FAIR TRADE COFFEE BREAK at Empire Coffee

Saturday, May 17th at 6-9pm

Empire Cafe (434 Orange Street)

Join the Chico Peace and Justice Center and Empire Coffee as we toast the fair trade movement, which gives workers a fair wage, contributes to the community, and promotes safe and ecologically sounds working conditions.

The indy folk band Petticoat will be playing for the coffee break.

The Fair Trade "Coffee Break" is part of a broader campaign sponsored by such organizations as World of Good, Oxfam, and the Fair Trade Resource Network. On May 10th, Chicoans at the Immigrants' Rights March participated in a record-setting coffee break joining with some five thousand people across the country.

ADVANCED PEACEMAKING with Eartha Shanti

Monday, May 19th at 6:30pm

Chico Peace and Justice Center in the garden

Help grow the peace conversation. Bringing together Law of Attraction, or quantum physics, with the Sevenfold Peace, an ancient Essene spiritual practice, we re-member peace, growing it in our own lives and in the world.

$5.00 suggested donation (for CPJC)

NOW AVAILABLE: May Edition of Peaceful Action Newsletter

The May edition of Peaceful Action focuses on immigrant rights and fair trade in honor of the May 10th March and Rally.

Click here to read the issue. You can also send an email to newsletter@chico-peace.org to order a subscription of Peaceful Action delivered to your home each month.

5th ANNIVERSARY RALLY & PUPPET PAGEANT

"Alternative Uses for a Trillion War Dollars"

"Ecotopia", statue formerly known as Liberty

"Tremendous" the Train Conductor

To everyone that made this a memorable day... from those that contributed the materials to create the puppets, to the folks that imagined and built them, from the drummers to the speakers, from the performers to the participants, we say...

THANK YOU!!!

Spiral Dance

Sending our intentions

Click here to see a slideshow of the day. All photos courtesy of Joe Smith. Thanks Joe!

Click here to read the Enterprise Record's coverage of the event.

Click here to read Susan Tchudi's description of the message of the puppets.

We're Looking for

A Few Amazing Teenagers

Who Want to

Change the World

Summer Youth Leadership Institute

June 9-21, 2008

M-F, 9 am-noon

Public Presentation Thursday, June 19, 7 -9 pm

This leadership institute will be open without charge to about a dozen high-school-aged students who want to learn about peace, justice, and public action.

The institute will meet mornings for two weeks in June and will include:

- Media awareness and practice developing media campaigns.

- Setting priorities--What do you want to change?

- Art and action--using your creative side to promote world causes.

- Engaging the public in your campaign.

Click here to download an application/nomination form.

GARDENER'S SWAP MEET

Wednesday, June 18th at 6-8pm (every third Wednesday thru September)

Chico Peace and Justice Center garden

With an excess of eggplants and a shortage of tomatoes, a plethora of peaches but a craving for apricots, local farmers and non-farmers can their bags with extra (but edible) fruits and/or veggies and SWAP them with another grower for something they liked better.

Bring your extra veggie, or just bring a bag and a smile. Any excess produce would be donated to GRUB (Growing Resourcefully Uniting Bellies)and/or a local food bank.

A complete list of swap meet sights will be posted soon!

PASTORS FOR PEACE

Friday, June 20th, time TBA

Chico Peace and Justice Center in the garden

The US embargo of Cuba causes shortages of food, medicine and other important supplies for eleven million people. The embargo is an immoral policy that uses hunger and disease as political weapons. On their annual caravan through the US, to gather materials and to raise money, Pastors for Peace will stop in Chico.

Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization's "Pastors for Peace" project works with the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Center in Havana, the Cuban Council of Churches and a distribution committee with representatives from ten different Cuban denominations to deliver US-Cuba Friendshipments. These humanitarian aid shipments mitigate the impact of the embargo and mobilize thousands of US citizens in favor of an alternative. IFCO/Pastors for Peace call for an end to the embargo and normalization of relations between our two countries.

Details about this gathering coming soon! For more information about IFCO and Pastors for Peace, click here.

THE STEPS FOR CHANGE COALITION PRESENTS:

"Steps for Change: Walk for Darfur"

5K Run/Walk to benefit the lives of genocide victims in Darfur, Sudan, Africa

Saturday, June 21st at 10am

Lower Bidwell Park

The Steps for Change Coalition, led by the youth-led organization Youth Nexus, is organizing a walk to raise funds and awareness about the genocide currently taking place in Darfur, Sudan in Africa. The government of Sudan has supported and even perpetuated the killings directed by the Janjaweed militia and has resulted in the deaths of at least 400,000 civilians and the forced evacuation of 2.5 million.

