Cultivating Beloved Community
Dr. Martin Luther King knew that Beloved Community was essential for change.
The Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice allows us to create and maintain that Community. Need inspiration? Take a stroll through our Facebook page to see postings of the 81 member organizations that are the Network.
Need connection? Read what thoughtful and kind activists are doing throughout this state, much of it in real time and often available via zoom or live broadcasting. From environmental issues to ending the nightmare of prisons and war you can find people and organizations doing compelling work.
Need information? The treasuries of researched materials from PFAS to clean energy, nuke watch to labor reform and so much more are readily available.
Need to take action? Every organization could use some help. Find the one that calls to you and offer your skills. www.wnpj.org
As we celebrate Dr. King’s life, we can pay homage for more than one day. We can shake off the lethargy of hopelessness and get busy answering his call:
“Life's most persistent and urgent question is,'What are you doing for others?"
Perhaps the best we can do is invite people in and widen the circle of Peace.
Spotlight from WNPJ Board member, Dena Eakles Jan 2023
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The WI Network for Peace and Justice is the umbrella non-profit organization
supporting the work of 81 member groups around Wisconsin.
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You can open any of our weekly WNPJ e-Bulletins from the archive and copy the web address to share with others.
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Join the: MLK Community Choir, Madison!
The MLK Community Choir has been an integral part of the official Madison & Dane County King Holiday Observance for many years. The Choir is unique in bringing together community members regardless of musical background for the purpose of performing at this event. It is directed by acclaimed musicians Leotha and Tamera Stanley. No audition is required. To join the Choir community members simply need to attend two rehearsals:
Tuesday, January 9 at 7:00 PM and Saturday, January 13, 11:00 AM. Both rehearsals are at Mt. Zion Baptist Church | 2019 Fisher Street, Madison
The Dane County MLK coalition is an affiliate member of WNPJ https://mlkingcoalition.org/
39th Annual Madison & Dane County MLK Day Observance: January 15, 2024
5:00 PM – Freedom Songs Sing-Along | 6:00 PM – Program
Overture Center for the Arts, 201 State Street https://mlkingcoalition.org/
WNPJ will be tabling at this event - Look for us!
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WNPJ member groups and affiliates issue Statements and Action Alerts on Hamas/Palestine/Israel
See the developing list here: https://www.wnpj.org/post/statements-from-wnpj-groups-and-their-national-affiliates-on-palestine-israel-hamas
Petitions to sign https://www.change.org/p/sign-and-share-this-urgent-petition-calling-for-a-ceasefirenow-in-gaza-and-israel
.....and phone calls to make.
Go to the Madison Rafah Sister City sites: http://madisonrafah.org/ and/or https://www.facebook.com/madisonrafah to learn more.
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Emergency Summit for Gaza: Ceasefire, Saving Lives, Building Peace In Chicago, with Jesse Jackson, Rabbis Arthur Waskow & Phyllis Berman, & more.
11:00 AM to 6:00 PM FRIDAY, January 12 and 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM SATURDAY, January 13
Fellowship of Reconciliation is proud to be partnering with Rev. Jesse Jackson in calling for an Emergency Summit on Gaza. Sent to WNPJ by Peace Action WI https://www.peaceactionwi.org/
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Upcoming Events this week for WNPJ groups:
MADISON Mon Jan 8, 12 noon – 1 pm Monday Noon Vigil for Peace – Meet at the corner of MLK, Jr. Blvd and Doty St. For more information, call Tim at 608-630-3633.
MADISON Mon Jan 8, 5 - 6 pm Lights up for Palestine! -
McKee Road and Maple Grove Road. Please join us to call for a permanent ceasefire. From Madison-Rafah Sister-City Project rafahsistercity@yahoo.com
VIRTUAL Mon Jan 8, 7 pm Witnessing Global Climate Action at COP 28. Please join 350 Wisconsin on to hear a firsthand perspective on the COP28 UN climate summit. Learn what happens at these global climate summits beyond what’s captured by mainstream media.
