May 1st, 2024 – 6p – Get Out the Vote effort at Evanston Public Library 

Join Chicago Area Peace Action (CAPA) for a Get Out the Vote writing workshop on May 1st at Evanston Public Library! We will get out our pens and show you how to join the efforts of our partners VoteForward and Indivisible in writing letters and postcards to voters in battleground states — think Michigan and Wisconsin.

We’ll write together all summer and mail out in October. Join our team of writers. Bring a pen and bring a friend!

Wed., May 1st, 6-8PM, Evanston Public Library, Falcon Room (3rd floor)

April 26th, 2024 – 7p – MacLeish Hall, Lake Street Church
Peace Concert “Laugh While It’s Still Legal” 

Satire and Social Commentary with Tom Neilson

Click here for more details

April 20th, 2024: Earth Day Fest 

Join CAPA and friends as we celebrate Earth Day Fest, from 12 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 20th, 2024. As the Ecology Center is undergoing renovations, the event will occur at Ingraham Park, 2100 Ridge Ave., behind the Morton Civic Center.

CAPA Climate Group members will have a table where we offer information about passing the Earth Bill, and get petition signatures for climate demands to the Biden Administration.

This is the first Earth Day Fest, and the City of Evanston Parks and Recreation Department with support from Public Works and the Office of Sustainability welcomes you to attend this free event. There will be games, activities, resources, tree plantings and volunteer opportunities! The event will also feature food trucks, Earth-friendly resources and more than 15 local ecology groups.

See you there!

April 19th, 2024: Global Climate Strike 

Our communities, our planet, and our futures are being menaced by oil and gas corporations and the decisions made by elected leaders that prop them up. But it doesn’t have to be this way, another world is possible. We deserve a world free from fossil fuels. This is our chance, and Biden’s opportunity, to break free from fossil fuels and build an equitable and safe future for all. We demand bold climate action for a livable future.

We are coming together, across the globe, to fight back against the fossil fuel industry and its enablers. Together, we are unstoppable as we build and imagine a fossil fuel-free world. We must End the Era of Fossil Fuels in a just and equitable way. Are you in?

From April 19-22, thousands of young people will take part in multiple national days of actions – led by groups including Sunrise Movement, Fridays for Future USA, Campus Climate Network, Reclaim Earth Day, and The Youth vs Fossil Fuels Coalition  – calling on President Biden and other decision makers to declare a Climate Emergency and End Fossil Fuels. Find more information here.

April 17th, 2024: “No War on Iran” Rally! 

Join us on Wednesday, April 17th at 5:30 PM for a rally and speakout in Chicago’s Federal Plaza, with a possible march to the Ogilvie Transportation Center, which shares a building with the Israeli Consulate. 

We will demand that there be no further escalation toward a full Israeli or full U.S. war with Iran – which could escalate to an uncontrollable regional war leading to immeasurable human suffering, the distinct possibility of a global economic crash, and a vastly increased likelhood of species annihiliation via nuclear war. 

• • WHEN:     Wednesday, April 17th, 2024 at 5:30 PM Central 
  • WHERE:   Federal Plaza, 230 South Dearborn, Chicago

The rally will demand a suspension of military aid to Israel and will stress conscientiously pursuing deescalation and peace, as all people of conscience must now compel the Israel and U.S. governments to deescalate. 

This will be an event of PSL-Chicago and About Face: Veterans Against War (formerly Iraq Veterans for Peace), alongside CAPA, the ANSWER Coalition, the National Iranian American Council, American Muslims for Palestine and a growing list of endorsing organizations. We will demand an end of military aid to Israel and a restoration of humanitarian aid to the region.

See you at 5:30 P.M. tomorrow on Federal Plaza!

April 6th, 2024: Peace Summit “Solidarity and Sustainability Toward a Peaceful Future” 

With the unfolding of the current genocide in Palestine and increased violence in Congo, it is clear now more than ever that we need to unite in solidarity to fight violance across the globe. As we lead this battle, we must ensure that every step we take towards a peaceful world is sustainabile and just so we can protect humanity and our environment in this current climate crisis. We must also protect and uplift refugees, who have been affected both by war and by climate change, to ensure our future is as equitable as possible.

As a means to help build this movement and inpsire more peace activists to rise up, Chicago Area Peace Action’s Student Network is hosting their annual Peace Summit. The Peace summit will highlight the role we play in global conflict and shine a light on what we can do locally to support the movement. Attendees of the Peace Summit can expect to hear from various panels of student speakers, experience cultural performances, and attend breakout sessions led by young activists who are greatly contributing to the movement.

Register and find more information here

Join us at the Evanston Public Library Thursday, April 4th at 6:00 P.M. for “Out of the Rubble: Gaza Now and Beyond,” a discussion featuring Dr. John Kahler of MedGlobal and Jonah Karsh of IfNotNow, with Jerome McDonnell moderating.  Dr. Kahler will share insights from his work with MedGlobal, an organization which has been sending teams of doctors to Gaza during the current crisis. Jonah Karsh will share the work of IfNotNow in organizing for ceasefire, justice, and an end to occupation and apartheid. Both will contemplate how to bring a lasting ceasefire in Gaza – and how to move forward after the killing stops.

 MedGlobal‘s field teams support local health programs around the globe at times of war or natural disasters. IfNotNow is a movement of American Jews organizing to end U.S. support for the Israeli government’s system of apartheid. This event is cosponsored by CAPA, The Peace and Justice Committee of Lake Street Church, and MedGlobal. 

John Kahler, MD is a co-founder of MedGlobal. His interest in global health and his participation in humanitarian work around the world, from Mexico to Haiti to Tanzania, has spanned more than 25 years. 

Jonah Karsh is a lead organizer with IfNotNow Chicago. He has been deeply involved in organizing for democracy and human rights in Israel/Palestine and has served on the national board of J Street.

 Jerome McDonnell hosted the program Worldview on WBEZ for years, bringing in experts to discuss international news from a local perspective. The show heavily featured arts, activism, and social movements in Chicago.

Be part of this conversation with us on April 4th. Light refreshments will also be provided at the event. We hope to see you there!

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March 28th-April 1st, 2024: International Uranium Film Festival

Nuclear disarmament advocates–check out the International Uranium Film Festival in Chicago–March 28th-April 1st!

Multiple locations ● 16 films, 16 +hours ● First time: Best Young Filmmaker Award – $1,000 ● (some locations limited seating; EventBrite registration required) ●

The Schedule: film listings and descriptions at www.neis.org

• • • Thur. 3/28, 6-9 p.m.: Loyola Univ. Damen Theater, 6511 N. Sheridan
      Road, Lake Shore Campus, Chicago. Special showing: On the Beach
    • Fri. 3/29, 6-9 p.m.: Haymarket House, 800 West Buena Ave.,
      Chicago (limited seating, EventBrite reservation req’d.)
    • Sat. 3/30, noon to 8 p.m.: Univ. of Chicago International House, 1414
      East 59th Street, Chicago
    • Sun. 3/31, 4:30 p.m. matinee: Music Box Theater, 3733 N. Southport
      Ave., Chicago. Special showing: BUILDING BOMBS
    • Mon. 4/1, 2-8 p.m., Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington Ave.,
      Evanston (limited seating, EventBrite reservation req’d.)

Coming to Chicago (birthplace of the Nuclear Age) in its 13th year, the International Uranium Film Festival presents films about nuclear power and weapons; nuclear victims and environmental justice; and the risks of radioactivity, from uranium mining to nuclear waste. From
Hiroshima, the Manhattan Project, Fukushima and everything in between, where Oppenheimer dared not go, these films shed overdue light on all nuclear issues, past, present and future!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/international-uranium-film-festival-day-5-tickets-837941404297
https://neis.org/
https://uraniumfilmfestival.org/
@uraniumfilm @uraniumfilmfestival

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March 27th, 2024: From Palestine to the Philippines: Stop U.S.-Backed Bombing and Build a Just Peace!

While Palestine, the Philippines, and the US are geographically distant, the relationships between their governments are characterized by a common thread of military aid and weapons sales, human rights violations, negligent governments, widespread vilification of activists and civil society institutions, as well as the weaponization of civilian life as a tactic to maintain control.

This webinar aims to educate the public about the human rights violations in both Occupied Palestine and the Philippines, highlight the role of the US in enabling violence, the roots of the conflict, and opportunities to engage and oppose the continuing harm being carried out.

This webinar is being hosted by ICHRP-US & faith communities including: Pax Christi USA, Pax Christi International, Western Methodist Justice Movement, & ecumenical partners.

February 27th, 2024: Gaza in Crisis – A Discussion with Dr. Zaher Sahloul and Sr. Thaer Ahmad of MedGlobal

When: Tuesday, Feb 27th at 7pm Central
Where:Lake Street Church, 1450 Chicago Ave (Courtyard Entrance) Evanston, IL 60201

On February 27th Dr. Zaher Sahloul and Dr. Thaer Ahmad of MedGlobal, will be our guest speakers. Both are recently returned from Gaza where they were deployed in January 2024 for 2 weeks at hospitals and clinics across the Gaza strip and they will discuss their first-hand experience of the medical crisis unfolding in Palestine. Both Doctors are professors at University of Illinois Chicago (UIC).

MedGlobal field teams support local health programs around the globe at times of war or natural disasters. Its growing teams and partner organizations are supported by a diverse number of selfless volunteer medical professionals of all specialties from 27 countries who embrace its mission.

Dr. Zaher Sahloul is President and cofounder of MedGlobal. Dr. Sahloul was awarded Chicagoan of the year in 2016, and Gandhi Award for Peace in 2020 among many other awards for his humanitarian work.

Thaer Ahmad, MD is a board certified emergency medicine physician who serves as Asst. Program Director for Advocate Christ’s Emergency Medicine Residency Program and Global Health Director for its emergency department.

Jerome McDonnell hosted Worldview on WBEZ for years, bringing in experts to discuss international news from a local perspective, and drawing local connections. The show heavily featured arts, activism, and social movements in Chicago.

This presentation is being cosponsored by: Chicago Area Peace Action, (CAPA), The Peace and Justice Committee of Lake Street Church, Muslim Community Center of Chicago, Second Baptist Church of Evanston and MedGlobal.

February 22nd, 2024: Meet Kina Collins, Pro-Peace Congressional Candidate for IL-7

When: Thursday, Feb 22nd at 6pm Central
Where: Online (Zoom)

Whether you live in Illinois’s 7th District or not, perhaps you have friends in this district. Or perhaps you are available to join our CAPA Peace Voter 2024 committee members who will work to elect Kina Collins as the best progressive candidate of the several running this election cycle in this district. We are looking for new energy in the House of Representatives… someone who will be a strong voice for the climate and peace issues of today. Please email us at capa@chipeaceaction.org if you would like to canvas or phonebank with us for Kina Collins… and register to meet Kina at the zoom event below!

It’s easy to forget that in just a few short weeks, primary elections will be taking place in most of the country. While it may feel exhausting sometimes to keep up with the races, this election can be a bellwether moment for us to prioritize peace in foreign policy. This primary season, Peace Action has been endorsing candidates who believe in justice and human rights abroad, who believe in a ceasefire in Gaza, and who believe that the US military-industrial complex should no longer dictate where our funding priorities lay. One such candidate is Kina Collins, who is running for Illinois’ 7th district.

At 6:00 pm Central, Kina will again join us for a conversation about today’s most pressing foreign policy issues. She spoke to us during her 2022 campaign but wanted to come back to address all the foreign policy issues that have arisen since then. She felt that those running for Congress owed it to voters to share their positions on Gaza, Ukraine, and more.

CLICK HERE TO REGISER

February 20th, 2024: Chicago Rally for Julian Assange

WHEN: Tuesday, Feb 20th at 4pm.  Chicago Rally and Press Conference “Drop the charges against Julian Assange”

Join our rally on Michigan Avenue near the Chicago Tribune Building (435 Michigan Ave.).  We need as many supporters as possible to hold banners and pass out flyers. Share the link above.

At 4:30 pm speakers will discuss the day’s court proceedings, the significance of the case for press freedom in this country, as well as highlighting the critical role Julian Assange and WikiLeaks has played in exposing U.S. war crimes and misdeeds. Cities across the U.S. are holding similar rallies.

Current sponsors include AssangeDefenseChicago, Black Alliance for Peace, Chicago Area Peace Action, CodePink, and JISOOR. Please email felawrence@gmail.com if you would like to suggest other orgs.

…………………………

ONGOING ACTIONS:

Call your representative!! Urge that they support H.Res.934, currently with the House Judiciary Committee. H .Res.934 – “Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that regular journalistic activities are protected under the First Amendment, and that the United States ought to drop all charges against and attempts to extradite Julian Assange.”

Flyers and Bannering: Contact Stansfield Smith (stansfieldsmith100@gmail.com) for literature and details of bannering opportunities. 

Social Media: Join the AssangeDefenseChicago facebook group and share content on your own social media. Now is the time to create as much coverage as possible.

“Free Julian Assange!” 

February 19th, 2024: 24-hour Livestream Event

WHEN: Monday, Feb 19th, starting at 2:30 A.M. CT: 

The 24hr Countdown to Day X Webcast! (make sure to hit the notify bell)

The 24 hour webcast begins at 2:30 A.M. CT streaming on the YouTube channels @StellaAssange and @AssangeDefense.  In this countdown, the Assange Defense team will be providing a complete overview of what Julian Assange is facing at the two-day public hearing that starts on the 20th at 2:30 A.M. CT. It will then be going live from outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

This webcast will include pre-recorded messages of support from leading voices in the U.S and around the world.  Chicago voices are well represented.

…………………………

ONGOING ACTIONS:

Call your representative!! Urge that they support H.Res.934, currently with the House Judiciary Committee. H .Res.934 – “Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that regular journalistic activities are protected under the First Amendment, and that the United States ought to drop all charges against and attempts to extradite Julian Assange.”

Flyers and Bannering: Contact Stansfield Smith (stansfieldsmith100@gmail.com) for literature and details of bannering opportunities. 

Social Media: Join the AssangeDefenseChicago facebook group and share content on your own social media. Now is the time to create as much coverage as possible.

“Free Julian Assange!” 

February 15th, 2024: Freedom of the Press Foundation Event

WHEN: Thursday, Feb 15th at 11:30 A.M. CT

Click here to register!

The Freedom of the Press Foundation is holding a virtual discussion explaining how the Assange prosecution endangers all journalists. Speakers include:

• •  – U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass
  •  – Cindy Cohn, executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
  •  – Carrie DeCell, senior staff attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute 
  •  – Trevor Timm, executive director of Freedom of the Press Foundation 
  •  – Ben Wizner, director of the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project.

Followed by the world premiere of a Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) video urging the Biden administration to drop this dangerous prosecution.

…………………………

ONGOING ACTIONS:

Call your representative!! Urge that they support H.Res.934, currently with the House Judiciary Committee. H .Res.934 – “Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that regular journalistic activities are protected under the First Amendment, and that the United States ought to drop all charges against and attempts to extradite Julian Assange.”

Flyers and Bannering: Contact Stansfield Smith (stansfieldsmith100@gmail.com) for literature and details of bannering opportunities. 

Social Media: Join the AssangeDefenseChicago facebook group and share content on your own social media. Now is the time to create as much coverage as possible.

“Free Julian Assange!” 

February 13th, 2024: “Occupation of the American Mind” Documentary and Discussion

WHEN: Tuesday, Feb. 13th @ 7 PM

WHERE: Lake Street Church, Parlor Room, 1450 Chicago Ave (Courtyard Entrance), Evanston IL, 60201

CAPA believes it is time to have a larger discussion of the seven decades of Israeli Occupation and consider how the U.S. could arrive at a position of fairness toward both Iraeli and Palestinian lives and their equal need for freedom, safety and prosperity. The U.S. should immediately become a non partial broker working alongside other brokers in the Middle East for an acceptable solution for both peoples.

On Tuesday, February 13th, we are coordinating with the Peace and Justice Committee of Lake Street Church in Evanston to show the film, “Occupation of the American Mind: Israel’s Public Relations War in the United States.” As the film’s webpage states:

Polling shows strong global opposition to Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land, and mounting outrage over Israel’s ongoing slaughter of unarmed Palestinian civilians who are fighting for their rights. Nevertheless, public sympathy and support for Israel within the US continues to hold strong.

“The Occupation of the American Mind” zeroes in on this critical exception, breaking down the devastatingly effective public relations war that Israel and right-wing pro-Israel advocacy groups have been waging for decades in the US. Narrated by Roger Waters and featuring leading observers of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, the film explores how the Israeli government, the US government, and the pro-Israel lobby have joined forces, often with very different motives and interests, to shape American media coverage of the conflict in Israel’s favor.

The result is a stunning look at how — and why — American media coverage of the conflict regularly minimizes the occupation, vilifies critics of Israeli policy, and dehumanizes the Palestinian people.

January 27th:  Stop Endless Wars – Great Lakes Regional Gathering II

January 15th:  Nonviolent Action, Unarmed Civilian Protection – A Way Forward to Justice & Peace

January 13th: Reducing the Threat of Nuclear War 2024

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
– Margaret Mead  

December 2023: CAPA Year End Appeal

There is no denying that 2023 has been a challenging year for organizations and activists, like those of us at CAPA, who expend human capital and the green kind to causes of peace and planet.

We accept that our endeavor to advance diplomacy and to advance solutions for a more just and sustainable world require long-term effort and are often generational in scope.

Whether it is in the realm of peace or planet, it is incumbent on each of us to do what we can for the sake of all life on earth and for the earth herself.

