grow distribution within fiscal year 2000.  The group is developing the Peace Center’s  web site (www.washingtonpeacecenter.org) so that it can soon serve concerned residents and seasoned organizers alike.  Peace Talks has also expanded its action alerts, with informative weekly updates to individuals and organizations across the D.C. metropolitan area on a wide range of readings, meetings, demonstrations and campaigns for social justice.  With increased financial and volunteer support, members of this working group are excited about increasing the scope and reach of their efforts.

Finally, the Peace Center’s Anti-War Organizing League (AWOL) is being designed as a strong anti-war, anti-militarism and anti-interventionist program that both mobilizes against U.S. acts of aggression and builds strong peace-oriented initiatives.  The working group will organize regular forums on anti-war strategy, challenge and offer alternatives to the military’s presence in area schools, and develop outreach and educational materials on the increased encroachment of militarism in civil society.  We are enthusiastic about this working group’s role in further networking the Peace Center with national peace organizations.

The Washington Peace Center is at a place like no other time in its history.  The Board, staff and volunteers are faced with its incredible growth potential for not only programs and services, but also membership and revenue.  We are hopeful that our friends and allied organizations will help us meet these challenges, continuing a long-term  investment in the development of the Washington Peace Center.  We can and must work together for real and meaningful change.