• Stop by the PEACE Iowa booth at Soul Fest on Saturday for peace-related games and activities for both children and adults.
  
• Spin the PEACE Wheel: Young children will be asked questions about responding to common situations in a peaceful way. Older children and adults will be asked about nonviolence in the Civil Rights Movement.
  
• Test your knowledge: How much do you know about the continent of Africa?
  

This is our third year to host a booth at Soul Fest — a great opportunity to share about our work and mission. Bring a friend!
 

Thai Flavors—340 Burlington Street in Iowa City—will donate a portion of their sales
during lunch (11 am to 2 pm) and dinner (5 to 9 pm) on Monday, June 5th to PEACE Iowa.

Please drop by to enjoy your favorite Thai and vegetarian foods
while supporting our peacemaking efforts.

Please note: The fundraiser applies to eat-in guests only, and does not apply to carry-out or delivery.

To explore the menu, visit thaiflavors.net. Bring friends and have a gathering!
 

Inner Disarmament

Nonviolence from the Inside Out
Sunday, April 2, 1 to 5 PM
Wesley Center, 120 N. Dubuque Street, Iowa City

Led by Chris Klug, MA
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Teacher,
Peace Educator, and Palliative Care Consultant
 

"Anger and hatred, they destroy inner peace. Compassion, forgiveness, a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood, contentment, self-discipline, these are the basis of peace—both external peace and inner mental peace. Only through strengthening these inner good qualities can a genuine, lasting peace develop. This is what I mean by spiritual development. I sometimes also describe this as inner disarmament. In fact, in all levels of our existence—family life, social life, working life, and political life—inner disarmament is, above all, what humanity needs." —Essence of the Heart Sutra by Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, pp. 6-7
 

How can we open our minds and hearts to those (and those parts of ourselves) with whom we disagree and whose behaviors we experience as unjust, violent, and hurtful? Can we resist their behaviors and their policies without demonizing them? How do we replace deeply ingrained habits of suspicion, aggression, dislike, and even hatred (and where do these habits come from, anyway?) with habits of respect, kindness, and compassion (and how are these habits developed)?

These are some of the questions that will be explored in this workshop. The importance of intention, pain and suffering, and practice will be emphasized. Participants will be encouraged to enter into this process with a light touch and a sense of humor, and will leave with practical suggestions for replacing harmful sets of habits with helpful ones.
 

This event is FREE to the public.

Please click here to register by MARCH 29th.

This event is wheelchair accessible. For more information, including details about available accommodations, contact PEACE Iowa at 641·871·8506 or information@peaceiowa.net.
 

Fly Kites Not Drones

 

A multireligious and multiethnic group in Iowa City and the surrounding community is planning a six-mile walk between five centers on Sunday, January 22. The goal is to celebrate diversity within our community, and all are welcome to participate. Walkers will assemble at noon at the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center, 220 S Gilbert St, Iowa City. A brief kick-off event will take place, then walkers will be on the move by 12:30 pm, walking to Hillel House for a short program there beginning at 1:00, then down Market St. to the IMU for a short program by the Muslim Student Association at 2:00, then along Park Street and up Grand to the LNACC for their short program at 3:00, and finally, heading over to St. Rafael for their program beginning at 4:15. People will finish up there by 5:00.

Why Abraham's Walk?

Known as "the Friend," Abraham is still remembered for his legendary welcome and kindness toward strangers, a tradition alive to this day in the Middle East and across the world. We will talk and learn. We will share food, music and stories with members of our colorful and diverse community.

The event will be a manifestation of our equal humanity, of decency, compassion, empathy and willingness to help when any of us face dangers in everyday situations.

The walk will underscore our unified quest for a safe supportive community.
 

Organized by:
Iowa Physicians For Social Responsibility
Saint Raphael Orthodox Church
Pax Christi Iowa City
Veterans for Peace Chapter #161

Cosponsored or endorsed by:
University of Iowa Center on Human Rights
University of Iowa Global Health Studies
PEACE Iowa
Iowa UNA

For More Information:
E-mail: info[at]psriowa.org
Phone: 3l9·828·4789 & leave message.

 

Popular downtown restaurant Thai Flavors—340 Burlington Street in Iowa City will donate a portion of their sales during lunch (11 am to 2 pm) and dinner ( 5 to 9 pm) Monday, January 16th (MLK Day) to PEACE Iowa. Enjoy your favorite Thai and vegetarian foods while supporting our peacemaking efforts. To explore the menu, visit thaiflavors.net. Bring a friend!

 

Turn east onto Rochester Ave

Turn right onto N Scott Blvd

Turn left onto Middlebury Rd ( 276 ft )

Turn left onto Westbury Dr

 

Bring your own bag lunch and your reusable water bottle.
To Pre-Register: Contact Dawn Jones, (3l9) 646—67l2
Please use the upper parking lot on East side of the church.

Definition: Nonviolent action uses techniques outside of institutionalized behavior for social change that challenges an unjust power dynamic using methods of protest, noncooperation, and intervention without the use or threat of injurious force. In essence, people turn to nonviolent direct action after the institutionalized ways of settling injustices are unsuccessful. (Please note: There are many non-arrestable supportive roles that are essential in any ANVDA)

Friends of Gloria Williams are invited to join in a community celebration of her passion, work, and life this Earth Day. There will be a potluck at Iowa City Park shelter #2 starting at 4 pm. Feel free to bring food, photos and memories to share of Gloria. Let us come together and honor her contribution to the earth and to our community.

Friday, April 22nd
4 to 9 pm
Iowa City Park Shelter #2
 

Gloria was a freelance writer and photographer, but also a publisher and filmmaker, confronting environmental issues and injustice. She grew up in Iowa, graduating in 1981 from the University of Iowa with a degree in Broadcasting and Film. She worked as a trainer in video production for over 10 years, her background including experience in 16mm film in the 1980s. She lived in Europe for a time, and traveled through Mexico and Nepal. After receiving an M.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Iowa in 2008, she lived in Albuquerque for a year or so working for the West End Press and Más New Mexico, a bilingual paper. Back in Iowa in recent years she wrote for the small town papers, Riverside Current and Welman Advance, taking on topics such as Monsanto.

Gloria Williams, committed pacifist and defiant fighter for social justice, died leap year day in Iowa City after a struggle with cancer that had lasted years. She was 65.

Fly Kites Not Drones at MLK Remembrance

Monday, April 4th 3 to 5 pm Hubbard Park 51 North Madison Street UI Campus

A day to Fly Kites, Not Armed Drones. A Day to remember the message that Martin Luther King gave to the world on April 4, 1967 in the famous Riverside Speech. A day to remember the life of Martin Luther King, who was assassinated on April 4, 1968. A day to participate with the world in Action on Military Spending. We all live under the same blue sky! Come and show your support!
 