Sustain CAPA’s Work!

The Israel-Hamas war has strained relationships and friendships within our communities and the humanitarian catastrophe and unimaginable suffering of the residents of Gaza grows more dire with every passing day.

The Russia-Ukraine war, though not as frequently on the front page, continues to divide the peace movement and the suffering on both sides of the conflict worsens with the winter.

The recent COP28 climate summit which took place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) brought new international commitments to address the climate crisis, attain renewable energy goals, and slow the planet’s record warming–but it also brought increased skepticism by activists who have heard these same promises go unfulfilled before, and who noted the presence of some 1,300 fossil fuel lobbyists at the summit. And the harmful growth of the Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) industry has only continued to expand under the Biden Administration.

And yet – if not for us, and scores of organizations like ours – there would be NO voice to counter the dominant narrative that the first impulse for resolving differences ought to be lethal force or to counter the military arms manufacturers and fossil fuel lobbies that undermine our efforts on peace, diplomacy and the climate crisis to gain further profits for their shareholders.

Will you give now to help work for the world we believe is possible?

You can read the CAPA Board’s Year End Message here!

December 8th  – Picket for Gaza at Boeing Building!

Weapons made and sold by the Boeing corporation are used by Israel’s government on the civilian population of Gaza, where tens of thousands are being killed. Join CAPA in collaboration with PSL Chicago, Palestinian Assembly for Liberation, and friends for a picket at the Boeing Building in Chicago to call out this corporation which is profiting from death and destruction. 

We will be making noise, drumming, displaying banners and art, and speaking out to interrupt business as usual and call attention to Boeing’s crimes against humanity. Weapons companies must realize that there will be no peace for them as long as their products are being used to kill and harm. 

WHEN: Friday, Dec. 8th, 2023 @ 4:30 PM
WHERE: 100 North Riverside Plaza, Chicago

December 7th : Chicago Chanukah for Ceasefire in Gaza

We need a ceasefire now, an end to the siege on Gaza, freedom for all being held captive, and a commitment to equality, justice, and lasting peace for everyone. Join IfNotNow Chicago to light Chanukah candles, mourn for the dead, and “rededicate ourselves to fighting like hell for the living.”

IfNotNow are a movement of American Jews organizing to end U.S. support for Israel’s apartheid system and demand equality, justice, and a thriving future for all Palestinians and Israelis.  

WHEN: Thursday, Dec. 7th, 2023, 7 – 8:30 PM
WHERE: Welles Park, 2333 W Sunnyside Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

CLICK here to RSVP

December 1st  – CAPA LOYOLA, SJP Loyola, and Dissenters present: United for Palestine Fundraiser and Gathering

CAPA LOYOLA, Students for Justice in Palestine Loyola, and Dissenters Loyola invite you to “United for Palestine,” a fundraiser and gathering on Loyola’s Edgewater campus, on Friday, Dec. 1st, 2023. Join with community members and activists in solidarity to call for the safety and rights of Palestinians in light of the current genocide brought by Israel’s government (with U.S. government support) in Gaza. All proceeds go to the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

WHEN: Dec. 1st, 2023, 6 PM

WHERE: Loyola Univ., Damen Student Center, Multipurpose Room: 6511 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60626

November 16th  – Protest the American Petroleum Institute

CAPA is joining a coalition of activists and organizations in Chicago to protest the American Petroleum Institute (API) conference this Thursday, November 16th at 4:30PM. This is an opportunity to allow more Chicago residents to make connections between the extreme weather and flooding we experienced this summer and the need to combat the global climate crisis!

API is a lobbying organization for oil and gas companies such as BP, Shell, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, and many more. The front group plays a crucial role in maintaining profits for and preventing the regulation of the fossil fuel companies most culpable for the global climate crisis. API should not be allowed to host their conference in Chicago unopposed!

We will be gathering to tell the oil and gas industry that the fossil fuel era must end! Here are the details:

Our Demands 

• • Tell Hyatt to cancel API’s Chicago conference – No more support for fossil fuel criminals. 
  • Tell Big Oil and Gas to stop developing new fossil fuel projects and wind down existing infrastructure. 
  • Make Big Oil pay for their crimes and fund a just transition to a clean energy future. 
  • Create clean energy jobs, build sustainable housing, develop better public transit, and retrofit schools with green technology. 

Date, Time, Location

• • Thursday, November 16th 
  • 4PM: Meet up at Cermak and Prairie (near the Hyatt) 
  • 4:30PM: March together for rally and presser on public property at Hyatt Regency McCormick Place (2233 S Martin Luther King Dr, Chicago IL 60616)

RSVP HERE!

November 13th: “Silent Fallout” Film Preview

November 12th: Armistice Day, the Chicago Lawyer Who Banned War, and Why Wars Keep Happening

November 8th: China: Confrontation or Cooperation?

October 29th: Climate Hope Event!

October 24th: The Ukraine, Israel-Palestine Wars

October 21st: Chicago Marches for Palestine

October 7th: Forum with Elmer “Ka Bong” Labog

October 7th: Let Cuba Live!

OCTOBER 5TH, 2023: ……. CAPA’s 44TH ANNUAL BENEFIT: “Threats to Democracy: How We Rise Up and Resist”! (<–CLICK HERE for full event description and recording)

After 3 years of gathering online for our all-important fall fundraiser, Chicago Area Peace Action’s annual main event is back, live and in person!      Join us on Thursday, October 5th, at 6:00 P.M. to attend this gala event as we reunite with old friends, meet stimulating new ones, and explore a deeply fundamental issue that affects Americans of all ages, incomes, ethnicities and political leanings.

 

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

 

Join esteemed panelists Congresswoman Delia Ramirez (IL-3), professor and author Paul Street, journalist and D.C. Coordinator of Black Alliance for Peace Jacqueline Luqman, and moderator, Executive Director of The Peoples Lobby, Will Tanzman, as they share their unique perspectives on resisting threats to democracy!    

 

As we witness the rollbacks of protections embedded in the landmark Voting Rights Act, the attacks on LGBTQ rights, and the fascist assault on freedom of thought in our public schools and libraries, we are deeply concerned whether or not this 236-year-old experiment in constitutional democracy can survive. We are now less than 20 years away from the most significant demographic shift in U.S. history, when the U.S. becomes a minority-majority nation. Will we live up to the ideal of “with liberty and justice for all” and truly mean all, not just the privileged few with the right skin color?

CAPA‘s issues of nuclear abolition, preventing catastrophic climate disruption, and shifting resources away from the war machine and to the good of people and planet are inextricably linked to our overall worldview of the pursuit of MLK’s Beloved Community. As imperfect as this United States remains, it still holds the tools to live up to the rhetorical ambition of its founding creed – if only we have the courage and commitment to fight for that vision. 

In addition to our panel, we will enjoy a delicious dinner catered by Curt’s Cafe 🌮🌮🍽️🍽️ and celebrate the important work of CAPA’s Student Network, our Climate and Foreign Policy Working Groups, and invite attendees to share their passions and insights among fellow peacebuilders. See you there! 

REGISTER TODAY!l

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September 24th – October 8th, 2023: Banner Drops for Peace in Ukraine!

On sunny days from September 24th through October 8th, Chicago Area Peace Action will be organizing highway banner drops around the city behind the messages: “Our War Money Kills Ukraine – Not One Penny More” and “Biden: No-One Wins When this War Goes Nuclear.” We will provide our expertise and four 20-foot banners which we’ll need teams of volunteers to hang, monitor and then remove on weekday AM and PM rush hour shifts when the weather promises to be clement, and possibly also on weekend shifts from noon-3pm. We’d like this to be the start of an ongoing banner campaign until the war is over, and only a part of Chicago’s response to the overlapping national weeks of action that have been called to protest the proxy NATO-Russia war in Ukraine (and of course the grave accompanying risk of nuclear war) by Roots Action and the Peace in Ukraine Coalition.

We’ll be monitoring the weather and contacting our volunteers approx. three days ahead in hope of organizing shifts on the most clement bannering days! Weekday shifts will be AM Rush 7-10am and PM Rush 4-7pm, while weekend shifts will be noon – 3pm.

If you’re interested in participating, SIGN UP HERE!

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SEPTEMBER 23rd, 2023: Never Again, Never Forget! – 51st Anniversary of Martial Law in the Philippines

SEPTEMBER 16th, 2023: NO 2 APEC Info Session at Edgewater Library!

SEPTEMBER 15th, 2023: “End Fossil Fuels” Chicago Action!

SEPTEMBER 13-17th, 2023: The Golden Rule Ship Arrives in Chicago! 🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

AUGUST 27th, 2023: Museum of Science and Industry: BETTER WITHOUT BOEING!

AUGUST 19th, 2023: Malaya Chicago Presents: “Makabayang Sining Para Sa Inang Bayan – People’s Art for the Motherland”

–POSTPONEMENT NOTICE:– 

Thank you to our many registrants and sponsors of the event listed below, “China: Confrontation or Cooperation,” originally planned for August 9th. We are temporarily postponing this event – please stay tuned for updates as we look to reconvene this important conversation soon!

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AUGUST 9TH, 2023: “CHINA: CONFRONTATION OR COOPERATION?”

–> CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!    🕊️🕊️🌏🌏

 

 

Jake Werner – a Research Fellow at the Quincy Institute. He researches the emergence of great power conflict between the US and China and develops policies to rebuild constructive economic relations.

 

 

 

 

 

Jodie Evans – co-founder of CODEPINK and founder of the campaign China Is Not Our Enemy. She has traveled to China 10 times in the last 4 years. Jodie is primarily focused on sharing a global vision for peace and social justice.

AUGUST 5TH, 2023: “HIROSHIMA: HISTORY OR PRELUDE?”

Laura Hein, Professor of Japanese History and former History Dept. Chair, Northwestern University

Michael Lynn, National Board Member of Peace Action

JULY 13TH, 2023: “FINDING HOPE IN THE CLIMATE-PEACE-DISARMAMENT NEXUS”

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!     🕊️🕊️🌱🌱💧💧🌏🌏

UPDATE: This event has been postponed until further notice — please stay tuned for additional updates. Thank you for your solidarity with the people of Jenin!

JULY 7TH, 2023: Jenin Resists – Chicago Protest in Solidarity with Palestine

JULY 3RD, 2023: Free Julian Assange — Assange Defense Chicago, CAPA, PSL, and partners drop 6 Banners in Chicago!

JUNE 28TH, 2023: Dr. Seth Darling Presents: “The Climate Crisis: WATT’s Next for Energy?”

CLICK HERE TO RSVP!       🌱🌱💧💧🌱🌱💧💧

JUNE 9TH, 2023: End the Era of Fossil Fuels! – Street Action

CLICK HERE TO RSVP!         🎵🎵🎨🎨📢📢🎵🎵🎨🎨📢📢

WHEN:     June 9th, 2023 at 11:00 AM.

WHERE:   230 S. Dearborn, Chicago, IL 60602 US

JUNE 4TH, 2023: 4th Annual Love Memorial

Please show some love on JUNE 4TH 2023 as Nita’s Love Train hosts the 4th Annual Love Memorial. Nita’s message:

“!! Between September 11th 2022 and TODAY! 97 black and brown youth , aged 0-24 years old, have lost their lives to violence or tragedy in Chicago! Please join us on June 4th, 2023 (THIS SUNDAY) WE WILL REMEMBER ALL OF THEM ! We will say their names, light candles remember them, release lanterns, and even drop a few tears!

“Also, I will be giving out free love and baby supplies so if your nearby and need some FREE diapers, baby formula , wipes, etc please stop by.❤️ Share this when you see it, especially if you love someone who’s name is on this list, even if you can’t come your share is support! If I’ve forgotten a name , please excuse me I research myself ,and inbox me the name so I can add it.”

🦋🕊️🦋🕊️🦋🕊️🦋🕊️🦋🕊️🦋
@nitaslovetrain @gkmc18 @herchicago @ronniemanworld

JUNE 3RD, 2023: People’s Hearing on Police Crimes and the Injustice System!

CLICK HERE TO RSVP!

Gather with us in solidarity with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression for a “People’s Hearing on Police Crimes and the Injustice System” — Saturday, June 3rd, 2023, 3pm at Gorham Methodist Church!

We will hear testimony from people affected by police crimes and connect with efforts in our local communities to demand justice. This is an important opportunity to continue the struggle for justice in this new stage where we now have directly elected District Councils and a Mayor accountable to the movement.

This is the fourth such hearing that CAARPR has organized, to amplify voices of survivors and families at the heart of the movement for community control of the police and the Campaign to Free Incarcerated Survivors of Police Torture (CFIST). Join as as we share directly with District Council members and organize to take action in our districts. We hope to see you there on June 3rd!

 When:       Saturday, June 3rd, 2023 from 3-7 P.M. CDT
Where:     Gorham Methodist Church, 5600 S. Indiana Ave., Chicago IL, 60637

MAY 24TH, 2023: Peace in Ukraine – Petition Delivery  to Legislators!

CLICK HERE to read the petition

Join CAPA and partners for this action led by CODEPINK, to hold legislators accountable for pursuing diplomacy and stopping warfare in Ukraine and around the world. Join us in delivering this petition to legislators in the Chicago area on May 24th, 2023!

Contact capa@chipeaceaction.org to join us!

CLICK HERE FOR INFO on this nationwide action!

MAY 11TH, 2023: Peace in Ukraine Teach-in!

Hosted by CAPA, Black Alliance for Peace, CODEPINK, Party for Socialism & Liberation, and partners. Join us for an in-depth discussion where all are welcome to share and learn together. Featuring presentations on the history of the conflict, the role of African nations, options for ceasefire and negotiations, and more. We will have pizza, drinks, and conversation. See you there!

CLICK HERE TO RSVP!     🍕🍕🍕

 WHEN: May 11, 2023 at 7:00pm – 9:00pm (CDT)

 WHERE: Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church
600 W Fullerton Pkwy, Chicago, IL 60614, U.S.

MAY 10TH, 2023: Divest Chicago from the War Machine – Open Meeting at Spoke & Bird Cafe!

CLICK HERE TO RSVP!

MAY 3RD, 2023: WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY!  🎥🎥🎞️🎞️📰📰📢📢   

JOIN CAPA and co-sponsors Assange Defense Chicago and CODEPINK for “PRESS FREEDOM, JOURNALISTS, AND WHISTLEBLOWERS”: an online panel discussion on how our right to expose the truth and express political dissent is under attack in the U.S.

• • WHEN: Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023, 7:00pm to 8:30pm CDT
  • WHERE: Online — REGISTER HERE

The United Nations has designated Wednesday, May 3rd as World Press Freedom Day. This presents an opportunity to focus attention on the current perilous state of press freedom and freedom of expression in the U.S. as exemplified by the continued persecution of Julian Assange, and also by the recent indictment of members of the Uhuru Movement for their political activity and speech.

We have brought together a panel of speakers uniquely qualified to discuss these critically important issues affecting the future of our democracy. The Panel:

• • Kevin Gosztola, journalist and author of “Guilty of Journalism; The Political Case against Julian Assange”
  • Jamie Kalven, journalist, founder of the Chicago-based Invisible Institute, and co-author of “A Worthy tradition: Freedom of Speech in America”
  • Leonard Goodman, lawyer, columnist, adjunct law professor at DePaul University Chicago, and founder of the Leonard C. Goodman Institute for Investigative Reporting.
  • The moderator for the event will be Michael Klonsky, a longtime Chicago political activist, host of the podcast “Hitting Left Radio”, and writer of “Mike Klonsky’s Edu/POL” on Substack.

See you on Wednesday, May 3rd for this timely event!

APRIL 22ND, 2023: Breaking the Chains Through Verses of Freedom

JOIN CAPA and friends for this event hosted by IL-CHEP to provoke thought and stimulate interest in the plight of mass incarceration in the U.S. and the need for higher education in prison programs to combat recidivism and build minds resulting in transitioning from imprisonment to being a productive member of society.

REGISTER HERE!

5:30-6:30 PM — Resource fair to provide additional information to the general public, advocates and system impacted people with reentry support organizations and resources.

6:30-8:00 PM — Spoken Word Artists & Performance

8:00-9:30 PM — Open Mic

–Drinks and appetizers will be served–

See you on April 22nd!

APRIL 6TH, 2023: ITHAKA FILM SCREENING

JOIN CAPA and friends in support of the campaign to free Julian Assange!                                                                                                                                  🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️📰📰📰📰📰📢📢📢📢📢📢

Don’t miss the chance to attend the exclusive screening of the movie 𝙄𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙠𝙖 about Julian’s family’s search for justice followed by an in-person Q&A with renowned Chicago human rights lawyer, Flint Taylor, and Julian Assange’s father (John Shipton) and brother (Gabriel Shipton). Click here to watch the trailer.

• • WHEN: Thursday, April 6th @7:30pm
  • WHERE: The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 3519 N Clark St. Suite C301 Chicago

Click here to buy your tickets!

Tickets are on sale now! Get your tickets early for this historic event.

CAPA Student-Led Peace Summit 2023
“Fighting the War Machine: in Chicago and Beyond”

• • WHEN: Saturday, April 1st, 2023, from 10A.M. – 4 P.M.

  • WHERE: Loyola University, 1050 W Sheridan, Chicago, IL 60660 

  • CLICK HERE FOR FREE REGISTRATION! 

Throughout this past year’s news cycle, one of the major events commonly covered has been the war in Ukraine. Although it may have been the most highlighted, this conflict is just one of many ongoing violent catastrophes around the globe. From Palestine to Yemen, from El Salvador to right here in Chicago, the international war machine continues to destroy people’s lives.

