9/11/01 was also a day people of faith and humanity took ACTION for Peace nonviolently: Peace Fresno

[annm4peace]

Camille Russell, Peace Fresno President, writes:

Sunday, September 11, 2011 is the 10th anniversary of the tragic events that have collectively come to be referred to as 9/11. We are seeing and reading many stories of that day and all affected by it. Let’s remember the actions of the local progressive community. It recognized the immediate and potential negative effects of 9/11 and went right to work to create opportunities for dialog and action.

Local groups organized a march to the mosque across from Fresno State. The goal was a show of solidarity with the Muslim, Arab, and South Asian communities here and through-out the U.S – communities that, immediately following the 9/11 attacks, suffered threats, physical violence, and murders.

The progressive community held a panel discussion at the Unitarian Universalist Church to discuss the 9/11 attacks and terrorism, what the attacks might mean for the future, and how we Americans could best respond. This was followed a few days later by a demonstration at Shaw and Blackstone calling for an appropriate response to the attacks.

The Fresno Center for Nonviolence, which had been established following the Gulf War in the early 1990’s, called for a continuation of the dialog begun at the UU Church and people began meeting weekly. On October 7, 2001, less than a month after 9/11, the U.S. military attacked Afghanistan – not the response the progressive community sought! Peace Fresno grew out of those meetings and has been opposing the wars and militarism for nearly 10 years.

Please join us on Tuesday, September 20, 7:00 p.m. for a celebration of 10 years of peace activism. We will have pizza and veggies, hold an election for our new Peace Fresno board, and engage in a conversation about 2011 strategies for bringing peace. Your RSVP will help us order the right amount of food.

We have nine good candidates – one for each position on the Peace Fresno board, including a candidate for president who has been one of our most active and enthusiastic members during the past year! Nominations for the board remain open until the voting starts so if you would like to nominate yourself, there is still time.