{"id":6214,"date":"2017-12-03T10:17:35","date_gmt":"2017-12-03T15:17:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/?p=6214"},"modified":"2017-12-03T10:17:55","modified_gmt":"2017-12-03T15:17:55","slug":"san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/","title":{"rendered":"Letters to DC: San Diego Community Implores Legislators to Make Peace a National Priority"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><em><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-6215 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/1SDGrpLincolnMemorial10-7-17EM-0388-336x266.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"336\" height=\"266\" srcset=\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/1SDGrpLincolnMemorial10-7-17EM-0388-336x266.jpg 336w, https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/1SDGrpLincolnMemorial10-7-17EM-0388-1030x815.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/1SDGrpLincolnMemorial10-7-17EM-0388-1500x1186.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/1SDGrpLincolnMemorial10-7-17EM-0388-705x558.jpg 705w, https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/1SDGrpLincolnMemorial10-7-17EM-0388-450x356.jpg 450w, https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/1SDGrpLincolnMemorial10-7-17EM-0388-768x607.jpg 768w, https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/1SDGrpLincolnMemorial10-7-17EM-0388-771x610.jpg 771w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 336px) 100vw, 336px\" \/>\u201cAs a child born during the horrific times of the Vietnam War in 1969, I am all too familiar with what it is like not to experience peace or freedom and live in an era of unrest!<\/em><\/strong><em>I lived in two different Vietnamese orphanages up until age 41\/2 and at age 48,\u00a0<strong>I am still physically and emotionally scarred by the devastation four decades later<\/strong>\u00a0\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/em>said\u00a0Lan E. Jefferson, Founder of All In San Diego Advocacy Group.<\/p>\n<p>Leading up to the Department of Peacebuilding Campaign\u2019s Advocacy Days in Washington, DC, San Diego students and community leaders, and a student from Los Angeles wrote heartfelt letters to members of Congress imploring them to\u00a0<strong>prioritize peace<\/strong>\u00a0and establish a cabinet-level Department of Peacebuilding (DoP) now.\u00a0 We delivered those messages to over one hundred Representatives and Senators in October.<\/p>\n<p>Students in San Diego and Los Angeles, CA, San Diego City Council President Myrtle Cole, e3 Civic High School CEO Helen Griffith, Bishop George D. McKinney, All In San Diego Founder Lan E. Jefferson, Grandmother Cynthia Gilliam, and Daniel Horton asked us to deliver their message that\u00a0<strong>peace is urgent<\/strong>.\u00a0 Some of these students and community leaders also traveled to Washington, DC, and took part in the\u00a0<strong>Million Youth Peace March<\/strong>\u00a0on October 7, 2017.<\/p>\n<p>When the Department of Peacebuilding Campaign visited Congress, we said to our legislators, \u201c<strong>When our children ask, \u2018Did you help create the Department of Peacebuilding?\u2019\u00a0 What will you say?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>We traveled to Washington, DC shortly after the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi (October 2) to deliver messages from the children and young people of America and their supporters that it is past\u00a0<strong>time to create a culture of peace and a cabinet-level Department of Peacebuilding<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0<em>It is time to listen to our children and to make peace a national priority.<\/em>\u00a0 Mahatma Gandhi said, \u201c<strong>If we are to reach real peace in this world, we shall have to begin with the children.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I.\u00a0\u00a0Never Experienced Peace<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lan E. Jefferson, Founder of All In San Diego Advocacy Group, wrote that as a child in Vietnam she experienced the violence of war there and that as an adult is she is still scarred by that violence.\u00a0 Some of the San Diego students wrote that they have never experienced peace. \u00a0\u201cThere has\u00a0<strong>not been a definite world of peace for my generation<\/strong>\u00a0\u2026 \u201c (Salome Montoya)\u00a0 \u201c<strong>Violence is part of our lives<\/strong>\u00a0\u2026\u201d (Jahi)\u00a0 One said, \u201c<strong>Life without peace would not last<\/strong>.\u201d (Nayely Mendoza)<\/p>\n<p><strong>II.\u00a0\u00a0Peace Is A Right<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In her letter urging Congress to create a U.S. Department of Peacebuilding, Lan Jefferson said we always have a choice to do the right thing.