Such militarism is often framed as “just” and “necessary,” while communities around the world know it is anything but. This is why Chicago Area Peace Action’s Student Network is hosting a peace summit that will help organize, empower and educate activists from all backgrounds and experience levels so we can band together and demand global peace!

Planned workshops include: 

• • • Chicago Youth Organizing Against Violence and War
    • Ending War on Palestine
    • Ending War on Yemen
    • Ending the War in Ukraine
    • Uniting the Left, Locally and Globally
    • And more! Check out our full Peace Summit page here!!

MARCH 21ST: STOP DIRTY BANKS!

Join CAPA Climate Group and partners for a National Day of Action on March 21, 2023 – 3.21.23! Together we demand banks stop funding climate chaos. 📢📢💃🏾💃🏾💃💃🪧🪧🎵🎵

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

• • WHEN:     Tuesday, March 21, 2023, 11am – 1pm CDT
  • WHERE:   10 S Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60603 

Over the past year, thousands have taken the Banking on Our Future pledge to close our accounts, cut up our credit cards, and boycott Bank of America, Chase, Citibank, and Wells Fargo if they don’t move their investments out of fossil fuels. On 3.21.23, we gather to show the strength of our movement!

You don’t need to be a cardholder to participate––we need people of all backgrounds and means to make visible the connection between cash and carbon. Bring your friends, energy, and creativity!

FUND PEOPLE’S NEEDS, NOT THE WAR MACHINE!

SATURDAY, MARCH 18TH, 11 A.M. CENTRAL @ THE WRIGLEY BLDG, 400-410 Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611 

Click here to register!

Join CAPA in solidarity with CODEPINK, ANSWER Coalition, the People’s Forum, and friends in Chicago to protest on the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The demonstrations will make connections between the human and financial toll of U.S. militarism at home and abroad. Key demands include:

• • • End the $100 Billion in arms shipments to Ukraine
    • End NATO
    • Stop the permanent war economy that funnels trillions of dollars away from jobs, education and health care
    • Negotiations now! The people of the U.S. are not interested in the possibility of nuclear war nor the Pentagon’s policy of “weakening Russia.”
    • No to war with China!

See you on March 18th! 

JOIN CAPA LOYOLA and the Feminist Forum on Thursday, March 16th for an in-person Build a Blanket event!

All blankets will be donated for the use of Chicago residents at shelter facilities throughout the city.

• • WHEN:      Thursday, March 16th, 2023, from 4-6 P.M. CT 
  • WHERE:    206 Cuneo Hall; 6430 N Kenmore Ave, Chicago, IL 60626

Learn how to create a blanket with us as we gather to prioritize community care, as part of a larger discussion on resources for all and housing as a human right. See you on Thursday March 16th!

Join CAPA in solidarity with CODEPINK on International Women’s Day 2023 as we come together to discuss the core values and missions of a feminist foreign policy, what we as feminists need to do in the ongoing rise of violence, hatred and environmental crisis and how we can engage locally and globally to stand in solidarity with one another. 

REGISTER HERE!

We will have a series of webinars throughout the day to engage online with our local and global communities. By registering for this event, you will get a link to all three webinars!

1.) Morning Webinar 9am PST/11am CST/12pm EST – IWD Kick off, discussing what events are happening, online actions and any tool kits to use for the day, speeches from global voices

2.) Midday webinar 2pm PST/4pm CST/5pm EST – online action we can do together during the webinar, speeches from global voices

3.) End of day webinar 6pm PST/8pm CST/9pm EST- reflections from the day, with live reflections and recorded speeches from national voices, plug ongoing actions and events to continue to follow!

FRIDAY, MARCH 3RD, 2023: GLOBAL CLIMATE STRIKE!

• • When:      Friday March 3, 2023, from 2-4 P.M. Central
  • Where:     610-30 W Adams St, Chicago, IL 60606 US

CLICK HERE TO RSVP!!

On March 3rd, at 2 PM Central, environmental activist organizations from the upper Midwest will be joining forces at the next Global Climate Strike in downtown Chicago! Organized by Fridays for Future Chicago and others.

Join us to demand an end to Fossil Fuel Financing at BP Headquarters at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Building and at the Chase Tower! We will be starting at Heritage Green Park and ending at the Kluczynski Federal Building, with an amazing lineup of speakers, activities, and environment-oriented music playlists to energize our voices calling for change.

See you in the streets!

VICTORY! 🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊 (AND MUCH MORE WORK AHEAD!)

Join us in celebrating a historic step forward for public safety in Chicago: the election of police district councils which will give our communities control over how and to what extent policing occurs. Due to years of organizing by local groups like Chicago Alliance for Racist & Political Repression and others, ECPS-backed candidates won in a majority of districts! 

The Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS) ordinance that created the councils and the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) follows a decade of organizing spurred by the 2012 killing of 22-year-old Rekia Boyd by Dante Servin, an off-duty police detective. Years of struggle followed, culminating in the creation of ELECTED, not appointed, police district councils. In all, 66 community members are elected, with 3 members from each of 22 police districts.

Many who organize for peace and justice believe these police district council elections are a watershed moment for systems of public safety in the U.S. Long-time Chicago organizer Frank Chapman states in this Fightback News article: “The district council elections in February 2023 will make the greatest democratic advance in the right of the people to determine their own public safety based on their long-standing quest for freedom, justice, and equality.”

So help us celebrate this moment, and follow the work of the new police district councils to transform community safety in Chicago!

CAPA is excited to raise awareness of a historic step forward for public safety in Chicago: the election of police district councils which will give our communities control over how and to what extent policing occurs. As explained in this Chicago Reader article:

“After decades of struggle by thousands of people who organized, marched, petitioned, prayed, and collectively clamored for the right to have a say in how their communities are policed, on February 28th, voters will elect 66 people to serve on police district councils across the city.

“The battle for community control of the police has been waged for more than a half-century. Deputy chairman Fred Hampton and the Black Panther Party sparked the first push in the late 1960s. In the decades since, organizers have won incremental concessions, leading to [policing oversight boards]. None of the people serving on them were democratically elected. The police district councils will be elected. Three councilors will serve in each of the city’s 22 police districts for four-year terms.”

• FIND YOUR POLICE DISTRICT
• FIND YOUR POLLING LOCATION

The Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS) ordinance that created the councils and the CCPSA is the result of a decade of organizing spurred by the 2012 killing of 22-year-old Rekia Boyd by Dante Servin, an off-duty police detective. Years of struggle followed, leading to modest gains. The Chicago Reader explains further:

“Everything changed in 2020, as protests of the murder of George Floyd by then-Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin swept the nation. In Chicago and elsewhere, the rebellions (and the police response to them) turned into a long, hot summer. In its midst, the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability and the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression formed a coalition, Empowering Communities for Public Safety.

“With thousands of ordinary people at its back and in the streets, the coalition negotiated the language of the ECPS ordinance with the mayor. It passed in 2021.”

Many movement leaders believe these elections are a watershed moment for systems of public safety in the U.S. Long-time Chicago organizer Frank Chapman states in this Fightback News article: “The district council elections in February 2023 will make the greatest democratic advance in the right of the people to determine their own public safety based on their long-standing quest for freedom, justice, and equality.”

Early voting begins on Thursday, January 26th at the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners supersite, and on Monday, February 13th in all 50 wards.  Jump to police district council candidates here.   Make sure you and your networks are tuned in to this moment of transformation!

FRIDAY, 24TH, 2023:  “DEFUSE NUCLEAR WAR” ACTIONS NATIONWIDE!

Marking the one-year anniversary of the current war in Ukraine, on Feb. 24th, join with others in the Defuse Nuclear War coalition to call on the United States to LEAD WITH DIPLOMACY instead of escalation to end the war.  Defuse Nuclear War co-sponsors and organizers are participating today in cities across the U.S., taking action in person, on line, and on the phone. CAPA and local partners are calling for online messages and a massive phone call-in to Congresspeople today. Please see the actions below!

☎️☎️☎️☎️☎️☎️☎️☎️📢📢📢📢📢📢📢📢📢

……Action #1: SEND MESSAGE – Tell Congress to investigate the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline.

……Action #2: SEND MESSAGE – Tell Congress to lead with diplomacy, not escalation.

……Action #3: SEND MESSAGE – Tell Congress to invest in people, not nuclear weapons.

……Action #4: CALL – Call Congress requesting a public statement in support of a ceasefire and peace negotiations:

• • • • •  Congressional Switchboard: (202) 224-3121

Sample script: “My name is ______ and I’m calling from zip code __ to request you issue a public statement in support of a ceasefire and peace negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Please vote no on more weapons to escalate the war. I would like to receive a response on whether or not you plan to release a public statement. Please reach me at my phone number, ______. Thank you.”

WHY AND HOW TO END THE WAR IN UKRAINE — February 15th, online, 7-8:30 P.M. Central 

WATCH THE RECORDING!

CHECK OUT PANELIST AND ATTENDEE RESOURCES!

Please join us online on Wednesday, February 15th, 2023 at 7 P.M. Central, for a webinar and discussion, “Why and How to End the War in Ukraine” – organized by Chicago Area Peace Action and co-sponsored by Black Alliance for Peace, Chicago Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression, Chicago Area Peace Action DePaul, Chicago Committee Against War & Racism, CODEPINK, Independent Progressive Alliance, Jewish Voice for Peace, Massachusetts Peace Action, North Carolina Peace Action, Party for Socialism and Liberation, RootsAction, and World BEYOND War.

Featuring presentations by Marcy Winograd of CODEPINK, Jacqueline Luqman of Black Agenda Report, and retired Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, we will focus specifically on the WHY and HOW of ending this war. 

Hundreds of thousands dead, countless more wounded, millions displaced, and Ukraine – the “breadbasket” of Europe and the world – ravaged by a senseless and needless war, yet our elected political leaders in the U.S, aided and abetted by a compliant mainstream media and a feckless Congress, pursue an evermore dangerous escalation in a conflict where no one wins and everybody loses.

The invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces a year ago shocked the world, but the roots of the conflict go back years.  The US/NATO and Russia face-off over Ukraine has produced an ongoing disaster that has global ramifications risking, at worst, a nuclear Armageddon, while currently causing shortages of food, fuel and other basics throughout the region and beyond. An immediate stop to the supply of arms, a ceasefire, and negotiations based on realistic expectations by all sides could be the multipart plan to bring peace to Ukraine and the European continent.

Furthermore, we need to bring an end to the unrelenting geopolitical brinkmanship and pursuit of global hegemony.  We need to stop spending trillions on weapons of war and on U.S. military forces stationed around the globe.  We need an urgent pivot toward tackling the existential problems of climate change, environmental degradation, and the economic inequality prevailing in populations in our own country and around the world.

It is up to US, all of us who believe in peace, justice, and equality, to unite and demand that this war end!

See you on February 15th!

FEB. 8TH, 6 P.M. CENTRAL ONLINE – “IT’S TIME TO BUILD A SUPRANATIONAL SYSTEM OF GOVERNANCE”

Register Here!

JOIN CAPA in attending an educational event online, Wednesday, February 8th, 2023 at 6 P.M. central: “It’s Time to Build a Supranational System of Governance: An Indispensable Foundation for Peace,“ featuring Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing and hosted by Peace Action New York State and Upper Hudson Peace Action!

Against the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, escalating great power tension, and the growing climate crisis, there exists an enduring vision and roadmap for global justice and peace. Some of the world’s greatest minds have shared this inspiring vision. This timeless idea is about creating a supranational system of global governance.

On February 8th at 6 pm CDT, we will join our friends at Upper Hudson Peace Action and Peace Action New York State in discussing this powerful plan to realize world peace with Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing, a world renowned author, speaker, and international lawyer. Ms. Ewing is also the founding director of the Center for Peace and Global Governance (CPGG) and has published five books on world peace and global governance. 

We hope to see you there!

SUNDAY, JAN. 29TH, 2023, 11-2 P.M. Central, Loyola Red Line Stop: CANVASS WITH BOEING ARMS GENOCIDE to Stop IL from Funding a Boeing Drone Facility!

Boeing Arms Genocide will be hitting the pavement on Sunday, Jan. 29th, to tell the community about the soon-to-open military drone facility in IL — and what we can do to stop it!

We will provide a canvassing training with all the necessary info on the campaign and materials. All you need to bring is yourself and your passion for stopping Boeing’s ongoing militarism in IL communities, which destroys lives around the world. We are organizing to tell Gov. Pritzker that IL taxpayer resources can be better spent on life-affirming projects that uplift rather than destroy communities.

See you on Jan. 29th!

SATURDAY, JAN. 28TH, 2023, 10 A.M. – 5 P.M. Central, online: INT’L PEOPLE’S TRIBUNAL ON U.S. IMPERIALISM!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!  (Note: to watch online, you may be directed to subscribe to the People’s Forum youtube page–>)

After two years of dedicated organizing, the People’s Forum are excited to officially announce the launch of the International People’s Tribunal on U.S. Imperialism: Sanctions, Blockades, and Economic Coercive Measures. This project is a first ever international effort to build systems of accountability—rooted in global cross-movement solidarity—both within and outside of the law, to challenge the violence of imperialism through sanctions. With an impressive group of internationally renowned jurists from across the world, we interrogate sanctions not from the perspective of those who enforce them, but from the perspective of those most impacted by them, namely the peoples of Asia, Africa, and South America.

This initial half-day forum will take place as a hybrid event offered in-person and online. The in-person offering is located at 320 W 37th St, New York, NY 10018, hosted by an international coalition of over 30 organizations. Overall, the Tribunal will last for approximately six months and will conclude with a closing event hosted by the Simón Bolívar Institute in Caracas, Venezuela in July 2023.

Co-sponsors include: Al-Awda, Alliance for Global Justice, ANSWER, Black Alliance for Peace, CODEPINK, COLAP, CPK, Committee of Anti-Imperialists in Solidarity with Iran, Foundation Franz Fanon, IADL, Institute Simon Bolivar, National Lantern Guild, Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement, Samidoun, Sanctions Kill, Tricontinental, and more.

SATURDAY, JAN. 21ST, 2023, 12-5 P.M. Central: “REDUCING THE THREAT OF NUCLEAR WAR” CONFERENCE

The 2023 “Reducing the Threat of Nuclear War” Conference will be held virtually on Saturday January 21st, 12-5P.M. Central. This annual gathering is one of the major national conferences addressing this acute problem.  

REGISTER HERE!

Given the tragic events in Ukraine, tensions with China over Taiwan, and provocations from North Korea, we need to accelerate effort toward clear analysis, peaceful resolutions and nuclear disarmament. The subtheme this year will be “The Social and Economic Costs of the Nuclear Weapons Buildup”. Particular attention will be given to the destructive effect of excessive weapons spending on human needs.  Attendees will also be able to choose one Breakout in the first set (2 P.M. Central) and one in the second set (3:30 P.M. Central).

Breakouts Group I (2:00 – 3:00 pm):

• • (A)  Advancing Back from the Brink -Dr. Joseph McCabe (GBPSR); Dr. Ira Helfand (PSR); Jeremy Love (Back from the Brink). Reporter Susan Entin.
  • (B)  Resisting a New Cold War with China: John Ratliff (Mass Peace Action); Joseph Gerson (Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security); Wei Yu (CodePINK). Reporter-Steve Gallant
  • (C)  Cutting Budgets for Nuclear Weapons– David Borris (CAPA); Paul Shannon (AFSC); Savannah Wooten (People over the Pentagon); Sayre Sheldon (WAND); William Hartung (Quincy Institute). Reporter-Louise Coleman
  • (D)  Addressing the Housing Crises: Build Homes Not Bombs: Jodie Evans (CodePINK); Michael Kane (Alliance of HUD Tenants); Savina Martin (Mass Poor Peoples Campaign); State Rep Mike Connolly; Sr. Linda Bessom ( Pax Christi). Reporter Drew King.
  • (E)  No Wars No Warming: Vernon Walker (CREW-350MA); Ed Aguilar (CPA-PA); Rosalie Anders (MAPA); Teddy Ogborn (CodePINK). Reporter-Pat Hynes
  • (F)  Promoting Nuclear Disarmament in the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Progressive Organizations – Elaine Scarry (CPDCS); Jackie Cabasso (Mayors for Peace); Vicki Elson (NuclearBan.us); Russell Freedman (PDA); Cherrill Spencer (WILPF); Reporter-Cynthia MacBain.
  • (G)  Supporting Veterans: Bonnie Gorman (Veterans for Peace and MAPA); Gerry Condon (Veterans for Peace); Roger Quindell (WI Vets for Peace); Jim Anderson (PANYS). Reporter-Mike Van Elzakker
  • (H)  Contacting Young People Advocating for Peace. Alex Neilly (Northeastern University); Peter Bergel (Oregon); Christian Ciobanu (Nuclear Age Peace Foundation); Roni Zahavi-Brunner (PANYS); Calla Walsh (MAPA); Alan Robock (Rutgers). Reporter Merri Ansara

Breakouts Group II (4:30 – 5:30 pm):

• • (I)  Interplay of Racism and Militarism at Home and Abroad: Rosemary Kean (MAPA); Liz Bejjalieh (CAPA); Vaughn Goodwin (MA PPC); Jeff Klein (Dorchester People for Peace); Reporter –Bonnie Gorman
  • (J)  Promoting the TPNW within the US – Timmon Wallis (Nuclear Ban -US); Dave Pack (Peace Action Kansas City); Sally Jones (PANYS); Molly McGinity (IPPNW);Ray Acheson (WILPF). Reporter Kathy Malley-Morrison
  • (K)  Promoting Peace Between the Koreas – Colleen Moore (Women Across the DMZ); Mike van Elzakker  (MAPA); Seung Hee Jeon (New England Koreans for Peace). Reporter-Joseph Gerson
  • (L)  Pressing for Negotiations in Ukraine – Marcy Winograd (CODEPINK); Susan Mirsky (MAPA); Cole Harrison (MAPA); Frances Jeffries (Rotary). Reporter- Danaka Katovich
  • (M)  Divestment and Direct Action focused on the Nuclear Weapons industry – David Swanson & Greta Zarro (World Beyond War); Rev. Paul Dordal (PA); Susi Snyder (Don’t Bank on the Bomb); Shea Lebow (CodePINK); Bill Glassmire (Corvallis Divests from War). Reporter- Paul Shannon.
  • (N)  Working with Nurses, Public Health Professionals and Healthcare Workers -Fund Healthcare not Warfare. Dr. Bob Gould (APHA); Sandy Eaton (MassCARE); Anne Cheney (APHA Peace Caucus); Cate Henning (MAPA); Katie Murphy (Mass Nurses Assoc); Martin Fleck (PSR). Reporter – Peter Bergel.
  • (O)  Campus Education and Organizing- Invest in Minds not Missiles. Prof. Bob Redwine (MIT); Roni Zahavi-Brunner (PANYS); CAPA Student; Luissa Vahedi (Am Public Health Assn); Reporter-Steve Slaner.
  • (P)  Promoting Peace in Municipal and State Legislatures; MA State Rep Carol Doherty; Sen. Jamie Eldridge (Mass Legislature); Tara Currie (Brooklyn for Peace ); Dennis Carlone (Cambridge City Council); Reporter– Cherrill Spencer.
  • (Q)  Engaging Communities of Faith /Promoting Pope Francis’ Encyclical -Mike Moran (Pax Christi); Keith Harvey (AFSC); Sofia Wolman (Inside the Sun); John Bach (Cambridge Quakers). Reporter- Peter Metz

FRIDAY, JAN. 20TH, 2023, 12-12:30 P.M. Central: “BIDEN: DECLARE A CLIMATE EMERGENCY”

Join us Join us! January 20th 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM at 230 S. Dearborn Street, in honoring the life of movement leader Joye Braun by Demanding Biden Stop fossil fuel projects & Declare a Climate Emergency!

