Saturday, April 1st, 2023,
10 A.M.-4 P.M. Central Time
Loyola Univ., 1050 W Sheridan, Chicago, IL, 60660

♥ MEET OUR STUDENT LEADERS, SPEAKERS, AND PRESENTERS! ♥

Chicago Area Peace Action’s Student Network is dedicating this year’s Peace Summit to Fighting the War Machine: in Chicago and Beyond. Keep reading for more info on planned presenters and sessions below!

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

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!

**Note: Masks and hand sanitizer will be available at check-in; wearing a mask is strongly recommended

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Peace Summit 2023 Overview

SATURDAY, APRIL 1ST, 2023 …………………………………………………………………………… 10 A.M.-4 P.M. (all times U.S. Central)…………………………………………………………….. Loyola University, 1050 W Sheridan, Chicago, IL 60660

PEACE SUMMIT 2023 PROGRAM:

- 10:00 – 10:20 Opening Remarks from CAPA Student Chapters
- 10:20 – 10:40 Keynote Address: Margaret Kimberly
- 10:45 – 11:45 Panel 1: The War in Ukraine and its Relation to Wars Globally
  - - feat. Margaret Kimberley of Black Alliance for Peace; Glenn Michalchuk of Association of United Ukrainian Canadians; Behind Enemy Lines; Kamran Siddiqi of ANSWER Coalition
- 12:00 – 12:45 Breakout Sessions, Round 1 Options:
  - - Ending War on Palestine, Ending War on Yemen, R.E.A.L. Youth Initiative
- 1:00 – 1:45 BREAK – Lunch and Endorser Exhibits
- 2:00 – 2:45 Breakout Sessions, Round 2 Options:
  - - Divesting Chicago from the War Machine, Dissenters Boeing Arms Genocide Campaign, GKMC Peace Book Initiative
- 3;00 – 4:00 Panel 2: Uniting the Left, Locally and Globally
  - - Feat. Hassan El-Tayyab of Friends Committee on National Legislation, Janessa Juntilla of Anakbayan Chicago, Orion Meadows of Inst. for Nonviolence and Prison + Neighborhood Arts Project, Andy Thayer of Gay Liberation Network, Greta Zarro of World BEYOND War

(See “Peace Summit 2023 Detailed Schedule” below!)

Peace Summit 2023 Detailed Schedule

——-SATURDAY, APRIL 1ST, 2023, 10 A.M.-4 P.M. (all times U.S. Central)———

10:00 – 10:20 A.M.: Opening Remarks from CAPA Student Chapters –

- - Meet our Student Chapters: CAPA Loyola, CAPA UIUC, and CAPA DePaul!

10:20 – 10:40 A.M.: Keynote Address: How War Impacts Chicago Communities and Beyond

- - feat. Margaret Kimberley of Black Alliance for Peace

10:45 – 11:45 A.M.: Panel 1: “The War in Ukraine and its Relation to Wars Globally”

- - feat. Margaret Kimberley of Black Alliance for Peace; Glenn Michalchuk of Association of United Ukrainian Canadians; Michael Boyte of Behind Enemy Lines; Kamran Siddiqi of ANSWER Coalition

12:00 – 12:45 P.M.: Breakout Sessions, Round 1 Options:

- - BREAKOUT A: Ending War on Palestine

feat. Students for Justice in Palestine DePaul, Loyola, and UIUC

.
- - BREAKOUT B: Ending War on Yemen

feat. Hassan El-Tayyab of Friends Committee on National Legislation

- - BREAKOUT C: R.E.A.L. Youth Initiative .

feat. REAL Youth Initiative

1:00- 1:45 P.M.: BREAK – Grab refreshments and meet fellow peacemakers!

2:00- 2:45 P.M.: Breakout Sessions, Round 2 Options:

- - BREAKOUT E: Divesting Chicago from War

feat. Shea Leibow of the Divest Chicago from the War Machine Coalition

.
- - BREAKOUT F: Youth Organizing Against Weapons Makers.

feat. Warren Wagner and Erykah of The Dissenters’ Boeing Arms Genocide (B.A.G.) Campaign

.
- - BREAKOUT G: GoodKidsMadCity / Peace Book Initiative

feat. Assata of Good Kids Mad City

3:00 – 4:00 P.M.: Panel 2: “Uniting the Left, Locally and Globally”

- - Feat. Hassan El-Tayyab of Friends Committee on National Legislation, Janessa Juntilla of Anakbayan Chicago, Orion Meadows of Inst. for Nonviolence and PNAP, Andy Thayer of Gay Liberation Network, Greta Zarro of World BEYOND War

——–Join with us to fight the war machine together! Register today for the 2023 Peace Summit! ——–

**See map for location: Loyola Univ., 1050 W Sheridan Rd, Chicago, IL, 60611 – Quinlan Life Sciences Center

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Meet our Student Leaders!

Mahnoor Sukhera - CAPA Loyola

Mahnoor Sukhera is a Junior studying Political Science and Psychology at Loyola University. She is the president of CAPA Loyola and plans on going to law school after graduation.

Stefi De La Torre - CAPA DePaul

Stefi De La Torre is Co-President of CAPA DePaul. Stefi is currently a senior and is studying journalism.