Fly Kites Not Drones and Commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Monday, April 4, 2016, 3:00 – 5:00, Hubbard Park, The University of Iowa
 

Veterans for Peace Chapter #161
PEACE Iowa
Iowa Physicians for Social Responsibility
100 Grannies
UI Global Health Studies Program
UI Center for Human Rights
UI Student Amnesty International
 

Fly Kites Not Drones. The above-listed organizations invite you to join us as we fly kites in Hubbard Park to protest the use of weaponized drones by the United States and to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The event will be held on Monday, April 4, from 3:00-5:00, in Hubbard Park (Madison St., south of Iowa Memorial Union).

Weaponized drones have been operated or are currently being operated by the United States in at least eight countries around the world for the purpose of bombing strikes, surveillance, or to spot individual targets. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism estimates that between 5,000 and 7,500 persons have been killed by drones. Because of the secrecy of the drone program and the lack of oversight, it is difficult to determine how many civilians are included in this number, but estimates are that at least 760 to 1500 civilians have been killed in drone strikes. The Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), passed by the US Congress in 2001, makes it likely that drone warfare will continue into the forseeable future.

As Iowans, we have a unique opportunity to express our opposition to this drone warfare. The 132nd Battalion of the Iowa Air National Guard (based at the Des Moines airport) now pilots Reaper drones that launch lethal strikes in even countries with whom the U. S. is not at war.

In his April 4, 1967 speech in Riverside Church, New York City, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death." Tragically, on the same day one year later – April 4, 1968 -- Dr. King was assassinated. During our event at Hubbard Park we will read excerpts of Dr. King's Riverside speech and the speech he made in Memphis the night before his death.

The public is invited to join us in this demonstration for peace and commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Bring your kites if you have them. We will bring extras.

For more information, contact:
Ed Flaherty, Veterans for Peace Chapter #161 – (319) 621-6766
Ann Stromquist, PEACE Iowa – (319) 321-9657

 

Saturday, February 20th
12:30 to 4:30 pm
University Capitol Centre, room 1117

This workshop with experienced peace-maker Chris Klug will eplore the process of balancing both individual and collective outer work with inner work in the effort to bring about a less violent, and more just and peaceful world. Throughout the process, the critical role of the relationship between means and ends as taught by Gandhi will be highlighted. Participants will be encouraged to enter into this process ith a light touch and a sense of humor, and will leave with practical suggestions for replacing harmful sets of habits with helpful ones. No prior experience with peace-making necessary! Come as you are Event is sponsored by PEACE Iowa and co-sponsored by UI Center for Human Rights.

13th Annual Iowa UNA
Night of 1000 Dinners

Help raise awareness of violence against women and issues of women and the environment

Old Brick | Thursday, March 5th | Doors open at 6 p.m

Iowa UNA will be hosting the the thirteenth annual Night of 1,000 Dinner. The dinner will comprise of international cuisine from local restaurants. This years theme is Women and the Environment. There will be a panel of women at the event who will speak about the environment and the issues at hand. A silent art auction will also be held benefiting the U.N. Trust Fund to End Violence against Women and Girls. Bring cash or checks if you want to participate.

Advanced tickets are $25 for community members and $10 for students.

Limited tickets will be available at the door and will be $30 for community members and $12 for students. Purchase your tickets NOW and reserve your chance to participate in a wonderful and inspiring evening!

Questions? Contact Matthew Wolf at ( 3l9 ) 337-729O or at matthew[at]unaiowa.org.

co-sponsored by PEACE Iowa and many other local organizations!

Candlelight Vigil Against
Weaponized Drones
Wednesday, March 4th
5:45 pm to 6:30 pm
DES MOINES Iowa Air National Guard
3100 McKinley Ave

This vigil is being held at the same time as a national rally is being held at Creech AFB (near Las Vegas). Renee Espenland, one of the "Creech 14" arrested there in 2009, will speak at the rally in Des Moines.

Carpooling from Iowa City: Meeting at 3:15pm at south end of Kohl's parking lot, near Coral Ridge Mall. Any questions, contact Ed via e-mail at flahertyem[at]q.com or phone at ( 3l9 ) 62l-6766.

SPONSORED BY ...

Catholic Peace Ministry — Veteran's for Peace chapters 161, 163 & 169 — DM Catholic Worker
MFSA, IA Chapter — DM Ecumenical Committee for Peace — Iowa Peace Network
AFSC — WILPF — PEACE Iowa
 

We hope you can join the Climate Marchers as they cross Johnson County.

Tuesday, Aug. 19

1:30 p.m. - Community welcome in Tiffin. Meet the marchers as they enter Tiffin and stop for ice cream at Jon's Ice-Cream Store. Residents are encouraged to bring lunch for the marchers and themselves. Following lunch, the marchers will follow Highway 6 to the Coralville Public Library.

5 p.m. - Casserole potluck at Coralville Public Library. Welcome the Great March for Climate Action in meeting room A of the Coralville Public Library. Sign up here to bring a casserole to share.

6:30 p.m. - Climate Literacy Fair. Hosted in meeting room A of the Coralville Public Library, this will be an open mic and showcase event of all things sustainable in Johnson County. Topics and displays, such as solar homes, carbon capture, environmental justice, and more, will be showcased. Organizations with exhibits will include Soilmates, Take a Kid Outdoors, Johnson County Soil and Water Conservation District, Eagle Point Solar, 100 Grannies, and many more. If your organization is interested in participating, emailemily.monroe13@gmail.com to reserve a table.

Wednesday, Aug. 20

8:30-10 a.m. - Local Burrito Breakfast at New Pioneer Food Co-op in Coralville. Fuel up at New Pioneer Co-op with Local Burrito before the march into Iowa City. Free breakfast burritos made with locally donated ingredients will be available to all registered day-marchers (register here) and for sale to all.

10 a.m. - March from New Pioneer Food Co-op in Coralville to downtown Iowa City. Marchers are welcome to bring signs to display along the march route.

11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Iowa City Climate March Rally in the Ped Mall. Marchers and audiences members will have the opportunity to speak and listen to stories and experiences, including local Iowa City activist Miriam Kashia of the 100 Grannies, as she passes through on her journey across the country.

5:30 p.m. - Unitarian Universalist-sponsored potluck, at the Unitarian Universalist Society, 10 S. Gilbert St. in Iowa City. A potluck dinner for community and marchers will be hosted at the Unitarian Universalist Society.

7 p.m. - Join a Citizen's Hearing at the Iowa City Public Library on the Environmental Protection Agency's proposed plan to cut carbon emissions from existing power plants. Testimony will be received by Peter Thorne, UI professor of occupational and environmental health and member of the EPA's Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Maureen McCue, Iowa Physicians for Social Responsibility, will present a briefing of the proposed rule, followed by an opportunity for public comment. David Osterberg, Iowa Policy Project, and the Rev. Susan Guy, Iowa Interfaith Power and Light, will also be present.

Thursday, Aug. 21

7 to 7:30 a.m. - March from Coollege Green Park to Earth Source Gardens and West Branch. Marchers will meet at College Green Park in Iowa City for a final send-off. Local supporters can also offer final well wishes at Earth Source Gardens, northeast corner of Rochester Avenue and Scott Boulevard in Iowa City, or continue the march to Scattergood Friends School in West Branch, where a Monarch Move Event is planned. This event encourages the planting of essential pollinator habitat and preservation of the "dance of life" for pollinators, people, and the planet. To sign up for the day, visit www.climatemarch.org/join-the-march.