RSVP here! 

This year, our movement and our world lost Joye Braun, a true warrior and force of nature. In her honor, we are participating in a nationwide mass day of action on January 20th to push the President to take bold climate action. We will be holding it live and digitally! For the Digital, click here. Please share them on your platforms. Watch for our posts to share or retweet.

For the in-person event, we will be at the Kluczynski Federal Building for a quick Action and photo op, live tweeting @Potus telling him Declare a Climate Emergency and Stop Line 5!

MONDAY, JAN. 16TH, 2023, 10 A.M.-1 P.M. Central: BUILDING THE BELOVED COMMUNITY

1. Our friends at the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago are holding a community-building event on Monday, January 16th, 2023 from 10 A.M.-1 P.M. Central, at 819 N. Leamington Street. There will be a two-hour introduction to Dr. King’s Principles and Steps of Nonviolence, then putting the beloved community into action by assembling essential items for distribution in the community. 

See you there!

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s peace activism can inspire people of all backgrounds to seek radical peace through dismantling U.S. militarism, poverty, and racism — more urgent than ever in 2023.

Several local faith-based communities will gather to honor Dr. King’s legacy on Sunday, January 15th at 3 P.M. Central, for the 2023 MLK Interfaith Community Worship Service, held at Faith Temple Church of God in Christ, 1932 Dewey Ave, Evanston.

Co-Sponsors include: Second Baptist Church, Unitarian Church of Evanston, First United Methodist Church, Lake Street Church, Faith Temple Church of God in Christ, Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation, 1st Congregation Church, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, St. Mark;’s Episcopal Church, Northminster Presbyterian Church, Grace Lutheran Church, Beth Emet the Free Synagogue, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Christ Temple Baptist Church, Ebenezer AME Church, Bethel AME Church, New Hope CME Church, First Church of God Christian Life Center, Evanston Church of God, Bethany Baptist Church of Christ, Mt. Zion Baptist Church

Including a special presentation to the Reparations Stakeholders Authority of Evanston. 

Please join CAPA and friends on Thursday, January 12th, 2023 from 7:00-8:30 P.M. Central for a virtual event hosted by Roots Action, as we celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.: “DIPLOMACY IS THE PATH TO PEACE.”

Click here to register!

A key focus will be this statement by Dr. King during his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize speech: “I refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into the hell of thermonuclear destruction.”

Featuring: the Reverend Dr. Liz Theoharis, Pastor Michael McBride, Judith LeBlanc, Dan Ellsberg, Khury Petersen-Smith, David Swanson, Norman Solomon and Hanieh Jodat. 

See you there!

CELEBRATE WITH US!

Please join CAPA in celebrating a victory for IL gun legislation — IL has passed a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines!

The Protect Illinois Communities Act is the result of hard work from groups like People for a Safer Society, IL Alliance to Prevent Gun Violence, Moms Demand Action, March for Our Lives, Everytown, One Aim IL. Groups like these who lead on this issue are calling out to celebrate. 🎊🎊🎊🎊

“This moment is the result of the dedication and leadership of hundreds of survivors, advocates and organizations that lent their voice to this fight to help enact what is now one of the strongest pieces of gun safety legislation in the country,” said Protect Illinois Communities Chair and President Becky Carroll.

“We now live in a state that cares more about children than guns.” -Rachel Jacoby of March for Our Lives. Follow the work of IL gun violence prevention groups!

The Protect Illinois Communities Act, or House Bill 5471, had recently passed both the IL House and IL Senate and was signed into law by Governor Pritzker. 

“Illinois joins other states with the strongest assault weapons ban in the nation sending the message that lives are valued over guns,” said state Rep. La Shawn K. Ford (D-Chicago).

“Gun violence anywhere is a threat to wellbeing everywhere. In Illinois, lawmakers, advocates, and gun violence survivors stood together and worked for decisive, protective change,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton.

Read more about the news here!

CAPA  is happy to announce a recent breakthrough from our friends at People for a Safer Society:

Update and Action Items! — We went to Springfield and were HEARD!

The Illinois House has passed the Protect Illinois Communities Act, with some changes. While high-capacity magazines were redefined as holding 12 or more rounds (as opposed to 10) and the age restrictions were dropped — most of the bill remains intact. You can read about it here. Now the debate moves to the IL Senate.

What can YOU do?

1.) Call and email YOUR IL State Senator to encourage a YES VOTE on The Protect Illinois Communities Act!  Here’s how:

EMAIL: Click to send your IL State Senator an email

CALL: Click here to find your State Senator and their phone numbers. The senators listed below especially need to hear from constituents.

Join the CAPA Climate Group in taking action to protect the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, which is currently under attack in Illinois!

CLICK TO PROTECT CEJA!

From our friends at Illinois Environmental Council: “Radical campaigns to ban— that’s right, ban— local clean energy projects in Illinois have picked up steam, and we need your help to stop them. We fought for nearly three straight years to pass the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, aka CEJA. Just as the many benefits we’ve been excited about are beginning to take effect, we must band together to defend the progress we’ve made toward our clean and equitable future.

“The IL General Assembly must take swift legislative action to defend CEJA and stop these bad-faith attack campaigns before it’s too late. Please help us build support to end these bans by asking your legislators to support legislation that does the following:

• removes overburdensome local bans and siting regulations 
• prioritizes protections for endangered species and natural areas
• encourages good conservation practices at clean energy sites”

Click here to contact your legislators in support of local clean energy projects! 

Tuesday, Dec. 20th, 2022, at 1 P.M. Central, 7pm Nigeria time, online: JOIN CAPA and friends in attending “AFRICOM Out of Africa.”

REGISTER HERE!

Join CAPA for this event hosted by CODEPINK and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)-US Section: AFRICOM out of Africa, a webinar on the United States African Command (AFRICOM) and human rights in Africa! We will hear from experts on Africa and AFRICOM. After an exchange of views and the insights discussion will explore what can be done to affect current conditions, increase feminist peacemaking and support the liberation of peoples on the African continent.

Featuring:

• Sylvie Ndongmo, current WILPF International President, a human rights and peace leader with over 27 years experience including ten within WILPF. Sylvie is the founder of WILPF Cameroon and was the Section’s president until 2022. 
• Doctor Gnaka Lagoke an Assistant Professor of history and of Pan-Africana Studies at Lincoln University (PA).
• Bro. Imani Umoja, based in Guinea Bissau, Steering Committee of Black Alliance for Peace’s U.S. Out of Africa Network, and a Central Committee member of both the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) and the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (A-APRP).
• Ann Wright, representing WILPF US, one of only three persons who resigned from the U.S. government in opposition to the Iraq war. Since then, she has been writing and speaking out for peace. 

The webinar will offer action opportunities for people to take steps to get the US out of Africa!

JOIN the CAPA Climate Group in thanking Senators Duckworth and Durbin for rejecting Senator Joe Manchin’s third attempt to attach a fossil-fuel deal onto national legislation!

CLICK TO THANK SENATORS!

As reported in Common Dreams:  The U.S. climate movement and people on the frontlines of the planetary crisis celebrated Thursday (Dec. 15th, 2022) after the U.S. Senate declined to add Sen. Joe Manchin’s fossil fuel-friendly permitting bill to a military spending package. While the $858 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was ultimately approved, the West Virginia Democrat’s amendment fell short of the 60 votes needed to include his Building American Energy Security Act. 

The 47-47 vote in the Senate Thursday evening came after two earlier defeats: once when the bill was left out of the NDAA draft last week; and once in September, when Manchin asked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to remove a previous version from stopgap funding legislation. “The people have triumphed over the polluters once again,” said People vs. Fossil Fuels, a national coalition of over 1,200 organizations. “Sen. Manchin’s dirty deal was a direct assault on frontline communities and the environmental laws that protect our air, water, climate, and public health.”

While President Biden reiterated his support for Manchin’s proposal, provoking widespread outrage, 47 Senators refused. And while the passing of the bipartisan NDAA itself seriously undermines climate justice, with the U.S. military being Earth’s single largest polluting entity, Sen. Manchin’s bill would have unleashed further projects for corporate profit without community oversight. 

Click here to thank Senators Duckworth and Durbin for their stance on Manchin’s bill AND ask that they continue to reject Manchin’s future attempts to re-introduce and re-attach this legislation. Manchin is expected to try including it for the 4th time during the upcoming vote to raise the debt ceiling for one year.

Saturday, DEC. 10TH, 12Noon – 2 P.M. Central, online: Join CAPA and friends in attending “SANCTIONS: A WRECKING BALL IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY”

REGISTER HERE!

Join CAPA‘s Foreign Policy Working Group in attending a live discussion with authors of the new anthology: “SANCTIONS: A Wrecking Ball in a Global Economy.” Intensifying US sanctions on 40+ nations, impacting a third of humanity, are sending shock waves through the world economy. Peace and justice advocates worldwide are contesting this brutal form of economic warfare on civilian populations.

Presented by the SanctionsKill Campaign, this discussion will include: Ajamu Baraka of Black Alliance for Peace, Erica Jung of Nodutdol Korean Community Development, Carlos Martinez of International Manifesto Group, Lee Siu Hin of China-US Solidarity Network, Judy Bello of Syria Support Movement & UNAC, Ann Garrison of Pacifica & Black Agenda Report, Rick Sterling of Task Force on the Americas, Sara Flounders of International Action Center.

JOIN CAPA and friends for an all-day event on Friday, DEC. 9TH, 2022…. Build 2 Heal, the kick-off event for a local movement to push back the dominant narrative about people in communities directly impacted by criminalization, violence, and incarceration. It brings together activists, spoken word performers, musicians, visual artists, educators, and witnessing by directly impacted subject matter experts.

REGISTER and see FULL PROGRAM HERE!

• WHEN:  December 9, 2022, 11:30 AM to 8:30 PM
• WHERE: NEIU Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS)
•                 700 E Oakwood Blvd, Chicago, IL 60653
• WHO: Free Admission to all – Donations Welcome! Refreshments will be served

Build 2 Heal is a Collaborative Event organized by and with The Institute for Nonviolence Chicago, Chicago Coalition for The Homeless, Chicago HipHop Heritage Museum, N The Spirit, Books Over Balls, Sydney Jackson, One Aim, PNAP (The Prison + Neighborhood Arts/Education Project), G.O.D.(Giving Others’ Dreams), and Formerly Incarcerated Standing Together (F.I.S.T.). 

Build 2 Heal is dedicated to improving community safety through non-violence, restorative justice, and criminal justice transformation efforts, in the spirit of formal and informal cross-cultural and intersectional alliance-building by, with, and for denizens of Chicago.

Build 2 Heal envisions community healing from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and post-incarceration syndrome (PICS) experienced in our city’s communities when the realities are shared through the looking glass that art provides. 

“Art opens the closets, airs out the cellars and attics. It brings healing” –-Julia Cameron

Join the CAPA Climate Group in this action alert from our friends at Nuclear Energy Information Service calling for legislators to: 1) Reject Section 310 of the Senate FY 2023 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill; and 2) Stop Senator Joe Manchin’s new “Dirty Deal” pipeline bill!

1.)  Reject Section 310 of the Senate FY 2023 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill:

NEIS has provided a helpful factsheet from NIRS (Nuclear Info and Resource Service) in opposition to this provision — which would authorize currently illegal, expensive, and unnecessary “centralized interim storage” facilities for high-level radioactive wastes (HLRW) in Texas and New Mexico. It could also trigger thousands of unsafe HLRW shipments on our roads, rails, and waterways. Both of these have major environmental justice implications. Send an email to your Senators and Representatives HERE, then make a further impact by calling!

Call Script:  “Hi, my name is ____, and I’m from ____. As your constituent, I urge Congress to reject Section 310 of the FY 2023 Energy and Water Appropriations. Please tell House and Senate Leaders, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer, to remove Sec. 310 from the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations legislation. “

• Sen. Tammy Duckworth [202-224-2854]
• Sen. Dick Durbin [202-224-2152]
• Rep. Mike Quigley [202-225-4061]
• Rep. Jan Schakowsky [202-225 2111]
• Rep. Brad Schneider [202-225-4835]
• Your representative in Congress– find the number at this link.

2.) Stop Senator Joe Manchin’s effort to pass a “Dirty Deal” pipeline bill

Senator Joe Manchin is once again trying to pass his “Dirty Deal.” We stopped it once, now we need to fight to stop it again. This time, he’s trying to attach the deal to the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act). Pressure from climate justice groups has convinced legislators to reject his initial attempts this week, so Sen. Manchin is now trying to alter the bill until he can get it attached. It’s another classic attempt by Big Oil to sneak fossil fuel expansion through must-pass legislation. Tell our legislators not to accept it in any form!

Call Script: “Hi, my name is ____, and I’m from ____. As your constituent, I’m deeply concerned about any legislation that would fast-track fossil fuel projects, hurt our climate, and sacrifice communities. I’m urging you to vote NO on ANY rule that would advance Manchin’s dirty pipeline deal.”

• Sen. Tammy Duckworth [202-224-2854]
• Sen. Dick Durbin [202-224-2152]
• Rep. Mike Quigley [202-225-4061]
• Rep. Jan Schakowsky [202-225 2111]
• Rep. Brad Schneider [202-225-4835]
• Your representative in Congress– find the number at this link.

Thank you for rising up with CAPA and partners to protect people and planet!

Join the CAPA Loyola Student Chapter online on Tuesday, Dec. 6th, 2022, from 6:30-7:30 P.M Central, for a film screening and discussion of “YEMEN’S DIRTY WAR.”

[*Note: contact capa@chipeaceaction.org for info on how to join the Zoom call!]

The U.S. is actively supplying weapons and logistics to a Saudi Arabia-led coalition to attack and blockade Yemen’s cities and ports. From filmmaker DW Documentary: “At least 370,000 people have already died in the Yemen conflict, and millions have been displaced…. The United Nations ranks the bloody proxy war and its effects as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.”

One of CAPA Loyola’s main campaigns is to bring awareness to the ongoing crisis in Yemen, and inspire people to take action. We invite all CAPA members to join CAPA Loyola for this one-hour event, Tuesday Dec. 6th!

JOIN US online on Wednesday, NOV. 30TH @ 7 P.M. CST for a discussion of how to end war in Ukraine and avert nuclear apocalypse!

REGISTER HERE!

JOIN CAPA in attending a timely webinar from our friends at Roots Action, “Ending the War in Ukraine, Not Life on Earth,” featuring a wide-ranging panel of experts! Contrary to what most U.S. media reports, the peace movement has numerous practical proposals for ending war while protecting people’s rights–tune in with us to hear more.

Special Guest Panelists:

Mandy Carter: Mandy Carter is a southern African-American lesbian activist engaged in social, racial, and LGBTQ justice organizing since 1967. 

Dennis Kucinich: Dennis Kucinich served in the U.S House of Representatives for Ohio’s 10th Congressional District for 16 years, during which he was a leading Congressmember on issues of peace and ending war. 

Michael McBride: Pastor Michael McBride (known as “Pastor Mike”) is a native of San Francisco &  is one of the national leaders in the movement to implement public health & community centered gun violence prevention programs.

