April Peace News: Dr. King's legacy, resisting war taxes, & more

40th Anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The upcoming Spring issue of Fellowship magazine will highlight the legacy of Dr. King's work 40 years after his death (April 4, 1968). Here we excerpt Rev. Osagyefo Sekou's reflections on King's sacrifices. The calling to speak out often invoked great hostility, especially as he increasingly addressed the problems of structural violence manifested in the Vietnam War and domestic poverty.

Dr. King proclaimed in one of his final sermons, "Somewhere we must come to see that human progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and the persistent work of dedicated individuals who are willing to be co-workers with God." The goal of his Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was "to redeem the soul of the nation." The soul of a nation is its social structures, political discourse, and quality of life - democracy.

In what is considered his most "dangerous" speech - "A Time to Break the Silence" - King employed the tortured phrase "vocation of agony." King named the challenge of calling upon god in the struggle for social justice. He gave this speech in the midst of death threats, repudiation from SCLC's board, and merciless attacks in the mainstream and African-American media. A major task of King's public speech was to rebel against the monopoly on religious discourse shaped by conservative religious individuals and institutions, thereby creating space for the revelation of the prophetic god.

Some of us who have already begun to break the silence of the night have found that the calling to speak is often a vocation of agony, but we must speak. We must speak with all the humility that is appropriate for our limited vision, but we must speak.

King carved out a place where the task of religion is to challenge the role of government. His notion of "the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism" highlighted the role of the United States in both the manipulation of foreign governments and its treatment of the poor (at home and abroad) that has led to a crisis in American democracy.

Read the rest at our FORpeace blog, and subscribe to Fellowship to receive this and more in your mailbox.

Taxes: Working for peace, paying for war

Stimulate peace

President Bush has announced an economic stimulus plan that will have the government sending $600 checks to many Americans (less for those making over $70,000 last year, more for those with children). Rather than invest this cash in short-term consumer purchases, many people of conscience have come up with a better idea.

For example, members of the Circle of Mercy Congregation in Asheville, NC unanimously voted to donate their rebates to organizations working for peace and justice. Here are some excerpts from the church's open letter to President Bush:

Compelled by our nation's economic divide and the mandates of our faith, members of our congregation voted unanimously to give away all or part of our anticipated tax rebates to organizations that foster justice.

We do not believe that shopping is an appropriate response to our trauma-whether that of the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, or the crumbling lives being chewed up in our constricting economy. There is something very wrong in this assumption. Our gluttony, literally and figuratively, is laying waste to our commonweal.

We know that relinquishing our rebate checks is a modest step and that many other personal and public commitments are needed. Our vow to forego the extra income is simply a sign of our resolve to bear the cost of moving toward the beloved community.

- Read the entire letter at our blog FORpeace

We at the Fellowship of Reconciliation would be honored to help turn your tax rebate into work for a more peaceful world. Click here to pledge to stimulate peace!

More tax day activism

The National Priorities Project estimates that the war in Iraq is costing over $340 million every day. Our tax dollars are being used to continue the war and occupation in Iraq.

Noted peace activist Kathy Kelly challenges us all: "For most of us, the government doesn't want our bodies, and it doesn't even want our consent. What the government wants from us, is our money. We can each resist $100 for one year. The consequences would not be so cataclysmic if the IRS caught up with you, and we can pool all of the refused war tax money and give it to survivors of Katrina and people who have fled from violence in Iraq." For more information on the War Tax Boycott, visit www.wartaxboycott.org.

Another opportunity to express one's conscience against war is the National Peace Tax Fund Campaign, which seeks to pass legislation that will allow individual citizens to divert tax dollars from the military budget to social good. To learn more, visit www.peacetaxfund.org.

Finally, United for a Fair Economy invites you take the Tax Fairness Pledge to redirect tax cuts toward organizations working for economic justice. Take the pledge at www.faireconomy.org.

