Tag Archives: Nonviolence

June 1, 2016 · 11:52 pm

Remember the Mother’s Day Peace Proclamation

Photo Credit: Julia Ward Howe By John Elliott (1858 – 1925), Public Domain

Every year in May, peace activists circulate Julia Ward Howe’s Mother’s Day Peace Proclamation. But, Howe did not commemorate Mother’s Day in May . . . for thirty years Americans celebrated Mother’s Day for Peace on June 2nd. It was Julia Ward Howe’s contemporary, Anna Jarvis, who established the May celebration of mothers, and even then, Mother’s Day was not a brunch and flowers affair. Both Howe and Ward commemorated the day with marches, demonstrations, rallies, and events honoring the role of women in public activism and organizing for social justice.

Anna Jarvis’ vision of Mother’s Day began when she organized Mothers’ Work Days in West Virginia in 1858, improving sanitation in Appalachian communities. During the Civil War, Jarvis convinced women from both sides of the conflict to nurse the wounded of both armies. After the end of the war, she convened meetings to try to convince the men to lay aside grievances and lingering hostilities.

Julia Ward Howe shared Anna Jarvis’ passion for peace. Written in 1870, Howe’s “Appeal to Womanhood” was a pacifist reaction to the carnage of the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War. In it, she wrote:

“Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience. We, women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country, to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs. From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own. It says: Disarm, disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice. Blood does not wipe out dishonor, nor violence vindicate possession. As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of council.”

As time went on, Congress approved the annual commemoration of Mother’s Day in May, and businessmen quickly capitalized on sentimentality and eradicated the powerful calls-to-action both women intended in the original Mother’s Day concepts. Anna Jarvis’ daughter would campaign for years against flowers and chocolates, seeing clearly the commercialization of honoring women and mothers would lead us further from the call to take action.

Consider these stories as the wheel of the year turns around. By next May, perhaps you’ll find a way to honor your mother for her social and political activism, her engagement with resolving injustice, her care for the sick, elderly, or infirm, or perhaps even her staunch opposition to the carnage of war.

Read the whole Mother’s Day Peace Proclamation here.

______________________

Author/Activist Rivera Sun, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is the author of The Dandelion Insurrection, Billionaire Buddha and Steam Drills, Treadmills, and Shooting Stars, the cohost of Love (and Revolution) Radio, and the cofounder of the Love-In-Action Network. She is a trainer and social media coordinator for Campaign Nonviolence and Pace e Bene. Sun attended the James Lawson Institute on Strategic Nonviolent Resistance in 2014 and her essays on social justice movements appear in Truthout and Popular Resistance. www.riverasun.com

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Tagged as Anna Jarvis, history, Julia Ward Howe, mother's day, Nonviolence, peace, Peace Voice, Rivera Sun

May 27, 2016 · 10:01 pm

Teach-Ins and Nonviolent Movements

Antiwar protesters in January 1965, uwdigitalcollections – Student protesters marching down Langdon Street, CC BY 2.0

This week in nonviolent history, we celebrate the effective and versatile tactic of the teach-in. One of the largest teach-ins during the Vietnam War, for example, was held on May 21st-23rd, 1965 at UC Berkeley with 10-30,000 students attending. The State Department was invited to send a representative, but declined. An empty chair was set on the stage during the teach-in with a sign that read “Reserved for the State Department” taped to the back.

“A teach-in is similar to a general educational forum on any complicated issue, usually an issue involving current political affairs. The main difference between a teach-in and a seminar is the refusal to limit the discussion to a specific frame of time or a strict academic scope. Teach-ins are meant to be practical, participatory, and oriented toward action. While they include experts lecturing on the area of their expertise, discussion and questions from the audience are welcome.”
– Wikipedia

As a nonviolent action, a teach-in is often offered in the context of protest or resistance. The first teach-in, for example, was held at the University of Michigan in 1965 to protest the Vietnam War, and was organized as an alternative to the previously planned teachers’ strike. Instead of going on strike, the professors held a teach-in, showing up at the university, but teaching about the Vietnam War instead of their regular curriculum.

Teach-ins are a powerful method of nonviolent action that have been used in a wide variety of situations. In the United States in the 1990s, a new series of teach-ins focused on the corporatization of education and on corporate power generally, called the Democracy Teach-Ins, paved the way for the massive demonstrations, including the 1999 Seattle WTO protests; and the 2003 national Books Not Bombs student strike. In 2011, Occupy Wall St. used teach-ins to inform, educate, and mobilize the massive protests against the 1%, bank bailouts, and wealth inequality.