Khury Petersen-Smith: Khury Petersen-Smith researches U.S. empire, borders, and migration. Khury is one of the co-authors and organizers of the 2015 Black Solidarity with Palestine statement.

David Swanson: David Swanson is an author, activist, journalist, and radio host. He is executive director of WorldBeyondWar.org and campaign coordinator for RootsAction.org.

Marcy Winograd: Marcy Winograd is Coordinator of CODEPINK CONGRESS. Marcy served as a 2020 DNC delegate to Bernie Sanders and co-chairs the End Wars and Occupations Team for Progressive Democrats of America. 

Ann Wright: Ann Wright resigned from the US government in March 2003 in opposition to the US war on Iraq. Since then, she has been challenging US wars and foreign policy. 

Ryan Black: Ryan Black is RootsAction Organizing Coordinator. He is a political organizer and digital marketing professional based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. 

JOIN CAPA and friends in protesting CHASE Bank’s fossil fuel complicity and greenwashing efforts on Black Friday, Nov. 25th, 2022!

WHEN: (Black Friday) Friday, Nov. 25th, 11am-2pm Central
WHERE: Chase Bank, 150 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago

RSVP HERE!

From our friends at Rising Tide Chicago: “Join us on Black Friday to protest Chase Bank greenwashing its image as it profitis immensely from funding fossil fuels, deforestation, and polluting fresh water including Lake Michigan…. Chase Bank can’t be the #1 global funder of fossil fuels and claim to be green at the same time!… Big Banks like Chase have profited from funding fossil fuel companies and deforestation for decades since scientists first sounded alarms about the connection between burning fossil fuels, deforestation and climate change….

“Putting solar panels on office buildings does not make up for funding activities that pump carbon dioxide into our atmosphere and put lives in danger or even worse result in deaths. In order to preserve life on earth, we must cease investments in fossil fuels and deforestation in the very near future and repair our earth. In a just world, Chase Bank (and all the other banks profiting immensely from climate change) would not exist. Climate change is a symptom of an economic system that puts profit and growth for a few above the health of people and ecosystems that sustain life on earth.”

Bring your signs, chants, and energy with us in the streets on Friday Nov. 25th!

JUSTICE 4 BRANDON LEE!

Join CAPA in solidarity with ICHRP and the Justice 4 Brandon Lee Coalition in writing to U.S. VP Kamala Harris here, urging justice for victims of violence by the Philippines gov’t under U.S. gov’t support.

VP Harris is visiting the Philippines from Nov. 20-22nd, 2022, legitimizing a Marcos gov’t which targets human rights workers, exploits, and terrorizes indigenous people, just as occurred under Duterte. Urge VP Harris to acknowledge these atrocities, demand accountability, and support the Philippines Human Rights Act!

JOIN the CAPA Climate Group in urging Congress to reject fossil fuel proposals which Senator Joe Manchin wants attached to end-of-year “must-pass” legislation! 

CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS!

These proposals would undermine bedrock protections in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Clean Water Act (CWA), paving the way for dozens of new fossil fuel and mining projects. Senator Manchin’s proposals are clearly written in consultation with the American Petroleum Institute (API) and aim to fast track the development of fossil fuels and mineral mining at the expense of frontline communities. They would limit NEPA and CWA reviews, weakening Tribal consultations and imposing barriers for communities to have their voices heard.

Senator Manchin’s proposals must not be attached to any “must pass” legislation. We need legislators to rally colleagues in both houses of Congress to fight this dangerous legislation. Please click either green button above to contact your legislators. Thank you for your rising with us to prioritize people and planet over fossil-fuel profits.

JOIN CAPA’s Foreign Policy Working Group in viewing the documentary “ITHAKA,” currently entered in the DOCNYC Festival in New York!

WATCH ONLINE BY NOV. 17TH!

ITHAKA focuses on the struggles of Julian Assange’s father, John Shipton, and Julian’s wife, Stella Assange, in their quest to free Julian from maximum security prison in the UK and from the threat of extradition to the US.  

DOCNYC has made this documentary available for streaming online for a fee of $13. If you are concerned about Julian Assange and the basic rights of journalists to tell the truth without persecution, take this opportunity to watch the documentary. 

After you have watched the movie, please vote and give it five stars for the DOCNYC Audience Award.      Such recognition will enable greater attention on a global basis.  Note: The vote must taken by end of day Nov 17th. Click here for a preview, and click the button below for the full film.

JOIN US in-person on Friday, NOV. 11TH @ 11 A.M. CST for a Demilitarized Veterans Day/Armistice Day Ceremony in Chicago! Hosted by About Face/Iraq Vets Against the War

….44 E Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
Veterans Day, Friday, November 11, 2022 | 11AM

Join veterans, students, and union members as they speak out against the war, military industrial complex, workers and the future of the planet. Speakers will be followed by a flower ceremony to remember those whom we’ve lost.
We will gather at 44 E Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL Vietnam Memorial at River Level.

Please RSVP here to indicate that you plan to join, as we build momentum for this event!

JOIN US online, Thursday, November 10th, 2022 at 6 P.M. CST for this urgent virtual teach-in on events in Haiti, “The Crisis Is Imperialism”, hosted by Black Alliance for Peace!

REGISTER HERE!

From our friends at Black Alliance for Peace: “What we hear about Haiti today is a distortion—or outright fabrication—of its social and political reality. Much of what’s said about Haiti lacks historical context, especially when it comes to the unrelenting meddling of the foreign agents and institutions, based in a deep racism that presumes that African/Black people are ungovernable while resenting the implications of Haiti’s historical commitment to Black freedom.

“Taking all of this into consideration, the Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team is hosting a teach-in on the crisis of imperialism in Haiti. This teach-in will not only focus on direct U.S. action, but also seek to pull back the layers and understand how the United States is increasingly delegating military and other interventionist actions through partner countries in the region, and what this means for the future of sovereignty in Haiti and self-determination for African peoples in the Americas.”

Join BAP for this critical teach-in, and continue the call: “No to Occupation! Yes to Self-Determination in Haiti!”

MODERATOR:

• • Kimberly Miller

SPEAKERS:

• • David Oxygène, MOLEGHAF in Haiti
  • Jafrikayiti, Canada’s role
  • Christophe Simpson, CARICOM’s role
  • Erica Caines, United State’s role
  • Jemima Pierre, Progressive’s role
  • Tamanisha John, Jamaica and Haiti

Chicagoans have spoken up for justice! 🎉🎉🎉

In the November 8th, 2022 Midterm Elections, a major pro-peace ballot measure in Chicago, the Treatment Not Trauma referendum uplifted by our CAPA DePaul chapter, has overwhelmingly passed in wards where it was on the ballot!

Treatment Not Trauma is a campaign to move funds and tactics away from policing, toward non-police first responses and supports for those experience mental health or substance use crises.

Celebrate this moment with us, as we continue working toward a future with continually less policing, and more healing!

DISSENTERS IS CALLING ON COMMUNITIES all over the U.S. to join a week of direct action, base building, and solidarity for the liberation of people all across the globe! Check out what’s involved:

CLICK HERE to take action!

THIS NOV. 7th-13th, CAPA‘s Defund the Pentagon Campaign invites you to join the Dissenters’ #BoeingArmsGenocide team for a #DivestFromDeath Week of Action! By engaging in direct action that disrupts business as usual, we can reject Boeing’s propaganda and influence public opinion and decision-makers to take power, partnerships, and profit away from Boeing in Illinois. The #BoeingArmsGenocide campaign and partners, led by powerful youth organizers, are rising up to get free, to break the power of the U.S. war industry, and halt the unjust war on communities of color around the world!

1. NOV. 9TH: Join us on Instagram Live! Join us on Wednesday, November 9th at 3:30 PM CST @wearedissenters Instagram Live, along with Resist US-led Wars-Seattle to learn more about how we are taking action against Boeing across the country P.S. You can boost posts about the #DivestFromDeath Week of Action on Instagram and Twitter.

2.  NOV. 10TH: Participate in a Social Media Storm against PARIC, Boeing’s drone factory construction company! Use this toolkit on Thurs, Nov 10th from 12-5 PM CST/1-6 PM EST to participate in our social media storm against PARIC, the construction company slated to build Boeing’s drone factory in Southern Illinois — a drone factory funded by Illinois tax dollars.

3.  NOV. 10TH & 11TH: Canvass with #BoeingArmsGenocide! No canvassing experience or knowledge of the campaign needed! We will gather in community, have a canvassing training, and speak to our neighbors together. Two in-person canvasses: —Thursday, November 10th in Rogers Park 3-5 pm: Meet at PO Box Collective (6900 N Glenwood Ave) at 3 PM! —Friday, November 11th in Hyde Park from 3-5 pm: Meet on the back patio of Cafe 53 (1369 E 53rd St) at 3 PM!

We hope to be Divesting from Death with you all week!  And don’t forget to sign the petition!

JOIN CAPA DEPAUL and friends on Monday, November 7th, 2022, @ 5:30-7:30PM to do virtual Phone Banking for Chicago’s Treatment Not Trauma referendum! Treatment Not Trauma is on the ballot this year in wards throughout Chicago, like the 6th, 20th, and 33rd. It’s important to inform voters about why this kind of legislation is desperately needed. 

CLICK HERE to join us on Monday November 7th!

The Treatment Not Trauma campaign has been working to get a public health care system in Chicago, which entails investing in more mental health services and creating a crisis response program that is serviced by mental health professionals and EMTs rather than police officers. 

On Monday, Nov. 7th from 5:30 – 7:30 P.M. CST, CAPA DePaul will be phone banking to get the TNT referendum passed! Come join us on Zoom by clicking the button below. If you can’t make it on Monday, there are other volunteering options as well. Visit CAPA DePaul’s instagram page for more info and check out leaders of these efforts, including Collaborative for Community Wellness, Defund CPD, and Students Against Incarceration DePaul!

We hope to be with you virtually on Monday, November 7th!

JOIN US from NOV. 7TH-12TH, 2022, in following the work of five Chicago-area high school students who are in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt for this year’s UN Climate Summit, COP27! 

These young activists are in Seven Generations Ahead‘s youth climate advocacy program, It’s Our Future. Keep an eye out for all their COP27 coverage starting Monday, November 7th!  Read more HERE. Seven Generations Ahead has also teamed up with the crew at Climate Generation to host a livestream from the summit at 12pm Central time on Thursday, November 10th. Join us then to help learn out about the ways you can bring the action back home, from the Mideast to the Midwest and beyond —

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER for the students’ Nov. 10th Livestream!

This year’s student delegates come from Evanston Township High School, Oak Park River Forest High School, and Solorio Academy in Chicago. An environmental science, chemistry, and biology teacher from Solorio Academy will also be joining the group. The delegates will be attending the first week of COP27, from November 6th through the 12th. Get to know this year’s student delegates!

CAPA Climate Group invites you to join us for all the coverage here. Follow the Climate Generation Window into COP27 program with policy summaries, video interviews, climate stories and more, visit SGA on Facebook and Instagram, and find the It’s Our Future on Instagram, where students will be posting COP updates daily! 

JOIN US on Thursday, Nov. 3rd, 6:00-7:30 P.M. CT, for a special webinar, “Peace Making In A Time of Endless War,” hosted by World BEYOND War!

This webinar features WBW Board Member John Reuwer, who has recently returned from Ukraine. John will report back on his first-hand observations of the ongoing conflict and share his insights on how we can move forward to push for peace in Ukraine and worldwide. Plus, we will hear from special guest speaker Yurii Sheliazhenko, WBW board member and executive secretary of the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, based in Kiev, Ukraine. Yurii will speak about peacemaking amidst war in his country.

Click here to register!

About the Speakers:

John Reuwer is treasurer and a member of the board of directors of World BEYOND War. He is a retired emergency physician whose practice convinced him of a crying need for alternatives to violence for resolving tough conflicts. This led him to the informal study and teaching of nonviolence for the last 35 years, with peace team field experience in Haiti, Colombia, Central America, Palestine/Israel, and several US inner cities. He worked in South Sudan with the Nonviolent Peaceforce, one of the few organizations practicing professional unarmed civilian peacekeeping. He also serves on the Committee to Abolish Nuclear Weapons with Physicians for Social Responsibility educating the public and politicians about the threat from nuclear weapons, which he sees as the ultimate expression of the insanity of modern warfare, so blatantly displayed in the current war in Ukraine. John has been a facilitator for World BEYOND War’s online courses “War Abolition 201” and “Leaving World War II Behind.”

Yurii Sheliazhenko, PhD, is a Member of the Board of Directors of World BEYOND War. He is based in Ukraine. Yurii is executive secretary of the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, a board member of the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection, and a council member of the International Peace Bureau. He obtained a Master of Mediation and Conflict Management degree in 2021 and a Master of Laws degree in 2016 at KROK University. In addition to his participation in the peace movement, he is a journalist, blogger, human rights defender, and legal scholar, an author of academic publications and a lecturer on legal theory and history. He has been a facilitator for World BEYOND War’s online courses. Yurii is a winner of the International Peace Bureau’s 2022 Sean MacBride Peace Prize.

JOIN US on Sunday, October 30th, 12 Noon, at 1101 Ridge Ave., Evanston, IL, to seek U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s support for H.R. 2590, the Palestinian Children and Families Act!

After months of pressure, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky has finally responded to an urgent letter from the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) and allies, urging her to sign onto HR 2590 – The Palestinian Children and Families Act.

Unfortunately, in her response, Rep. Schakowsky says that there is “no proof” U.S. aid to Israel is used to support the imprisonment of Palestinian children, and that “any proposed legislation that refers to a just and lasting peace and Palestinian self-determination, but fails to mention a two-state solution, represents a significant and dangerous step backwards for Congress.”

The movement for Palestinian human and civil rights can’t wait on a status quo of inaction.  As violence against Palestinians is escalating, with even Palestinian journalists and doctors being murdered by the IDF in the last few months, we call on all our elected officials to move beyond the ‘Progressive except for Palestine (#PEP)’ stance. The time to support H.R. 2590 is now! Join us for this important action calling for support of HR 2590, in front of Jan Schakowsky’s residence, this upcoming Sunday October 30th at 12 Noon!

#FreePalestine #ProgressiveExceptForPalestine #GazaUnderAttack #WestBank

Join CAPA on Saturday, October 29th, 2022 from 11 A.M.-12 Noon CST, for “Lessons Learned In Effective Peace Activism: Reflections On Norman Cousins’ Life,“ a virtual Lunch & Learn hosted by Citizens for Global Solutions! 

Click here to register for this FREE event!

Dr. Allen Pietrobon and special guest, Candis Cousins, will reflect on Norman Cousins’ life devoted to peace activism and world federation perspectives. How can we as world citizens follow in his footsteps and carry on his life’s work to make the world a more peaceful place?

Norman Cousins was the editor of the Saturday Review for more than thirty years and had a powerful platform from which to help shape American public debate during the height of the Cold War. Under Cousins’ leadership, the magazine was considered one of the most influential in the literary world. Cousins’ progressive, nonpartisan editorials in the Review earned him the respect of the public and US government officials. But his deep impact on postwar international humanitarian aid, anti-nuclear advocacy, and Cold War diplomacy has been largely unexplored.

Starting in 1945, Cousins mobilized powerful efforts to support victims of the atomic bombing of Japan and of Nazi `medical experiments,’ to foster world federation, to halt nuclear weapons testing and abolish nuclear weapons, to build a mass peace movement in the United States (as founder and co-chair of the National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy), and to end the Vietnam War. At the height of the Cold War, he played a central role in securing the world’s first nuclear arms control agreement (the test ban treaty of 1963) and in securing U.S.-Soviet detente.

• • Alexander Belik is a lawyer, human rights educator, mediator, one of the leaders of the Russian Movement of Conscientious Objectors.
  • Ellis Brooks is a Peace Education Coordinator at Quakers in Britain.
  • Phill Gittins, PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies, Master of Education with 20 years of educator’s and researcher’s experience, Education Director at the international network World BEYOND War.
  • Yurii Sheliazhenko, PhD in Law, Master of Mediation and Conflict Management, Executive Secretary of the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, laureate of the Sean MacBride Peace Prize of the International Peace Bureau.
  • Werner Wintersteiner, PhD in Education (focus peace education), University of Klagenfurt in Austria (1997), member of the editorial board of the Journal of Peace Education.

CLICK HERE to tell Senators Duckworth and Durbin to TAKE 5 ESSENTIAL ACTIONS NOW for nuclear disarmament!

Then JOIN Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Chicago Area Peace Action, Chicago Committee Against War & Racism, Codepink, and partners as we picket the offices of Sens. Duckworth and Durbin on FRIDAY, OCT. 14th, 11:30 A.M.-12:30 P.M. at Federal Plaza, 230 S. Dearborn, Chicago… 📢 📢 📢 🪧🪧🪧

…as part of a nationwide action organized by Roots Action and Defuse Nuclear War to jumpstart the movement to abolish nuclear weapons! 

On Friday, Oct. 14th, informational picket lines will be held at Congressional offices ACROSS THE U.S., to demand steps to significantly reduce the risk of nuclear war. We will be holding forth on a picket line in Federal Plaza, at the offices of Senators Richard Durbin and Tammy Duckworth.

CLICK HERE TO RSVP!! — and also let your friends know you’re going by rsvp-ing on facebook here! 

If you have any questions, please reach us at capa@chipeaceaction.org!
(https://defusenuclearwar.org/month-of-action/#Get_involved)

JOIN CAPA and partners for a 90-minute livestream on Sunday, Oct. 2nd at 1 P.M. Central featuring experts on nuclear disarmament, as groups nationwide look to jump-start the movement to abolish nuclear weapons!

