{"id":10331,"date":"2021-04-25T17:22:26","date_gmt":"2021-04-25T21:22:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/?p=10331"},"modified":"2023-05-01T19:08:15","modified_gmt":"2023-05-01T23:08:15","slug":"enews-spring-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/enews-spring-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"eNews Spring 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #3366ff;\">Welcome to our Quarterly eNews with updates from The Peace Alliance!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">Upcoming Events<\/span><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>2nd and 4th Saturday <span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>Hope Story Circles<\/strong><\/span> 9:00am PT \/ 12 noon ET and all times between and beyond<\/li>\n<li>Second Tuesday, <span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>National Action Call<\/strong><\/span>, 6:00pm PT \/ 9:00pm ET<\/li>\n<li>Third Wednesday, <span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>Department of Peacebuilding<\/strong><\/span> call, 5:00pm PT \/ 8:00pm ET<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Check the <a href=\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/calendar\/\">Calendar of Events<\/a> on the website for connection information for everything!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"message\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>Message from our Managing Director<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Dear Peace Partners,<\/p>\n<p>We find ourselves in a season of shift. Change is inevitable, and can be unsettling for many; it is important to remember that often, some of the biggest feelings of chaos come just before the most impactful times of change. Staying the course, breathing deeply, and taking the next right step in front of you is a strategy that will keep you moving through these extraordinary times.<\/p>\n<p>At the Peace Alliance, we are feeling the changing times as equal amounts of heart-break and hope. Heart-break because so many are processing the deepest level of grief at the loss of loved ones, either through illness or extreme violence. Hope because the level of resonance with the realities of violence and the urgency to make real and lasting change is increasing, especially in those who have felt protected from this violence by privilege and have the power to make the changes so desperately needed. I invite you to recommit to this partnership by supporting the Peace Alliance with a monthly <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classy.org\/give\/161991\/#!\/donation\/checkout\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow\">donation<\/a><\/strong> to sustain and grow the programs we are building and amplifying.<\/p>\n<p>If you find yourself asking what you can do, let us guide you to find the opportunities that resonate with you. While all of us are dedicated to this work, we find ourselves challenged to expand programs like <a href=\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/educate\/teaching-peace-in-schools-virtual-course\/\">Practicing Peace in Schools<\/a>, Truth, Healing, and Reconciliation, and <a href=\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/hope-story-circles\/\">Hope Story Circles<\/a>\u00a0without sustainable support. You can help with this, and we invite you to partner with us by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classy.org\/give\/161991\/#!\/donation\/checkout\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow\">Clicking Here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As an organization, the Peace Alliance is in the process of our own personal inventory of focus to ensure that we are putting our efforts where they will effect the most change. We wish to continue to be a resource where you can come to learn about who is doing the most impactful peacebuilding and how you can get involved to support those efforts. I hope you will clasp virtual hands with me and walk with me into this time of change. It will take all of us to create the peace we want to see and feel in our world. Join me, won\u2019t you?<\/p>\n<p>In Partnership for Peace,<\/p>\n<p>Dee Shanti<br \/>\nManaging Director<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"season\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>Season for Nonviolence &#8211; Onward!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\nFrom Martin Luther King\u2019s nonviolent principle of \u201cseeking to win the friendship and understanding of the opponent\u201d to the Dalai Lama\u2019s statement that he considers nonviolence to be \u201ccompassion in action\u201d, we focused on lessons of nonviolence during the Season for Nonviolence 2021 (SNV) (from Jan. 30 &#8211; April 21).<a href=\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/GandhiPeaceFace-140.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10333\" src=\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/GandhiPeaceFace-140.