WILPF EASTBAY SF JUNE NEWSLETTER

WILPF NEWS

Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom

East Bay and San Francisco Branches

June 2018

Get involved! Become better informed! Resist!

Work to Advance Peace, Justice and Human Rights

Join the planning team Saturday, July 14, 10-12

Rockridge Library, Oakland

WILPF SUPPORTS THE POOR PEOPLES CAMPAIGN Nonviolent actions every Monday June 18 June 23 12:30- 5pm in Sacramento capitol steps, and in state capitals across the country and in DC. www.poorpeoplescampaign.org. June 18 theme is: “Everybody’s Got the right to Live: Education, Living wage Jobs, Income and Housing. June 23 theme is: “Confronting the disordered Moral Narrative.” This VERY IMPORTANT CAMPAIGN challenges the racism, militarism and economic injustice in this country, and to radically change our government’s priorities from greed and empire to people and human well being. See their bay area Facebook page for info: https://www.facebook.com/ppcbayarea. Or for campaign videos around the USA https://www.facebook.com/search/videos/USA

Save this date Sept 29. Plan to join the WILPF regional Cluster meeting of our branches in Sacramento. This meeting is a Great way to meet other WILPF members

Unable to attend local WILPF meetings? You can join the monthly

National ONE WILPF CALL Thursday June 14,4pm or join an issue committee If you have not yet joined our ONE WILPF calls, add them to your calendar, The second Thursday of each month, at 4 pm. If you would like to participate and you don’t use a computer, call Annie at 510 501-6439 phone link.– ONE WILPF Call: Next one is Thursday, June 14. This will be a public call and will focus on the Poor People’s Campaign. For more information or to rebister: 1WILPFcalls@gmail.com

You can also participate in an issue committees.

Advancing Human Rights/, Corporations v Democracy, Cuba and the Bolivarian Alliance ,
Disarm/End Bolivarian War, Earth Democracy , Boarder. Immigration, Militarism, and the Middle East

To find out more go to http://wilpfus.org/our-work. How to connect info: Disarm/End Wars and Advancing Human Rights call Barbara Neilson 415 430-5873: Earth Democracy call Nancy Price (503) 758-0726; Middle East call Barbara Taft 408 380-6325; Corporations v Democracy call Marybeth Gardem 863 651-4888; Cuba, women and Bolivance, Boarder, Immagration and militarism email Melissa Torres melissa.i.torres@gmail.com.

WILPF EASYBAY Joins COUNTER RECRUITMENT IN THE SCHOOLS

For more information explore: National Network Opposing Militarization of Youth’s excellent link /www.nnomy.org WILPF is looking for members who might like to join us this fall in working with Veterans for Peace presenting in local high school classrooms. Reply to wilpf@wilpfeastbay.org In addition to the nnomy link. Army of None by Aimee Allison and David Solnit is a good read on this subject.

International WILPF Congress in Ghana: WILPF-US is getting ready for the Congress August 20-22. We have 5 voting delegates attending, including Pres. Mary Hanson Harrison and Darien “DeLu”; plus 5 non-voting alternate delegates, including Barbara Nielson. as WILPF-US Program co-chair. It will be held at the University of Ghana in Accra. Members are welcome to attend.

WILPF International speaks out on austerity reform policies and their affect on women WILPF submission to the UN: impact of economic reform policies on women’s rights April 17, 2018 In response to the call by the UN Independent Expert on foreign debt and human rights for contributions on the impact of economic reforms and austerity measures on women’s human rights, WILPF made a submission drawing from WILPF reports on Ukraine, Germany and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Restricting women’s meaningful political participation: The far-reaching implications of impeding women’s economic and social rights The Independent Expert invited stakeholders to provide analysis about the impact of economic policy reforms on, inter alia, the political participation of women. The ability for women to participate and influence the decision-making processes is intimately linked and interdependent with their ability to enjoy economic and social rights. The failure to allocate sufficient resources and funds to cover social and economic rights has been perhaps the most serious and persistent obstacle to women’s participation over the past 15 years. Only two percent of aid to peace and security for fragile states in 2012-2013 targeted gender equality; and Member States have begun only limitedly to integrate gender equality into national budgets, with significant cuts in public health and social services-related expenditures. Cuts in social services will disproportionately affect women because in general women are more dependent on public resources to support their productive labour. In addition, austerity measures affect the economic independence of women, confine them to traditional gender roles and tend to not only aggravate economic violence against women in intimate relationships but also tend to prevent them from being part of an active civil society community. For more see https://wilpf.org/wilpf_statements/wilpf-submission-impact-of-economic-reform-policies-on-womens-rights/

– Divest from the War Machine: This campaign is led by Code Pink with over 80 coalition partners including WILPF-US. See https://www.divestfromwarmachine.org/ Anyone can sign on/pledge as an individual and/or reprersentative of WILPF-SF or East Bay
Also, see great article by Medea Benjamin on this, esp. the lobbying by military weapons companies of both Republicans and Democrates:
https://www.nationofchange.org/2018/06/08/how-the-war-industry-corrupts-the-us-congress/
This effort is complementary to WILPF International’s #MOVETHEMONEY campaign.

Low yield nuclear missiles
Congresswoman Barbara Lee announcement re HR 5895, an Energy and Water Appropriations bill that she opposes because of low yield nuclear missiles as part of it.

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement on the defeat of her amendment to defund the $65 million allocated for low-yield nuclear weapons:

“There is no such thing as a small nuclear weapon. Spending $65 million on a low-yield nuclear weapon – with unprecedented submarine-launch capability – heightens the risk of nuclear war. We should be de-escalating tensions with our allies, not provoking a new nuclear arms race.

“I am disappointed that Congress rejected this amendment, which would have directed these funds to nuclear nonproliferation accounts. This program is critical to reducing the spread of nuclear weapons here at home and abroad. Instead of sinking more money into nuclear weapons that don’t enhance our national security, we should be preventing the proliferation of nuclear material and enforcing the treaties and arms control agreements on the books.

“Given the instability in the world and in this White House, provoking nuclear brinksmanship is beyond reckless. Congress should be building peace and diplomacy, not inviting a miscalculation with nuclear consequences.” for more info and an excellent link go to nuclearban.us

– Medea Benjamin in Berkeley, June 15, 6:30 pm at BFUU Fellowship Hall, 1924 Cedar St. speaking on her new book, Inside Iran: The Real History…organic vegetarian pot luck , musician Betsy rose , information on divestment campaigns. Donation $5-$10
Anti-war Leafleting: Join us on Wednesdays from 11:30–Noon at the Grove St. entrance to SF Main Library. Call Betty to confirm, (415-931-1126)