A BIT OF HISTORY:

In 1979, the forerunner to Chicago Area Peace Action, the North Suburban Peace Initiative, was formed as part of the burgeoning social movement to stop the madness of nuclear weapons proliferation. While that movement has had some success, most notably turning out the largest in-person demonstration in U.S. history in 1982, when more than 1 million people came to New York’s Central Park to demand nuclear disarmament, it has, of recent years, lost much of its momentum and visibility in the public square. 

UNTIL NOW — 

The entire world is once again living in extreme anxiety over the possibility of nuclear conflagration, from the frightening rhetoric coming out of the Russia/Ukraine conflict to our lack of ability to re-engage the JCPOA. We are now closer to the possibility of nuclear war than at any point since those alarming 13 days in October 60 years ago — when de-escalation narrowly prevailed over calls for the U.S. and Russia to instigate nuclear war.

Roots Action and Defuse Nuclear War are organizing a national action (in more than a dozen states and counting) on Friday October 14th to mobilize support for the movement to abolish nuclear weapons. Prior to that, there is a 90-minute livestream on Sunday, Oct. 2nd at 1 P.M. Central featuring experts on nuclear disarmament including Daniel Ellsberg, Professor Vincent Intondi (panelist from CAPA‘s 2022 Peace Summit), Dr. Assal Raad, Alice Slater, Norman Solomon, David Swanson, Alyn Ware, Marcy Winograd, Hanieh Jodat, and more.

This Livestream will energize and mobilize everyone for Friday, Oct. 14th, when picket lines will be held at Congressional offices across the U.S., to demand steps to significantly reduce the risk of nuclear war. Chicago Area Peace Action will be holding forth on a picket line in Federal Plaza, at the offices of Senators Richard Durbin and Tammy Duckworth (details to follow soon). If you are receiving this email from outside the Chicago area, find a picket line near you HERE or organize your own by filling out this form.

It is time to again pick up the mantle bequeathed to us by those millions of people worldwide over the years who have organized to stop the madness and eliminate nuclear weapons from the face of the earth. 

CELEBRATE with us!

CAPA recently asked for your help contacting House Reps. and Senators to reject the “Energy Independence and Security Act of 2022,” a deal brokered by Senator Joe Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to force through pipeline projects and strip away environmental protections.

The PEOPLE rose up to their legislators, demanding refusal of this planet-harming bill. As a result, Senator Manchin lacked enough votes to take it forward. Last night, he withdrew this bill which would have been attached to “must-pass” legislation due on September 30th.

Now we must be vigilant to ensure that new iterations of Senator Manchin’s legislation are not brought forth in future sessions — specifically legislation that removes community protections and reviews provided by the Clean Water Act (CWA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Thank you for acting urgently for people and planet!!

JOIN CAPA on FRIDAY, SEPT. 23RD, @ 11 A.M. at Pritzker Park, 310 S State St, Chicago, IL 60604…

…for the Global Climate Strike!! We’ll be alongside a growing coalition of local 350 movements, Sunrise Chicago, Rising Tide Chicago, Extinction Rebellion Chicago, and many more to tell the Federal Reserve, Chase, and BP to halt the financing, extraction, and burning of fossil fuels. This event will be in full collaboration with youth groups Fridays for Future Chicago and the Chicago Climate Youth Coalition.

This will be the Chicago edition of the Global Climate Strike! We will march and stop at all 3 targeted locations downtown, perform a little Civil Discobedience to “Staying Alive,” have a die-in, and dance some more to “I Will Survive,” to raise awareness to the public and call on the following institutions to act.

We demand:

• • that the Federal Reserve System regulate fossil fuel financing in the U.S. and promote investment in sustainable solutions and underserved communities
  • that Chase Bank end financing to fossil fuel infrastructure and extraction and expand investment in sustainable solutions
  • that BP live up to its name of “Beyond Petroleum” and end fossil fuel extraction and pipeline activities

Click to RSVP!

See you in the streets on September 23rd for climate justice!

The inability to frame a coherent foreign policy strategy that takes into account the self-interest of other nations has left the American electorate and the U.S. foreign policy establishment adrift in a sea of misconceptions – clouded by hubris, a false sense of self-importance, and a myopic and distorted view of the world. The belief that America must dominate the world for it to be stable and America to be safe has led to endless wars rather than endless peace. Take the time to learn why and how to resist ongoing, calamitous U.S. foreign policy blunders, from the Taiwan Strait to the Middle East to Ukraine and beyond. 

At this year’s Benefit, CAPA will also honor Chicago activist Andy Thayer with the Robert A. Cleland Pursuit of Peace Award.

Finally, we will celebrate the work of CAPA’s Student Network, our Climate and Foreign Policy Working Groups, and invite all attendees to share their insights and passions among fellow peacebuilders. Please register now for the Benefit, and we’ll see you on September 22nd!

2022 Host Committee (in formation):    Rich and Andy Amend, Bill and Cele Arnold, Marcia Bernsten, David and Cari Borris, Martha Cray, Aaron Dellutri, James Gibbs, Gerry Gorman, Sallie and Alan Gratch, Jack and Maureen Kelly, Miriam Kelm, Jackie and Jerry Kendall, Ed McManus, Michael Peshkin, Martha Pierce, Gail Schechter, Comm’r Larry Suffredin and Gloria Callaci, Ellie Sylvan, Phyllis Tholin, Dilnaz Waraich, Elliot Zashin, Mark Zivin

JOIN CAPA in solidarity with CCHRP and partners, on Saturday, Sep 17th, 2022 from 2-4 P.M. CT @ the Philippine Consulate (122 S Michigan Ave, then to Millenium Park – Crown Fountain)…

…for a vigil against President Marcos Jr. & Vice Pres. Duterte’s upcoming visit to the U.S.!

The brutal regimes of the ruling Marcos and Duterte families have partnered with U.S. government rulers for decades, making weapons deals and crushing Filipino communities. Those who support justice for the people of the Philippines rise up in resistance to these harmful regimes and their partnership with the architects of U.S. imperialism. 

See you in the streets!

JOIN CAPA and friends on SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11TH from 12:00-1:30 P.M. CST, @ N. Astor St & E. North Blvd, Chicago, IL, 60614…

…for a rally and people’s trial against Governor Pritzker and Boeing for enabling militarized violence here and across the world! The State of Illinois is complicit in the violence that Boeing profits from. Governor Pritzker’s administration is funding a new Boeing drone production factory in IL. 

As Illinois residents, we want to see an end to our tax dollars funding Boeing operations that fuel genocide in Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine, West Papua, and elsewhere. Join us in-person on Sept 11th at 12 P.M. to demand that Gov. Pritzker and the State of IL stop funding Boeing, and redirect our public resources into life-giving resources and institutions such as free healthcare, public schools, and so much more.

See you there!

JOIN CAPA on Wednesday, September 7th, 2022 @ 5:30 P.M. CT for  “Imperialism vs People & Planet”– an online discussion from awesome local Filipino orgs, Malaya Chicago and CCHRP (Chicago Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines), in partnership with IL Green New Deal. 

Malaya Chicago and CCHRP members will lead a conversation on the harms that extractive industries cause as part of a larger imperialist agenda across the globe. With a focused discussion on the fight for indigenous communities in the Philippines, this gathering will center conversations on the benefits and critiques of a U.S.-led Green New Deal policy platform.

–CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!–

 “From Palestine to the Philippines, STOP the U.S. war machine!”

Thank you for taking action last week by sending a personal letter to your House Representatives urging them to vote “NO” on Senator Joe Manchin’s new planet-harming legislation. As you know, CAPA is working with a coalition of 652 organizations across the U.S. to reject this legislation.

Now we need your help again to take one more action. Please click here to send a similar letter to Senators Duckworth and Durbin. They will be in Washington on September 7th. On September 8th, thousands of protesters from across the country will gather in front of the U.S. Capitol demanding that the Senate also vote “NO” on this legislation. Your letter will reinforce their demand.

We have already received feedback that the House Democratic Members will likely reject this legislation. If the leadership of both the House and Senate know that this legislation will not pass ,they may decide not to bring it up for a vote.  

Thank you for your continued support!

During the past few days, some members of the CAPA Board have participated in an emergency podcast sponsored by the national organization, “Food and Water Watch”. They have alerted us about a new and alarming bill that will be proposed in the House and Senate, led by Senator Joe Manchin (with some help from his friends at the American Petroleum Institute) shortly after Congress returns to Washington on September 7th, 2022.

As you know, Senator Manchin has already received a number of fossil fuel concessions in exchange for his vote on the Inflation Reduction Act. Now he is requesting the passage of a bill that would gut the bedrock protections of our Environmental Policy and the Clean Water Act that have been in place for years.

These proposed revisions would pave the way for dangerous fossil fuel mining and pipeline projects. This we cannot allow. CAPA is joining with 652 other organizations across the U.S to urge our Democratic representatives in the House to reject and vote against this legislation. We will be sending similar letters to our Senate representatives.

We have hand-delivered a letter to four House Representatives that serve many of our CAPA members. Now it is your turn to send a letter to your Representative by clicking here, signing the letter, including your address, then sending it. Thank you for taking action on this important issue!

CAPA and our Back from the Brink Coalition partners, including Union of Concerned Scientists, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and others – would like to thank all who helped make this happen, and recognize the leadership of Chicago Alders Maria Hadden (49th Ward), Daniel La Spata (1st Ward), and Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th Ward)!

This resolution is one major move further in the continuing work of nuclear disarmament. We now look forward to next action steps. Join CAPA and friends in the movement to divest our cities and nations from war! And remember to celebrate today’s victory. 

…We’ll be folding origami cranes in preparation for our special Hiroshima Day Vigil + Call to Action scheduled on August 6th, 2022, when CAPA, Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Nuclear Energy Information Service, Chicago Committee Against War & Racism, World BEYOND War, and friends will remember Sadako Sasaki and all hibakusha  –> PLUS take actionable steps toward a nuclear-free future!

**Please contact us at capa@chipeaceaction.org if interested and we’ll provide you the location for the art-build!

This weekend, communities nationwide will hold JUNETEENTH Freedom Day celebrations to commemorate the release of slaves in Galveston, Texas in 1865 – more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation’s signing.

Please join CAPA in uplifting this annual holiday, a celebration of freedom in defiance of ongoing structural racism and systemic injustice. Unite with fellow community members at Chicago-area events filled with art, music, food, fun, and education.

Events will feature Black artists and products from Black-led organizations and creators. There are theatrical works like “1619: The Journey of a People, The Musical” and online book discussions like  “How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America.”

Use the weekend to learn more about Juneteenth and recommit to undoing personal and societal prejudices, building peace and freedom for all. Join together with Chicago-area family, friends, and neighbors in honoring this Juneteenth weekend. 

Thursday, June 16th @ 7 P.M. CST – please SAVE THAT DATE to hear from Chicago’s own pro-peace candidate Kina Collins for U.S. Congress! This virtual “Meet the Candidate” event from Peace Action will introduce you to a leader who has CAPA and other peace orgs so excited for the IL primaries June 28th (yes, June 28th)!

Kina’s candidacy has inspired everyone from youth leaders with YC4C, to longtime grassroots leaders in Englewood, to a ton of progressive organizations. However, she faces an incumbent with huge name recognition who’s funded by anti-progressive Democratic Party PACs.

Speak with Kina online JUNE 16TH on issues you care about, and learn how to spread the word to other voters. The push for another much-needed progressive voice in Congress will require us all.

Book your virtual spot to meet Kina

Join CAPA and friends online Sunday, June 12th @ 3 P.M. CST. for the Defuse Nuclear War livestream by RootsAction Education Fund to mark the 40th anniversary of when a million people gathered in Central Park for nuclear disarmament. Forty years on, the international movement to disarm is still growing. This online event will serve as a catalyst for grassroots organizing.

RSVP!!

Several dozen peace, disarmament, and social justice organizations are co-sponsoring this event along with CAPA. We’ll hear live from a wide range of speakers including Hanieh Jodat Barnes, Medea Benjamin, Jerry Brown, Leslie Cagan, Mandy Carter, Emma Claire Foley, Pastor Michael McBride, Khury Petersen-Smith, David Swanson, Katrina vanden Heuvel, India Walton, and Ann Wright. 

Director/producer Jeff Daniels will also present excerpts from his documentary “Television Event” about huge impacts of the 1983 TV film “The Day After.” Plus, we’ll see the world premiere of a video featuring Daniel Ellsberg on defusing the threat of nuclear war. See you there on Sunday! 

KINA COLLINS for U.S. CONGRESS in IL-7

Want to enjoy some sun while also working for peace?  We invite you to join the CAPA Team in a neighborhood canvass on Saturday, June 11th, 2022 — (time TBD) as we hit the pavement for awesome pro-peace Congressional candidate Kina Collins! If you can give two hours of time for this important primary election, we’d love to canvass beside you.

 

(PLACE and TIME TBD)

 

Email capa@chipeaceaction.org to join us!

Canvassing is an effective way to reach fellow community members, and you’ll be amazed how many are receptive to hearing about candidates like Kina who prioritize people, planet, and peace over the Pentagon. 

KINA COLLINS for U.S. CONGRESS in IL-7

Want to enjoy some sun while also working for peace?  We invite you to join the CAPA Team in a neighborhood canvass on Saturday, June 4th, 2022 — (time TBD) as we hit the pavement for awesome pro-peace Congressional candidate Kina Collins! If you can give two hours of time for this important primary election, we’d love to canvass beside you.

 

(PLACE and TIME TBD)

 

Email capa@chipeaceaction.org to join us!

Canvassing is an effective way to reach fellow community members, and you’ll be amazed how many are receptive to hearing about candidates like Kina who prioritize people, planet, and peace over the Pentagon. 

On Earth Day weekend last month, thousands of demonstrations and rallies took place across the U.S., organized by frustrated climate activists due to the inaction of the U.S. Senate on the Biden administration’s Build Back Better plan and its climate provisions. Young activists, labor leaders, civil rights groups, and mainstream environmental organizations were in the streets. Recent events in the war in Ukraine have further increased the need for immediate climate legislation as the role of Oil and Gas have come into stark focus.  Tell President Biden and your Senators there are four compelling reasons to pass Comprehensive Climate Legislation NOW.

• • FIRST, our planet is warming at an alarming rate. U.N. climate scientists have published two reports this year warning us that we have 6 to 8 years to wean off fossil fuels if we are to avoid an ecological catastrophe. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently warned, “We are sleepwalking into an unlivable world.”
  • SECOND, the European Union is announcing an oil embargo with Russia over the war in Ukraine. We can support efforts to reduce oil consumption by providing electric heat pumps and other sources of efficient energy. No matter how this embargo unfolds, it’s clear that dependence on oil escalates the international drive toward resource wars, territorial abuses, and weapons proliferation. 
  • THIRD, the Senate cannot continue to delay passing climate legislation. We expect support from some Republican senators this time as we do from Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, the only Democrat who has not supported the climate legislation in Build Back Better. We must wean off fossil fuels by investing quickly in renewable energy and heat pumps. This is the best opportunity for making a leap to renewable energy and to cut our carbon emissions.
  • FOURTH, there are two global climate conferences scheduled this year with world leaders attending. The first is in Bonn Germany on June 6th and the second is in Egypt in November. These conferences are called to review progress on efforts to address the climate crisis that is threatening our existence.  In passing major climate legislation now, the U.S. will have the credibility to push world leaders to take bold actions to cut emissions providing the much-needed hope to people around the world.

We are sending these concerns to President Biden, Special Envoy John Kerry, and our Senators. With one click you can send it also (click here).  For more information about specific recommendations for climate legislation and follow-on climate actions, click here. We are also contacting a number of other like-minded organizations like the Green New Deal Network to increase our voice in D.C. on the need for climate legislation NOW. You may also want to forward this email to your friends and encourage them to also take action.

In response to a leaked draft from Supreme Court Justice Alito indicating the undoing of Roe v. Wade and its protections of the right to choose abortion, CAPA echoes this statement by Peace Action National.

Join CAPA’s Student Network online this April 2nd and 3rd for our Third Annual Peace Summit!

This year’s summit is entitled “Militarism and the Violence of Climate Catastrophe.” Full Summit page here! We’ll not only be taking a deeper dive into the environmental degradation/military complex, but what we as a global community can do about it. Importantly, our shared predicament offers us the opportunity to unite across our cultural, ideological, and national differences to address the climate crisis as one, de-escalating militarism and dismantling global norms of violent communication, corporate greed, and imperialism.

But we can’t do it without you! Climate justice will not come without racial justice, decolonization, and an end to a world order based on violence and militarization.  As Naomi Klein said, “We can save ourselves, but only if we learn to let go of the myth of dominance and mastery and learn to work with nature.” Let’s make it happen. 

Details coming soon!

 Dear CAPA members and friends,

JOIN US on Zoom, Monday evening, January 24, 2022 at 6 P.M. Central for a 30-min film screening and discussion as we celebrate the 1st anniversary of the landmark Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) coming into force! 

With thanks to International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)

Co-sponsors:

CAPA, Union of Concerned Scientists

Register here!

Emergency Response if the US Attacks Iran
On the day of an attack, 5:30 PM
Trump Tower, Wacker & Wabash Ave

With the growing threat of a U.S. military attack on Iran and its forces in the region ─ which could lead to full-scale war killing many thousands ─ several organizations in the Chicago area have come together to have a unified response against war in the event of such an attack.

