Aug 258 min read

WNPJ Member Events Around the State for the Week of August 26th

WNPJ + See “Bad River’ in Wausau + Worker Justice Wisconsin at the Pulpit + Upcoming Labor Day Fests & Annual Mackinac Bridge Walk + Other Statewide Events

The WI Network for Peace and Justice is the umbrella non-profit organization

supporting the work of 86 member groups around Wisconsin.

"Bad River" Screening in Wausau on Thursday, August 29th

350 Wisconsin, AIM Wisconsin, CCL Rib Mountain-Marshfield Chapter, and Citizen Action WI will be co-sponsoring a FREE screening of the film “ Bad River” at Whitewater Music Hall in Wausau on the evening of Thursday, August 29th.

All are welcome! Space is limited, so please RSVP here.

Date: Thursday, August 29th

Time: 6:00pm welcoming --- 6:30pm screening

Location: Whitewater Music Hall, 130 1st St., Wausau

Cost: FREE!

This powerful documentary, chronicling the Bad River Band's monumental effort to save Lake Superior - the newest chapter in a 100+ year old story of resistance to environmental, industrial and governmental threats to their reservation, their culture, and belonging - is a MUST SEE!

Questions? Contact Britnie at britnie.remer@350wisconsin.org.

SPOTLIGHT on WNPJ Member Group Worker Justice Wisconsin

Labor Day is fast approaching, and Worker Justice WI is excited to renew our partnership with local faith communities through our Labor in the Pulpits/On the Bimah/In the Minbar program. This month-long program brings together those committed to faith and justice to lift up the voices of workers struggling for their rights and organizing for better working conditions.

Participating is easy! Simply register your congregation through this link. No matter your religion or denomination, you can participate in this program during any weekend throughout the month of September.

This year's theme is “Sprouting the Seeds of Solidarity,” highlighted in our soon-to-be-released resource packet on our website, which is the easiest way to prepare for your service.

Also, to kick off this year’s program, WJW Board members have reviewed some of our favorite quotes from faith leaders about solidarity and worker justice, which all relate to our theme and will also be included in the resource packet. Here's one of them:

For all the major faith traditions, loving your neighbor as yourself is a core principle. Christian, Jews, Muslims, and others believe that the two highest religious values are to love God and love your neighbor. Worker centers [like Worker Justice Wisconsin] help put these values into practice. Almost every congregation is already involved in supporting a soup kitchen, a shelter, or sharing resources with poor people in their midst. Supporting a worker center is another form of ministry. Excerpt from Kim Bobo and Marien Casillas Pabellon, The Worker Center Handbook: A Practical Guide to Starting and Building the New Labor Movement, page 126 (ILR Press: 2016)

We hope you'll join us in celebrating worker justice and learn why it's important for people of faith to engage with workers as they organize for better working conditions. If you have any questions or comments along the way, please reach out to Rebecca at: rebecca@workerjustice.org

Workers Rights Manual Available Labor Day Weekend

We are happy to announce that the 5th edition of our Workers Rights Manual will be available in both English and Spanish on our website by Labor Day weekend. You can print it at home, and we will also have hard copies available at our office (1602 S Park St, # 115, Madison) after Labor Day weekend. Feel free to stop by and pick up your copy. Printed copies will be provided to all participating congregations in our Labor in the Pulpits/On the Bimah/In the Minbar program.

This new edition, like the previous ones, includes clear explanations of major federal and state employment and labor laws. However, it places a stronger emphasis on labor organizing—its history, why workers should organize, and how to do it. Driven by the core values of dignity, democracy, and solidarity, we want this 5th edition to educate workers not only about existing laws but also their limitations, empowering them to come together to transform power structures at work and in their communities. We invite you to print as many copies as you need and share them with every worker you know! To learn more about the Worker’s Rights Manual, contact Program Director, Robert Christl at robert@workerjustice.org

Labor Fest 2024! - Madison

Mon. Sept. 2nd 12:00 Noon – 5:30 pm Madison Labor Temple (1602 S. Park St.)

