6/23/12

Dear UJP Activist,

Summer has begun and UFPJ member groups are sizzling with energy and anticipation for the months of planning and action ahead for peace and justice! This past fall, we had the birth of occupy, this spring was a time of rebuilding for social movements, and now this summer it’s time for action. Major items UFPJ will be working on are Nuclear Free Future Month, and brining a real message of peace, justice and prosperity to the RNC and DNC, plus so much more.

The struggle for peace and justices is not only about stopping the occupations in the Middle East and resisting war.  We are reminded of this truth by Nobel Laureate Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma (Myanmar), who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 but could not personally accept it until last Saturday because for 15 years she was under house arrest by her government. In her Nobel lecture she tells us, “War is not the only arena where peace is done to death.”

Her words are true for Burma and for us here in the United States. People across the country are feeling the heat of discontent and the need for change. There is nothing peaceful or just about the economic conditions we face. We must continue to build alliances and make real change for justice and peace here at home! The struggle is an all-inclusive endeavor and the phrase no justice no peace is more than a slogan. It is an axiom that we must keep at the center of our thinking to win the struggle for peace and justice.

Don’t forget to drink plenty of water and wear a hat for this summer of discontent and change. The peace and justice community is in the thick of it. I look forward to seeing you in action.

Obama Stops the Deportation of Dreamers! 

We Welcome Promise to Stop the Deportation of (Some) Young Immigrants

We welcome President Obama’s decision to stop the deportations of over a million immigrant youth who may be eligible under terms described today. We hope this will be a first step towards ending the punishment of all undocumented immigrants and the separation of families (read more)

Nuclear Disarmament/Redefining Security

Nuclear Free Future Month

United for Peace and Justice has declared August Nuclear Free Future Month – a month of education and action for a world free of nuclear weapons and nuclear power! In the near future we will be launching a website, where you can add events to our calader, view a variety of action ideas and educational resources. Stay tuned for the website launch!

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U.S. Conference of Mayors Adopts Strong New Mayors for Peace Resolution

At the close of its 80th annual meeting in Orlando Florida, on June 16, 2012, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) unanimously adopted a strong, comprehensive, new Mayors for Peace resolution Calling for U.S. Leadership in Global Elimination of Nuclear Weapons and Redirection of Nuclear Weapons Spending to Meet the Urgent Needs of Cities.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the national association of cities with populations over 30,000. Resolutions adopted at its annual meetings become official USCM policy.

Read the full story, including a link to the text of the resolution, here.

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Thirty Years Ago Today, at the Nuclear Freeze Rally in Central Park, We Saved Ourselves From Ourselves

On June 12, 1982, 30 years ago today, perhaps as many as one million people gathered in New York City's Central Park. They demanded the removal of the "nuclear sword of Damocles," that President John F. Kennedy two decades earlier had seen poised, "hanging by the slenderest of threads," over the heads of every human being alive (and uncountable multitudes not yet born). Read More

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Enviroment

Stop the Frack Attack

Stop the Frack Attack is the first-ever national action on fracking!

Join us in Washington, DC from July 25-28.   

Rally on the US Capitol and march the DC streets on Saturday, July 28 or come early for training, a lobby day and an activists' gathering with strategy sessions and a town hall meeting. 

For a complete schedule of events, see http://www.stopthefrackattack.org/schedule/ 

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Fracking, Climate Action, and July 28th 

There are two energy-related issues that have generated significant popular movement over the past year: the movement in opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline and tar sands oil extraction, and the movement against hydraulic fracturing of deep-underground shale to extract natural gas.  Read More

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Human Rights

We Can End AIDS

We deserve a world in which the lives and health of our communities are prioritized over corporations and ideology. Yet we see the opposite across the United States, in Washington, DC, and throughout the world. We have the science, the treatment, and the resources to end the AIDS epidemic, but not the political will. We demand change. When the world comes to Washington, DC in July 2012 for the International AIDS Conference, join people living with HIV and HIV/AIDS organizations, unions, student groups, faith communities, and other activists as we mobilize to fight AIDS and for economic justice!  Read More

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Support Palestinian footballer – Mahmoud Sarsak!

As you enjoy the Euro2012 games please give thought to Sarsak, a skilful footballer who once played for the Palestinian National team. He urgently needs your support as he now tackles with death at the hands of the oppressive Israeli regime. Mahmoud Sarsak is now reaching his 92nd day of hunger strike- the longest hunger strike undergone by a Palestinian Political prisoner. Due to the prolonged suffering to his body and immune system his health is deteriorating rapidly and his condition is now more critical than ever. Read More

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