Our speaker, Heather Phelps, recently journeyed to Dubai to witness the global negotiations. She will share her experience as a climate observer with an NGO. She will tell us what happens beyond the high-level talks, focusing on the work of committed people and organizations building global networks around issues such as global youth activism, clean energy, and faith perspectives on climate. ONLINE VIA ZOOM: Register in advance for the meeting at https://tinyurl.com/monthly-mtg-reg https://350wisconsin.org
VIRTUAL Tues Jan 9, 6:30 pm Taking a Faithful Stand for Equity's Webinar on Wisconsin's curriculum requirement on American Indian studies. Our presenter will be David O'Connor, a member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (Ojibwe) in northern Wisconsin. In January 2012, he became the American Indian Studies Consultant at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI). In David's role at DPI, he supports school districts' efforts to provide instruction on the history, culture and tribal sovereignty of Wisconsin's American Indian nations and tribal communities, often referenced as Wisconsin Act 31, and the education of Native American students. REGISTER HERE . Find resources on Indigenous Education and Wisconsin here. The Creating Beloved Community Leadership Team: • Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee • MICAH • Wisconsin Council of Churches • Wisconsin Council of Rabbis • Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice • WISDOM wifaithvoices4justice@gmail.com
VIRTUAL Tues Jan 9, 7 pm UNA USA Dane County DISTINGUISHED LECTURE series.....presentation by the 2023 UNA Dane Global Citizen Award Winner - Wisconsin Watch. Dee J. Hall, former managing editor, will present on the topic of how journalism about forced prison labor in China and the beneficiaries, including companies in the US/Wisconsin, underscore the value of small, non-profit newsrooms and quality journalism. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86856973633?pwd=S0F6d2ppMkpzaXo2UjhmY2drdHZ4Zz09#success
MADISON and VIRTUAL Tues Jan 9, 7 – 8:30 pm DSA monthly General Membership Meeting. At the Social Justice Center and on Zoom. We will be hosting a conversation with Dane County Supervisor Heidi Wegleitner, as the Electoral Working Group brings a possible endorsement of her reelection campaign to the chapter. dsamadison@gmail.com
VIRTUAL Wed Jan 10, 11 am - 350.org Climate and Militarism Webinar . Join 350.org for a conversation discussing how militarism is deeply intertwined with the climate crisis. From the direct emissions of sprawling militaries like the US’s massive network of bases, to the detrimental impacts war has on international cooperation and the resources it takes away from climate finance, militarism is antithetical to building a just and collective transition away from fossil fuels. Yet, militarism is too often left out of conversations about the climate crisis. During the webinar, renowned climate journalist Dharna Noor will moderate a discussion with Dr. Neta Crawford (Costs of War Project), Ramon Mejia (About Face & Grassroots Global Justice Alliance), Ashley LaMont (Honor the Earth), and Zaki Mamdoo (350.org). Register HERE . English and Spanish options. Sent to WNPJ by Madison Rafah Sister City Project rafahsistercity@yahoo.com
VIRTUAL Wed Jan. 10, 12 Noon - 1:30 pm WEBINAR: From Guantánamo to Gaza: Resisting State Violence and Occupation. From Center for Constitutional Rights: January 2024 marks 22 years of U.S. detention of Muslim men and boys at the Guantánamo Bay prison. Thirty Muslim men remain at the notorious facility, and most have never been charged with a crime despite spending decades behind bars, and none have ever had access to a fair trial. Unjust detention, torture and abuse, the demonization and dehumanization of Muslims under the guise of national security, and impunity are essential pieces of why Guantánamo remains a subject of our continued attention, especially as Guantánamo is how and why such brutal and unlawful practices are replicated around the world. Join us for a webinar focusing on these threads and the manifestations and connections to state violence, arbitrary detention, and occupation in Iraq and Palestine. Together with formerly incarcerated people, lawyers, and advocates, we will learn, build community, and take action to disrupt the U.S. government’s power to suspend human rights, while elevating our collective demands for justice, accountability, and transformation. Registration and more information here. Sent to WNPJ by Madison-Rafah Sister-City Project rafahsistercity@yahoo.com
LaCROSSE Thurs Jan 11, 12 noon - 12:30 pm Weekly Women in Black Peace Vigil. Meet at Main St & 4th Street South. A weekly vigil for peace every Thursday. Contact Deborah. dbuffton@yahoo.com
RACINE Fri Jan 12, 11 am MLK Wreath Laying Ceremony – From the Racine Interfaith Coalition: https://www.facebook.com/ricracine/
CANCELLED due to snow: MADISON Fri. Jan. 12, 4:30 pm MLK Free Community Dinner! At UW Gordon Dining and Event Center (770 W. Dayton St.) For more info, visit the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1030185928258370/
MILWAUKEE Sat Jan 13, 12 noon - 1 pm Peace Action WI - Weekly STAND for PEACE: Each Saturday, a different location. Today meet at King and Locust. Join us. Bring your signs. info@peaceactionwi.org https://www.peaceactionwi.org/stand_for_peace
VIROQUA Sat Jan 13, 11 am - 12 noon Driftless Palestinian Solidarity Weekly Vigil. Meet at Decker and Main. Action Alert: The Driftless Palestinian Solidarity group has written a petition to demand that Senator Tammy Baldwin support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. If your group is interested in getting signatures, please email us at driftless.solidarity@gmail.com . Thank you for your help!
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If your group would like to get your events posted in the weekly e-bulletin – JOIN US! https://www.wnpj.org/membership
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Videos of the 32nd WNPJ Annual Fall Assembly are now available: "Every Drop Counts: Coming Together for Water https://www.wnpj.org/post/2023-fall-assembly
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Join WNPJ – www.wnpj.org
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Interested in a yard sign? WNPJ has yard signs available! yardsigns@wnpj.org
See our new Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WisNPJ
"Like" us and follow us!
Questions? Contact info@wnpj.org
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