The Washington Peace Letter is published monthly for the social justice community of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Its purpose is to support local, national and international struggles against oppression. It seeks to present a radical analysis of current events, covering information not readily available in the corporate media.

The Peace Letter welcomes submissions of calendar announcements, articles, letters to the Editor, and artwork from the progressive community. Articles may be from 300-1200 words, but may be edited for space considerations. Preference is given to materials that cover actions or organizing campaigns in the D.C. metropolitan area.

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From the Board...

The Peace Center Wants You!

An Open Letter to the Peace and Justice Community

March/April 2002
Volume 39, Number 2

Haven't you heard? There's a war on!

It was common during the last World War to use this retort to counter complaints about conditions or shortages. We must now reverse the meaning of that phrase: complaint, questioning and dissent are vital to a healthy democracy, which is especially crucial during war-time. Practicing democracy between wars is like being a vegetarian between meals. And having an active and vital Peace Center gives support to all those who want to voice dissent and organize against this war and all of its social and economic consequences.

Through the hard work of volunteers and staff, the Washington Peace Center is able to provide the community with political services such as:

The Peace Center has been especially active since the tragedies of September 11th. Throughout the fall, we worked with hundreds of activists as we coordinated peace vigils, teach-ins, public discussions, and a major peace mobilization that drew 3,000 people. During that period, we were interviewed by over 70 journalists - many from the national and international media. At the same time, local peace and justice issues have made the Peace Center a truly community-centered organization for nearly 40 years. We intend to continue this proud legacy as we move forward with an ambitious program for the coming year that includes:

In the midst of this broader national and international crisis, the Peace Center has been struggling to develop the resources and funding we need to continue our work. The scope and intensity of our program work and community contacts has expanded since September 11, but our financial resources have not. Our income has not covered our rising expenses and the Peace Center will be experiencing some short-term changes.

Although the Peace Letter has been published monthly, we will be sending it out on a bimonthly basis for the next few months. Thus, the current issue is dated March/April and our next issue will coming out in May/June.

Additionally, our staff coordinator Maria Ramos, who has done an excellent job in building bridges across the city with diverse communities and organizations, has left our staff. She will be working full time to organize a national demonstration on April 20th that opposes post-September 11th militarism and curtailment of civil liberties. Julia Dietz joined the Peace Center last September as our Lutheran Volunteer Corps staff person, and has provided critical support to our office and the Peace Letter during the current political crisis. With Maria leaving, Julia has decided it is best to pursue another position where she can work with other staff for the remainder of her LVC year. We want to hire new staff as soon as funds are available.

All of this is why we need you right now. We know you share our feelings about how critical it is to have the leadership, coordination and support that the Peace Center has provided over the last 30 years. With your financial support and your volunteer time we can afford the office space, staff salary, equipment costs, printing and mailing, and communications that will make our voice for peace in a time of war heard.

If you've ever thought about getting more involved, this is an excellent time to contact the Peace Center. The board and other dedicated volunteers will be actively planning for the future of the Peace Center. If you cannot volunteer your time, your contribution will greatly help. We need you now more than ever. Haven't you heard? There's a war on!

Peace,

Kit Bonson
Sherry Brown
Reed Dewey
Mark Goldstone
John Judge
Polly Stamatopolous

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