Take action on Colombia & Tibet

Interfaith Peace Witness

On March 6 and 7, the Olive Branch Interfaith Peace Partnership brought together religious leaders from around the country to dialogue, reflect, and act against the war and occupation against the people of Iraq. FOR continues to play a key role in convening and leading this coalition.

Winter Soldiers testify

Last month we witnessed another somber statistic of the Iraq war, with the news of the death of the 4,000th U.S. service member. At the same time, Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans were providing verbal testimony about their experiences the the Winter Soldier campaign in Washington, DC. These testimonies have received virtually no coverage by mainstream media, and are well worth watching or listening to online.

Watch, listen, and learn more at ivaw.org/wintersoldier.

On the evening of March 6, religious leaders gathered to create ongoing strategies for what is emerging to be a strong and supportive interfaith peace witness. On March 7th, interfaith delegations meet with staffers from the offices of Senator Harry Reid and Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In those meetings faith leaders expressed their concern against war. Representatives from FOR, Network for Spiritual Progressives, Christian Peace Witness, Muslim Student Association, and Jewish Council of Women were part of those delegations.

Throughout Washington, DC on March 7th, a variety of faith services where held. Leaving houses of worship from around the city, over 200 people gathered at Upper Senate Park in an interfaith service. For over an hour - in the freezing rain - people of faith heard speeches and prayers by Ms. Sammie Moshenberg, National Council of Jewish Women, Rev. Dr. James Forbes, Founder, Healing of the Nations Foundation, Rev. Bill Sinkford, Unitarian Universalists of America, Rev. Dr. Mark Kinnamon, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, and Ms. Asma Mirza, National President, Muslim Student Association and Native Dean - a Muslim Hip Hop group - performed. The service then proceed to the Hart Senate Building. Upon entering the Hart Building over 40 people engaged in a sit-in for peace. With several supporters sing Freedom Songs, the protesters were arrested.

The Peace Witness is behind us, but our work to bring together diverse faith communities for peace is not over. Look for more updates about the Olive Branch Interfaith Peace Partnership and other activities from FOR's Interfaith Peace Organizing Fellow Rev. Osagyefo Sekou in the future. Keep the faith!

Upcoming events

• April 4: 40th anniversary of death of Dr. King (Spring issue of Fellowship magazine will focus on Dr. King's legacy for the peace & justice movement today)
• April 4: International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance
• April 16: 1st anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre: Protest Easy Guns is organizing "Lie-Ins" across the United States
• April 18: Iraq Moratorium (third Friday of each month)
• April 22: Earth Day
• April 22: "What to do about Cyberbullying" workshop, Nyack, NY.
• April 27-28: Annual Days of Prayer & Action for Colombia
• April 30: Anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam
• May 4: SOA Watch Lobby Day
• May 9-14: Nonviolent Peaceforce Peace Team training of trainers, Detroit, MI
• May 10: Memorial for Ralph DiGia, long-time War Resisters League leader, New York, NY
• May 16: Iraq Moratorium (third Friday of each month)
• May 16: Whole Women Healing Women of Compassion Awards Ceremony, Nyack, NY
• May 16-18: Shomer Shalom Institute for Jewish Nonviolence founding conference, Chicago, IL
• May 18: Interfaith Walk for Peace and Reconciliation, Philadelphia, PA

Upcoming Delegations

April 29 - May 13: FOR civilian diplomacy delegation to Iran

May 24 - June 7: Interfaith Peace-Builders delegation to Israel/Palestine

And FYI...

The Rotary Foundation annually awards 60 fully-funded, two-year Rotary World Peace Fellowships in pursuit of Masters Degrees in conflict resolution, peace studies, international relations, or international development at seven prestigious universities around the world. Visit www.rotary.org for more information.

"Sound of the Soul" film is airing on Link TV (375 Direct TV, 9410 Dish Network), and FOR is promoted during the interview with the filmmaker.