The Johnson County portion of the Great Climate March is being organized by Iowa Physicians for Social Responsibility, 100 Grannies, and Unitarian Universalist Society in Iowa City, with support from the UI Office of Sustainability, UI College of Public Health, and UI International Programs.

The Nonviolent Life
Talk and Book Signing by Activist, Author and Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Father John Dear
Thursday, March 27th
7 pm
500 North Clinton, Iowa City
( Parking is available in the U of I parking lot 24 between Currier Hall and where Fairchild runs into Clinton. )

"How can we become people of nonviolence and help the world become more nonviolent? What does it mean to be a person of active nonviolence? How can we help build a global grassroots movement of nonviolence to disarm the world, relieve unjust human suffering, make a more just society and protect creation and all creatures? What is a nonviolent life?"

These are the questions John Dear — Nobel Peace Prize nominee, author and long-time peace activist — poses in his new book, The Nonviolent Life. John Dear suggests that the life of nonviolence requires three simultaneous attributes: being nonviolent toward ourselves; being nonviolent to all people, all creatures, and all creation; and joining the global grassroots movement of nonviolence.

Fr John will be the Keynote speaker at the Ecumenical Advocacy Days conference in Washington, DC this week-end. Ecumenical Advocacy is a movement of approximately 60 Christian communities including major religious, justice and peace organizations. The 2014 conference is entitled Jesus Weeps: Resisting Violence, Building Peace.

We are very fortunate to host a speaker such as John Dear so, come, bring a friend and hear John discuss his vision of nonviolence, meet him and purchase a signed copy of the book. Donations are welcome.

Devotay Fundraiser for PEACE Iowa
Sunday, February 9th
4:00 to 9:00 pm
Devotay is at 117 N. Linn Street, Iowa City
Parking advice: On-street (free on Sundays) or in the lot behind Brewery Square next door. Enter from Market Street & get a code from Devotay in order to exit the lot.

Devotay is a tapas bar & restaurant using local ingredients

Please tell them that you are eating there to support PEACE Iowa. A percentage of their profits for the evening will be donated to us. Devotay advises that it is a good idea to make reservations ahead of time by calling 354-1001
 

Please join us for a PEACE Iowa fundraiser at

117 N. Linn St. in Iowa City
Sunday, November 24th
4:00 - 9:00 pm

Devotay is a tapas bar & restaurant using local ingredients.

Please tell them that you are eating there to support PEACE Iowa. A percentage of their profits for the evening will be donated to us.
Devotay advises that it is a good idea to make reservations ahead of time.

Please contact PEACE Iowa for more information.
 

• Afghan War Observance, Sunday, October 6th, 1:00-1:40 pm on the Clinton Street sidewalk at Clinton Street & Iowa Avenue, at entrance to Old Capitol, Iowa City.

  The US war in Afghanistan began Oct. 7, 2001. 12 years is too long. The continuation of the war is harmful to the people of Afghanistan and to US citizens. We must honor the dead, and recommit ourselves to peace. We must insist that the US military occupation there end as soon as possible, and in no case later than Dec, 2014.

  Donations to Voices for Creative Non-Violence will be accepted for the Duvet Project of the Afghan Peace Volunteers in Kabul. The duvets are made from local materials, provide a modest income to otherwise unemployed local women, and are given away to needy families in Kabul. 2000 were given away last autumn.
  

• Sunday, October 6, 2013, starting at 2:00 pm, at Clinton St, between Old Brick and Daum Dorm, the Iowa United Nations Association is hosting its second annual Hike to Help Refugees. Participants will hike six miles to simulate, on a small scale, the journey refugees endure to seek safety.

  Hikers are challenged to raise $50 each. However, a simple donation of $10 for adults or $5 for students will allow a person to participate in the hike. All funds generated from this hike will go directly to the UNHCR campaign to help the refugees in the most need. The funds from this hike will go to Syrian refugees because of the escalating crisis there. A Syrian speaker, and Amy Weismann, the deputy director of the UI Center for Human Rights, will provide brief statements concerning refugees.
  

PEACE Iowa will have a table at the hike's starting point beside Old Brick. We will be collecting donations of items we still need for our school kits for refugees (mostly from Syria and Iraq) living in Jordan:

• Spiral notebooks, 8.5 x 10.5 inches, with approximately 70 sheets
  
• Flat flexible plastic rulers that indicate both 30 cm and 12 inches
  
• Packages of 12 new colored pencils
  
• We will also collect donations for shipping the school kits.
  

In case of rain, check iowauna.org for any announcement about cancellation.

Hike to Help Refugees is a non-profit entity founded to support the work of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a two time recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. The hike supports the UNHCR in its efforts to serve and protect refugees around the world.

Both of these events are sponsored by PEACE Iowa, Iowa Veterans for Peace Chapter #161, Iowa United Nations Association, and other local groups. For further information
please contact Ed Flaherty at (319) 621-6766.

Annual Meeting: Potluck, Music, Celebrations, Silent Auction/Farmer's Market Fundraiser
Saturday, September 28th
12:00 to 3:00 pm
CITY PARK, SHELTER 8 (lower park, near pond)
City Park is in Iowa City
on the corner of Park Road & Dubuque Street

• 12:00-1:00 Enjoy food and music, meet other peace supporters, check out our amazing silent auction Live music provided by Tim Schulte. Bring food or beverage to share, if possible, but it's not necessary to bring something in order to attend -- there is always plenty of food. Bring your own plate, cup, and silverware, if possible; we will also be providing plates, cups, napkins, and silverware.
  
  
• 1:00-3:00 Program: Meet current Board members, find out what PEACE Iowa has been doing recently, vote for Board members, share your ideas, help us decide how to promote peace in the coming year, find out about upcoming events and projects.
  

Meanwhile, you can get some great deals and promote peace at our silent auction, which includes an amazing array of donated items and gift cards for items such as a haircut, a book, CDs, artwork, coffee, entertainment, family activities, yoga, food, piano tuning, massage, and much more. These were donated by local artists/writers and businesses such as CSPS, Andy Douglas, Jeff Capps, Starbucks, Iowa Children's Museum, Downward Dog, Beadology, Café del Sol, the Englert, Costco, New Pioneer Co-op, Karmelcorn, and many more.
 

Pigs and Clover in Concert!

 

London-based Veterans for Peace Activists, Ben Griffin and Michael Lyons, on tour

Tuesday, August 13th
7:00 pm
Coralville Public Library, Meeting Room A

Wednesday, August 14th
6:30 pm
Waterloo, Iowa - Cedar Falls Mennonite Church, 215 W. 9th Street
 

Ben served in the British Army and had a crisis of conscience while serving in Baghdad. He refused to continue serving there and was discharged from the army. After leaving the army he blew the whistle on British involvement in Extraordinary Rendition and torture and was subsequently gagged after a secret trial.

