WILPF NEWS
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
East Bay and San Francisco Branches
Work to Advance Peace, Justice and Human Rights
JUNE 2023
DON’T MISS THIS IMPORTANT EVENT:
You are invited to a virtual Peace Talk hosted by the
San Francisco and East Bay Branches of WILPF:
PFAS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT “FOREVER CHEMICALS”
Tuesday, June 27th 6-7:30pm
Register for this free program by emailing btraynor@att.net
and the zoom link will be sent to you. Please include your name.
Most of you have already received an email announcement of our upcoming Peace Talk on PFAS, pervasive and highly toxic “forever chemicals”.
Marguerite Adelman is the program presenter. Marguerite is Coordinator of the Vermont PFAS/MilitaryPoisons Coalition. She will talk specifically about PFAS in California and in the Bay Area. She will offer ideas about what actions we can take to stop their use to protect our communities and environment from these poisonous chemicals. There will be time for questions and discussion.
Please join us on Tuesday, June 27. Register today by emailing btraynor@att.net
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT STARTS NEW “MIAMI MUJERES” BRANCH
Eva Egozi, a high school Sophomore, recently started our newest WILPF branch in Miami, Florida. We want to warmly welcome her and her branch members to our organization. Here is an excerpt from the article she wrote for the WILPF US website
Through the years, I have found myself observing new policy changes and violence in the world through a feminist lens. I have witnessed how feminism works in international relations, and looked at the root causes of violence from a feminist perspective. The time spent doing such research was what ultimately ignited my passion to bring an organization like WILPF into my community.
Once I understood the change I wanted to see, I noticed that there were young women like me who had the fervor to develop something bigger than ourselves, something that would make an immense imprint on our community. After recruiting members who were eager to join the cause, I researched and found myself in contact with leaders at the head of WILPF US who were more than willing to lend me a helping hand. Without their generous offerings and endless amounts of help and guidance, the Miami Mujeres branch would have never been capable of getting off the ground.
Furthermore, when naming the branch, I wanted to tie WILPF back to something that related to my community’s heritage. As a Cuban woman, I felt Miami Mujeres was an incredible fit for a chapter that is inclusive to anyone of all ethnicities, races, and more.
Lastly, the branch is currently getting in contact with a multitude of sexual harassment/ assault shelters for women and children across the Florida community. With the help of the Miami Mujeres branch, packages filled with a myriad of necessities for the women and children living in these shelters will be delivered. We hope to instill joy, stand in solidarity, and instill lasting change into the community in any way we can.
SAVE THE DATES!
There will be a virtual/zoom Gathering August 16th and 17th, in the evening hours to introduce WILPF board and staff to the membership on the first night, and introduce Branches on the second night. Look for E-Alerts about the event.
DISAPPOINTING G7 STATEMENT ON NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT
MEANS WE MUST DOUBLE OUR EFFORTS
by Cherrill Spencer and Ellen Thomas
Co-chairs, DISARM/End Wars Issue Committee
The anti-nuclear weapons international community took many actions to influence the political leaders who held their G7 meeting in Hiroshima May 19-21, 2023, and the Japanese Prime Minister, who was the host, had made it one of his goals for the G7 meeting participants to consider their next steps on nuclear disarmament. And the outcome?: The G7 statement, posted here, was most disappointing.
It mentions the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) but omits taking action on its Article VI which obliges states to enter into serious negotiations leading to global nuclear disarmament. The last paragraph “…welcomes other initiatives that support the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women in addition to the engagement of civil society in disarmament and non-proliferation processes.” But there is no mention of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), or their G7 youth summit held in Hiroshima, or the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) which was largely driven by women’s participation. No mention of the hibakusha the G7 leaders met in Hiroshima. A very shortsighted vision we say; it is just a restatement of the status quo.
All the more reason for WILPF members to work harder on getting more co-sponsors for H.R.2775 which states “To direct the United States to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and convert nuclear weapons industry resources and personnel to purposes relating to addressing the climate crisis, and for other purposes.” We are a member of the coalition called “Localities and Legislators” (L&L) which focuses on legislation about nuclear weapons, and we welcome WILPF members to join us on its planning committee. Write to disarmchair@wilpfus.org if you would like to join L&L or any of the several ongoing DISARM campaigns.
In Memoriam: Daniel Ellsberg
April 7, 1931-June 16, 2023
excerpted from a letter by Mike Hersch, Progressive Democrats of America
Daniel Ellsberg personified so much of what is best in humanity. A person of deep compassion and abiding principles, this warrior Marine turned peaceful paladin risked his career, his freedom, and more. All to sound a clarion call against criminal acts of war that were committed in our name.
By conveying “The Pentagon Papers” to the major media outlets of that day, he laid bare the lies underlying the barbaric, indefensible violations of basic human decency committed by a U.S. government obsessed with prosecuting an illegal, imperialistic, undeclared war.
If that were all he did to further the causes of transparency, accountability, and peace, that would have been more than enough. Yet this champion, this paragon, this undaunted voice of reason devoted the rest of his life to saving the lives of others. This, by opposing nuclear weapons, speaking out against aggression, and setting an unattainable but still inspiring example for every one of us.
Daniel Ellsberg was not just a great person. He was also profoundly kind, patient, considerate, and humble. His revelations exposing the illegal clandestine machinations of our government are beyond valuation and without equal, and so are his countless other contributions to our shared knowledge and, from these, our ability to understand the immeasurably high stakes we face as peace activists.
As the saying goes, “We shall never know his like again.” That’s true, but thanks to his tireless struggles for peace and his mentoring of each subsequent generation of activists, we’re empowered to carry on in his unfathomably formidable footsteps. And for all of this and so much more, we all owe Daniel Ellsberg a deep debt of gratitude.
EXPLORE WILPF TODAY
www.WILPFEastBay.org or www.WILPFSF.org
WILPF East Bay, P. O. Box 13083, Oakland, CA 94661
WILPF-SF, P. O. Box 590253, San Francisco, CA 94159
https://www.facebook.com/WILPFEastBaySanFrancisco/
National WILPF www.wilpfus.org
International WILPF: www.wilpf.org
PEACEWOMEN and REACHING CRITICAL WILL