The Newsletter of the Richmond Peace Education Center Inside
March/April 2005 A Summit on Youth Violence Tyla Matteson, RPEC Program Committee Reflections from the
Board Chair
Central America Update
Nonviolence in Central
America
RPEC Sponsors Candle
Light Vigil
RPEC Board Updates
Fundraising Committee
Membership Committee
Volunteer Opportunities
RPEC, with RPEC’s Richmond Youth Peace Project (RYPP), held a 2­day summit on March 4 & 5, with the purpose of addressing the recent increase in youth violence and needless killings in the Richmond area. It is a mission for RPEC to promote peaceful ways to resolve conflict and socially appropriate alternatives to violence. Meaningful alternatives for self­expression were offered during the summit, as dance, music, spoken word, and art. The summit began Friday morning, March 4, at Richmond’s Grace Street Theatre with speakers: Ken Willis, RPEC Director, welcoming remarks; Rick Tatnall of Citizens Against Crime; Dr. Nancy Ross of Richmond Human Services on Juvenile Justice Services; Lt. John Buckovich of the Richmond Police Department on Gang­ Related Youth Crime; and Dr. Lonnie Athens, our keynote speaker and native of Richmond on “Violentization in our Homes and Neighborhoods”. The Friday evening Town Hall Meeting featured Major Daniel Goodall of the Richmond Police Department and the return of Dr. Athens. The speakers presented important information and responded to questions from the audience. (Continued on page 19) Executive Director of RPEC, Ken Willis, addresses a session on Conflict Resolution Peace Pole Project – 25
in ‘05
John McCutcheon
Benefit Concert
RPEC is looking for in­
kind donations
Peace Essay Contest
Board Seeking
Nominees for
Peacemaker of the Year
RPEC Collecting Ukrops
Golden Gift Receipts
CALENDAR RPEC Executive Director Ken Willis leads a session on Conflict Resolution
rpecNews rpec NEWS is a publication of the Richmond Peace Education Center 400 W. 32nd Street Richmond, VA 23225 Phone: (804)232­1002 Fax: (804)232­1003 E­mail: [email protected] RPEC Web Page: http://www.rpec.org RPEC STAFF Executive Director: Ken Willis Office Manager Johnnie J. Taylor NEWSLETTER STAFF Editor: Bill Gerow Newsletter Committee: John Gallini Sue Frankel­Streit Cathy Woodson Ken Willis Judy Bennett Dave Depp Ruth Anne Young Jane Rosecrans The opinions and announcements in rpecNEWS are those of the individual writers and are not necessarily endorsed by RPEC. rpecNEWS is published 6 times per year and has a circulation of approximately 1,200. Page 2 Reflections from the Board Chair Wendy Northup I was elected Board chair at the January meeting, so this is my first opportunity to greet members and say how pleased I am to have the opportunity to serve in this capacity. As many of you may know, I was Director of the Peace Center many years ago and have in one way or another been involved with RPEC for all of its 25 year history. So it is particularly meaningful to me to have an opportunity to serve in this our 25 th anniversary year. We began 2004 in a crisis situation, with not enough money to last, as we figured it, through the end of the summer. But because of the support of each one of you, we finished the year in a strong position. Much has changed in the 25 years of RPEC’s presence in the Central Virginia area, but much has stayed the same. We were founded primarily to deal with the issue of nuclear weapons, which in the early 80’s were proliferating at a rapid rate. The danger levels in the world have lessened since those days, when the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists put the nuclear clock at 4 minutes to midnight. But we are now at war on two fronts and there continue to be conflicts around the world that are being settled violently. We have no fewer nuclear weapons and, as RPEC member Paul Fleisher recently pointed out in a Style Backpage, the nuclear threat, while different now, is still very real. And the Richmond Peace Education Center is the only peace center in the state continuing to operate with a staff and office and keep these issues alive. As we begin our next 25 years, I am enthusiastic about our prospects. For one, we have a young, vibrant Board with enthusiasm and energy to give to the work of peace and nonviolence. And we have maintained a stable membership through all these years. So we have older members with history and wisdom and younger members with new ideas and new energy. This is a perfect combination to continue to make a difference in our city, our region, and our world. Look for lots of exciting activities in this 25 th year, including some updates of our logo and other materials. And plan to become even more a part of this adventure in peacemaking by attending events and getting involved as a volunteer. Noah Scalin Dear Friends, I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you once again. The last 2 years as board chair have been an incredible learning experience for me and I am so glad that I have been able to contribute to the current success of the Richmond Peace Education Center. In the time that I’ve been on the board I’ve seen our financial situation go from bad to good, new committees formed, defunct committees reformed, new and exciting pr ogramming developed, and board membership grow. I am very happy to pass the chair on to Wendy Northup. As a former Executive Director of the Center I am sure she will do an excellent job steering the board in the coming year. While I will no longer be chair, I will still be as an active member of the board during our 25 th anniversary year and will continue to serve in the interests of our membership. Yours truly, Noah Scalin, former Board Chair [email protected] This newsletter is printed on recycled paper.