\u00a0 \u201cPeace is a right for everyone! \u00a0\u2026 When I think of the right to peace, it includes having the right to both physical and emotional peace\u00a0<strong>\u2026\u00a0<\/strong>to physically be at peace with our country, our neighbors, and among ourselves, but also to be at a peaceful state of mind &#8230; In order to live peacefully among one another and help our country prioritize (ending terrorism, shutting down gang violence, establishing friendly borders, making peace a way of life, empowering peace as a state of mind, etc.), we have to be the ones to set the climate (tone, theme, agenda, etc.) for our country of wanting and needing to be a country of peace \u2026 \u201c<\/p>\n<p><strong>III.\u00a0\u00a0About Peace \u2013 From High School Students<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Students from San Diego (e3 Civic High) and Los Angeles (El Camino Charter High School) wrote:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0\u201c\u2026 peace means \u2026\u00a0<strong>freedom to speak my mind<\/strong>.\u00a0 Peace should be accessible to all people.\u00a0 It\u2019s a word that brings no violence or death.\u201d \u00a0(Tania Lloyd)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cPeace is \u2026\u00a0<strong>being safe in my opinion<\/strong>.\u201d (Raymond Reynoso)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cPeace is\u00a0<strong>freedom for everyone to feel<\/strong>, and to have respect [for] one another to show care \u2026\u201d (Destiny Santos)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cMy mother was young when she had me \u2026 had to make money in a different type of way like prostitute, she really didn\u2019t have an education \u2026\u00a0<strong>I learned how to release my anger by writing song, rapping and poetry<\/strong>.\u00a0 This is how I found my peace \u2026&#8221; (Nicey G)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cOur lives could be better if everyone related to each other in a nonviolent way because if you think about it,\u00a0<strong>most problems start because of one person being angry at something or someone<\/strong>\u00a0\u2026\u201d (Daliah Nunez)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cPeace \u2026 This five-letter word could be the\u00a0<strong>very fine line between life and death for many<\/strong>\u00a0\u2026 Peace is a world without violent conflicts, but rather, a place where everyone is cared for, and always has what is needed and provided for.\u00a0\u00a0<strong>Lives would change because greed would be eliminated, and needs would be fulfilled<\/strong>.\u201d (Ruth Fariscal Adordionicio)<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u201cPeace means\u00a0<strong>preventing violence<\/strong>\u00a0\u2026 like fighting, bullying, or calling each other names or anything that has to do with making people feel bad or scared.\u201d (Unsigned)<\/li>\n<li>\u201c\u2026 peace means no war, no racism and no sexism \u2026 there would be less stress and more freedom.\u00a0\u00a0<strong>EVERYONE will be more relaxed and calm and fun\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 it\u2019s like peace will be our high.\u201d (Heavynn Farnum)<\/li>\n<li>\u201c\u2026 peace means\u00a0<strong>worldwide love<\/strong>\u00a0\u2026 if we lived in a world filled with peace, then the holocaust wouldn\u2019t have happened, slavery wouldn\u2019t have happened, bullying wouldn\u2019t be a thing \u2026\u201d (Shefaa Abdalla)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cIf we lived in a world without hate, I can tell you one thing for sure \u2026 the\u00a0<strong>world would be such a better place.<\/strong>\u201d (Melani Gutierrez)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cPeace \u2026 people would not have hatred in their hearts, we would be\u00a0<strong>more forgiving, caring, generous, kind, understanding, loveable, positive,\u00a0<\/strong>etc.\u00a0 Peace is awesome.\u201d (Samantha Toledano)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>\u201c\u2026 peace can bring\u00a0<strong>kindness, happiness<\/strong>\u00a0and a lot of beautiful things.\u00a0 Peace can make things different such as no fighting \u2026\u201d (Sandra Torres Hernandez)<\/li>\n<li>Peace is the\u00a0<strong>ever flowing of communication, caring, giving, understanding, forgiveness and love<\/strong>.\u201d (Cierra Cloud)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cAs long as we stop violence like killing, torture and rape from being passed on to the next generation \u2026 then the\u00a0<strong>human race might still have a chance at worldwide peace<\/strong>.\u201d (Unsigned)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>IV.