WRL has the distinction of reaching 80 years old this year. Now more than ever, WRL’s belief in nonviolent struggle is needed in a world torn apart by the organized violence that is war. From the “war to end all wars” that spawned our organization through the current “War on Terror,” WRL has been rooted in the idea that a world without any war is possible. We have continued to search for ways we can live together in the world nonviolently, and we have supported and organized nonviolent resistance to war all along the way. One thing the peace movement desperately needs is the vision and skills to bring about a campaign-oriented movement, rather than just reacting to emergencies.
This conference is a time for activists to gather together and participate in workshops and hone our skills to organize more effectively. As corporations and military machines have rapidly globalized, the peace movement must meet the challenge and surpass them with our organization, creativity, and intelligence.
The national conference is also an opportunity for the WRL membership to gather to build those networks that can work to create our world without war. Part of what WRL has done historically is seek to strengthen the understanding of nonviolence as fundamental to whatever direct action is taken in response to oppression, to develop the idea of moral strength and conscience. We hope to do that during this conference.
Workshops will range from the theoretical to the practical to some of each:
- Thoughts on anarchism and nonviolence
- Philosophical nonviolence as opposed to tactical nonviolence
- An exploration of nonviolence and simple living
- The responsibility of artists in a time of war
- Theatrics for activists
- Teaching peace through music
- Nonviolence and parenting
- How to confront the government directly — being a world citizen
- War tax resistance
- New nuclear weapons research and what that means for our work as activists
- The militarization of space
- Prison issues
- Asia and the Pacific; community gardens and globalization.
Our ROOTS program will host a miniconference in the form of three workshops:
- No Child Left Behind Act
- Counter-Recruitment
- JROTC
In addition to people from the local peace activist community Citizens for Peace in Space, we will also host speakers who have spent time traveling and living in war zones this past year, places such as Iraq, Israel/Palestine, and Afghanistan. Finally, we plan some fun commemorative activity to celebrate our 80th birthday and will, of course, hold our traditional anarchist/socialist softball game!
Colorado Springs is beautiful, located at the foot of Pike’s Peak. On a clear day, there are very few sights more breathtaking than the Rocky Mountains that look down on the city. It is also one of the most heavily militarized cities in the United States, home to eight different military installations. We thought that it was a perfect place to have our 80th anniversary and conference on the globalization of militarism!