rpecNews Central America Update John Gallini During the 1980’s Central America was a major focus for many RPEC members. The Reagan administration had undertaken a policy of massive intervention in the political affairs of most countries in the region, seeking to prevent any group with socialist or communist agendas from coming to power. Nowadays, one sees almost nothing about the region. In this article, 25 years after the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero in El Salvador, I will try to provide something of an update on the region. A Brief Political History In 1968, the commander of the Panamanian National Guard, Omar Torrijos Herrera, seized control of the government. Although he ruled as a populist dictator, Torrijos Herrera is revered as a hero of Panama because he negotiated the treaty with the United States returning the canal and the Canal Zone back to Panama on January 1, 2000. After Torrijos Herrera's death in 1981, General Manuel Noriega became head of the Panama Defense Forces. When Noriega's party lost the 1989 elections, he refused to cede power and appointed himself dictator. The killing of a U.S. soldier by Panamanian military served as the pretext for a U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989. The invasion occurred just days before the Panama Canal administration was to be turned over to Panamanian control, according to the timetable set up by the Torrijos­Carter Treaties. Still suffering form his beating by Noriega's cronies, Guillermo Endarra, the winner of the 1989 election, finally took office, but corruption and social unrest were hallmarks of his regime. Running with the campaign slogan, "The Canal Is Ours" Mireya Moscoso, the widow of a popular former president and head of the conservative Arnulfista Party, won the presidency in 1999 and celebrated with her people when the year 2000 dawned with the canal finally belonging to Panama. Costa Rica has avoided much of the violence that has plagued much of Central America. Since the late 19 th century, only two brief periods of violence have marred its democratic development. In 1917­19, Federico Tinoco ruled as a dictator, and, in 1948, José Figueres Ferrer led an armed uprising in the wake of a disputed presidential election. The civil war resulting from this uprising was the bloodiest event in 20th­century Costa Rican history, but the victorious junta drafted a constitution guaranteeing free elections with universal suffrage and the abolition of the military. Figueres became a national hero, winning the first election under the new constitution in 1953. Since then, Costa Rica has held 11 presidential elections, the latest in 2002. Costa Rica has been one of the few countries to operate within the democratic system without the assistance of a military. Figueres died in 1990 a national hero, his deeds having set the scene for the social and economic progress that would earn Costa Rica the reputation as a peaceful and stable island of democracy in one of the world's most politically unstable, and often war­torn regions. When civil war broke out in neighboring Nicaragua, Costa Rica was drawn reluctantly into the conflict, its northern zone being used as a base first for Sandinista and later for "contra" forces. In 1986, a young lawyer called Oscar Arias Sanchez was elected president on the platform of peace. Arias' tireless efforts to promote peace in the region were rewarded when the five Central American presidents signed his peace plan in Guatemala City in 1987, an achievement that earned him the Nobel Peace Prize.
Page 3 rpecNews Central America Update A Brief Political History (Continued from Page 3)
Honduras is situated in the middle of the three war­torn countries. It’s politics has been dotted with a variety of dictators, coups and rebellions since it gained independence from Spain in the 19 th century. For the first half of the 20 th century, real power resided with United Fruit Company. In 1980, with the war in El Salvador and the overthrow of Somoza in Nicaragua, the Honduran military accelerated plans to return the country to civilian rule. A constituent assembly was popularly elected in April 1980 and general elections were held in November 1981. Since that election, a series of presidents have been democratically elected every four years. During the Contra war, Honduras served as a base for the guer illas (and was paid generously). In 1990, President Callejas refused to renew the treaty with the U.S. allowing Honduras to be used as a military base and the Contras were evicted. In October 1998, Hurricane Mitch devastated Honduras, leaving more than 5,000 people dead and 1.5 million displaced. Damages totaled nearly $3 billion. International donors came forward to assist in rebuilding infrastructure, and the Honduran Gover nment has been fair ly transparent in the management of relief funds. Page 4 In 1943, with the exception of Costa Rica, Central America was governed by four military dictators, who assured unfettered access for U.S. corporations throughout the region. In 1944 the people of Guatemala forced the resignation of the dictator Jorge Ubico and led to “Ten Years of Spring” during which two popularly elected and reformist presidents initiated a period of basic socio­economic reforms that included land reform. It lasted until 1954 when the U.S., though the CIA, organized a group of Guatemalan military dissidents, trained, armed and funded them, and helped them to plan and carry out a violent coup d'etat against the legally and popularly elected Jacobo Arbenz. A blood bath ensued, peasant cooperatives were destroyed, unions and political parties crushed, and dissidents hunted down. Thousands were killed and many more fled the country. Recently released CIA documents include a CIA hit list prepared before the coup, identifying political and intellectual leaders as military targets. A military dictatorship took control of Guatemala once again which lasted until 1986. The result was a wave of repression carried out by the Guatemalan military against the civilian population throughout the l980s. It left 200,000 civilians dead at the hands of the military death squads, and 440 Mayan villages wiped from the map. The civil war continued for more than thirty­five years, the final peace accords being signed in December 1996. The United Nations sponsored Commission for Historical Clarification, ("CEH"), presented