The year, Campaign Nonviolence is inviting teachers, peace educators, nonviolence trainers, and activists to offer teach-ins during the Campaign Nonviolence Week of Actions September 18-25th, 2016.

Imagine . . . where could you offer a teach-in? How about a de-escalation training with your local police department? Or perhaps a teach-in on climate change at your city council meeting? What if you offered a teach-in on living wages to your local business associations? Maybe you could offer nonviolent communication training for the youth groups in your area . . . the possibilities are endless, and they all help to bring the skills and knowledge of a culture of active nonviolence into our communities.

Join the growing movement for a culture of active nonviolence by organizing a teach-in in your area or online during the Week of Actions September 18-25th.

Learn more about the history on Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teach-in

____________________________

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Tagged as essays, history, Nonviolence, peace, Peace Voice, Rivera Sun, teach ins, Vietnam

May 15, 2016 · 12:19 am

Remembering Nonviolent History: Blue Revolution – Kuwaiti Women Gain Suffrage

KUWAIT CITY, KUWAIT: Kuwaiti women demonstrate in front of the parliament building in Kuwait City to demand their political rights, 07 March 2005. As a battle has raged in the Gulf emirate over political rights for its disenfranchised women, female activists and their liberal supporters staged the rally the morning the parliament was scheduled to discuss a government request to speed up the debate on a women’s rights bill. The bill, approved by the cabinet last May and opposed by Islamic hardliners, calls for amending article one of the 1962 electoral law which limits voting and candidacy to male citizens whereas the constitution stipulates gender equality. AFP PHOTO/YASSER AL-ZAYYAT (Photo credit should read YASSER AL-ZAYYAT/AFP/Getty Images)

This week in nonviolent history commemorates the successful conclusion of Kuwait’s Blue Revolution. On May 17th, 2005, Kuwaiti women gained suffrage after more than 40 years of struggle. The women used a wide variety of approaches to achieve their goals, including lobbying, introducing repeated legislation, protests and demonstration, marches, rallies, and mock elections.

Like many women’s suffrage movements around the world, the Kuwaiti women escalated their actions and campaigns, shifting from legislative and legal efforts into nonviolent direct action. The history of their multi-decade effort is complex, spanning from the 1960s when Kuwait won independence from the United Kingdom, through the Iraqi occupation in 1990-1991,and onward another 15 years until a series of nonviolent actions, changing political climate, and increased pressure finally won the vote for the women of Kuwait.

The movement first began to apply bolder methods of nonviolent action in 1996 when 500 women stopped working for an hour to demand suffrage. Then, as the Global Nonviolent Action Database reports, “In 2002, several women held a demonstration near two voter registration centers in Kuwait. The demonstrators waved banners outside the two centers, but were eventually asked to leave. Kuwaiti women continued to be very assertive in 2003. There were reports of demonstrations involving more than 1,000 women in a country with a total population of two million. The campaign also unsuccessfully sued both the Minister of the Interior and the Speaker of Parliament. During the elections of 2003, women established mock ballots that allowed hundreds of women to cast symbolic votes for real candidates.”

In March of 2005, after highly visible and captivating actions, 1,000 demonstrators gathered outside of the Kuwaiti parliament to continue their demand for basic voting rights. Many women wore pale blue to represent the struggle for suffrage, leading to the moniker, “The Blue Revolution.” On May 17th, Kuwaiti parliament passed the long-awaited suffrage bill, granting women the right to vote and run for elected office.

The Blue Revolution is part of the Color Revolutions, a series of nonviolent movements that erupted from the 1970s to present day, with a peak in the late 90s and early 2000s. These movements include, the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, the People Power Revolution (also known as the Yellow Revolution) in the Philippines, the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, the Rose Revolution in Georgia, the Orange Revolution in the Ukraine, the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon, the Denim Revolution in Belarus, the Green Revolution in Iran, among many others. The use of identifiable colors and symbols was often used as an intentional tactic of solidarity and visible protest.

