Sunday, November 11th, 10:45 AM
Eastside of the Pentacrest
sponsored by Veterans For Peace Chapter #161

• 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?
  

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.

 

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
 

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.