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"242\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/GandhiPeaceFace-140.jpeg 242w, https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/GandhiPeaceFace-140-129x160.jpeg 129w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 242px) 100vw, 242px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>During this time, we also advocated for a cabinet-level Department of Peacebuilding (DoP\/ HR 1111) and we honored these proponents of nonviolence:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Advocacy. The DoP Act was introduced on 2\/18\/21 by Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13) with timely transformation provisions to address the root causes of violence and root conditions of peace, including a call for a Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Commission and education in peacebuilding practices and social justice movements for in our schools and our communities. The DoP Campaign contributed many updates and language suggestions to DoP 2021. During SNV, a team of approximately 25 DoP Campaign volunteers made hundreds of contacts with potential DoP cosponsors. Other supporters sent messages. During SNV, DoP Campaign volunteers helped bring on 18 (and counting) cosponsors, including many former cosponsors and some new ones.<\/li>\n<li>Education &amp; Honoring. Throughout SNV we honored the lives, examples and teaching of nonviolence practitioners, including: Cesar Chavez, Dorothy Day, the Dalai Lama, Mahatma Gandhi, Dolores Huerta, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Congresswoman Barbara Lee, John Lewis, Nelson Mandela and Eleanor Roosevelt.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Mahatma Gandhi said, \u201cThe future depends on what you do today.\u201d As we move to our Mother\u2019s Day and summer advocacy, please <a href=\"http:\/\/org.salsalabs.com\/o\/696\/p\/dia\/action4\/common\/public\/?action_KEY=23432\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow\">Ask Your Congressperson<\/a> to Cosponsor Dept. of Peacebuilding (HR 1111).<\/p>\n<p>For more information, see <a href=\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/issues-advocacy\/department-of-peace\/\">Department of Peacebuilding<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/117th-congress\/house-bill\/1111?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22HR+1111%22%5D%7D&amp;s=1&amp;r=1\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow\">Department of Peacebuilding Act of 2021<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Peace together,<\/p>\n<p>Nancy Merritt<br \/>\nOn behalf of the National Department of Peacebuilding Campaign<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"field\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>National Field Updates and Coordinator Dan Kahn Transitions Position to Kathy Kidd<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>First, an update on our National Calls: Find Podcast recordings of monthly calls <a href=\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/national-monthly-calls\/\">here<\/a>. <br \/>\nFind our current legislative slate <a href=\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/issues-advocacy\/legislative-priorities\/\">here<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>In <span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>January<\/strong><\/span>, we connected with <strong>Jo Berry<\/strong> &#8211; the founder of &#8220;Building Bridges for Peace.&#8221; 16 years after Jo&#8217;s father was killed by an IRA bomb, she met with the man responsible &#8211; Pat Magee. Their hundreds of conversations since then are at the core of an international movement for healing and understanding.<\/p>\n<p>In <span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>February<\/strong><\/span>, we connected with September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, through <strong>Nancy Meyer<\/strong>, whose younger brother lost his wife on one of those planes on that fateful day. Nancy has transmuted some of the damage done to her family, and created waves for new ways of being with each other. She has raised her voice and borne witness from New York to Hiroshima to the Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba where suspects implicated in the 9\/11 attacks are still awaiting some form of justice.<\/p>\n<p>Our talk explored how this powerful witnessing organization is at work transmuting their sorrows into the world we wish for!!<\/p>\n<p>In <span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>March<\/strong><\/span>, we hosted a panel of educators \u2013 exploring the particular challenges and opportunities facing our teachers.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Linda Ryden<\/strong> is the creator of the Peace of Mind curriculum series &#8211; combining social-emotional learning, conflict resolution, and social justice education for elementary and middle school students.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Kelli Love<\/strong> is a global leader in the Mindfulness in Education field &#8211; a trainer, mentor, and filmmaker promoting yoga and mindfulness in schools.<\/li>\n<li>And, <strong>E.J. Anderson<\/strong> is the Executive Director of On Track Greenville (SC), at the United Way of Greenville &#8211; bringing his distinguished experience as an educator embracing mindfulness into efforts at addressing poverty and ensuring student success.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Our presenter for this panel is our Council Lead for Peacebuilding in Schools &#8211; <strong>Jelena Popovic<\/strong> &#8211; a highly accomplished educator and trainer in her own right.<\/p>\n<p>This month, in <span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>April<\/strong><\/span>, we were joined by Board Chair\u00a0<strong>Terry Mason<\/strong>, and our new National Field Coordinator, <strong>Kathy Kidd<\/strong>! Kathy is a true champion of compassion in action \u2013 bringing her empathy skills, organizing prowess, and social justice and healing passions back into our leadership team. I will be passing the torch to her over the next month, and this call aims to invite a shared exploration of the future visions for our monthly time together.