Mike was a Royal Navy medic serving in Diego Garcia when he was given orders to deploy as a combat medic to Afghanistan. He decided to educate himself about that conflict by reading the Wikileaks Afghan War Diaries. Disturbed by the huge numbers of civilians killed he applied for conscientious Objector status. During the process he refused to carry out rifle training and was sentenced to 7 months in prison.

Once out of the military, both joined Veterans for Peace London and both are peace activists, working with the London Catholic Workers and others in London on the Julian Assange and Bradley Manning support campaigns.

Both have compelling stories of individual conscience and conversion from fighting for empire to nonviolently resisting empire.

Co-Sponsored by Veterans for Peace Chapter #161, PEACE Iowa and Workers for Peace Iowa.
 

 
The PEOPLE's Coalition is on the march!
4th of July Coralville parade starts at 10 am

People will be gathering at 9:30. Park at Hy-Vee parking lot in Coralville and come to Geico parking lot to locate entry #83. Carpooling encouraged.

All peace loving, social justice seeking, and environmentally concerned friends are invited. You can ride on bales on a a flat bed or walk. Veterans for Peace, PSR, PEACE Iowa, and other Peace & Justice groups will be represented. We'll carry signs, sing songs distribute literature, have fun, and try to change the world.
 

PEACE Iowa hosted Brian Terrell, Kathy Kelly, and others walking through Iowa to protest drone warfare

COVERING GROUND TO GROUND THE DRONES
Iowa City stop Friday June 14 to Saturday June 15
 

  

FRIDAY JUNE 14 EVENTS:

4:30   Walkers from Voices for Creative Nonviolence, including Kathy Kelly and Brian Terrell, will arrive in Iowa City to attend the Friday vigil 4:30-5:00   Vigil at the corner of Clinton & Washington, downtown Iowa City, with focus on protesting drone strikes 5:00-5:30   Slow walk from vigil location to Iowa City Public Library 5:30   Set up for potluck and speakers in Meeting Room A, Iowa City Public Library 6:00   Potluck hosting walkers 6:30   (approximately) Speakers: Kathy Kelly, who will have just returned from Afghanistan, where U.S. drones have tragically impacted so many lives; and Brian Terrell, a Voices activist from Iowa, who will have just completed 6 months in prison for nonviolent civil resistance at a drone base.

SATURDAY JUNE 15 EVENTS:

The walkers will set out for their next stop at Kent Park, departure time TBA. They invite others to join them for all or part of the way. Perhaps we can arrange return transportation for those who want to walk just a little ways and then go back to Iowa City. Peace supporters can also join them in the evening at Kent Park. They will be camping there.

MORE INFORMATION:
The group will walk about 190 miles from Rock Island Arsenal (where drone and bomb parts are made and stored) , to the Iowa Air National Guard Facility at Des Moines Airport, planned site of a new drone command center. Please let us know (and we can forward your name to Voices) if you would like to join in for any segment as we all strive to galvanlize public opinion against drone warfare. The group will be making many stops including:

June 08-10 June 14-15 June 19 June 22-24

Rock Island/Quad CIties Iowa City Grinnell Des Moines

Sponsored by Voices for Creative Nonviolence

Iowa City host and local co-sponsors: PEACE Iowa, Veterans for Peace Iowa Chapter 161, and Physicians for Social Responsibility
 

PEACE Iowa will be hosting a booth about Iran for children at Arts Fest next weekend. Sunday June 9th is children's day at Art Fest, and there is a large Global Village on the Pedestrian Mall in downtown Iowa City. Each booth in the Global Village focuses on a different country, and each is sponsored by a local organization. This year, PEACE Iowa is hosting a booth about Iran in order to promote greater cultural understanding and peace between Americans and Iranians. This is a great opportunity for peace education because hundreds of children will attend. At our Iran booth, we will invite children to make drawings and write messages of peace and friendship for children in Iran, which will be translated into Farsi and posted on our web site (if parents sign a permission form).
 

PEACE Iowa fundraiser at
Thai Flavors

Monday, June 10th
11:00 am-2:00 pm and 5:00-9:00 pm
340 East Burlington Avenue, Iowa City—Corner of Burlington & Gilbert

Please help PEACE Iowa continue our work for peace with Iran, opposing drone warfare, cutting military spending, and other great causes. Join us THIS MONDAY JUNE 10 for a fundraiser at Thai Flavors. All you need to do is show up and order delicious Thai food! Thai Flavors will give PEACE Iowa a portion of all sales that day, and they are always generous.

Support PEACE Iowa, enjoy delicious frozen yogurt, and meet others who support peace
   at locally owned Yotopia!

Tuesday, April 2nd
3:00-7:00 pm
at Yotopia, 132 South Clinton Street
on the pedestrian mall across from Old Capitol Mall, corner of Clinton and College

PEACE Iowa will receive a portion of all purchases and 100% of tips during that time. Our volunteers will be present to greet customers, share information about PEACE Iowa, give samples of yogurt to customers who want to try a new flavor, and clean up tables.

For more infomation contact PEACE Iowa.

 

PEACE Iowa and the Iowa Children's Museum present:

PEACE DAY at the Iowa Children's Museum
(located in Coral Ridge Mall)
Sunday, April 7th
2:00-4:00 pm
Fun peace-related activities for children of all ages

Please note: The usual admission fee is charged for entry into the museum.

PEACE Iowa is involved in an exciting new collaboration with the Iowa Children's Museum, which is part of our Peace Literacy work with youth. A fabulous group of 7th-9th graders partcipated in our series of Friday evening peace workshops. These 7th-9th graders will present peace activities for younger children in a special event at the Iowa Children's Museum.

Co-sponsored by the NEA Peace & Justice Caucus

 

Click to Stop the UI from closing the UI Center for Human Rights

The University of Iowa Center for Human Rights (UICHR) has as its mission the promotion and protection of human rights at home and abroad through distinguished multidisciplinary leadership in human rights research, education, and public service to The University of Iowa, its surrounding communities, the State of Iowa, and beyond.

Signing this petition is imperative because this collection of signatures will demonstrate to the University of Iowa that the Center for Human Rights is valued and wanted by the students and the surrounding community. Therefore, the University will continue funding the Center and recognizing the importance of Human Rights to the UI campus.

 

Armistice Day commemoration
Sunday, November 11th
10:30 am
Sidewalk at Iowa Avenue and Clinton Street, downtown Iowa City
Contact: Ed Flaherty 621-6766

Bells worldwide were rung on the 11th month, the 11th day, at 11 AM, 1918, to celebrate and recognize the ending of WWI, "The war to end all wars." To commemorate that peaceful pledge, bells were rung around the world on November 11 for over 35 years. Congress declared November 11 a holiday in 1938, "a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day'." In 1954, the 83rd Congress, amended the Act of 1938 by deleting the word "Armistice" and inserting in its place the word "Veterans."

Too often the rhetoric and patriotic symbols used to praise veterans are also used to justify the wars instead of generating genuine compassion for the extraordinary sacrifices and services of military personnel. And, since the wars of the last 70 years have created more civilian casualties than soldier casualties, Armistice Day is a day to remember all victims of war, soldiers & civilians alike.