____________________________

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Tagged as history, Kuwait, Nonviolence, nonviolent action, Peace Voice, Rivera Sun, suffrage, women

May 10, 2016 · 9:41 pm

Remembering Nonviolent History: Freedom Rides

By May 1961, federal law had already ruled that segregation on interstate, public buses was illegal. Southern states, however, maintained segregation in seating, and at bus station bathrooms, waiting rooms and drinking fountains. The Interstate Commerce Commission refused to take action to enforce federal law. To change this, the Civil Rights Movement (CORE, SNCC, NAACP) began a series of Freedom Rides on May 4th, 1961, 55 years ago. By the end of the campaign, 436 individuals had participated in at least 60 separate Freedom Rides, ultimately forcing the Interstate Commerce Commission to enforce federal law and desegregate interstate bus services.

The Freedom Riders drew inspiration from the Journey of Reconciliation in 1947, led by Bayard Rustin and George Houser. The Freedom Rides campaigns followed on the heels of the highly visible lunch counter sit-in campaigns that began in 1960. Diane Nash, a veteran of the Nashville, Tennessee, campaign, was one of the lead organizers of the Freedom Rides, and it was at her urging that the demonstrators persevered through the extreme violence, carrying on to success despite life-threatening situations.

The Freedom Riders’ nonviolent strategy led to careful and effective tactics, placing themselves symbolically in challenging places—black riders sitting up front, white and black sitting together—but with one rider observing Southern segregation customs in order to avoid arrest and contact CORE to arrange bail for those jailed.

Strategy, training, and discipline were essential components of preparation for the Freedom Riders. Over the four months of the campaign, they were beaten, arrested, attacked by mobs; the buses were set on fire, the KKK surrounded them and threw tear gas into the locked buses; at times, Greyhound and Trailways bus lines refused to protect or transport them; hospitals denied care and ambulances would not carry injured Freedom Riders. All Freedom Riders practiced flawless nonviolent discipline despite massive provocation.

On May 14, Mother’s Day, in Anniston, Alabama, Ku Klux Klansmen, some still in church attire, attacked the first of two buses arriving and departing from the station. The driver tried pull away, but was blocked by KKK members. The tires were slashed. A few miles outside of town, the crippled bus was forced to stop by the KKK, who firebombed it. The mob held the doors shut, intending to burn the riders to death. The riders escaped the bus, but were then severely beaten. Only warning shots fired into the air by highway patrolmen prevented the riders from being lynched. The second of the two buses arriving in Anniston, Alabama, likewise faced violent attacks, leaving Freedom Riders semi-conscious in the back of the bus.

Throughout the summer, the Freedom Riders persevered, facing violence, intimidation, and arrests. The nation was shocked by both the violence and the knowledge that southern authorities were ignoring federal laws—the fearless nonviolence of the Freedom Riders gained sympathy and respect. The Freedom Riders escalated until September, when the ICC, faced with the likelihood of more nonviolent direct action campaigns, issued new policies enforcing the desegregation of interstate buses. On November 1, 1961, when the new ICC rules took effect, passengers were permitted to sit wherever they pleased on interstate buses and trains; “white” and “colored” signs were removed from the terminals; racially segregated drinking fountains, toilets, and waiting rooms serving interstate customers were desegregated; and the lunch counters began serving all customers, regardless of race.

The Freedom Rides are a powerful example of the use of nonviolent direct action to enforce justice and fair laws. Remember, by 1961, federal law forbid segregation on interstate buses. Using nonviolent action, the Freedom Riders exercised their rights, upheld the law, and refused to cooperate with injustice.

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· 9:09 pm

Yes to Assertive, No to Aggressive by Tom Hastings

“Nonviolence” by Democracy Chronicles. CC 2.0 See the article “Martin Luther King Jr’s Nonviolent Strategy” for the original image.

I teach and write in the field of Peace and Conflict Studies, with a special focus on strategic nonviolence. It is a rich field, growing in its scholarship and its widespread usage. I’m so enthused by this—the more we wage our conflicts with nonviolence the lower the costs.

Counting the costs of conflict, we normally think of blood and treasure, of casualties and expense. We are slowly beginning to also count other costs, including our environment, our relationships, our civil rights, our human rights, our metrics of democracy, and more. Nonviolence is superior to violence in every way if we read the research and consider all the costs.