On the day of the attack we will gather for an action beginning at 5:30 pm in front of Trump Tower, corner of Wacker and Wabash Avenues in Chicago. If the attack is announced after 3 pm, the action will occur at 5:30 pm the next day. Further actions will likely be announced at this initial action.

For more information, please email chicagoantiwar@gmail.com

Cosponsors:
Albany Park, North Park, Mayfair Neighbors for Peace and Justice
ANSWER – Chicago
Chicago Area Peace Action
Chicago Anti-War Coalition
Chicago Committee Against War & Racism
Freedom Road Socialist Organization
Gay Liberation Network
Peace United Against Oppression
Voices for Creative Non-Violence

SUPPORT FREE SPEECH FOR PALESTINE!

Join us to protest in-person Wednesday, December 22nd, 2021

STAND WITH THE 6!

Take Action Tuesday, December 14th, 2021!

Join us on Tuesday, December 14th, 2021 in showing solidarity with Palestinian civil society groups! We are calling attention to Israel’s anti-human rights move of designating 6 Palestinian civil society groups “terrorist.” Instead of looking at its own human rights abuses and apartheid policies, Israel condemns 6 organizations who stand for Palestinian human rights. 

Use this toolkit to take action!

https://palcivilsociety.com/

Take Action Tuesday, December 14th, 2021!

Today, December 14th, Stop Line 3 and Defend the Gulf are teaming up to deliver messages to US Army Corps offices from North to South and East to West, holding the Corps accountable for two emergencies we need addressed:

• A federal Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Line 3
• A regional EIS for the Permian and Gulf South
  
  

Here is our map of actions (find or create one!), a couple letters you can deliver to Stop Line 3 and Defend the Gulf, plus a toolkit with more ideas! Events can be simple and small; our superpower is working together. Please share your actions with the hashtags #StopLine3 and #DefendTheGulf (You can watch Line 3 and Gulf South water protectors discuss the issues on last week’s hype call!)
 

Join an action today!

Tune in Tuesday, December 7th, 2021 @ 12 Noon Central!

“U.S., NATO, and Russia: Arms Races, Confrontations, and Common Security Alternatives”:

a webinar by Campaign for Peace, Disarmament, and Common Security, co-sponsored by Peace Action National.

RSVP here! 

Featuring:

 

Alexey Gromyko (Russian Academy of Sciences)

Kate Hudson (British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament)

Daryl Kimball (U.S. Arms Control Association)

BLACK FRIDAY Call to Action!

Concerned about climate change? Think banks should stop funding dirty new fossil fuel projects? Join us on Black Friday to tell Chase Bank it’s not cool to be the #1 funder of climate chaos! 

JPMorgan Chase is the world’s worst “fossil bank,” contributing $51.3 billion in fossil fuel financing last year alone, and a total of $317 billion from 2016 to 2020. Chase customers will deliver a letter to Chase urging them to stop fueling the climate crisis.

We will meet in Independence Park on Central in Evanston at 10:30 A.M. and then walk over to Chase. There will be cider, songs, and speakers. Bring a mug, a protest sign, and your family! 

What: Chase Bank Black Friday Action

When: 10:30am on Black Friday, November 26th, 2021 

Where: @2063 Central Street, Evanston IL 

Why: To tell Chase Bank to stop funding climate chaos!

Who: You and your friends and family

USPCN leads a call to action on Rep. Schakowsky’s office–CAPA cosponsors. 

Join CAPA as we support USPCN’s call to action in response to Israel’s “terrorist” designation of 6 Palestinain human rights organizations. We will be urging her to sign onto two pieces of legislation:

To participate, email us at capa@chipeaceaction.org.

Join CAPA DePaul’s Thrift Swap and Teach-in! 

This is an in-person event Monday, November 15th, 2021, 6 P.M. Central, in Arts & Letters Room 104 at DePaul University.

Learn about positive and negative aspects of thrifting, mutual aid, and community resources. Hope to see you there!

Join CAPA and cosponsors as we support the rights of Alex Saab, Venezuelan diplomat. 

We will meet in downtown Chicago, Monday, November 15th, 2021, 4:30 – 6 P.M. Central, at Water Tower Park (Michigan Ave. and Pearson St.). We stand in solidarity with Alex Saab, who is being held in U.S. prison. Alex Saab was seized while engaged in acquiring food and medicines for Venezuela, perfectly legal international trade. The US claims this violates the sanctions it imposed on Venezuela. See more details here.

Free US Imprisoned Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab!

End the US blockade of Venezuela, which has killed over 100,000 civilians! 

End US Interference in Venezuela elections!

Sponsors: Chicago Area Peace Action, Chicago Anti-War Coalition, Chicago ALBA Solidarity, Cuba Caravan Planning Group, South Siders for Peace, Party for Socialism and Liberation, ANSWER, Latin America Solidarity Group, Peoples Response Network

CAPA Virtual Lobby Visits, November 2021. 

Join CAPA as we bring issues to our legislators. We will be addressing the Yemen crisis and Nuclear Disarmament. Make your voice heard! To participate, email us at capa@chipeaceaction.org.

CAPA Signs Onto Palestinian Solidarity Letter, Condemning the Israel Government’s “Terrorist” Designation of 6 Palestinian Human Rights Groups. 

Click Here to see the Letter.

Click Here to see the new McCollum Resolution calling on the House to reject these terrorist designations.

CAPA DePaul Action Week, October 25-29, 2021!

Join CAPA DePaul in a week of online and in-person actions!

To participate, go to: https://www.instagram.com/depaulchipeaceaction/

CAPA’s 42nd Annual Fall Benefit
The Hidden US Empire and Its Cost to Us All
Thursday, October 21st, 2021
6:00— 7:30pm Central
via Zoom

Watch the Full Program!

Facebook Event 

RSVP 

Protecting Our Planet
One Pipeline at a Time

Join us Sunday, October 17th, 2021 from 2-4pm
@ Elliot Park, 1200 Lake Shore Blvd in Evanston
for an afternoon of activism and connection!

Want to protect the water and the climate? Come join the
movement to stop two tar sand pipeline expansions in the Midwest!
Enbridge’s Line 3 crosses under the Mississippi, violates treaty rights, and is the
climate equivalent of building 50 new coal plants. Their Line 5 is drilling under the
straits of Mackinac in our very own Great Lakes!

 Hear speakers from the front lines, listen to music from Creative Artists and Activists
in Service Together LIVE!, and learn how you can support the Water Protectors Legal
Fund. There will be an open mic if anyone has music or poetry to share.
Bring a chair or blanket, a mask, and a friend.
Hope to see you at the park! (unless it rains)

#WaterIsLife #StopLine3 #StopLine5

20 Years After 9/11: The Empire’s Descent
Wednesday, August 25th
6:00— 7:30pm CST
Buttercup Park Uptown
4901 N Sheridan Rd 

2021 Peace Action Virtual Lobby Days Extravaganza
Tuesday, June 15— Thursday, June 16

Register Via Zoom

Defend Courageous Journalism! Defend Julian Assange!
Thursday, June 17th
4:30pm CST
British Consulate, 625 N. Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL

Ending the Climate Emergency While We Still Can
Thursday, June 3rd
7:00pm cst
Register via Zoom 

Community Solar
Thursday, May 27th
7:00pm cst
Register Via Zoom

CAPA Student Network Peace Summit 2021
Organizing Towards Peace, Justice, and Conflict Resolution
Saturday, May 22nd— Sunday, May 23rd

The Peace Summit may be over, but you can watch and engage with all the recordings by clicking here! 

Facebook Event

Chicago Area Peace Action’s Student Network is planning the second annual Peace Summit! This year’s theme is Organizing Towards Peace, Justice, and Conflict Resolution. 

After a year that has reshaped so many of our ways of thinking and being, as we exit the Trump era and fend off complacency under a Biden administration, the need for a more organized and more connected peace and justice movement was decided to be one of the greatest needs for the 2021 Peace Summit. New skills are required in this virtual era, and we see the many activists and organizers, old and new, in need of an outlet to stay engaged after a tumultuous year. 

This year’s Peace Summit will focus on forging and strengthening relationships, developing our collective skills, and expanding our knowledge base. 

Check out some of the featured speakers and workshops:

• Keynote address from Margaret Flowers of Popular Resistance 
• Media Strategy Panel with Jerome McDonnell, Leonna McAfee, Hassan El-Tayyab, and Chris Geovanis
• Activism 101 Workshop with Danaka Katovich 
• Antiracism + Organizing Workshop facilitated by Beautiful Trouble
• Building a Local Peace Economy with Kelly Curry
• Activism Through Pop Culture with Frank Dorrel, the publisher of Addicted to War, and Emily Dorrel, CODEPINK’s Social Media and Communications Director
• Moving Beyond an Us vs Them Perspective with Peace Journalist Robert C Koehler
• And so much more! Check out the full program by clicking here.

Prohiting the First Use of Nuclear Weapons
Saturday, May 15th,  11:30am— 4:00pm cst
Register Via Zoom 

Vigil for Yemen: Remembering 6 Years of War
Thursday, March 25th, 5:30 PM
Federal Plaza, Chicago

End the Endless Wars: US Troops Out of the Middle East 
Saturday, March 20th, 1:30 PM— 3:00 PM CST 

Endless Wars = Few or No Gains for Working People
Saturday, March 20th,  12:00 PM 
Federal Plaza, Chicago

CAPA Open Membership Meeting
Friday, March 19th, 6:30— 8:00 PM CST 

The Doomsday Machine- Talk with Daniel Ellsberg
Thursday, March 18th, 6:00— 7:00 PM CST 

As part of an ongoing series of of events this year addressing the dire nature of U.S. nuclear weapons policy, CAPA and other Peace Action affiliates are pleased to invite you to a conversation with Daniel Ellsberg about his blockbuster book, The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner. In Edward Snowden’s words, “The father of American whistle-blowing” has written an urgent chronicle that “is both an urgent warning and a call to arms to a public that has grown dangerously habituated to the idea that the means to our extinction will forever be on hair trigger alert.”

Please join us for an important evening that will offer you insight into what you can do as a private citizen to shine a bright light on a frightening under reported unstable architecture and help move us one step closer to the dream of abolition .

CAPA is a cosponsor of this event. Learn more here. 

Register here! 

International Day of Action for Yemen
Monday, January 25th, 5:00 PM CST
Chicago Federal Plaza 

Ban Nuclear Weapons Car Caravan
Friday, January 22nd
12 PM
Around Federal Plaza, Chicago

Panel: Is this the end of nuclear weapons? 
Thursday, January 21st 
6:00 PM

Inauguration Eve: Demand REAL Change
Tuesday, January 19th
4:00 PM
Chicago’s Federal Plaza

Webinar: Stop the War on Yemen!
Thursday, January 14th
6:00 PM CST 

CAPA Membership Meeting
Monday, December 7th, 7:00— 8:30 PM

41st Annual Benefit
Thursday, November 12th
6:00 PM— 7:30 PM CST

For the past forty years, we’ve gathered with fellow peace, justice, and climate activists to dine and learn together at CAPA’s annual fall dinner. Due to the circumstances of this unusual year, we, like many other groups, are going virtual. What once seemed like a hindering obstacle, has instead revealed a unique opportunity to rethink our yearly program.

While we may not be gathering together in person this year, the need for peace and justice minded individuals to learn, connect, and activate is greater than ever.

 We are thrilled to host the progressive champion, US Representative Ro Khanna to speak on Building Bridges, Not Barriers: Redefining Security. At a time when our nation will still be reeling from the recent election, as the world battles pandemic, climate catastrophe, and widespread war, we must all bring a critical and creative eye to rethink what security really entails.

 For too long, our nation has bought into a broken “post 9/11 siege mentality” of amorphous external threats requiring bullets, bombs and intimidation to keep us “strong and safe”. Now, we are seeing more clearly than ever, that true security for all must include: access to healthcare, intentional peace building, attention to the global effects of climate change and the thoughtful dismantling of systemic racism. 

 No matter the outcome of November’s election, we, as lovers of peace and justice, have a lot of work to do and can not afford to sit on the sidelines. With nearly uncontested bipartisan support of the Pentagon’s $690 billion budget and plans to spend a trillion dollars on modernizing the US nuclear arsenal and delivery systems over the next thirty years, we must be prepared to call for bold steps to redefine security!

 Join us to learn what must be done, discuss solutions, and get activated to be the change we want to see in the world!

Learn more here

Get your ticket!

Wednesday October 7th
Chicago Federal Plaza
12:00 PM— 1:30 PM

October 7 marks the 19th anniversary of the longest war in U.S. history, the 2001 invasion and occupation of Afghanistan.

And Afghanistan is just one piece of a worldwide kaleidoscope of US military violence around the world including:

• occupations of Iraq and Syria
• drone bombings from Africa to Pakistan
• the proxy wars of Saudi Arabia vs. Yemen and Israel vs. Palestine
• threats to invade Venezuela
• devastating sanctions against dozens of countries
• over 500 military bases around the world, many with nuclear weapons — daggers at the throats of the peoples nearby them.

Almost an entire generation of Americans has lived with endless war. Babies not even born at the time of the US invasion of Afghanistan are now fighting in that country. Far worse, however, is the fact that over 1 million Middle Easterners are now dead to avenge the 3000 killed in the 9/11 attacks, and war has spread throughout the Middle East.

As revealed in the so-called Afghanistan papers – government documents released through Freedom of Information Act requests – senior U.S. officials have knowingly lied throughout the war, making optimistic pronouncements of success even while hiding evidence that the war was a disaster.

Despite this, in an effort to turn the tide of the Afghan war in the U.S.’s favor, Presidents Obama and Trump have both launched “troop surges.” Death and destruction were the predictable results while the puppet Afghan regime’s hold on the country, far from being strengthened, remained as precarious as ever.

While people in this country do not feel the direct physical effects of these wars, every bomb
dropped represents millions of dollars less for our schools, health care, affordable housing, public transportation, physical infrastructure, and a myriad of other social services desperately needed in a time of pandemic and severe economic recession. With one-half of the federal discretionary budget going to the US military, and much of the rest given over to subsidizing the already-rich, it’s little wonder that there are only crumbs left for the left of us.

US politicians’ support for war and U.S. domination has been and remains thoroughly bipartisan. The 2020 election will not change that. To establish their “patriotic” credentials, Democrats typically vote for military financing and war with the same frequency as Republicans.

On the 19th anniversary of the United States’ Forever War, and relentless US violence around the world, please join us to denounce these wars that both major political parties continue to finance.

We will be having our event on the Plaza so that we can be socially distanced. Out respect for the health of everyone, please wear a mask.

View the Facebook Event here.

Saturday, September 26th

Stay tuned for more details to come! 

Wednesday, August 26th, 6:00— 7:00 PM CST
This is an online event. Please register here to receive a Zoom link. 

Join us on Wednesday, August 26^th for a discussion with Danny Sjursen on a his new book Patriotic Dissent: America in the Age of Endless War published by Heydey books. He’ll join us virtually from his home in Kansas to talk about his latest work and take your questions.

This incendiary work by Daniel Sjursen is a personal cry from the heart by a once-model US Army officer and West Point graduate who became a military dissenter while still on active duty. Set against the backdrop of the terror wars of the last two decades, Sjursen asks whether there is a proper space for patriotism that renounces entitled exceptionalism and narcissistic jingoism. Once a burgeoning believer and budding conservative, Sjursen performed an intellectual and spiritual about-face. He now calls for a critical exploration of our allegiances, and he suggests a path to a new, more complex notion of patriotism. Equal parts unsentimental and idealistic, this is a story about what it means to be an American in the midst of perpetual war, and what the future of patriotism might look like.

Danny Sjursen is a retired U.S. Army Major and regular contributor to antiwar.com, Truthdig, The Nation, Tom Dispatch, The Huffington Post, and The Hill.  His work has also appeared in Harper’s, The LA Times, and Buzz Feed. He served combat tours with reconnaissance units in Iraq and Afghanistan and later taught history at his alma mater, West Point. He is the author of a memoir and critical analysis of the Iraq War, Ghost Riders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge (2015).  He co-hosts the progressive veterans’ podcast “Fortress on a Hill.”  Follow him on Twitter at @SkepticalVet.

Sunday, August 9th  12:15— 3:30 PM, 
4600 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60640

Tuesday, August 4th  6:30— 8:00 PM CST
This is an online event. Register to receive Zoom link here.

Wednesday, July 15th
This is an online day of action. See more details here.

Tuesday, July 14    5:00 PM- 6:00 PM
Federal Plaza
219 S Dearborn
Chicago, IL 

July 14th marks the 5th anniversary of the Iran-EU-US nuclear agreement that was to pave the way for lessening economic sanctions against Iran. But Trump nixed that agreement and imposed more sanctions that, during a pandemic, make supplies urgently needed to protect public safety more expensive and often impossible for Iran to obtain.

Tuesday, May 26th,   6:00— 7:00 PM CST
Online Event. Register here to get Zoom link. 

Thursday, February 27th   6:00 PM- 7:30 PM
DePaul University- Lincol Park Campu
Room TBA

CAPA DePaul will be joining DePaul Islamic World Studies for this event. 

Being young and Muslim in the United States has only gotten more complicated since the terrorist attacks of 2001. From warrantless government surveillance to rising incidents of hate crimes, Muslim Americans have had to deal with their new reality in many different ways, ways that are sometimes heartbreaking and just as often inspiring. In this lecture, author Moustafa Bayoumi will survey what being young and Muslim has meant since 2001 and ask if and how Muslim American life has changed under the Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations. Bayoumi will also focus on how we, as a nation, must think beyond our perceived conflicts and look instead through the long lens of justice as a means of securing our country and our shared humanity.