Food & drink, kids activities, info tables, solidarity roll call, plus live music from Cris Plata with Extra Hot and the Chris O'Leary Band. SCFL's Community Services Committee will also be collecting gift cards and personal care items to help students who are experiencing homelessness in the MMSD Transition Education Program (TEP).

Find more info at https://www.scfl.org/

LABORFEST 2024 Milwaukee

Labor Day is a chance to remember those who made sacrifices for benefits many take for granted: weekends, worker protections, vacation, overtime pay, and the list goes on. It’s also a time to celebrate the power in standing together and the things we can achieve in the future. Because we know, America works best when we say Union YES!

Laborfest 2024 - Monday, September 2nd

11am: Parade leaves Zeidler Union Square

11am-5pm: Laborfest on the Henry Maier Festival Grounds (200 N. Harbor Dr., Milwaukee)

Every year, labor unions and union members of the Milwaukee Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO, put on the biggest festival on the Milwaukee Lakefront that’s free and open to the public. Through the generosity of local unions and the companies at which they work, we can bring you a day of fun at the lakefront that includes live music for adults and families, children’s entertainment, bingo, wrestling, a classic car show, and union raffle with a Grand Prize of $5,000.

But before you head to the lakefront, be sure to visit the parade route to see the union members in their trucks, on their Harleys, and marching with their locals in downtown Milwaukee. The parade ends at the Henry Maier Festival Grounds where Laborfest takes place. More info with info@peaceactionwi.org

2024 Mackinac Bridge Walk

Monday, September 2nd @ 6:30 am - 12:00 pm

Mackinac Bridge, Mackinaw City, MI 49701, USA

All roads lead to the Annual Labor Day Mackinaw Bridge walk. Water protectors will be converging on the Bridge to highlight the need to protect International Waters, including all the Great Lakes.

The annual Mackinac Bridge Walk has been held every Labor Day since 1958. Each year, 40,000 to 65,000 people participate in the five-mile walk across the bridge. The bridge will be closed to public traffic from 6:30 a.m. to noon on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024 to accommodate the walk.

Learn more at https://www.wnpj.org/environmental-justice

WNPJ Member Group Events

Click here to see a listing of recurring Vigils across the state!

Madison

8/26 @ 12pm-1pm: Vigil for Peace - Meet at the corner of MLK Jr Blvd and Doty St. Questions? Call Tim at 608-630-3633

Milwaukee

8/26 @ 7pm-9pm: "Caring About Cuba -- Several Perspectives" at the Milwaukee Friends Meeting House – 3224 N. Gordon Place. Free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. The United Nations Association of Greater Milwaukee endorses and supports this event. Art Heitzer and Sandra Edhlund have made a dozen visits to Cuba. In July 2024, they attended the graduation of US medical students in Cuba. They will address the work of the Saving Lives (in Cuba) Campaign. The Saving Lives Campaign is dedicated to providing needed medical supplies and food to the Cuban people; to ending 64 years of an economic blockade by the United States; and to have Cuba removed from the State Sponsors of Terrorism List. Barbara Markoff and River Kaster will share their Global Volunteers experience volunteering at a Salvation Army location near Old Havana and leading conversational English classes for local Cuban residents. For more information, visit the following two websites. https://wicuba.org/ or https://savinglives.us-cubanormalization.org/
8/29 @ 12pm-1pm: Anti-ROTC Vigil - Meet in front of the Marquette University Library on 14th & Wisconsin Ave. We must not teach our young to destroy an enemy. We must love our enemies. Questions? Contact Casa Maria Catholic Worker House - shadmuss1983@gmail.com
8/31 @ 12pm-1pm: Peace Action WI Weekly STAND for PEACE at Lincoln Memorial/La Fayette Hill. Join us and bring your signs. Questions? Contact: info@peaceactionwi.org

Racine

8/31 @ 12:30pm-1:30pm: Weekly Stand for Peace supported by the Racine Coalition for Peace and Justice. We have signs, banners and flags available for all. Free Palestine!