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">It has been a great privilege to organize and host<\/span><\/strong> these monthly call during the past eight years,. The torch was passed to me by Matthew Albracht, who has kept the Peace Alliance flame alight since its inception. I had always been comforted and inspired by the space he created in his hosting, and I tried to emulate and learn from his example. Since I discovered The Peace Alliance in 2005, thanks to Heart, Jeffrey, Tom, Teri, Pranarose, Lynn, and Harris, I have been drawn to deeper and closer connection with the core of it. Something special about TPA, I believe, was and is the prevailing ethos of walking our talk \u2013 along with our emphasis on practical, effective solutions. We ask ourselves, how can I best contribute to building the more peaceful world I envision? What are the tools \u201cout there\u201d that are proven effective, and might fuel sweeping policy changes? And how can I be my best self in advocating for the proliferation of these powerful tools?<\/p>\n<p>The solidarity, support, and inspiration of this community has been immeasurable to me \u2013 because practical hope is one of my most fundamental needs \u2013 and because sharing practical hope is one of my greatest joys. We can grieve together when needed, and find comfort and strength in dark places, and then rediscover the millions of people \u2013 from professional mediators to facilitators to teachers to parents to children\u2026 living and working in ways that do justify our faith, and nourish our commitment.<\/p>\n<p>Kathy Kidd has been a superhero in support of this organization, and I truly could not be leaving this position in better hands. When I was a State Coordinator, Kathy was the National Field Director &#8211; bottom-lining support for our regional conferences, our national conference, and our day-to-day needs for strategy and empathy. The mention of her name, I know, brings sweet smiles and warming hearts to all of the dozens of state coordinators of that period who cherished her care and contribution. I know I am in good company in being thrilled and comforted by her return!<\/p>\n<p>The Peace Alliance has allowed me to grow and learn in ways that I cherish, and I look forward to what our next steps may hold for us all. I will not be disappearing entirely from this landscape, but I am looking forward to some significant shifting of my activities. I do plan to remain actively supportive of the Truth, Healing, and Reconciliation Working Group, and hope to otherwise collaborate in ways we are just beginning to dream up.<\/p>\n<p>With Love, Solidarity, and Many, Many Thanks \u2013 for Trusting me with this Role, and Sharing in this Journey,<\/p>\n<p>Dan Kahn, Former National Field Coordinator<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"Dan\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>We cannot thank Dan The Man Kahn enough for his heartfelt service to building Peace!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Please help us celebrate Dan Kahn for his long-term dedication to the Peace Alliance. He has been a part of the Peace Alliance very nearly since its inception, holding various roles of importance throughout his tenure. He began as a District Coordinator in Florida, and then a State Coordinator. He soon took on the volunteer role of National Field Coordinator, and when The Peace Alliance held an office in Washington DC, he moved to DC from Florida for the opportunity to be a full-time Staff member holding that role.<\/p>\n<p>Dan grew and supported our network beautifully over the years, and brought us into the model of Action Teams, growing our National Monthly Calls to include monthly actions with our guest speakers. He has always been available to any inquiry from individuals interested in learning more about the Peace Alliance. He has continued his role in Restorative Justice in Florida, and has invested in his own training in empathy to better serve our community. His ability to lead our National Monthly Calls with such empathy, gentle direction and enthusiasm, has been a gift and will be missed. We look forward to what the future holds in how he will continue to be a part of the Peace Alliance, as we are counting on his promise to not leave us \u2014 we would not be the same without Dan in our midst, in whatever new form that takes.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"Kathy\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>Welcome Back, Kathy Kidd!<\/strong><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Kathy_Kidd_-_200x200.