\u00a0\u00a0About a Department of Peacebuilding &#8211; From High School Students<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>San Diego and Los Angeles high school students also wrote:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201c<strong>I have never lived in a world where the US was not at war<\/strong>\u00a0\u2026 By empowering younger people with a pencil and not a weapon, we pave the way for advancement in science and medication \u2026 if we put aside some for a Department of Peacebuilding, then we can\u00a0<strong>focus on how to help not only ourselves, but also underprivileged countries<\/strong>\u00a0\u2026 &#8221; (Marilees Conde-Kalmijn)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cThe lives of my family, the lives of my friends, the life of mine \u2026 it would all be better if we could all just sit down and have a restorative circle \u2026 a\u00a0<strong>Department of Peacebuilding is important to my peers and I because it will teach us how to have integrity and leadership\u00a0<\/strong>\u2026\u201d (Jason Coleman Jr.)<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u201c\u2026 a department of Peacebuilding is important because they want to create peace all over the world by\u00a0<strong>stopping every violent thing that is going on<\/strong>\u00a0[in] the world today.\u201d (Gabriel Givens)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cWe would benefit from a dedicated department that spent its time\u00a0<strong>developing and promoting peace instead of war<\/strong>.\u201d (Emily Jones)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cPeople having peace is the whole point of the Department of Peacebuilding \u2026 The main point of peace is everyone not arguing,\u00a0<strong>everyone understanding why violence is not the option<\/strong>\u00a0and rather to talk about things or protest in a nonviolent way.\u00a0 Peace is having the freedom of choices without being prosecuted for having your own opinion because everyone deserves a chance to be open with their thoughts and\u00a0<strong>when someone has the opposite opinion, to talk about it peacefully<\/strong>.\u201d (Edwin Garza)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cPeace is the\u00a0<strong>best medicine for the hatred<\/strong>\u00a0\u2026 I\u2019d like to thank the Department of Peacebuilding for its hard work.\u201d \u2013 Tia Lorennij<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>V. \u00a0About Peace and a DoP &#8211; From Concerned San Diego Citizens<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Concerned San Diego citizens wrote:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>About the Department of Peacebuilding, \u201cAs a grandmother, I say you have let our children down in a time like this.\u00a0 We need peace not hate \u2026 This is what I call\u00a0<strong>a 911 Call to Congress for our youth\u00a0<\/strong>\u2026 we the people need you to move this into law for our youth in a Diego and for youth everywhere in this Nation \u2026\u201d (Cynthia Gilliam, Grandmother)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cI want a world with more peace, unity and acceptance \u2026 [students] were born to make a difference and to be a positive change in this world \u2026 I urged my students to\u00a0<strong>celebrate all people.\u00a0 That is what a Department of Peacebuilding is about<\/strong>.\u201d (Helen Griffith, Ed.D., CEO at e3 High School)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cIt is through peace that economies can flourish, communities can come and grow together, love is made stronger, minds are healed, bodies are healed, and above all, the world is made stronger \u2026 A\u00a0<strong>Department of Peacebuilding will save lives, families, communities, and money.\u00a0 More importantly, it is the right thing to do.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0(Daniel Horton, Concerned Citizen)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>VI. \u00a0About Peace and a DoP &#8211; From San Diego City Council President<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>San Diego City Council President Myrtle Cole wrote, \u201cDuring this time of divisiveness and intolerance, it is important to work for a culture of nonviolence and inclusion.\u00a0\u00a0<strong>We owe this to our children and ourselves<\/strong>\u00a0\u2026 Please support the children of San Diego and young people throughout our national by cosponsoring Department of Peacebuilding legislation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>VII. \u00a0Encouraging Congress to Do the Work of Peace \u2013 From Bishop McKinney<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Bishop George McKinney, Ph.D., D.D. wrote, \u201cI am sending this communication in support of the initiative to establish a United States Department of Peacebuilding. I have been in ministry for 70 years and have served as the Senior Pastor of St. Stephen\u2019s Cathedral Church of God In Christ for 55 years this month.\u00a0 I have had a lifelong personal commitment to peaceful living and peacebuilding. As an active member of the community in which I have lived for 58 years,\u00a0<strong>I am often called upon during times of turmoil and distress to be a voice for reason and peace<\/strong>.