its findings in March 1999. The Commission found that the Guatemalan army had committed some 93% of the total war crimes, and had carried out over 600 massacres. Moreover, the army's counterinsurgency campaign had legally constituted genocide against the Mayan people. The U.R.N.G. forces were charged with 3% of the violations. A key finding of the report was the conclusion that the United States government had directly contributed to this thirty­year genocidal campaign. Elections resumed in 1986 as Vinicio Cerezo Arévalo became president. In the most recent election in 2003, Alfonso Portillo Cabrera of the right wing FRG president was succeeded by Oscar Berger, a conservative businessman from the GANA party. Center­leftist Alvaro Colom made a respectable showing against Berger, and his party UNE won 33 seats in the National Congress (which is still dominated by GANA (49 seats) and FRG (42 seats), out of a total of 158). rpecNews Central America Update A Brief Political History (Continued from Page 4) In Nicaragua, the Somoza family had held power since 1933 when the U.S. marines pulled out after a 20 year occupation. Anastasio Somoza had been “elected” in 1967 and was still in charge until 1979 when a broad based coalition of groups, led by the FSLN, drove him from power. The FSLN (popularly known as Sandinistas), with Daniel Ortega as president, instituted widespread social, political and economic changes. Banks were nationalized, land was redistributed and social services such as health care and education were improved. In the U.S., Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980 and in 1981 all financial aid was cut off and the CIA set up a paramilitary group known as the “Contras”. When the U.S. Congress voted to end aid to the Contras, the Reagan administration found ways to ignore the law and continued the funding. The war had its effect, and while Ortega was elected by a substantial margin in 1985, when he ran for reelection in 1990 he lost to the U.S. backed (and financially supported) candidate Violette Chamorro. The Chamorro victory led to the lifting of the U.S. embargo and the end of the Contra war. But wars take time to heal, and the people of the country continue to struggle. In the two subsequent presidential elections, Ortega has been the FSLN candidate. Both times he has lost to the PLC candidate – in 1996 to the conservative Arnoldo Alemán (who was subsequently convicted of embezzlement and other crimes), in 2001 to Enrique Bolaños who ran on an anti­corruption platform. Still, the FSLN has maintained a significant role in the National Assembly, and in the 2004 municipal elections won 97 of 152 mayoral offices, including the lion’s share of the departmental capitals and other large cities. In El Salvador, the dictator General Hernandez Martinez was also forced from power in 1944, but the result was little change as the military retained power despite the trappings of democracy. In the election of 1972, a reform movement led by José Napoleón Duarte was defeated by widespread fraud. Subsequent protests and an attempted coup were crushed and Duarte exiled. As a consequence, leftist groups capitalizing upon social discontent gained strength. By 1979, leftist guerrilla warfare had broken out in the cities and the countryside, launching what became a 12­year civil war with 75,000 casualties. A cycle of violence took hold as rightist vigilante death squads in turn killed thousands, including Archbishop Romero in 1980, and four U.S. church women a year later. The war continued until 1992, when a peace accord brokered by UN Secretary General Pérez de Cuéllar was signed in Mexico City. The accord called for a 9­month cease­fire, which was never broken. The former guerrilla FMLN evolved into a political party whose greatest success thus far was the election of Hector Silva as mayor of San Salvador from 1997 to 2003. A UN Truth Commission created by the accords to investigate human rights violations during the war found that government forces were responsible for the vast majority of human rights crimes. But the ARENA­controlled government in 1993 rammed through an amnesty law that exempted from prosecution those accused of "political crimes." Elections resumed in 1984 as the civil war continued. Duarte, leader of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) was elected with U.S. support. But subsequent elections brought a series of four presidents from the ARENA party, whose founder was accused of responsibility for the vigilante death squads. During that time ARENA has imposed a strongly orthodox neo­liberal model, which has stabilized the financial situation, but done little to help the poor majority. The 2004 election gave the ARENA candidate, Elías Antonio Saca a 58% victory.
Page 5 rpecNews Central America Update (Continued from page 4)
CAFTA As should be obvious from the historical perspective above, the fate of the people of Central America is controlled to a significant extent by the government of the U.S. The U.S. has consistently used its considerable power to assure that U.S. corporations have free access to Central American markets and resources. Whenever there has been a threat that socialist­leaning candidates might be successful, the U.S. has employed whatever tactics seemed necessary to prevent that. The threat of our intervention or retaliation is a factor in every national election. CAFTA is one more tactic to maintain our dominance. The Central American Free Trade Agreement (known as CAFTA) is a proposed agreement between the United States and five Central American nations (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica and Nicaragua). It was signed May 28, and the next step is a vote in Congress. Its passage would serve to push ahead the corporate globalization model that has caused the "race to the bottom" in labor and environmental standards and would promote privatization and deregulation of key public services. Human Development in Central America So what does all this mean for the Central American people? The UN Development Programme attempts to quantify the quality of life. According to Mahbub ul Haq "The basic purpose of development is to enlarge people's choices. In principle, these choices can be infinite and can change over time. People often value achievements that do not show up at all, or not immediately, in income or growth figures: greater access