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10322\" src=\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Kathy_Kidd_-_200x200.jpg\" alt=\"Kathy_Kidd\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Kathy_Kidd_-_200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Kathy_Kidd_-_200x200-80x80.jpg 80w, https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Kathy_Kidd_-_200x200-160x160.jpg 160w, https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Kathy_Kidd_-_200x200-36x36.jpg 36w, https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Kathy_Kidd_-_200x200-180x180.jpg 180w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Peace Alliance is thrilled to welcome Kathy Kidd back to the daily workings of The Peace Alliance as the National Field Coordinator. Kathy is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker living in Houston, Texas. She has had multiple careers including managing a campaign for a U.S House of Representatives candidate, and is currently working as a trauma-informed therapist. She began working with The Peace Alliance in late 2002 when world-wide protests began to prevent the war in Iraq. She searched for peace organizations to volunteer with, and found our campaign to establish a US Department of Peace, now known as the Department of Peacebuilding. She was blown away by its all-encompassing reach and started volunteering for the Peace Alliance, accepting a staff position at the time until 2009.<\/p>\n<p>After being inspired by the numerous volunteers and social workers that fueled the U.S. Department of Peace Campaign, Kathy returned to school and obtained a Master\u2019s Degree in Social Work. She became a social worker to deepen her commitment to social justice and racial equity. She is grateful for the life-changing impact of the years she spent with The Peace Alliance previously, and now feels it&#8217;s time to give back to the organization that gave her so much &#8211; by serving as the National Field Coordinator for a second time! We appreciate your joining us in welcoming her back in her old\/new role.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"language\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>Leveraging Languaging to Humanize The Justice System<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>As a neophyte, then industrious student and eventually a facilitator of Non Violent Communication (NVC) trainings, I have recognized the importance of choosing words carefully. Any types of labeling\/stereotyping is best to be avoided. In my early days of social work, my population of choice was termed \u201cemotionally-disturbed adolescents\u201d now referred to as \u201chigh risk youth\u201d. Back then, I was barely out of my teens and found that label to be an unduly harsh assessment of young people in the throes of navigating their turbulent teen years.<\/p>\n<p>As I began teaching NVC in the county jail and Restorative Justice in a prison in Colorado, I referred to the \u201cinmate population\u201d as our \u201cstudents\u201d or our \u201cmen and women in green\u201d and even as our \u201csisters and brothers inside\u201d &#8211; subtly sensing that I did not have the politically or personally correct words to refer to incarcerated individuals. I connected with my students by using first names and it appeared to be a relief as they mentioned appreciation in being treated as \u201cequal human beings\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Reading The Marshall Project\u2019s new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.themarshallproject.org\/2021\/04\/12\/the-language-project?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter&amp;utm_source=opening-statement&amp;utm_term=newsletter-20210412-2417\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow\">Language Project<\/a> series of articles by former and current incarcerated people re-engaged my background thoughts on languaging in the criminal justice system into the new light of clarity.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cWords like \u201cinmate,\u201d \u201cprisoner,\u201d \u201cconvict,\u201d \u201cfelon\u201d and \u201coffender\u201d are like brands. They reduce human beings to their crimes and cages&#8230;I believe in calling people by their names. If I\u2019m associating someone with prison, I use \u201cincarcerated person\u201d or \u201cperson in prison.\u201d If someone is in jail, I call them \u201cdetained person\u201d or \u201cperson in jail,\u201d but \u201cincarcerated person\u201d can work here, too&#8230;I understand these phrases can be repetitive and clunky for writers. But we have a responsibility to develop ways to describe people that don\u2019t automatically stigmatize them.<\/em>..<em>Stigmas tend to use even the kindest among us as their unwitting weapons.\u201d<\/em> \u00a0&#8212; Lawrence Bartley<\/p>\n<p>In reading \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/bmcinthealthhumrights.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s12914-018-0180-4\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow\">Words matter: a call for humanizing and respectful language to describe people who experience incarceration<\/a>\u201d, I resonated with the conclusion that <em>\u201cthe use of respectful and appropriate language is a cornerstone of reducing harm and suffering when working with people involved in the criminal justice system; the use of stigmatizing and dehumanizing language must therefore come to an end. <\/em><br \/>\n<em>\u201cPeople experiencing incarceration are family and community members, friends, students, teachers, or co-workers. Indeed, as stated by UNAIDS in 1996 at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, \u2018Prisoners are the community. They come from the community, they return to it. Protection of prisoners is protection of our communities.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Awareness of words\/language choices brings power &#8211; and responsibility. We can change our reference words to help and not hurt others in unfortunate and unequal positions. Do No Harm.