Nonviolence can fail, of course, and in the most robust of struggles—trying to overthrow a dictator, for example—nonviolent struggle only works about 53 percent of the time. Of course violent insurgency only succeeds 26 percent of the time, about half as often as does nonviolence. This is disturbing to those who define revolution as violent. I hope they get over it. Wake up and smell the flowers instead of the cordite…

One secret to nonviolent success is communication. When we are quiet the injustices we see or suffer are allowed to continue. When we are aggressive—either violent or demeaning, threatening, and insulting—that strengthens the resolve of the opponent and progress is unlikely. The best path to victory is assertion—visualize a thin bright line between you and the oppressor. Shrink back from the line and nothing changes. Charge over the line and all defenses spring into counter-aggression, counterattack. But go up to the line with insistent civil assertion, creative and resilient, and your chances for winning your objectives are radically increased.

These principles are basic, but ignored all too often, as we see in many conflicts domestic and transnational, in families and workplaces, in neighborhoods and in towns, in regions and states. The destructive, adversarial conflicts that result are often heartbreaking to observe. From a belligerent North Korean dictator to a misogynist Donald Trump, the results are not impressive. Ruling over others is a poor path to sustainable gains and doing so in an aggressive manner will only generate pushback. If that resistance is civil but insistent, assertive but not aggressive, it can achieve what no one thought possible.

If I had predicted publicly in 1985 that the Philippines would see Marcos deposed without a single fired shot, that the Berlin Wall would fall in a massive nonviolent uprising, that Nelson Mandela would be liberated and apartheid would end without a widely predicted bloodbath, that Pinochet would fall in Chile to mass nonviolent power, and that Slobodan Milosevic would create horrific wars in the Balkans but would be deposed by nonviolence, I might have been diagnosed as delusional.

These cases and 1,000 more are chronicled in a Swarthmore database that is growing constantly. We are humans—we have great big brains that are hard-wired for all possible responses, from violent to nonviolent, which makes us the unique species neurologically capable of infinite, illimitable choice. Let’s be wise about it.

_____________

Dr. Tom H. Hastings is Founding Director of PeaceVoice.

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January 9, 2015 · 2:31 am

Love-In-Action Taos Builds Winter Momentum Through Film Screenings

Rivera Sun introducing Gasland film at Moby Dickens Bookshop.

Love-In-Action Taos is activism at high-altitude … which means the winters are cold and snowy. We don’t do so much protesting outdoors during this season, but we keep active anyway! This winter, we’re screening documentaries at the local bookstore, Moby Dickens. We’ve selected a few films out of the thousands our group has collectively seen. Here’s the line-up for the next few months. Popcorn will be served (vegan and nonvegan, GMO-free). We accept donations, but no one is turned away.

Full Winter Schedule of Movies At Moby’s:

The Forgotten Bomb Sat, Jan 10th at 7pm w/ filmmaker Bud Ryan speaking afterwards. “Join filmmaker Bud Ryan on an epic journey to discover what the Bomber can learn from the Bombed and what the true state of the nuclear threat is today.” With Los Alamos National Laboratory just down the road and the continuing waste storage crisis at the WIPP facility, this is a timely and relevant film to witness as we enter the 70th year since the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We are also very fortunate to have filmmaker Bud Ryan in attendance, so please tell all your friends! Watch trailer here.

A Force More Powerful Sat, Jan 17th at 7pm This groundbreaking film explores one of the 20th century’s most important but least understood stories: how nonviolent power has overcome oppression and authoritarian rule all over the world. Narrated by Ben Kingsley, and nominated for an Emmy, A Force More Powerful premiered on PBS in September 2000. Watch the trailer.

Gasland Part II, Sat, Feb 7th, at 7pm After the eerie and unsettling Gasland I screening at Moby Dickens, we’re substituting fact for horror in our film series. GASLAND PART II will provide you with a compelling narrative, shocking facts, clear science on the largest domestic drilling campaign in modern history and an understanding of why drilling can never be made safe. From faucets lighting on fire to dead cows to a bevy of healthcare complaints to entire rivers contaminated with waste fracking fluid, this issue is catastrophe wreaking havoc on our nation. Watch the trailer.

Salt of the Earth, Sat, March 7th, at 7pm Based on an actual strike against the Empire Zinc Mine in New Mexico, the film deals with the prejudice against the Mexican-American workers, who struck to attain wage parity with Anglo workers in other mines and to be treated with dignity by the bosses. In the end, the greatest victory for the workers and their families is the realization that prejudice and poor treatment are conditions that are not always imposed by outside forces. This powerful film is one of the few films to have been blacklisted by the US government. Today, it is considered a masterpiece and a treasure. Rivera’s note: This film is outstanding! Incredible cinematography, good acting, and startlingly progressive message. Watch the original and very entertaining trailer.