to knowledge, better nutrition and health services, more secure livelihoods, security against crime and physical violence, satisfying leisure hours, political and cultural freedoms and sense of participation in community activities. The objective of development is to create an enabling environment for people to enjoy long, healthy and creative lives." That’s not easy to quantify. Nevertheless, UNDP provides a composite index (HDI) that measures the average achievements in a country in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, as measured by life expectancy at birth; knowledge, as measured by the adult literacy rate and the combined gross enrolment ratio for primary, secondary and tertiary schools; and a decent standard of living, as measured by GDP per capita in purchasing power parity (PPP) US dollars. Table 1 (page 6) shows HDI and several other indices for Central American countries in 2002. The U.S., Cuba and Haiti are included for comparison. Table 2 (page 6) shows HDI for the past 27 years. Page 6 rpecNews Table 1 Human Development Indices (2002) Country Life Expectancy At Birth Adult GDP Human Population Population Literacy per Development (1990­2002) Living below Rate Capita Index $2 per day (% ages 15 (years) & above) (PPP US$) (HDI) (millions) (% of total) Costa Rica Cuba Mexico Panama El Salvador Honduras Nicaragua Guatemala Haiti United States 78.0 76.7 73.3 74.6 70.6 68.8 69.4 65.7 49.4 77.0 95.8 96.7 90.5 92.3 79.7 80.0 76.7 69.9 51.9 99.9 8,840 5,259 8,970 6,170 4,890 2,600 2,470 4,080 1,610 35,750 0.834 0.809 0.802 0.791 0.720 0.672 0.667 0.649 0.463 0.939 4.1 11.3 102.0 3.1 6.4 6.8 5.3 12.0 8.2 291.0 9.5 ­­ 26.3 17.6 58.0 44.4 79.9 37.4 ­­ ­­ Source: United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Reports, 2005. http:// hdr.undp.org/reports/
T ab le 2 H D I R an k C oun try 45 52 53 61 103 115 118 121 153 H u m an d evelop m en t in d ex 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2002 Co sta R ica 0.745 0.770 0.774 0.791 0.810 0.829 0.834 C uba .. .. .. .. .. .. 0.809 M exico 0.688 0.734 0.753 0.761 0.776 0.800 0.802 P ana ma 0.708 0.735 0.746 0.748 0.771 0.791 0.791 E l S a lvado r 0.590 0.590 0.610 0.648 0.686 0.713 0.720 H o nduras 0.517 0.568 0.599 0.624 0.646 .. 0.672 N icaragua 0.565 0.576 0.584 0.589 0.624 0.643 0.667 G uatema la 0.510 0.546 0.559 0.583 0.613 0.642 0.649 H ait i .. 0.443 0.459 0.455 0.448 .. 0.463 I don’t propose to offer much interpretation – only to point out that having countries in our backyard where over half of the people live on less than $2 a day should not be acceptable. Sources: I have used citations from Wikipedia, an on­line encyclopedia, for much of the early history; envio, a journal published by Jesuits from UCA in Managua; Central America/Mexico Report, from the Religious Task Force on Central America and Mexico, and the United Nations Development Programme for the HDI data (http://hdr.undp.org/reports) Page 7 rpecNews Nonviolence in Central America Judy Bennett Deja Vu All Over Again? Issues of armed brutality and nonviolence, which dominated the news in the closing decades of the last century, surfaced again in recent days in an announcement in The New York Times. On the basis of new forensic evidence found by anthropologists, the Organization of American States will reopen the investigation of the 1981 massacre of more than eight hundred peasants by armed soldiers in El Mozote, El Salvador. The unarmed peasants were accused by US­trained military of sympathizing with guerillas. Of the 271 bodies exhumed so far by forensic anthropologists, most were shot multiple times at close range, and 195 of them were children younger than twelve. Reopening the investigation will not please El Salvador’s current government, which has n ev er c o n d u c t ed i t s o w n independent impartial investigation. Lawyer for the many of the families of the dead, Alejandro Nuno of the Center for Justice and International Law in Washington, D.C., hopes the reopening of the case “may finally provide us what we’ve been unable to get from our own government.” 1 Given that what happened at El Mozote is considered one of the most gruesome events of the twelve­year conflict in that country, it serves to draw our attention once more to the harsh contrast between armed brutality and unarmed nonviolent resistance as a witness for peace with justice in Central America. Historical Background The use of nonviolent action to achieve just ends can be traced throughout history, but it took on greater significance when linked with the mass movement begun by Mohandas Gandhi in 1906, the South African campaign for Indian rights, and later with the Indian struggle for complete independence from the British Empire. Decades later, particularly during the 1960s and 1970s, the people of El Salvador used nonviolence as “one powerful and necessar y element of their s tr u ggl e, ” 2 which i nclu d ed occupations and s it­ ins at universities, government offices, and places of work by Christian communidades de base, labor unions, campesino organizations, and student groups. By 1961, in response to the Cuban revolution, much of Central America experienced waves of violence and repression; by the 1970s civil wars developed in El S a l v a d o r , N i c a r a g u a , a n d G u a t ema la i n r ea ct i o n t o government repression and right­ wing death squads. Meanwhile, liberation theology emerged, the Catholic Church took up the cause of the poor of Latin America, and at their 1968 meeting in Medellin, Colombia, their bishops spoke of God’s preferential option for the poor and committed themselves to solidarity with the people in their struggle for justice. However, the nonviolent struggle for liberation was met by increasing violence. Witnesses and Martyrs Archbishop Oscar Romero appealed to President Jimmy Carter as “a fellow Christian” to pursue nonviolent approaches to the Salvadoran conflict, including the prohibition of all military aid and the prevention of U. S. Military intervention. President Carter never responded to the letter. In his last sermon before he was assassinated while saying mass on 3/24/80, Romero made one last plea to the Salvadoran military: You are killing your own brother peasants . . . We want the government to face the fact that reforms are valueless if they are to be carried out at the cost of so much blood. In the name of God, in the name of this suffering people whose cries rise to heaven more loudly each day, I implore you, I beg you, I order you in the name of God, stop the repression.” 3 Some thirty thousand people attended Romer o’s fu ner al, gunshots and explosions caused panic, and another thirty persons died and hundreds were injured. The following December, four American women ­ Jean Donovan, Ita Ford, Maura Clarke and Dorothy Kazel ­ were murdered by Salvador an soldier s. Other s continued to speak out, nonviolence continued to be met by violence, until almost a decade later, on 11/16/89, came the murder of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter at the University of Central America. (Continued on page 9)