Veterans For Peace Chapter #161 is sponsoring an Armistice Day Observance to be held on Sunday, November 11, at the Clinton Street entrance to Old Capitol on the Pentacrest, Iowa City. The observance will begin at 10:30AM, and bells will be rung at 11:00 AM, as they were rung around the world at the end of WWI in 1918 and on each November 11th for decades thereafter. Armistice Day is a day to promote peace and to remember the victims of war, both veterans and civilians.

Veterans from WWII to Afghanistan will speak. Marybeth Gardam of Move to Amend will be a featured speaker, addressing the corrosive influence of corporate dollars in the peace-making process.

The entire community is welcome.
 

11 Years is Too Long
Afghan War Observance
Sunday, Oct 7th, 1 pm

Read Press Citizen article ©2012 Iowa City Press Citizen

Sidewalk along west side of Clinton Street at Iowa Avenue intersection
East of Historic Old Capitol

The continuation of the war in Afghanistan is harmful to the people of Afghanistan, and to U.S. citizens. Peace is hard work, but we'd better try it! Please join with us.

Sponsored by: Veterans for Peace Chapter #161, PEACE Iowa, Iowa United Nations Association,Iowa Physicians for Social Responsibility, and the NEA Peace & Justice Caucus, For further information, contact Ed Flaherty @ 319 621-6766, flahertyem@q.com
 

Schedule of events 

• Tuesday, September 4th, 6:30 — Film: Why Are We in Afghanistan? Short film followed by discussion.
  
  
• Saturday, September 8th, 9:00 am 1:00 or 1:30 pm. Peace Walk. Scattergood Friends School & Farm students and staff will walk from Scattergood School to the Iowa City Ped Mall. All are invited to join them along the way or to greet them as they arrive at the Ped Mall. They will be publicizing the Windows & Mirrors exhibit as they walk.
  
  
• Sunday, September 9th, 1:00 to 3:30 — Opening Reception. "The Power of One" with Michael McConnell, Director of AFSC Midwest Region, explains the title of his talk: In the exhibit we are surrounded by ones ­ one child, one scream, one kite, one missing baby ­ and that is powerful because many times our understanding of injustice and war comes through the lens of one life. But perhaps the most important one is us ­ what we as one life can do.
  
  
• Tuesday, September 11th, 6:30 — Film: The Beauty Academy of Kabul
  
  
• Wednesday, September 12th, 7:00 — "Report from Kabul" with Kathy Kelly, Co-Founder/Co-Coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, will describe her experience working with the Afghan Peace Volunteers in Kabul.
  
  
• Sunday, September 16th, 12:00 to 3:00 — PEACE Iowa Annual Meeting, potluck followed by a meeting. Michelle Gin will talk about her experience as the sole representative of the United States on an international peace bike tour, riding from Nagasaki to Hiroshima, Japan with International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War in August.
  
  
• Monday, September 17th, 7:00 — "Eleven Years is Too Long: Ending the War in Afghanistan" with Diane Randall, Executive Secretary of Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), will speak about what we can do to help end the war in Afghanistan.
  
  
• Tuesday, September 18th, 6:30 — Film: Motherland: Afghanistan
  
  
• Thursday, September 20th, 7:00 — "Overcoming Obstacles: Producing Food in Afghanistan's War Torn Environment" with Denise O'Brien, organic farmer, Cass County, Iowa.
  
  
• Sunday, September 23rd, 2:30 — "Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires" with Jeff Cox, U.I. history professor and author.
  
  
• Tuesday, September 25th, 6:30 — Film: Rethinking Afghanistan with discussion led by Maureen McCue.
  
  
• Thursday, September 27th, 7:00 — "Confronting Nuclear Peril: Hiroshima and Fukushima" with Maureen McCue, John Rachow, and Michelle Gin, who will talk about their recent trip to Japan.
  
  
• Sunday, September 30th, 1:00 to 3:00 — Facilitated Discussion about Windows & Mirrors to share with one another our thoughts and feelings about what the exhibit and all of the other events meant to us.
  
  

The Windows & Mirrors exhibit and programs are free and open to the public. You may call the library at (319) 248-1850 with questions regarding upcoming events. Regular library hours are: Monday through Thursday, 10am to 8:30pm; Friday, 10am to 6pm, Saturday, 9am to 4:30pm, and Sunday 12 noon to 4pm.

Sponsored by American Friends Service Committee, Iowa Veterans for Peace, PEACE Iowa, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Iowa United Nations Association, West Branch Friends Meeting, Iowa City Friends Meeting, First Mennonite Church, West Branch Religious Council, Scattergood Friends School & Farm, Social Justice Coordinating Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City, and Iowa NEA Peace & Justice Caucus.

For more information call Ed at (319) 621-6766 or Ann at (319) 321-9657.

Visit WindowsAndMirrors.org/exhibit/coralville-ia
 

Confronting Nuclear Peril:
Nagasaki to Hiroshima & Fukushima

Kathy Kelly to Speak in Iowa City Area
 

Wednesday, September 12th: 10 to 11:30 a.m. speaking to two classes at Regina High School 11:45 to1:30 a.m. speaking at the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council 7 to 8:30 p.m. speaking at Windows & Mirrors, Lower Level of Coralville Public Library Thursday, September 13th: Speaking to a UNA group in Pella at noon 6 p.m. speaking to Linn Co. UNA in Cedar Rapids Friday, September 14th: 10 a.m. speaking at St. Patrick's parish, Iowa City 6 p.m. speaking at Cedar Rapids Islamic Center Contact: Ed Flaherty at (319) 621-6766

Kathy Kelly, co-coordinates Voices for Creative Nonviolence ... a campaign to end U.S. military and economic warfare.

Since May 2010, she has visited Afghanistan eight times with small delegations intent on learning more about conditions faced by ordinary people in Afghanistan, a country afflicted by three decades of warfare. Voices for Creative Nonviolence has been working closely with the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers in search of non-military solutions to end the war.

During late June and early July of 2011, Kelly, was a passenger on the "Audacity to Hope" as part of the US Boat to Gaza project. She also attempted to reach Gaza by flying from Athens to Tel Aviv, as part of the Welcome to Palestine effort, but the Israeli government deported her back to Greece.

In 2009, she lived in Gaza during the final days of the Operation Cast Lead bombing; later that year, Voices formed another small delegation to visit Pakistan, aiming to learn more about the effects of U.S. drone warfare on the civilian population and to better understand consequences of U.S. foreign policy in Pakistan.

From 1996 — 2003, Voices activists formed 70 delegations that openly defied economic sanctions by bringing medicines to children and families in Iraq. Kathy and her companions lived in Baghdad throughout the 2003 "Shock and Awe" bombing.

— from http://vcnv.org/kathy-kelly-long-version
 

Scattergood Friends School and Farm to Hold Peace Walk to Showcase Windows & Mirrors

As part of its mission to promote integrity, compassion and non-violence, Scattergood Friends School and Farm welcomes the public to join staff and students on a Walk for Peace, Saturday, September 8th at 9 a.m. that begins at its campus in West Branch and ends on the pedestrian mall in Iowa City. The Walk for Peace precedes a reception for Windows and Mirrors: Reflections on the War in Afghanistan that will be held the following day, Sunday, September 9th at Coralville Public Library. Scattergood is one of the sponsors of the month-long exhibition.