Bonus film: Cowspiracy, Mural Room, Friday, April 24 (time TBA & there may be an admission charge.)
“Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret” is a groundbreaking feature-length environmental documentary following intrepid filmmaker Kip Andersen as he uncovers the most destructive industry facing the planet today – and investigates why the world’s leading environmental organizations are too afraid to talk about it. This film is being presented by the Vegan Meet-up Group as part of their Earth Day event series. *Rivera’s note: Not so much a vegan film as a must-see for anyone concerned about climate change. We made an exception in our Moby’s series to include this film because it’s so important for everyone to know about, watch, and tell their friends about. It’s life-changing.Watch the trailer.

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Tagged as Education, Love-In-Action, movies, Nonviolence, nuclear bombs, peace, Taos

· 2:09 am

“Seeds of Change Workshop” – Rivera Sun’s Powerful Workshop on Strategic Nonviolent Action

Love-In-Action co-founder Rivera Sun brings her powerful workshop to Taos, NM before embarking on a 40+ city tour. Not local to Taos? You’re in luck! She’s on her way to you … and she’s also teaching Love-in-Action Workshops. See her full tour schedule and contact her here.

Come to the Seeds of Change Workshop on Sat, Jan 24th 2-6pm at Moby Dickens Bookshop, Taos, NM:

Ordinary people like you have made change using the tools of Dr. King, Gandhi, Jesus, and Cesar Chavez. Learn these strategies for change and apply them in your community. This workshop covers the basic dynamics and strategies of nonviolent action. Participants discover how to envision and build campaigns, become familiar with the 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action, the Pillars of Support, the Spectrum of Allies, and learn to connect the dots between the many issues our communities face. Bring your friends, neighbors, elders, and students. Together we’ll explore how ordinary people can make extraordinary change!

$30/person, 4hrs long, Facilitated by Rivera Sun
Register at the door or by calling (575) 776-3973 (scholarships available, please call.)

Pssst … here’s Rivera Sun’s Love-In-Action Workshop description. Very exciting!

Love-In-Action for the Times We’re In! Workshop w/ Rivera Sun
Love in action is the phrase used by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Buddhist monk and peace activist, Thich Nhat Hanh, to describe what happens when “the heart bursts open and springs into action!” This workshop brings you hope, courage, and practical skills for being love in action. Drawing from inspiring stories of nonviolent action, you’ll learn how to bring people together, create a plan, and become a vibrant part of the growing Movement of Movements that is sweeping across the nation and into our lives!

See her full tour schedule and contact her here.

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· 1:11 am

70,000 Cranes For Peace – Send a Creative Message of Peace to the Cradle of the Bomb

Love-In-Action Taos has joined in with a beautiful project you may want to participate in. Send a creative message of peace to the “cradle of the bomb” to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the horrific bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This year, as people around the world take action to commemorate the massacre and ban the bomb, Campaign Nonviolence and Upaya Zen Center are calling on citizens to fold 70,000 paper cranes for peace to be brought to Los Alamos National Laboratory, on Hiroshima and Nagasaki Days. Sign up here.

Sadako statue with paper cranes in Japan.

Seventy years ago, the United States dropped two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing 80,000 women, children, and men instantly; and over 150,000 in total. The symbolism of the paper crane began with Sadako Sasaki, who was two years old when the blast from the Hiroshima bomb threw her out a window. She was ten when purple spots formed on her arms and legs. Hospitalized for leukemia in Feb 1955, the popular girl died in October 1955. In her last year of life, she folded 1300 paper cranes as a prayer for healing. The paper crane is now an international symbol of peace, and a poignant reminder of the human costs of nuclear bombs.

On Aug 6-9th, hundreds of citizens will be gathering in New Mexico to embody Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous words regarding nuclear weapons, “It is no longer a choice between violence or nonviolence. It is nonviolence or nonexistence.” They will be participating in a National Conference on Nonviolence and traveling to the heart of nuclear weapons research, Los Alamos National Laboratory, to hold a vigil, a peace march, and deliver 70,000 paper cranes that have been folded by people like you.

Love-In-Action Taos folded paper cranes designed by Taos member, Paul Gutches.