\u00a0<strong>It is such a rewarding work! I would like to encourage you and the other members of Congress to continue this work<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAn official, Cabinet-level position of Secretary of the\u00a0<strong>US Department of Peacebuilding will go a long way to create an environment that chooses peace over chaos, love over hate and friendship over enemies<\/strong>. We certainly applaud the individual efforts of the many Americans who have made a personal commitment to peace. However, I believe now is the time to do more. The world has always looked to the United States to provide leadership in this and other areas like it. We can definitely make a difference in the world when we work together,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>VIII.\u00a0\u00a0It Is Time<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It is time to make peace and peacebuilding a national priority.\u00a0 As one student wrote, \u201cA US Department of Peacebuilding would assist in\u00a0<strong>bringing humanity back to being human<\/strong>.\u201d (Dalilah Nunez, 11th Grade)\u00a0 Another said,\u00a0<strong>\u201cCONGRESS PLEASE STAY WOKE &#8211; LISTEN TO WHAT WE HAVE TO SAY\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0(Nicey G, 11th Grade)<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Nancy Merritt<br \/>\n On Behalf of the National Department of Peacebuilding Committee,<br \/>\n Department of Peacebuilding Supporters<br \/>\n And the San Diego Peacebuilding Community\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/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>Leading up to the Department of Peacebuilding Campaign\u2019s Advocacy Days in Washington, DC, San Diego students and community leaders, and a student from Los Angeles wrote heartfelt letters to members of Congress imploring them to\u00a0prioritize peace\u00a0and establish a cabinet-level Department of Peacebuilding (DoP) now.\u00a0 We delivered those messages to over one hundred Representatives and Senators in October.<!-- 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":35,"featured_media":6215,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-homepage","category-issues-advocacy"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Letters to DC: San Diego Community Implores Legislators to Make Peace a National Priority - 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\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Letters to DC: San Diego Community Implores Legislators to Make Peace a National Priority - The Peace Alliance\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Leading up to the Department of Peacebuilding Campaign\u2019s Advocacy Days in Washington, DC, San Diego students and community leaders, and a student from Los Angeles wrote heartfelt letters to members of Congress imploring them to\u00a0prioritize peace\u00a0and establish a cabinet-level Department of Peacebuilding (DoP) now.\u00a0 We delivered those messages to over one hundred Representatives and Senators in October.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Peace Alliance\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-12-03T15:17:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-12-03T15:17:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/1SDGrpLincolnMemorial10-7-17EM-0388.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"4109\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"3250\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Allison\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Allison\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Allison\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/#\/schema\/person\/6948b5ce4ee370eec653dde86f098517\"},\"headline\":\"Letters to DC: San Diego Community Implores Legislators to Make Peace a National Priority\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-12-03T15:17:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-12-03T15:17:55+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/\"},\"wordCount\":1848,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/1SDGrpLincolnMemorial10-7-17EM-0388.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Homepage\",\"Issues Advocacy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/\",\"name\":\"Letters to DC: San Diego Community Implores Legislators to Make Peace a National Priority - The Peace Alliance\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/1SDGrpLincolnMemorial10-7-17EM-0388.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-12-03T15:17:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-12-03T15:17:55+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/1SDGrpLincolnMemorial10-7-17EM-0388.