About 35 students and volunteers from West Branch and Iowa City participated last year in a peace walk held by Scattergood. Previous walks were held in 1961 and 1986. Individuals and organizations interested in joining this year's walk should contact Christine Ashley, Scattergood Head of School, at head@scattergood.org, or Rüdiger Rückmann, Development Director, at (319) 643-7621 or development@scattergood.org

Scattergood, founded in 1890, is a Quaker-based, college-preparatory boarding and day school for grades 9 -12. Scattergood has a diverse body of students from the United States and all corners of the globe. The Scattergood campus is located on 1951 Delta Avenue, just outside West Branch, Iowa on over 120 acres of farm and prairie.

—Source: www.scattergood.org

JOIN THE ANNUAL PEACE & JUSTICE SECTION OF THE CORALVILLE 4TH OF JULY PARADE!

The Parade leaves promptly from the Geico Insurance Parking Lot on the Coralville strip at 10:00 AM. We don't yet have our number but we've never left the lot much before about 10:40. So, depending on our number I usually say you can arrive safely between 9:30 and 9:45 AM, giving yourself time to locate us, possibly find a seat on the straw, and slather on the sun screen. We'll bring liquids for after the march, but you may want to carry water on you. There are no bathroom breaks from the time you arrive until the parade ends! We'll be passing out a tattoo (2"x2") for the kids that says "Amazing PSR Iowa - building a healthy peaceful world". Best we could come up with given a theme of "Amazing Coralville." Others will carry signs with various messages. We need banner carriers, world and peace flag carriers and people to carry other signs or hand out the tattoos. Please be sure to mark your calendar, and bring along a friend or two. It's always a good time. We adjorn to I-Hop after for the annual pancake breakfast. See you on the 4th.

Sponsored by Physicians For Social Responsibility, Veterans for Peace, PEACE Iowa, I-Renew, Yahoo Drummers, and Iowa Climate Advocates.

For more information contact PEACE Iowa.
 

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Monday, June 25
Fundraiser for PEACE Iowa at
 
Thai Flavors 
 
(340 E. Burlington Street, Iowa City)

 

"Toward the Uplift of All: Building an Alternative Society in Gandhian Nonviolence"
Gandhi Workshop with Chris Klug
Saturday, April 21st
1:00 - 4:00 pm
Wesley Center Coffeehouse, 1st floor
120 N. Dubuque St., downtown Iowa City
Please contact PEACE Iowa to register

The workshop will be led by Chris Klug, and includes a presentation and small-group discussion.

It will focus on some of Gandhi's basic ideas and practices for nonviolent reflection and/or action, such as means and related ends, willingness to die, and "opponent" rather than "enemy." Participants will examine how Gandhi's "Constructive Program" was an alternative to the systemic violence of the Indian society of his time. Participants will explore how we can participate in fashioning and supporting nonviolent alternatives to systemic violence today.

The workshlp is free, though donations to PEACE Iowa will be accepted at the workshop.

About the facilitator, Chris Klug: Chris has been on the staff of peace education centers is Richmond, VA and Brookings, SD, and has many years of experience leading groups to India to learn about Gandhi and nonviolence. His most recent trip to India was last summer. He currently is a grief counselor, educator, and consultant in private practice in Iowa City, and teaching Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction at University of Iowa Health Care Education.
 

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James Zogby to Discuss Gulf Tinderbox

Wednesday, March 21st

Iowa City:
4:30 pm
Old Capitol building
U of I campus
Sponsored by Veterans For Peace, Arab-American Institute, American Friends Service Committee, Iowa United Nations Association, PEACE Iowa, Iowa NEA Peace & Justice Caucus, and People for Justice in Palestine.
Download flyer (PDF)
Contact: Ed Flaherty - (319) 621-6766

Cedar Rapids:
7:30 pm
Kirkwood Training & Outreach Services Center
3375 Armar Drive, Marion
Sponsored by Veterans For Peace, Arab-American Institute, Linn County Democrats, Workers for Peace Iowa, Midamar, Inc. and others.
Download flyer (PDF)
Contact: Joe Aossey - (319) 533-1399

According to Dr. James Zogby, escalating rhetoric from all sides in the Gulf conflict poses a danger. "The region is a tinderbox, and it is as if everyone is too busy playing with matches to think of the consequences."

These talks, part of a statewide tour by Dr. Zogby, president of the Arab-American Institute, are open to the public and accessible to all.
 

...
 

Over the past few years we have witnessed the increasing use of unmanned aerial vehicles, the MQ-1 Predator and the MQ-9 Reaper, to undertake armed attacks around the globe. Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia have all been subject to drone strikes by US drones remote controlled from bases in the US, many thousands of miles away.
 

Drawing on his experiences in visiting Afghanistan and nonviolent resistance to Predator and Reaper drone warfare here in the U.S., Brian Terrell will speak to the urgency of an immediate end to the "war on terror." He will address the social, economic and security costs that U.S. aggression inflicts both on foreign battle fields and on battle fields at home. Brian visited Afghanistan for three weeks in December, 2010, with Voices for Creative Nonviolence and the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers. In January, 2011, Brian and 13 others were convicted of trespass in a Las Vegas court for their protest at Creech Air Force Base, from where unmanned robotic drone aerial raids on Afghanistan are controlled. On December 1, 2011, he was sentenced to ten days in jail for resisting killer drones at Hancock Air Field in Syracuse, New York. Brian is just back from Bahrain where he was detained and then deported for his participation in a pro-democracy demonstration.

...
 

Join PEACE Iowa for delicious Thai food and organizing to prevent war with Iran
Monday, February 6th
THAI FLAVORS - 340 E. BURLINGTON STREET, DOWNTOWN IOWA CITY
11:00-2:00 lunch
5:00-9:00 dinner
Contact: PEACE Iowa (319) 354-1925

PEACE Iowa will receive a percentage of all proceeds that day. Write a brief letter to congress while you eat your meal. Share your ideas with us about how to prevent war with Iran. Information sheets/talking points will be available, as well as addresses of our congressional delegation. Handwritten letters sent to local congressional offices are given the greatest attention by staffers.
 

...
 

Caucus Training
for the Iowa Healthcare not Warfare Caucus Campaign

Tuesday, December 13th
7:00-8:30 pm
Meeting Room E (2nd Floor) - Iowa City Public Library

Iowans who plan to vote for peace at the presidential caucuses will hold a Nonpartisan Peace Caucus Training meeting on Tuesday, December 13, 7 p.m., Iowa City Public Library. Sponsored by the Iowa Healthcare Not Warfare Caucus Campaign, the training will focus on caucus procedures at both the Democratic and Republican caucuses to be held on January 3. The Healthcare Not Warfare Caucus Campaign encourages caucus attenders to support delegates at the Democratic caucus who are not yet committed to any presidential candidate, but who support (1) removing all troops from Afghanistan within President Obama's first year in office and (2) the enactment of national health insurance (medicare for all) during President Obama's second term. Others will be in attendance to explain their plans to support a peace candidate at the Republican caucuses. Mark your calendar now!

