War Resisters League is proud to have reached our 90th anniversary and we have had a great celebration all year.
In August, we held our 90th Anniversary conference, REVOLUTIONARY NONVIOLENCE: Building Bridges Across Generations and Communities in Washington, DC.
In October, we celebrated and honored Harry Belefonte, Joan Baez and Daniel Ellsberg at our 90th Birthday Bash and Peace Awards in New York.
In November we held a great live art auction, Art to End All Wars.
If you missed any of those events, be sure to check out the event pages and our Facebook page for pictures, video and more.
And do check out our special 90th Anniversary issue of WIN magazine. This beautiful double issue features artwork by Luba Lukova, historical photos by David McReynolds, interviews with WRL activists, and articles about our work across the decades. . Be sure to get your copy - subscribe now!
For over 50 years, WRL published an annual Peace Calendar. After discontinuing publication of the Peace Calendar, we produced a special new perpetual calendar in honor of our 90th Anniversary. The WRL Perpetual Calendar: 90 Years of Revolutionary Nonviolence can be used year after year. This beautiful calendar features artwork, historical posters, and information about our 90 years of work for a just and peaceful world. Get your copy today!
An important part of our 90th Anniversary celebration is the new web-based video project, I Choose Peace. The project enables our our friends, members, and supporters to hear from and inspire one another as a gift to WRL and the movement on our 90th. We invite you to be a part of I Choose Peace. Make a short video telling a story of a time when you chose peace! A number of luminaries including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mairead McGuire, Martin Sheen and Ed Asner have done their own videos to kick things off. Record your own video now!
And be sure to check out our slideshow on Bayard Rustin, featuring materials taken from the WRL Archives:
2012 marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of civil rights icon (and former WRL Director) Bayard Rustin, and many groups are engaged in celebrating this man of humble beginnings.
The National Black Justice Coalition, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people, has dedicated Mandy Carter, a long-time community leader, to coordinate Centennial activities in recognition of the ground-breaking work of Rustin as an out gay man. But Bayard Rustin was more than simply a campaigner for individual liberties—be they for Black or gay folks. He was a revolutionary critic of the status quo, one whose commitment to radical pacifism and ability to bring together broad and often conflicting peoples made a mark still very relevant today.
This slideshow, put together by the War Resisters League, focuses on this radical bridge-building aspect of Rustin’s life.