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/1SDGrpLincolnMemorial10-7-17EM-0388.jpg\",\"width\":4109,\"height\":3250},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Letters to DC: San Diego Community Implores Legislators to Make Peace a National Priority\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/\",\"name\":\"The Peace Alliance\",\"description\":\"Educate, advocate, and mobilize for Peace!\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Peace Alliance\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/coin_img.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/coin_img.png\",\"width\":179,\"height\":178,\"caption\":\"The Peace Alliance\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/#\/schema\/person\/6948b5ce4ee370eec653dde86f098517\",\"name\":\"Allison\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7a601d09b41a59b232c912a08ae9b2de59e4e7b32f980227986f56714d3fbd0b?s=96&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7a601d09b41a59b232c912a08ae9b2de59e4e7b32f980227986f56714d3fbd0b?s=96&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Allison\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/author\/allison\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Letters to DC: San Diego Community Implores Legislators to Make Peace a National Priority - The Peace Alliance","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Letters to DC: San Diego Community Implores Legislators to Make Peace a National Priority - The Peace Alliance","og_description":"Leading up to the Department of Peacebuilding Campaign\u2019s Advocacy Days in Washington, DC, San Diego students and community leaders, and a student from Los Angeles wrote heartfelt letters to members of Congress imploring them to\u00a0prioritize peace\u00a0and establish a cabinet-level Department of Peacebuilding (DoP) now.\u00a0 We delivered those messages to over one hundred Representatives and Senators in October.","og_url":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/","og_site_name":"The Peace Alliance","article_published_time":"2017-12-03T15:17:35+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-12-03T15:17:55+00:00","og_image":[{"width":4109,"height":3250,"url":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/1SDGrpLincolnMemorial10-7-17EM-0388.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Allison","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Allison","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/"},"author":{"name":"Allison","@id":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/#\/schema\/person\/6948b5ce4ee370eec653dde86f098517"},"headline":"Letters to DC: San Diego Community Implores Legislators to Make Peace a National Priority","datePublished":"2017-12-03T15:17:35+00:00","dateModified":"2017-12-03T15:17:55+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/"},"wordCount":1848,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/1SDGrpLincolnMemorial10-7-17EM-0388.jpg","articleSection":["Homepage","Issues Advocacy"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/","url":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/","name":"Letters to DC: San Diego Community Implores Legislators to Make Peace a National Priority - The Peace Alliance","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/1SDGrpLincolnMemorial10-7-17EM-0388.jpg","datePublished":"2017-12-03T15:17:35+00:00","dateModified":"2017-12-03T15:17:55+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/1SDGrpLincolnMemorial10-7-17EM-0388.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/1SDGrpLincolnMemorial10-7-17EM-0388.jpg","width":4109,"height":3250},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/san-diego-community-implores-legislators-to-make-peace-a-national-priority\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Letters to DC: San Diego Community Implores Legislators to Make Peace a National Priority"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/","name":"The Peace Alliance","description":"Educate, advocate, and mobilize for Peace!","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/#organization","name":"The Peace Alliance","url":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/coin_img.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/coin_img.png","width":179,"height":178,"caption":"The Peace Alliance"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/#\/schema\/person\/6948b5ce4ee370eec653dde86f098517","name":"Allison","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7a601d09b41a59b232c912a08ae9b2de59e4e7b32f980227986f56714d3fbd0b?s=96&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7a601d09b41a59b232c912a08ae9b2de59e4e7b32f980227986f56714d3fbd0b?s=96&r=g","caption":"Allison"},"url":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/author\/allison\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6214"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6214\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}