For more information contact Jeff Cox at <jeffcox[at]inavia.net>.

...
 

Armistice Day commemoration, November 11th, near the Old Capitol

The Veterans For Peace Chapter #161 is sponsoring an Armistice Day Observance to be held on Friday, November 11th at the corner of Iowa Ave. and Clinton St. on the sidewalk east of the Old Capitol. The observance will begin at 10:30 am and bells will be rung at 11:00 am, as they were rung around the world at the end of WWI in 1918 and on each November 11th for decades thereafter. Armistice Day is a day to promote peace and to remember the victims of war, both veterans and civilians. The entire community is welcome. Co-sponsored by Iowa NEA Peace & Justice Caucus, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and PEACE Iowa. Celebrate and recapture peace on 11/11/11 11:00!

Contact: Ed Flaherty <flahertyem[at]q.com>
 

Support youth for peace this weekend
PEACE WALK AND RECEPTION FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT WALKERS!
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 13, 2011

Theme: Fund education, not war
Organized by Scattergood Friends School (a Quaker high school in West Branch) plus a few other local high school students
LEAVE: 9:00 am from Scattergood Friends School (1951 Delta Ave., a gravel road a few miles east of West Branch)
The route is about 12.5 miles.
ARRIVE: Sometime between 1:00-2:00 at PEACE Iowa (ground floor, Old Brick) for reception

Let's support these students' efforts to highlight the need for peaceful priorities! OTHERS ARE INVITED TO JOIN THE WALK, BUT PLEASE USE THE STUDENTS' SIGNS RATHER THAN YOUR OWN, or walk without a sign. We want to amplify the students' voices. The students will be focusing on promoting peace and funding for and access to education for students of every economic and social status. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO WALK, PLEASE WELCOME THE WALKERS WHEN THEY RETURN!

RECEPTION AT PEACE IOWA
12:45 volunteers will bring food, set up, etc.
Reception will beging when the walkers arrive (estimated 1:00-2:00).
We will serve a hearty selection of "finger food" (the walkers will be hungry!).
STUDENT WALKERS WILL DESCRIBE THE ORIGINS AND PURPOSE OF THE WALK.
 

Rally to End Our War in Afghanistan
Meet at 4:30 PM on Friday, Oct 7th
at the southeast corner of the Pentacrest (Clinton & Washington).

We will begin a sidewalk march thru the downtown area at 4:45, and will stop at the peace pole area outside of the Iowa City Public Library for music and remarks, then parade back to where we began. Bring your own signs (on topic, please) or borrow some at the site. Drums & bells too. All peaceful folks, families, students, children welcome Oct 7th marks the beginning of the 11th year of our war in Afghanistan, the longest war in US history.

TEN YEARS IS LONG ENOUGH.

For further information, contact Ed <flahertyem[at]q.com> or phone (319) 621-6766.
 

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PEACE Iowa Annual Meeting, September 10th, 2011

PEACE Iowa First Annual Meeting
 

Saturday September 10, 2011
City Park
Shelter #8 (an enclosed shelter near the pond in LOWER City Park)
(corner of Dubuque St. & Park Rd in Iowa City, entrance on Park Road)
 

12:00 Food and music

Live music provided by Loren & Margaret Brumm (members of Acoustic Mayhem)
You are invited to bring food to share, but that is completely optional

1:00 Program

• Welcome and introduction
  
• Brainstorming session -- What should PEACE Iowa be doing in the upcoming year?
  
• Nominations and voting for at-large Board members
  
• Presentation of two peace awards
  
• Brief talk by Chris Klug about his recent trip to India to visit a center that implements Gandhi's principles
  
• Wrap-up
  

We invite everyone to attend! We need your input and involvement to further our work for peace!

See you Saturday!

Contact PEACE Iowa for more information or if you can help out.
 

...

 

At the Coralville July 4th, 2011 parade—Physicans for Social Responsibility, and the unincorporated, informal People's Coalition for Political, Social, and Environmental Responsibility, and Veterans for Peace, PEACE Iowa, and other progressive local groups.
 

From Physicans for Social Responsibility, and the unincorporated, informal People's Coalition for Political, Social, and Environmental Responsibility, and Veterans for Peace, PEACE Iowa, and other progressive local groups:

JOIN US IN THE CORALVILLE 4th of JULY PARADE
BRING YOUR PEACE SIGNS!
Contact: PEACE Iowa

(Also PEACE Iowa would love it if someone would take photos of the parade for our next newsletter. If you can do that, please just go ahead and take the photos and contact us after the parade. Thanks!)

As usual we'll gather in the Geico/McGregor parking area on the West End of the Coralville strip. The parade takes off promptly at 10 AM. However, if our entry is a high number it can take over 30 minutes to snake around the lot to later entries. It's best under all circumstances if folks are in the lot and getting ready by 9:30 latest. We do not yet know our entry number.

Cliff Missen of the Yahoo drummers will be there, and Steve Fugate, President of I-Renew and Yoderville Bio-Diesel Cooperative has a pickup with a 16' flat-bed trailer which he will furnish for those who are unable to walk the distance.
 

...

 

Have a great meal and support PEACE Iowa at the same time!

Dine at Thai Flavors on Monday, June 20, 2011.
Lunch 11 am - 2 pm
Dinner 5 pm - 9 pm
Thai Flavors will donate a portion of all proceeds to PEACE Iowa
Thai Flavors is at 340 Burlington St. They have been great supporters of PEACE Iowa and their food is terrific!
Contact: PEACE Iowa
 

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Community Potluck for Peace
Sunday, May 15th 1:00 to 3:30 pm
Socializing begins at 12:30
Shelter House #3, Upper City Park (near swimming pool)
Sponsored by Veterans for Peace, Iowa Chapter #161
Please bring a dish to share, and your own table service.
Beverages will be provided.
No charge.
Families and friends welcome.

Featuring the leaders of two national peace organizations:
Elliott Adams, President, Veterans for Peace
John Rachow, President, Physicians for Social Responsibility

SPECIAL GUESTS: Presenters and attendees from the "Redefining Security" workshop held on May 14th & 15th at the University of Iowa Co-sponsored by Physicians for Social Responsibility and the University of Iowa Center for Human Rights. Further information and registration for that workshop visit www.psr.org/chapters/iowa/events/advancing-the-right-to-health-on-a-sick-planet.html.

The quest for peace is an uphill struggle. Let's get to work on it.
 

...

 

"Don't Forget Sudan" on Monday, May 2, and Tuesday, May 3
to encourage public discussion and awareness of the current situation in Sudan
regarding the referendum and the social and political climate

• May 2 a forum will feature University of Iowa students and members of the Iowa City Sudanese community
  3:30 to 4:30 pm
  Meeting Room A, Iowa City Public Library
  
• A dinner will be held May 3
  6:30 to 8:30 pm
  Room 1117, University Capitol Centre
  Keynote address will be by Omer Ismail
  For reservations for this event contact Kelsey Kramer at <kelsey-kramer[at]uiowa.edu> or call (319) 384-2208.
  