Page 8 rpecNews Nonviolence in Central America (Continued from page 8) Solidarity and Accompaniment Various mass movements in recent decades have employed nonviolence, a tactic to counter the violence of a repressive social system, and it has taken many forms. Among the forms employed in Central America cited above, were several that drew the support of others around the world, particularly North Americans, including many who were willing to travel to Central America to be a part of the struggle. In an interview in Peace Magazine Barbara McQuarrie, repr esenting Peace Br igades International, described that group’s effort. Pointing to the original Gandhian idea to have teams of activists ready to go into any violent situation as a nonaligned peacekeeping presence to mediate, negotiate, and separate the opposing sides, McQuarrie observed that “with more experience in the field, we realized that most conflicts today are not between two countries at war but situations of repression by a government’s military force against its own people,” and “you can’t exactly step into the middle of that” because “violence and r epr ess ion ar e ev er ywh er e, everywhere you want to be.” 4 The solution was to identify people in such situations who are not armed and were working for peaceful solutions, and then to go into that situation to “help protect the little space that they have secured for themselves . . . try to guard that space just by being there and we say, maybe you can push it a bit farther and we’ll be there to offer a little protection,” as representatives of the international community that is concerned about repression and violence. 5 The PBI began working in Guatemala in 1983, in El Salvador four years later. Work in Guatemala included being present with the GAM, an organization of family members of the disappeared, providing around­the­clock escort for the group’s three­member directorate. PBI representatives did not involve themselves in any of the groups organizing activities because “that’s not the nature of our work” but, said McQuarrie, “I spent a lot of time with these women, in their homes and as they went about their daily work. I followed them from place to place and came to understand a lot about their lives. I saw the commitment they were putting into their work, and I saw the stress that it was putting on them.” 6 The PBI did not go into situat ions wit h r eady­ ma de solutions and, noted McQuarrie, “we don’t go in judging what’s happening;” rather, “we go in saying, we recognize that there’s a will to try and get out of this violent conflict, a will to bring about law and to negotiate settlement.” 7 In the case of El Salvador it was armed rebel forces that had been calling for some time for dialogue and negotiations, and did not believe the war could be won militarily, and were not seeking a military victory. Their goal, said McQuarrie, was “to bring the government and the military to the negotiating table.” 8 Several other efforts in this cou ntr y ar e not ewor thy in examining the Central American struggle, among them Voices in the Wilderness, Witness for Peace delegations and the Pledge of Resistance movement. Kathy Kelly, Co­coordinator for Voices in the Wilderness US during the 1980s, described the Pledge of R e s i s t a n c e c a m p a i g n a s coordinating nonviolent resistance to US military interventions in Central America. She describes it as “a broad network of community and faith­based affinity groups pledged that in the event of US intervention in Central America they wou ld eit her commit nonviolent civil disobedience or give support to others who chose to do so.” 9 One of its major strengths, she says, was that it was decentralized, provided local autonomy, while adhering to written, agreed­upon, nonviolence guidelines, and it was understood that local groups could count on national support when it was requested. Some groups focused on National Guard deployments to Central American countries, some focused on congressional offices that were instrumental in providing military funding, and some became war tax refusers who redirected their unpaid federal income tax to t h e P l ed g e o f R es is t a n c e organization to fund its outreach and educational efforts. Kelly notes that there was a great deal of crossover between affinity groups working during the 1980s. The Pledge of Resistance campaign was an effective instrument for the building of (Continued on page 10)
Page 9 rpecNews Nonviolence in Central America (Continued from page 9) community among activists, often bolstered by direct experience with the repression in Central America through travel with groups to communities in those countries, including those located in war zones. One such group, Witnesses for Peace, was especially effective in organizing and sponsoring groups of ordinary citizens to travel to, and stay for varying periods of time, “with Central American commu nities living thr ough warfare, destabilization, and the afflictions of ‘low intensity conflict.’” 10 Does Nonviolence “Work”? The Pledge of Resistance campaign fell short of its potential to make significant difference in US policy, Kelly believes, because its nonviolent actions were not commensurate to the crimes being committ ed. “Hundr eds of thousands of Central American civilians wer e disapp ear ed, imprisoned, tortured, and murdered during the years when the Pledge was most active.” 1 US taxpayers continued to bankroll the operations and most civil disobedience brought a slap on the wrist because those who held governmental, economic and media power understood the “game”: “US peace activists would periodically hold their events and perhaps fill the jails and courts for a day or so. Afterward we would go home and many would continue to pay for the same policies they protested.” 