Facebook Event can be found here. 

Thursday, February 20th   6:30 PM- 8:00 PM
DePaul University – Lincoln Park Campus
Student Center
2250 N. Sheffield Ave.
Chicago, IL 60614

The Trump administration, and their predecessors, love to blame immigrant families just looking for a better life for themselves and children, but who really caused the need for people to flee from their homes?

Presenters Victoria Cervantes and Laura Nussbaum, of La Voz de los de Abajo, will share and discuss the impact of U.S. policy and actions in Latin America, and how military and economic violence in the region is the underlying cause of the immigration crisis.

We must not let the U.S.’s violent imposition continue to destroy an entire region, while criminalizing the victims of our actions. We’ll learn what it means to oppose U.S. interference in Latin America and begin taking the very important steps towards change.

This is a free event, but please let us know you are coming by signing up through this ticket link!

Facebook Event can be found here. 

January 21st  7:00-8:00 PM
DePaul University
Room TBA 
Chicago, IL 60604

Immigration and Customs Enforcement. What is it? How does it work? Who do they target? Who is in charge? What are my rights? What does Abolish ICE mean? Join Chicago Area Peace Action DePaul for small group discussions about how ICE has changed under Trump, ICE Methods, Trial & Rights, ICE Detention Centers, and more.

Facebook Event can be found here. 

January 13th   7:00 PM
Evanston City Council
2100 Ridge Ave.
Evanston, IL 60201

Residents of greater Evanston are urged to come to City Hall Council Chambers for the beginning of the City Council meeting at 7pm to stand in support as Evanston residents speak to Resolution 136 R 19 which calls for the US to ratify the International Convention on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (“ICAN”) that has already been approved by 122 nations at the UN, signed by 79 countries, and ratified by 33. The Evanston resolution, similar to those adopted by 43 other US cities, will be proposed as part of the Consent Agenda at the beginning of the meeting. 
If the City Council passes this resolution, it will be the first Midwest city to join the campaign to convince the US government to sign the ICAN treaty.

See the resolution here.

We will not be forced into another war. CAPA will join with Indivisible Evanston and others in the anti-war majority in this country will get visible to oppose Trump’s war and say #NoWarWithIran.

Evanston – 5:00pm – Church and Benson

Chicago – 5:30pm – Wabash and Wacker

CAPA joins with CCAWR, ANSWER, VCNV and many other Chicago area peace groups to say, We will not be forced into another war.

5:30pm Corner of Wabash and Wacker, Chicago

December 8th  1:30 PM- 3:30 PM
Evanston Public Library
Third Floor, Falcon Room
1703 Orrington Ave.
Evanston, IL 60201

Join us this Sunday from 1:30-3:30 for a screening of “The Beginning of the End of Nuclear Weapons” and a discussion of the Treaty to Prevent Nuclear Weapons with David Combs (Union of Concerned Scienctists) and David Kraft (NEIS). 

This important program comes just one day before the Evanston City Council takes up “Back from the Brink” anti-nuclear resolution that has the support of nineteen greater-Evanston faith communities and peace and justice organizations. 

Click Here for Facebook Event

Sponsored by:
Chicago Area Peace Action
Neighbors For Peace
Union of Concerned Scientists– Illinois
Nuclear Energy Information Service
Physicians for Social Responsibility– Illinois

November 14th    7 PM – 9 PM
Loyola University
Cudahy Science Hall, Room 202
Chicago, IL 60660

Join Chicago Area Peace Action’s Loyola Chapter for a conversation about the uncharted effects of climate change and potential solutions. The panel discussion with feature activists, professors, researchers, and students.

October 19    2p-4p
Grace Lutheran Church
1430 South Blvd
Evanston, IL 60202

The military is sacrosanct in this country. We’re taught to honor the military, even though it has played, and continues to play, an outsized role in our extinction. The military protects Big Oil and other extractive industries. It is the single largest institutional consumer of fossil fuels in the world. Military operations leave a toxic legacy on their bases and across the world. Wars ravage fragile ecosystems and kill plants, animals, people and the earth. Join us as we examine the nexus between “Climate Disruption and U.S. Militarism”.

Free and open to the public

Sponsored by Veterans for Peace – Chicago Chapter. Co-sponsored by Chicago Area Peace Action (CAPA).

6 PM, Wednesday, October 9th Grace Place, 637 S. Dearborn St.
On the anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, please join a conversation with two of the most thoughtful anti-war activists in the U.S.
CAPA is a co-sponsor of this event. Click here for more information.

CAPA Climate group and other CAPA friends will be participating in the events called for by Extinction Rebellion Chicago (XR Chicago) Daley Plaza, Chicago – 4pm-7pm. Click here for more details

With keynote – June Sekera

Click here for details 
Make your reservations today!

A MEMORIAL TO THE VIETNAMESE VICTIMS OF THE AMERICAN WAR

My Lai Memorial Exhibit provides participants with a powerful anti-war experience. The experience invites participants to make a renewed commitment to peace and social justice and provides opportunities to support initiatives working to reduce violence and militarism both at home and abroad.

Veterans for Peace-Chicago Chapter and CAPA board member, Gerry Gorman worked together to put this exhibit together at UIC where Gerry is a faculty member along with many other activities.

Come find us from 1 to 5PM at Evanston’s Streets Alive fair!

https://www.cityofevanston.org/government/departments/parks-recreation-community-services/programs-events/festivals-events/streets-alive

CAPA’s Loyola and DePaul Chapters ask you to join them
Wednesday Aug. 7th at 11am
at Federal Plaza
(NE corner of Dearborn and Adams)

On 9 August 2018, Saudi Arabian expeditionary aircraft bombed a civilian school bus passing
through a crowded market with U.S.-made bombs in Dahyan, Saada Governorate, Yemen.
Thirty-four students and 4 of their teachers were killed along with 12 passers-by.
An additional 78 people were wounded, including 55 students.

This rally is to remember the lives lost as well as we urge Congress to end the Yemen war
during consideration of the defense budget. Come out to support and stand in solidarity!

Event co-sponsored by Voices for Creative Nonviolence, Chicago Committee Against War and Racism, Neighbors for Peace-Evanston and others

An ad hoc group of peace and justice activists
will gather in Hyde Park on
Tuesday, August 6th 2019
5:30 to 6:30pm
(rain or shine, program subject to change)
Meet at the Henry Moore sculpture, University of Chicago, E. 56th St and S. Ellis Ave.
Bring seating (chair or blanket) and umbrella; bring a hat and sunscreen

Come Join Us!

For a one hour commemoration featuring representatives
of peace and justice groups offering brief:
Readings; Songs; Poetry
Mindful breathing and walking meditation

From July 18-20, 2019, Voices for Creative Nonviolence will join with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s US Boats to
Gaza campaign, supporting their North American Freedom Flotilla for Gaza project with three days of Chicago
actions to include a Saturday July 20th mini-flotilla of kayaks and other craft on the Chicago River, joining shore-
based protesters to urge freedom for the people of Gaza starting at 11:00am from the Lake Street Bridge, NE corner!

From July 18-20, 2019, Voices for Creative Nonviolence will join with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s US Boats to
Gaza campaign, supporting their North American Freedom Flotilla for Gaza project with three days of Chicago
actions to include a Saturday July 20th mini-flotilla of kayaks and other craft on the Chicago River, joining shore-
based protesters to urge freedom for the people of Gaza.

On Friday, July 19th, we’ll have gathered at 11:30am outside the Israeli Consulate at 500 W. Madison and proceed
to warmaker Boeing’s corporate HQ at 100 N. Riverside Plaza for a rally at Noon.

From July 18-20, 2019, Voices for Creative Nonviolence will join with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s US Boats to
Gaza campaign, supporting their North American Freedom Flotilla for Gaza project with three days of Chicago
actions to include a Saturday July 20th mini-flotilla of kayaks and other craft on the Chicago River, joining shore-
based protesters to urge freedom for the people of Gaza.

On Thursday July 18th, we’ll host four-time flotilla veteran (Ret.) Col. Ann Wright and Gazan
scholar/activist Jehad Abusalim for a 7pm speaking event at Chicago’s Grace Episcopal Church at 637 S. Dearborn.

Lecture: DeCOALonize and Degrow: Ending the Tyranny of Growth and Revitalizing our Future.

Where: College of the Complexes, Dappers East Restaurant

Address: 2901 West Addison 3600 North between California and Sacramento.

Each year on the last Friday of the Chicago Public School year, Faith Community of Saint Sabina hosts a summer kickoff rally and march for peace.

Where: In Logan Square at the Dill Pickle Food Coop

When: June 1, from 1PM – 3PM

We are almost out of time to stop global warming. Come to the Dill Pickle on Saturday, June 1, starting at 1 pm, and join with your neighbors to see these presentations addressing the challenge of global warming with performance, a strategy for collective non-violent direct action, an existential description of our problem, and the concept of degrowth.

June 1 is Global Degrowth Day (www.degrowth.info/en/globalday/participate). Degrowth ideas began in France. The movement started about 10 years ago. DegrowUS (www.degrowus.org) started in Chicago last fall with a vision of a popular movement for a transition to a just, participatory, and ecological future for all.

The degrowth movement chooses to face head-on the existential truth that the survival of humanity as we know it and the progress of democracy depend on reducing our consumption of the Earth’s resources and breaking the link between economic growth as we know it and human needs such as employment, education, and health care.

Degrowth challenges us to reimagine our resource-intensive convenience-obsessed civilization: Why disposable instead of reusable, products that can’t be repaired rather than a culture of repair, and high tech extreme measures health care but little real focus on disease prevention?

More information about Global Degrowth Day from www.degrowth.info: https://www.degrowth.info/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Global-Degrowth-Day-Call-for-Participation-English.pdf

We’ll start this first DegrowUS Chicago event with a short piece of pop-up theater. The main presentations will run 15-20 minutes. There will be short presentations about local activities. Global vision, local action! You are also invited come early or stay later and enjoy some food or drink from the Dill Pickle.

Awaken Giant!
Barry Feldman, Rebel For Life Pop-Up Theater

HEADING FOR EXTINCTION & WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT!
Joe Phillips, Local Coordinator for Extinction Rebellion Chicago

How We Got Here; How We Get Out of Here
H. Peter Steeves and Danielle Meijer, DePaul University Department of Philosophy

DeCOALonize and DeGrow:
Ending the Tyranny of Growth and Creating a Revitalized Sense of Possibility
Rachel Elfant, Climate Justice Organizer at CAPA, Youth Worker at Centro Romero, and student of DeGrowth

Master of Ceremonies
Mike Strode, The Kola Nut Collaborative

Chicago Area Peace Action DePaul will be hosting a panel about climate change featuring Dr. Sean Kirkland, Dr Liam Heneghan, Rachel Elfant, and Rose Gomez.

In this panel we will move past the conversation of climate change denial. It is real and happening. In the face of catastrophe why can’t we seem to take action? How does climate change disproportionately affect communities of color? What does climate change look like right now? We will tackle those important questions in this event.

Come join us for food and conversation!

When: Wednesday, May 29, 2019 at 6 PM – 7:30 PM
Where: Arthur J. Schmitt Academic Center (SAC) located at 2320 N. Kenmore Avenue, Chicago, IL

Join Beth Hillel Bnai Emunah, Faith in Place, Go Green Wilmette, and Chicago Area Peace Action to dive deeper into the process of installing solar on your House of Worship. In the first workshop held on January 16th, we explored the benefits of going solar, learned from examples of other faith communities that have installed solar, and discussed a variety of ways to finance solar projects at your house of worship.

This workshop will build on those lessons! 

• Learn from examples of faith communities installing solar
• Dive into financing solar for your House of Worship – bring your electric bills & a satellite view of your roof
• Learn about ways to advocate for a just solar economy

The event is free and open to anyone who is interested in bringing solar to their faith community.

Date: Thursday, May 23, 2019 from 10:00am to 11:30am
Location: Beth Hillel Bnai Emunah 3220 Big Tree Lane, Wilmette, IL 60091

Tuesday, May 21 join us as we demonstrate against Chase Bank’s continued funding of tar sands oil pipeline construction and to support efforts to stop Line 3 in MN. Fellow climate activist organizations Rising Tide Chicago and Rainforest Action Network are organizing this rally to coincide with Chase’s annual shareholder meeting. 

When: Tuesday, May 21 at 11 AM – 12:30 PM

Where: Chase Tower, 21 S Clark St, Chicago

Why: To make it clear that we can’t continue with ‘business as usual:’ continued investment in fossil fuel infrastructure will plunge our home planet further into a climate crisis with unimaginable impacts on our families, communities and future generations.

Check out this Facebook event page for further details: https://www.facebook.com/events/608891802853228/

Amira Hass brings a fresh and much needed insight to the past, present, and future of Palestinian Israeli relations. She draws on 30 years of experience as an Israeli journalist and analyst who has sought and achieved unparalleled immersion in Palestinian communities in the West Bank and Gaza.

Born in Jerusalem in 1956, Hass joined the Israeli daily Haaretz in 1989 and had been its correspondent for the Occupied Palestinian Territories since 1993. She has lived in the West Bank city of Ramallah since 1997. “Ramallah Chronicles”, a compilation of her articles between 1997-2003, was published in 2005. Before taking up residence in the West Bank, Hass lived in Gaza for three years, which experience served as the basis for her widely acclaimed book “Drinking the Sea at Galilee”.

Hass is the only child of a Sarajevo-born Jewish mother who survived nine months in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, and a Romanian born Jewish father who survived three wartime years in a ghetto.

Meet us there from 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM at the Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary 2121 Sheridan Rd. Evanston, IL.

You can find the event on facebook here.

Dilemmas of an Israeli Journalist Covering
Palestine: Amira Hass​
Monday, April 29, 2019
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM  
Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington Ave., Evanston, IL 60201

Amira Hass brings a fresh and much needed insight to the past, present, and future of Palestinian Israeli relations. She draws on 30 years of experience as an Israeli journalist and analyst who has sought and achieved unparalleled immersion in Palestinian communities in the West Bank and Gaza.

Born in Jerusalem in 1956, Hass joined the Israeli daily Haaretz in 1989 and had been its correspondent for the Occupied Palestinian Territories since 1993. She has lived in the West Bank city of Ramallah since 1997. “Ramallah Chronicles”, a compilation of her articles between 1997-2003, was published in 2005. Before taking up residence in the West Bank, Hass lived in Gaza for three years, which experience served as the basis for her widely acclaimed book “Drinking the Sea at Galilee”.

Hass is the only child of a Sarajevo-born Jewish mother who survived nine months in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, and a Romanian born Jewish father who survived three wartime years in a ghetto.

A Guide to Nonviolent Direct Action Campaigning
an activist training with legendary Quaker civil rights activist/author
George Lakey
Saturday, April 27, 2019
10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
NEIS, 3411 W. Diversey, Chicago.
(Logan Sq. “Blue” Line stop; #76, 82, and 56 Buses; 5 blocks
south of the Kennedy X-pwy, Kimball Ave. exit. Street parking.)
Suggested donation: $25, $10 for
students/low-income individuals.
A non-violent, direct-action
training, based on the highly
praised, new book by George Lakey, “How We Win: A
Guide to Non-Violent Direct Action Campaigning.” $13.59.
https://www.mhpbooks.com/books/how-we-win/
Advance registration required through NEIS by e-mail
(neis@neis.org), or phone (773)342-7650, space limited to
the first 30 registrants. Make checks payable to “NEIS”
and send to above address; or pay online at
www.neis.org/donate/).

Lakey _How We Win_ flier (1)

Chicago Area Peace Action is partnering with Love Without Borders to bring art made by Refugees displaced in Greece to be displayed for purchase at DePaul. All money made from a sale goes back to the artist. The art we will be displaying will be primarily from Yemeni, Palestinian, Syrian, and Iraqi refugees. This event is open to the public. Thank you to our cosponsors: the Islamic World Studies Program, the International Studies Department, the Department of History of Art and Architecture, the Department of Peace, Conflict, and Justice Studies, Students for Justice in Palestine, and the Art History Club.

RSVP TODAY

April 6 – 2019 Chicago Peace Summit

The Chicago Peace Summit will feature national peace movement activists and foreign policy experts from across the country and around the world. Join us to hear from Kathy Kelly, Jehan Hakim, Natasha Erskine, Kevin Martin, Vincent Emanuele, Nan Kim, Robert Naiman, Paul Street, Rachel Elfant, and other noteworthy leaders about pressing issues of peace.

RSVP HERE

• Drawing from her experiences living in war zones and prisons in the U.S., keynote speaker Kathy Kelly will discuss the consequences of U.S. militarism and strategies to withdraw consent for endless wars. Across various panels, these experts will address Climate Change, Middle East conflicts, and nuclear warfare. Their presentations will be followed by Q&A as well as interactive breakout sessions co-led by student activists.

All are welcome! Please come out to learn more about the dire peace issues plaguing communities in our own backyards and across the world.

• Loyola University Chicago

• Saturday, April 6, 2019 at 10 AM – 4 PM CDT 1050 W Sheridan Rd, Chicago, Illinois 60660

CAPA’s FPWG is co-sponsoring with Evanston Neighbors for Peace, programs at EPL (2-5p) and the Sulzer Library in Chicago (7-8:30p)

See the Facebook event page for more details.

Global Climate Strike. All over the nation and world, 
the Youth will lead a strike. Ours in Chicago is from 11AM – 2PM and 
meets in Grant Park.