  Originally from the Darfur region, Ismail fled Sudan in 1989 as a result of his political views and has spent over 20 years working both independently and with international organizations on relief efforts and human rights. He is currently policy advisor for "Enough," a project to end genocide and crimes against humanity.
  

The UI Center for Human Rights in International Programs, the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, Iowa United Nations Association and PEACE Iowa are event sponsors.
 

...

 

April 30th, 2011 celebration commemorating the signing of the PEACE Iowa Articles of Incorporation
 

Join us for a celebration

to mark the signing of

PEACE Iowa's

Articles of Incorporation!

Saturday, April 30, 2:00 - 4:00

Common Room, Old Brick (lower level)

Food, music, fellowship, fun

• The band "The Beggarmen" will be playing Irish music.
  
• The New Pioneer Coop is providing a carrot cake!
  

Everyone is welcome!
 

...
 

Sponsored by PEACE Iowa, children's messages of Friendship & Peace are being sent back and forth between Iran and Iowa.

Come see some of the art work and messages these children have created!

PEACE Iowa's "Iowa-Iran Cultivating Peace" project is sponsoring a display of art work and messages of peace contributed by Iranian and Iowan children, Iowa City Public Library, 2nd floor display wall, April 4 - April 29.

Messages of Iranian children have been translated from Farsi into English. Messages of Iowa children are translated from English into Farsi and sent to Iran.

Contact: PEACE Iowa 

...
 

ARASERUKA / SOLIDARITY: Reflections on Gender, Health, and Development in Burundi
with Alexandra Douglas
Monday, March 28th
7:00 pm
Room A of the Iowa City Public Library
Contact: PEACE Iowa

Ms Douglas works with people who are suffering the consequences of Burundi's 13-year civil war (1993-2006), in one of the poorest urban communities in Burundi. Post-war challenges include extreme poverty, an HIV/AIDS rate estimated at 16%, minimal health care, pervasive sexual violence, food insecurity, lack of potable water, and deep psychological trauma from the war.

Alexndra will speak about a small, community-based clinic operated by the Friends Women's Association, in which a group of women provides comprehensive health care, psychological counseling, individual and community trauma healing, nutritional support, micro-credit loans and women's empowerment programs to other women in their community.

The clinic operates under the belief that where there is health, there is hope. And where there is hope, there is the possibility of long-term peace.
 

...
 

State-Wide Peace Rally
Marking the 8th anniversary of the start of the US War on Iraq
Saturday, March 19th

11:30 am to 1:00 pm
At Nollen Plaza, 3rd & Walnut, Des Moines

Why are we continuing the two longest wars in American History? Iowa's cost for the Iraq War for just this year is $490 million.

This rally is in solidarity with national rally in Washington, DC on March 19th, led by the Veterans For Peace, and in solidarity with other US rallies to be held on the 19th

Support the troops-bring them home. Wage Peace.

Some of the Scheduled speakers:
Ed Flaherty - President, Iowa Veterans for Peace
Rev. Chet Guinn - Iowa Methodist Federation for Social Action
Kathleen McQuillen - Des Moines American Friends Service Committee
Brian Terrell (recently returned from Afghanistan) - Maloy, Iowa Catholic Worker
Mary Hanson-Harrison - DM chapter, Women's Int'l League for Peace & Freedom
Roberta Rosheim - Vice-Chair, Iowa Nat. Education Ass'n Peace & Justice Caucus
Cody Ryan - Students Beyond War
Bill Stansbery - Veteran for Peace, Ames

Music by the Raging Grannies
For more info contact: Ed Flaherty 319 621-6766 - <Flahertyem[at]q.com>
 

Iowa City events on the 19th ...
11:00 am - speakers & music outside Johnson County Courthouse
11:30 am - march to Iowa City Public Library
11:50 am - short Dreamwell Theatre presentation in Ped Mall just south of the ICPL
12:10 pm - closing remarks

At the Courthouse speakers will discuss "War, its costs and what we can Do to stop it." Participants will then march from the Courthouse to the area of the Ped Mall south of the Iowa City Public Library, where the Dreamwell Theatre will present acts 1, 2 & 3 of "Stuff Happens", a play by David Hare, written in response to the Iraq War.

The event is sponsored by Veterans for Peace, Johnson Co. Green Party, PEACE Iowa, International Socialist Organization, Workers International League - Eastern Iowa, & Campaign for a Mass Party of Labor.

People are encouraged to attend any or all event activities. Please note: Individuals with signs targeting any specific religious or ethnic group may be asked to refrain from displaying those signs.

For more info, contact Dawn Jones: 319 646-6712
 

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ARMISTICE DAY OBSERVANCE

11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month

11:00 AM on November 11^th, in front of Old Capitol on the Clinton St. Sidewalk

Bells will ring to remind us of our Desire to hold to a peaceful future
PUBLIC IS INVITED - Gather at 10:45 AM
STAND WITH US FOR HALF AN HOUR TO HONOR AND REMEMBER ALL, VETERANS AND CIVILIANS, WHO HAVE BEEN VICTIMS OF WAR

November 11, 1918 was the day "the war to end all wars" ended. Bells were rung worldwide to celebrate. Bell-ringing at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month continued for many years to commemorate peace. In 1938 legislation was passed in this country declaring November 11th Armistice Day, dedicated to world peace. In 1954, our Congress passed legislation changing the holiday's name to Veterans' Day. Considering that 90% of victims of wars are now civilians, the change of the holiday's name distracts the public from the price of war paid by people other than members of the military. Therefore, we encourage the traditional ringing of bells eleven times at 11 AM on November 11th in honor of Armistice Day, and in honor of peace. Honor veterans, dead & alive, on the 11th. Remember also all the other victims of war, and let the bells help stir us to find new ways to wage peace. The names of US armed service members killed in Iraq & Afghanistan will be read, as well as the names of some of the civilians killed in those conflicts.
Contact: PEACE Iowa

...
 

The Iowa City Council acted on a proclamation on the evening of 9/21/2010, at their 7:00 pm meeting.
More information at www.peaceday.tv

Proclamation for the International Day of Peace,

September 21

Whereas, the issue of peace embraces the deepest hopes of all peoples and remains humanity's guiding inspiration; and

Whereas, in 1981 the United Nations proclaimed the International Day of Peace be "devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples"; and

Whereas, the United Nations expanded the observance of the International Day of Peace in 2001 to include the call for a day of global ceasefire and non-violence, and invited all nations and people to honor a cessation of hostilities for the duration of the Day; and

Whereas, there is growing support within our city for the observance of the International Day of Peace, which affirms a vision of our world at peace, and fosters cooperation between individuals, organizations and nations; and

Whereas, global crises impel all citizens to work toward converting humanity's noblest aspirations for world peace into a practical reality for future generations,

Now, therefore, the City Council of the City of Iowa City does hereby recognize and proclaim September 21 as The International Day of Peace.

March 19th vigil commemorating the 7th anniversary of the second US invasion of Iraq—2010
 

Armistice Day 2010
 

View Daily Iowan photo