2 Lamenting the fact that efforts were not strengthened to prepare teams for more rigorous risks, i.e., to “financial security, employment, property possession, Page 10 and many presumed privileges, and strategizing for repeated civil disobedience at certain sites,” Kelly pointed out that measures could have been taken to give more practical support to those who were willing to take risks and face the consequences. 13 What, if anything, did the efforts of the campaign and its affinity groups accomplish? Were they successful? Yes, says Kelly, because “many US congresspeople couldn’t dismiss the campaigns in their districts,” and eventually some of them changed their positions on US inter vention in Central America. 1 In addition, the legislative efforts of other peace a n d j u s t i c e g r o u p s w er e strengthened by campaign efforts, and all of the groups learned a great deal about perseverance and about dealing with the media. M ea n w h i l e, n o n v i o l e n t witnesses in the countries of Central America, whether indigenous or imported, served other purposes, and sent messages that could not be ignored by repressive leaders. PBI’s purpose, for instance, is to “confront what’s going on and to break the cycle of violence,” because the violence “is not good for anyone and there has to be another way of addressing the problem. Situations of violent conflict arose from a lot of historical reasons which you can’t change. But as a goal, as a vision, you have to be able to see a time when we won’t need violence to resolve conflicts.” 1 Whether political or military leaders can glimpse that vision is another matter; often they do not. Engaged nonviolence such as was practiced by the Jesuits and their associates, together with their call for a negotiated peace, was beyond the understanding of the Salvadoran military, which reacted with their customary violence. When the squad of soldiers murdered the eight martyrs for peace, the “enemies of war” in McQuarrie’s words, they also “provided the horror, outrage and motivation for reasonable people on all sides to approach the negotiating table and end the violence,” and a year later a peace process had begun. 15 M or e o f t en t h a n n o t , nonviolent initiatives seem doomed to fail in the face of military power, wrote Father Joe Nangle in response to a PBS program about Central America called “Enemies of War.” Those women and men who were murdered by the military “died under the power of an ideal: that bringing an end to armed conflict does not have to mean winners and losers; that might does not make right, that mediation can accomplish what rifles and bombs and gunships fail to do. Their ideal proved so powerful and so threatening to the Salvadoran army that these peacemakers had to be killed.” 17 Does nonviolence “work”? N a n g l e r e s p o n d s , “ W h i l e practitioners of nonviolence may die along the way, the power of their ideal cannot be denied.” 1 He tells about a visit to Washington by Father Jon Sobrino, a surviving member of the Jesuit community at the University of Central America, less than a month after the massacre. Friends who met him fully expected to console a man (Continued on page 11)
rpecNews Nonviolence in Central America (Continued from page 10) who had so recently lost his friends and co­workers but what they heard from Fr. Sobrino was assurance that the martyrs would prevail in the end. With deep conviction he said, “I am convinced that death will not have the final word ­ ­ life will,” to which Nangle adds, the message of those who lost their lives in the cause “is as fresh as today’s gestur e, however small, of tolerance, of understanding and of reconciliation.” 18 1. Urbina, Ian, “O.A.S. to Reopen Inquiry Into Massacre in El Salvador in 1981,” The New York Times, 3/8/05. 2. “History of Mass Nonviolent Action,” <g8­ binder.emmett.ca/process/history­ of­nonviolent­action.html> accessed online 3/11/05, p.1 3. Beck, Sanderson, “Resisting Wars in Central America,” <www.san.beck.org/GPJ30­ CentralAmerica..html>, accessed online 3/11/05 4. Cuneo, Carl, “Peace Brigades and Nonviolence: A Talk with Barbara MacQuarrie,” Peace Magazine, August/September 1988 5. Ibid. 6. Ibid. 7. Ibid. 8. Ibid. 9. Kelly, Kathy, <www.j­n­ v.org/pledge/ kathykelly.htm>,accessed online 3/19/05 10. Ibid. 11. Ibid. 12. Ibid. 13. Ibid. 14. Ibid. 15. Cuneo, op.cit. 16. Ibid 17. Nangle, Father Joe, RPEC Sponsors Candle Light Vigil to Commemorate 2nd Anniversary of Iraq Invasion Ruth Anne Young On Friday evening, March 18, approximately 135 people gathered at the Stone House in Forest Hill Park for a candlelight vigil to pray for peace in Iraq. This was the third vigil at the park. The first was held in March 2003, just prior to the invasion. The second was held in March 2004, on the first anniversary of the invasion. At that time, approximately 500 US troops had died as a result of the fighting. One year later, approximately 1500 US troops have died. Accurate numbers for the number of civilian deaths are hard to verify. We can safely say that it is many times the number of US troops, however. At this year’s vigil, representatives from the Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, and Unitarian­Universalist faiths offered prayers. RPEC Executive Director, Ken Willis, also offered prayers, as RPEC was the sponsoring organization. Musicians John Ramsey and Donna Bain of "Hearts of Sound" returned again this year with favorite folk music and led us in songs of peace. Those present included a local National Guardsman who has served in Iraq, family members of current soldiers, and a wide variety of other individuals seeking to join together to pray for peace. RPEC Board Updates Alisha Gallini, appointed to the RPEC Board at the January 2005 meeting, has resigned, citing concerns over a family health issue. Cathy Woodson was received as a new board member at the March meeting. Other recent board changes were cited in the Jan./Feb. issue of rpecNEWS. The Board currently meets at 7:00 PM at the RPEC office, 400 west 32nd Street, on the first Monday of odd­numbered months. The meetings are open to the Fundraising Committee Membership Committee An Au ct ion/ Annua l D inn er committee has begun planning the 2005 25 th Anniversary event. We have a place (St. Paul’s, again), date (Nov. 11), and commitment from Kar en Murphy, last year ’s auctioneer, to return. We are looking for a person with a knack for photography to take a few pictures at this year’s celebration. If you would like to work with this committee or on any of these events, contact Paul Fleisher (795­ The membership committee and friends were able to send out the annual membership renewal cards. We hope that you have received your letter and have mailed in your membership donation. If you haven't received your letter, please let us know, or if you have a friend or relative who would like to join us, we will happily send them the information. Mim golub scalin, Membership chair (804­353­0217, [email protected])