Julia Alfaro - CAPA DePaul

Julia is a senior at DePaul University majoring in Peace, Justice, Conflict Studies minoring in Art. Currently they are the Co-President of DePaul’s Chicago Area Peace Action chapter. Though their career path is still unclear they are interested in social justice advocacy and community organizing. In the summer of 2020, Julia’s interests were solidified when they interned with the Neighborhood Resilience Project in Pittsburgh, PA where they planned, transcribed, and analyzed “race and reconciliation meetings” within the community. They additionally helped renovate and run the NRP’s community closet and food pantry. In their free time Julia likes to hike, read, play with their 3-month-old kitten, and drink overpriced chai lattes.

David Pavletic - CAPA UIUC

David Pavletic is a current junior at the University of Illinois who has a passion for environmental and social justice. He hopes to spread that passion with the world and has plenty of experience in direct actions and facilitating trainings to other youth organizers.

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Keynote Speaker: Margaret Kimberley

Margaret Kimberley is Executive Editor of Black Agenda Report and author of the book, Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents. In addition to being a Coordinating Committee member of Black Alliance for Peace, she is an Administrative Committee member of the United National Antiwar Coalition, and the Board of Directors of the U.S. Peace Memorial Foundation.

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Panelists & Presenters:

Margaret Kimberley -
Black Alliance for Peace

Glenn Michalchuk -
Assoc. of United Ukrainian Canadians

Glenn Michalchuk was elected National President of the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians (AUUC) in October 2022 after serving several terms as Vice President. He is also President of the Canadian Society for Ukrainian Labour Research. Glenn is on the Editorial Boards of the Ukrainian Canadian Herald and New Cold War: Know Better; and serves on the Board of Directors for Canadian Dimension, an on-line magazine. Glenn has been in active in the peace and anti-war movement for more than 40 years. He is currently Chair of Peace Alliance Winnipeg. Glenn is a retired railway worker.

Shea Leibow -
Divest Chicago from the War Machine

Shea Leibow has worked on campaigns related to environmental justice, food access, and nuclear weapons abolition. They also have a background in research, and were a Next Leader with the National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies prior to coming to CODEPINK. Shea is based in Chicago, IL and is a National Organizer with the Divest from the War Machine and CODEPINK Congress campaigns.

Greta Zarro -
World BEYOND War

Greta has a background in issue-based community organizing. She previously worked as New York Organizer for leading non-profit Food & Water Watch. There, she campaigned on issues related to fracking, genetically engineered foods, climate change, and the corporate control of our common resources. Greta and her partner run Unadilla Community Farm, a non-profit organic farm and permaculture education center in Upstate New York. Greta can be reached at greta@worldbeyondwar.org. Greta is on the Steering Committee of the War Industry Resisters Network.

Assata -
GoodKidsMadCity

Through Restorative and transformative justice, Assata has healed, grown, and developed a clear understanding of how the world can be transformed through the power of community. She has become a passionate and fierce advocate for the work of Restorative justice. Assata has partnered with various organizations, companies, and schools such as: Good Kids mad city, Kuumba Lynx, James Madison University, free spirit media and more, to provide comprehensive training and development plans.

Warren Wagner - Dissenters

Warren Wagner is a student from Sacramento, California, who's in their last year at University of Chicago studying sociology and critical race and ethnic studies. They've been active in abolitionist and anti-displacement student organizing there, and are now a part of the #BoeingArmsGenocide campaign, as well as being the communications intern at the Chicago Community Bond Fund.

Hassan El-Tayyab -
Friends Cmte. on Nat'l Legislation

Janessa Juntilla - Anakbayan Chicago

Janessa Juntilla (she/they) currently serves as chairperson of Anakbayan Chicago, a comprehensive and militant youth & student organization dedicated to fighting for national democracy in the Philippines. For a Philippines liberated from the control of US imperialism, local landlords, and bureaucrat capitalists.

Orion Meadows -
Inst. for Nonviolence, PNAP

Orion Meadows Orion Meadows is a Slam Spoken Word Performance Artist, activist, and author. He is a member of NAEFI and a PNAP Learning Fellows participant. He has published poetry in online journals like Enhance and In the Belly. His work is also featured in the book You Are Not Alone by Nahlah. He has published 3 books: Inside The Box, Birthmark, and The Rose That Grew Through The Barbwire. Orion performs widely as a proponent of the Hip-hop arts and advocate for marginalized and disenfranchised groups.

Erykah - Dissenters

I was born and raised in southwest Chicago. I first started organizing my first year of college at NU against ICE presence on campus. I grew more as an organizer after joining Pilsen Alliance’s youth program and began organizing against gentrification. Since then, I have been involved with SOLR (Students Organized for Labor Rights). I was a founding member of Dissenters and helped start the NU Dissenters chapter to begin a divestment campaign from militarism. I also was involved with NUCommunityNotCops to abolish campus police. Post grad, I still organize with Dissenters and I am part of #BoeingArmsGenocide.

Andy Thayer -
Gay Liberation Network

Andy Thayer is a co-founder of the Chicago Committee Against War & Racism – formed in 2001 in response to the repression that followed the 9/11 attacks in New York and the growing threat of more US wars. He is also co-founder of the LGBTQ Gay Liberation Network, which takes an intersectional approach to organizing including supporting abortion rights, anti-racist organizing, immigrant rights, pro-Palestinian and anti-war activism.

Michael Boyte -
Behind Enemy Lines

Michael Boyte has been involved in anti-imperialist struggles since organizing against the Iraq War in high school with Not In Our Name. He was the founding chairperson of the Chicago Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, and currently organizes with Behind Enemy Lines: a Chicago based anti-imperialist organization that is committed to standing with the people of the world, and taking anti-imperialist politics to the masses of people. He is a college dropout, unemployed barista, and a White Sox fan.