La Crosse

8/29 @ 12pm-12:30pm: Weekly Women in Black Peace Vigil. Meet at Main St & 4th Street South. A weekly vigil for peace every Thursday. Questions? Email dbuffton@yahoo.com

Viroqua

8/31 @ 11am-12pm: Driftless Palestinian Solidarity Weekly Vigil. Meet at Decker and Main. Action Alert: The Driftless Palestinian Solidarity group has a petition to demand that Senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and end financial aid to Israel's military. If your group is interested in getting signatures, please email driftless.solidarity@gmail.com. Thank you for your help!

Verona

8/31 @ 5pm-8pm: ‘Play Music on the Porch’ - Open Mic Event at the Farley Center with Southwest Wisconsin Area Progressives (SWWAP) and Midwest Mujeres Collective - 2299 Spring Rose Rd. Come join us for an open mic event as we join the worldwide event. This event is open to all who would like to make music, tell stories, recite poetry, etc. on the Farley Center deck! Please bring your own chairs/blankets to sit out on the front lawn. Reyna Gonzalez/El Sabor De Puebla & Farley Center Farmer will have Mexican food, organic vegetables and flowers for purchase. Please bring cash. Learn more HERE!

Camp Douglas

8/27 - 3:45pm-4:45pm: Monthly Vigil Against Drones - CANCELLED DUE TO EXCESSIVE HEAT - If you have any questions about the weather or direction or car-pooling, please call or email Joy at 608 239-4327 or joyfirst5@gmail.com or Bonnie at 608-256-5088 or blb24@earthlink.net. Wisconsin Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars

Wausau

8/29 @ 6pm: Free Screening of the film “Bad River” at Whitewater Music Hall, 130 1st St. (parking lot entrance is on River Dr.). Co-sponsored by 350 Wisconsin, AIM Wisconsin, CCL Rib Mountain-Marshfield Chapter, and Citizen Action WI. All are welcome! Space is limited, so please RSVP here. Learn more in the Spotlight above. Questions? Email Britnie at: britnie.remer@350wisconsin.org

Petoskey, MI

8/31 @ 12pm-9pm: Water is Life Festival - Petoskey Waterfront, 101 E Lake St. Come celebrate the Water and our connection to it. The Water is Life Festival strives to provide a memorable experience through eclectic music, art, food, and of course, you, the attendees, This is the festival’s 6th year. Please join this free, family friendly event brought to you by the Water is Life sponsors, volunteers, committee, awesome musical talent and of course our relative, niibi (water). CLICK HERE for more info and resources!

Join WNPJ - Individual members and groups welcome!

For individuals, join at a sliding scale rate of $35/year – or whatever fits your budget!

For between $50 - $75/year, a WNPJ membership keeps your group connected with peace and justice efforts and helps keep the Network going - and growing!

Visit our website to find out more about the benefits of membership and join us!

We help our member organizations reach a wider audience by amplifying your peace and justice events and actions on our list-serve and Facebook page. Membership also provides access to our community tabling opportunities, our online toolbox of peace and justice resources, and a community that cares about your peace and justice journey.

Here's an opportunity for WNPJ member groups!

WNPJ member groups can sign up to table at the Dane County Farmers Market on Capitol Square every Saturday from April 13th through November 9th at 7am - 1pm. Bring your own table and handouts to SITE 10 on the King Street corner of the Square (next to Veterans for Peace) - you can't sell anything at the non-profit table, but donations to your group are acceptable. Sign up today!

Questions? Contact info@wnpj.org

If your group would like to get your events posted in the weekly e-bulletin – JOIN US!

Interested in a yard sign? WNPJ has yard signs available! yardsigns@wnpj.org