Page 11 rpecNews Peace Pole Project – 25 in ‘05 Ruth Anne Young Volunteer Opportunities Ruth Anne Young Volunteering at RPEC is a great way to meet new friends who share similar values and dreams. We build a stronger community and increase our achievements when we all work together. A wide variety of volunteer opportunities are available at RPEC. You are sure to find something to fit your skills and interests. If you see something that interests you, please call the office at 232­1002. Our staff will forward your name to the appropriate person, so that you can get the details on each position and get started as soon as possible. We need you! Office Help
· Assist with bulk mailings
· Assist with answering and making phone calls Event Coordination
· Coordinate our printer cartridge recycling program
· Work with the fundraising or program committee to plan and carry out special events
· Work the sales tables at the John McCutcheon concert
· Help organize our spring Annual Meeting/Open House Writing
· Write articles for our bi­monthly newsletter
· Research and write grant proposals Improve our office environment
· Coordinate the painting of our office
· Assist the painting coordinator in painting the office
· Help with office cleaning
· Take waste paper for recycling Organize and Update our Resources
· Catalog our Resource Library
· Index our newsletter articles Become a Conflict Resolution Trainer (requires training & certification) Page 12 Peace poles are four sided posts inscribed with the prayer “Let peace prevail on earth” in different languages on each o f i t s f a c es . According to Peace Pole Makers, USA, there are currently over 200,000 peace poles in over 180 countries. Peace poles are a great way to communicate a group’s commitment to peace to a wider audience. As RPEC celebrates its 25 th anniversary this year, we are asking places of wor s hip and ot her organizations and community groups around Richmond to join in the celebration by participating in the 25 in ’05 project. To participate in this program, groups agree to:
· erect a Peace Pole on their property in honor of RPEC’s anniversary
· make a contribution to RPEC
· commit to holding at least one peace­related activity, such as a conflict resolution workshop, within one year of erecting the Peace Pole
· agree to participate in RPEC's computer printer cartridge recycling program Our goal is to erect 25 peace poles within the Metro area in 2005. We need your help to reach this goal. Members are encouraged to contact their places of worship, schools, and other groups and invite them to participate in this exciting project to spread the prayer for peace throughout our City and Metro area. For more details about how groups can participate, please call RPEC at 232­
rpecNews John McCutcheon Benefit Concert Mark your calendars, now! John McCutcheon, “Virginia’s rustic renaissance man” (Washington Post), five­time Grammy nominee, and long time RPEC supporter, will return for a benefit concert on June 4. Be sure to join us for an evening filled with world­class musical performances, fun, inspiration, and community as we listen to this masterful musician blending traditional music and original material with unmatched ease, grace and power. How often do we have the opportunity gather in support of one another at such a joyous occasion and help raise funds for RPEC at the same time? This is one opportunity you won’t want to miss. Other highlights of the evening will include: ∙ Opening musical performance by the multi­talented May­Lily Lee, local host of PBS’s Virginia Currents ∙ Announcement of the winners of this year’s Peace Essay Contest during the intermission The concert will take place: Saturday, June 4 at 7:30 PM VCU Performing Arts Center, 922 Park Ave. Ticket prices: Adults ­ $20, Students/Children ­ $10, Family max. ­ $50 Call the RPEC office (804.232.1002) today to purchase your tickets or for information on ticket outlets. Just in case you still need some convincing that this is the place to be on June 4, consider some of these reviews: “John McCutcheon is the Bruce Springsteen of Folk Music . . . a national treasure!” ­ The Oakland Tribune “An impressive facet of McCutcheon’s shows is their universal appeal. Folks of all ages flock to his concerts, making the audience a model of diversity.” ­ Daily Barometer, Corvallis, OR “None of the advance publicity could have prepared us for the depth and breadth of his ability.” ­ Lorna Dawes, University Center, Wright University, Dayton, OH “McCutcheon was the multi­instrumentalist wonder, a master at leading into a song with a story.” ­ The Sun, Lowell, MA
Page 13 rpecNews We don’t need your blood, but RPEC is looking for in­kind donations RPEC operates on a very small budget. Therefore, we rely on in­kind donations to supplement financial contributions. All in­kind donations are fully tax­ deductible. RPEC Collecting Ukrops Golden Gift Receipts Are you a Ukrops shopper? Do you use your value customer card? If so, you will receive a Ukrops Golden Gift Certificate for non­ profit organizations in May. RPEC is registered to be a recipient for this program. When you receive your certificate, please consider donating it to RPEC. All you have to do is send it to RPEC at our new location: 400 W. 32nd St., Richmond, VA 23225, and we will receive a donation from Ukrops. This is an easy way to donate to RPEC, without even having to open your wallet! Thanks for your help. Peace Essay Contest RPEC will sponsor a peace essay contest for school children again this year. Details are still being finalized as we go to print. If you are a teacher, after­school worker, or otherwise know of children who would like to participate in this contest, please call RPEC at 232­ 1 0 0 2 t o r ec e i v e d e t a i l s . Information packets should be available by the end of March. Submission deadline is expected to be approximately one month later. Winners will be announced during the intermission of the John McCutcheon concert on June 4. Page 14 Our current needs are listed below. If you can contribute any of the following items, please call the RPEC office at (804) 232­1002 to arrange for delivery. Thank you for your contribution to our work! Current In­Kind Donation Needs:
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
Good quality office chairs for our staff and volunteers (2+)
Digital camera to document our programs
Paint for the office walls and shelves
New computer system
Lap top computer
Desk Lamp
Window Treatments
Area Rug/Chairs/Couch/Floor Lamp to create a comfortable meeting area Board Seeking Nominees for Peacemaker of the Year Award Wendy Northup Last year retired Bishop Walter F. Sullivan received the first annual Peacemaker of the Year award at the Peace Center’s dinner and auction. He was a most worthy recipient to kick off this important award meant to highlight the fact that there are still people doing important work for peace and justice in the Richmond area. This year we hope YOU will get involved in this award by nominating someone you think needs to be recognized. They should have done important work on behalf of peace and justice at either the local, national, international levels or any combination of those. If you know someone who should receive this award send your suggestion to Jane Rosecrans ([email protected])
rpecNews RPEC’S Candlelight Vigil March 18, 2005
Page 15 rpecNews Photos From the Youth Summit on Non­Violence
Page 16 rpecNews Photos From the Youth Summit on Non­Violence
Page 17 rpecNEWS rpecNews
CALENDAR
Meetings of Local Groups Every Sunday Every 3rd Wed. Every 3rd Friday Every Thursday Every 3rd Saturday Every 4th Saturday Every 3rd Sunday Every 2nd Saturday Every Friday Every 3rd Thursday Food Not Bombs, Richmond <Meal Sharing, 4:00 P.M. in Monroe Park. Hotline # 359­ 4880 for details Amnesty International, University of Richmond campus. Contact Ray Hilliard at 289­8289 Sufi Dancing: Dances of Universal Peace, 7:30­9:30 PM except Oct. Round House, Byrd Park. 353­4901 Richmond Organization for Sexual Minority Youth (ROSMY), 7:00­9:00 PM. Call support line: 353­2077 for more information; 353­1699 for the administrative line. Equality Virginia, 12:00 noon at the office. A political advocacy group working towards equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens of Virginia. Open to the public. Contact number is 643­4816. Pax Christi Peace Community ­ Call Paula Powdermaker for details ­ 355­7395 The Richmond, Virginia Buddhist Peace Fellowship ­ holds a meditation vigil for peace in Monroe Park at 1:00 PM. Walk for Peace ­ 9:00 AM ­ 10:00 AM. Meet at the Boulevard entrance of the Virginia Mu­ seum. Wear black. Protest the War on Iraq ­ Noon til 1:00 PM at 10th and Main Streets. Richmond Chapter VADP ­ 7:00 PM at St. Marks Episcopal Church. UPCOMING EVENTS The Ginter Park Presbyterian Church Peace Forum: In April, we will ask the question, "A Future for the Poor?" Place: Ginter Park Presbyterian Church; time: Sundays, 9:30 am Apr. 3 Apr. 10 Apr. 17 Apr. 24 The Bible Speaks about the Poor ­ John Carroll, Prof. of New Testament, Union­PSCE Issues in Poverty: The Human Face ­ Ron Stilwell, Executive Director, CARITAS, Inc. Care for the Poor: A Government Responsibility? ­ Isabel Rogers, Emerita Prof. of Applied Christianity, Union­PSCE Can the Church Do Justice for the Poor? ­ Jamie Dale, Co­President of RISC & Dir. of Admissions, Union­PSCE April 21 "Face to Face with Our Legislators" ­ presented by the Richmond Chapter of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy ­Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. at Reveille U.M. Church; 4200 Cary Street Road, Richmond, VA 23221 RPEC Updating its Website If you visit the RPEC website (www.rpec.org), you might notice some changes. We are in the process of updating and reorganizing the site to make it more useful. Please be patient with us as we go through this process. When we are done, we hope the website will better serve your needs. We will announce the completion of the initial stage of this update in an upcoming newsletter. We will then seek input regarding additional improvements that are needed. Thank you for your patience!
Page 18 rpecNEWS A Summit on Youth Violence (Continued from page 1) Great fun was generated on Saturday, March 5, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Berryman Center in Richmond. With the help of RPEC Board Member Ram Bhagat, teacher at Open High School, and his students, concurrent workshops were set up on: yoga led by his daughter, hip hop dance and graphic arts led by students, and spoken word by Lyric Ave poets. We also had workshops in martial arts by Jack Richford of Aikido in the Fan and on conflict resolution by Ken Willis, with these six participatory topics available in morning and afternoon sessions. About 80 students and adults attended the day’s events, which i n c l u d ed l u n c h , a P o l i c e Department canine demonstration, and culminated with an edu­ concert. Musical groups Drums No Guns and Think performed, then Ram brought the entire audience into the finale, playing drums and percussion instruments, with the hip hop dancers, in a spontaneous vibrant choreography. Relations Commission, Rev. Walter F. Sullivan, VCU Office of Community Programs, Berryman Center for Community Ministries, Community Foundation Youth Philanthropy Project, Food Not Bombs, Drums No Guns, Think. We sincerely thank all those who helped financially. The impressions from attending students was enthusiastic and hopeful for a continuation the workshops, which RPEC/RYPP will be developing. The summit was free and open to the public. The success of the summit was made possible by many, in addition to the hardworking RPEC folks, to i n c l u d e: R i c h m o n d P o l i c e Department, Richmond Human We also thank Mr. James Hickman who accompanied the students from Hood Temple and the many others who attended and participated in the summit’s events.
Richmond Peace Education Center 400 W. 32nd Street, Richmond, VA 23225 Non­Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Richmond, VA Permit #1119