Come to New Mexico in person or send a delegation of paper cranes to represent you, your family, friends, and neighbors, your peace and justice center, church or spiritual group, school or classroom. Learn how to fold cranes and sign up here.

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Tagged as action Sadako, cranes, Love-In-Action, Nonviolence, nuclear bombs, peace

April 17, 2014 · 1:57 am

Love-In-Action Taos Talks About “The Issues”

A Love-In-Action Taos Note From Rivera Sun

At the last Love-In-Action Taos Gathering on April 14, 2014, we enjoyed vegan cookies and a long discussion about “The Issues”. Prior to this gathering, we had decided to hold an open conversation to explore the interwoven problems that we perceive in our world. This built common ground of understanding, and I believe I was not alone in discovering some new perspectives on our situation.

What follows is a very abbreviated list of the subjects/topics we discussed over the two and a half hours. You will notice that discussing the problems stimulated the creativity for finding solutions. I think most – if not all – of us left the meeting inspired, full of thought, and interested in diving in deeper.

I arrived at the meeting with the long flier of events for the upcoming Global Climate Convergence in Taos. Looking at the flier, one of our members, Kimo, (knowing full well how I had pulled these events out of thin air, listed them on the website, and suddenly found the cup over-floweth with rich discussions, talks, and actions) began to ponder the notion of Love-In-Action hosting a series of educational events: theme camps at festivals, workshops, teach-ins, film screenings. I mentioned that Brian Heater, our fellow Love-In-Action Network founder in Salem, OR, had also had this idea. He had considered hosting a Love-In-Action theme camp at an activist gathering coming up this summer.

A taste of Taos. This is a grazing fence on the mesa by Rivera’s house.

Another concept that emerged was the notion of teaching ourselves about nonviolent action, the issues, the solutions, etc. I found myself very intrigued by what would happen if our Love-In-Action group dedicated the time for a weekend immersion. Each of us could present something we found interesting, and also learn from our fellow members.

As we progress, we’ll find out how our Love-In-Action group (and all the groups across the country) expresses its heart in action. The possibilities are endless. Our first action in Taos is to host a Potluck Picnic during the main Convergence Day of our Global Climate Convergence: fending people, spreading picnic blankets, and building community.

We look forward to hearing updates from other Love-In-Action members and groups. It’s easy to post a short note to this website, by the way. Just leave a comment and I (Rivera) will pick it up in a day or so. Thank you! We’re sending you all blessings.

Rivera, Love-In-Action Taos

Notes from our discussion on “The Issues”

Notions:
No time for television. We are the news.
Know your history.
Find the messengers

Issues to explore more deeply:
Fox News as a propaganda machine: why does it work? How does it work?
Income inequality
Wealth controlling politics
Climate Change
Healthcare and Oil & Gas Industries as pillars of support for the controlling elite
Military Industrial Complex
Banning war profiteering
What would an exit strategy for the 1% look like?
How do we take back our culture?
Changing the narrative: How to get away from the GAG Me discussion (Guns, Abortion, Gay Marriage) and into the real issues?
Participatory Democracy
Changing the narrative: Why are economics the central value in civic decision-making?
The role of discourse in democracy
How to grow a movement?
What can we learn from Australia/Bhutan/Norway/Nation X?

Local issues (very partial list):
Water extraction for fossil fuel industry
Climate change impacts
Economic justice

Love-In-Action Ideas:
Love-In-Action theme camps at festivals or activism gatherings.
Weekend workshops
Free Skools
Teach-Ins
Live stream talks
Film Screenings
Report backs from members’ readings, studies, workshops and webinars
TV show screenings of the climate change series “Years of Living Dangerously” (note: 350.org is organizing these, we could easily get involved.)

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Tag Archives: Nonviolence

Remember the Mother’s Day Peace Proclamation

Teach-Ins and Nonviolent Movements

Remembering Nonviolent History: Blue Revolution – Kuwaiti Women Gain Suffrage

Remembering Nonviolent History: Freedom Rides

Yes to Assertive, No to Aggressive by Tom Hastings

Love-In-Action Taos Builds Winter Momentum Through Film Screenings

“Seeds of Change Workshop” – Rivera Sun’s Powerful Workshop on Strategic Nonviolent Action

70,000 Cranes For Peace – Send a Creative Message of Peace to the Cradle of the Bomb

Love-In-Action Taos Talks About “The Issues”

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