WILPF NEWS
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
East Bay and San Francisco Branches
Work to Advance Peace, Justice and Human Rights
September/October 2025
“Peace is not radical, it’s common sense. We need to normalize peace.”
Anne Henny, East Bay WILPF
To read more about issues that are central to our mission as WILPF members, and to learn about other opportunities for you to get involved, visit the websites that are listed every month at the bottom of the newsletter.
To join with your local WILPF activists, you are very welcome to come to one of our monthly meetings of the East Bay and San Francisco branches. Reply to this email for details. It’s time to step up our work to save our democracy and our planet.
The San Francisco and East Bay Branches
invite you to join us for lunch and conversation
Saturday, October 11, 10:30 am in person at Café La Boheme, 24th and Mission.
WILPF US is moving forward with exciting new leadership, a new website, new programs and campaigns, and hopes to recruit a younger and more diverse membership: re-envisioning the organization to continue to be a strong voice for peace and justice. Our San Francisco and East Bay WILPF branches are proud to be a part of WILPF in this time of transition. We want to share exciting news about the direction of WILPF US in 2025 and beyond, respond to your questions and concerns, and hear your thoughts about the future of WILPF US and our local branches.
We are living in perilous times, and all of us need to support and encourage one another in our struggle for a society that promotes peace, justice and equity. Women united can never be defeated! (All genders welcome)
For more information, directions, or help getting to the event, reply to this email.
Commemorating Hiroshima and Nagasaki at Livermore Lab on August 6
Anne Henny, WILPF Berkeley/East Bay CA Branch
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the devastating US atomic bombings of two Japanese cities: Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, and Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945. Nearly a quarter of a million people died as a result of these attacks, and today, billions remain at risk from nuclear weapons and the toxic nuclear industry.
Members of WILPF East Bay and San Francisco sponsored, planned, and participated in a commemoration on Hiroshima Day, Aug. 6, at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, one of the two locations where all US nuclear weapons are designed. The theme of the event was “80 Years of Nuclear Devastation: Remember Our History, Reshape Our Future.”
Speakers included Dr. Arjun Makajani from the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, Helen Jaccard from Veterans for Peace, Marylia Kelley, Senior Advisor at Tri-Valley CAREs, Reverend Michael Yoshi, who spoke about Japanese Internment during WWII, Reverend Monica Cross from the California Poor People’s Campaign, and activist Patricia Ellsberg.
Peace activists participated in a “die-in” reenactment of the bombing and a symbolic Japanese Bon dance to honor those who perished 80 years ago.
This event was part of many observances taking place across the United States and around the world, reflecting on the horrors of that day 80 years ago while also addressing the nuclear threats we face today. For more details about the event, please read this article.
Voices of Resilience
How We Endure, How We Rise
110 Years of WILPF: Then and Now
Saturday, October 4, 10 am PT
We live in trying times. Voices of Resilience is a special event on October 4th featuring legendary members of Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF US) and young activists serving up hard-won advice, activism and tips on caring for ourselves and our communities, nearly one-year into the US’s autocracy.
You’ll hear wisdom from trailblazers including:
- Robin Lloyd and Jesse Guma, descendants of Lola Maverick Lloyd who co-founded WILPF in 1915
- Betty Burkes, former WILPF US president who worked for the Hague Appeal for Peace
- Ellen Thomas who lived outside the White House for 18 years protesting nuclear war as part of the longest running vigil in US history, which is still active today
- Young activists Margaret Engel and Shelby Young who are mobilizing nationwide on issues ranging from nuclear war to Palestine to LGBTQ+ rights
You’ll also hear about new WILPF US programs and campaigns responding to today’s urgent challenges: for cross-generational leadership, feminist peacebuilding, and bold action against rising autocracy and injustice. Funds raised will support these WILPF US programs working to change the tide.
Tickets to Voices of Resilience are $100 USD per person with an option to donate more to supercharge our efforts, or to pay what you can afford.
The program will be 60 minutes. Speakers will remain in Zoom for 30 minutes after for Q&A.
Season of Change: Re-Envisioning WILPF
Open House Meeting with WILPF US Executive Director Linda Low
Linda Low, new Executive Director of WILPF US, hosted her first monthly Executive Director Open House meeting to discuss the organization’s re-envisioning process and work plan, which included updates on strategic priorities, community engagement, and organizational culture. The meeting covered findings from member surveys and focus groups. Linda presented plans for upcoming mobilization initiatives, discussed fundraising strategies and communications modernization efforts, and emphasized the importance of enabling cross-generational collaboration within the organization.
All of us from the East Bay and San Francisco and the East Bay who were able to attend the meeting were excited about the innovative ideas and renewed energy for the future of our organization. To hear more about the plans for WILPF US moving forward, it’s well worth your time to watch and listen to the September 15th Open House meeting.
Here’s the link. Passcode: rj?1!dLS
“I’m doing everything I can to resist the despair, the burnout. The people I’ve met in peace work are some of the funniest and most joyful people I know. My advice is this: No matter the crisis, it cannot take away joy. No policy can take joy away. Joy is inherently human.”
Margaret Engels, a Young WILPF US member in Syracuse, New York
EXPLORE WILPF TODAY
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WILPF East Bay, P. O. Box 13083, Oakland, CA 94661
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