<\/p>\n<p>By Patty LaTaille <br \/>\nHumanizing The Justice System Lead<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"ohana\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>We Are Ohana<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The Hawai\u2019ian concept of Ohana means many things \u2026 family, connection, compassion, support, love, treating the land with respect, preparing for the generations ahead.<a href=\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Sages2021-FacesComposite-Flt-EM8bit-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright  wp-image-10335\" src=\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Sages2021-FacesComposite-Flt-EM8bit-1030x796.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"385\" srcset=\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Sages2021-FacesComposite-Flt-EM8bit-1030x796.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Sages2021-FacesComposite-Flt-EM8bit-336x260.jpg 336w, https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Sages2021-FacesComposite-Flt-EM8bit-768x593.jpg 768w, https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Sages2021-FacesComposite-Flt-EM8bit-160x124.jpg 160w, https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Sages2021-FacesComposite-Flt-EM8bit-1536x1187.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Sages2021-FacesComposite-Flt-EM8bit-2048x1583.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Sages2021-FacesComposite-Flt-EM8bit-1500x1159.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Sages2021-FacesComposite-Flt-EM8bit-705x545.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 499px) 100vw, 499px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We are Ohana was the theme of the 14th annual CA+ Department of Peacebuilding (DoP) Sages visioning retreat on March 13-14, 2021. In the Hawai\u2019ian tradition, we talked story about ourselves as a family of peacebuilders within the larger human and earth family and how to actualize Ohana. The 16-hour Zoom gathering was also a virtual trip to Hawai\u2019i.<\/p>\n<p>On 3\/13\/21, we talked about:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>our nuclear families\/ friends;<\/li>\n<li>our broader human family;<\/li>\n<li>our animal relatives;<\/li>\n<li>our plant relatives; and<\/li>\n<li>our earth connection.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>On 3\/14\/21, we discussed:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>advocacy;<\/li>\n<li>community building; and<\/li>\n<li>personal growth.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Advocacy included Department of Peacebuilding (DoP), Peace Alliance Blueprint for Peace, lobbying, and Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation. Community building included the faith community, listening to our children, broadening our circles, radical love and the beloved community. Personal growth touched upon staying in the sphere of no fear, forgiveness and finding hope and joy.<\/p>\n<p>We interspersed discussions with DoP kinetics, Qigong, slides from the past, poems, songs, the Global Minute of Silence, peace jokes, quotes, sitar music, guided meditations, a peace prayer, dance and decorating our individual Hawai\u2019ian flowers to add to our Ohana bouquet. And, of course, there was some ukulele music!<\/p>\n<p>We gathered as Sages-in-Training to share our insights and wisdom because of an idea by Thich Naht Hahn who said that the destiny of a nation is too great to leave to politicians. He proposed that the people of the U.S. form a Council of Sages who listen deeply to people who feel they are victims of discrimination, exploitation and social injustice. The Council was to be made up of non-political people who have lived closely with suffering and understand suffering and should also have experience in the practice of reconciliation and peacemaking.<\/p>\n<p>Ohana together,<\/p>\n<p>Nancy Merritt<br \/>\nOn behalf of the CA Department of Peacebuilding Campaign<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/\"><b>About The Peace Alliance<\/b><b><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b><i>Mission:<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b><i>The Peace Alliance empowers civic action toward a culture of peace.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b><i>Who We Are:<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b><i>We are an alliance of organizers and advocates taking the work of<br \/>\n<\/i><\/b><b><i>peacebuilding from the margins of society into the<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><\/b><b><i>center of national discourse and policy priorities.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b><i>We champion a comprehensive, collaborative approach<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><\/b><b><i>to peace and peacebuilding.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to our Quarterly eNews with updates from The Peace Alliance! Upcoming Events 2nd and 4th Saturday Hope Story Circles [&hellip;]<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":10333,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,92,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-homepage","category-quarterly","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>eNews Spring 2021 - The Peace Alliance<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/enews-spring-2021\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"eNews Spring 2021 - The Peace Alliance\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Welcome to our Quarterly eNews with updates from The Peace Alliance! 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