The Steps for Change Coalition consists of Butte County's Youth Nexus, the Chico Peace and Justice Center, and the Human Relations Network of Butte County. The walk is funded in part by Youth Service America Youth Venture Program. All proceeds from this run will benefit the Save Darfur Coalition and the Genocide Intervention Network.

SIGN UP NOW TO SUPPORT IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS

...and send a message to Congress!

Rep. Robert Wexler (FL-19) and two other Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee - Luis Gutierrez (IL-04) and Tammy Baldwin (WI-02) - have called on the committee to begin impeachment hearings for Vice President Cheney.

They declared, "The charges are too serious to ignore. There is credible evidence that the Vice President abused the power of his office, and not only brought us into an unneccesary war but violated the civil liberties and privacy of American citizens. It is the constitutional duty of Congress to hold impeachment hearings."

Rep. Wexler is collecting 50,000 signatures to convince his Democratic colleagues that the American people truly support impeachment hearings. Sign his petition here. You can also send an email to Wexler's other colleagues on Judiciary from here

THE PROBLEM CONTAINS ITS OWN SOLUTION: Fund S-CHIP with War Dollars!

A permaculture principle states that we should "see solutions, not problems". One interpretation of this principle is as follows: What seems to be a problem may be a solution when viewed through different criteria.

On December 13th at Representative Wally Herger's office, this principle was crystal clear. A group of local MoveOn.org activists delivered over 500 signatures to Herger's office registering overwhelming opposition to attacking the non-nuclear country of Iran. By shear coincidence, the North Valley Sponsoring Committee from the Sacramento area was delivering petitions to Herger's office to demand funding of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP).

If we focus on the solutions, how about this for an idea: Let's redirect those military dollars to fund S-CHIP. If you have a minute, call Herger at (530) 893-8363 and tell him what you think of this idea. The photo above was taken at Herger's office and includes Maggie Chavez of the North Vally Sponsoring Committee and Karen Hamerquist of MoveOn.org.

LEGISLATION TO WATCH!

Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007

As California was burning and S-CHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program) goes on the defensive, the United States House of Representatives slipped one by us. The House passed a bill with dangerously vague language and eerie implications, not to mention it being a fundamental challenge to the First Amendment. Many of you may not be aware of this bill that is quietly making its way through Congress. This bill has already passed through the House with only 6 dissenting votes and is on its way to the Senate.

Click here to learn more about this bill!!

Additional information here (truthout.org).

CHICO PEACE AND JUSTICE CENTER CALLS FOR IMPEACHMENT!

The CPJC Board of Directors officially adopted the position that calls for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. The position states:

"The Chico Peace and Justice Center Board of Directors supports the impeachment of both President George W. Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney. Although there are powerful and pragmatic arguments against pursuing impeachment, we see compelling evidence that the President and Vice-President have violated their constitutional responsibilities to the people and should be subject to the proceedings established by our constitution to safeguard the republic from the abuse of executive power. The fact that there may not be sufficient political will in many of our legislators to undertake impeachment proceedings is not a reason to neglect our civic responsibility to call our leaders to account. We therefore take a stand in favor of impeachment and call on others who share our conviction to make public their position as well. The willingness to do so is essential to the integrity of our civic life and provides visible support for those in our government who are committed to it. Whether successful or not, impeachment proceedings would be healthy for our democracy."

Click here to view the entire position paper that explains the rationale for the Board of Directors taking this stance.

AND THE WINNER IS...

Congratulations to the winners of the "What does social justice look like?" Window Display Contest. The Chico State University student organization Kappa Delta Pi was named the winner of the contest. Kappa Delta Pi is "a national honor society that intends to unite future teachers in learning about the field and volunteering within the community to bring fun and educational activities to students".

The North Valley Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) received an honorable mention for being the Most Inspirational. Judge Emily Alma described the FOR window as creating a "...very peaceful world, a world of dignity, cultural beauty and diversity." Other judges on the panel include Mayor Andy Holcombe and Joe Person.

Click here to read more about the participating organizations and to view photos of the displays

2007 PEACE ENDEAVOR AWARD RECIPENTS ANNOUNCED!

Congratulations to Emily Alma and Cathy Webster who were named the 2007 recipients of the Chico Peace Endeavor Award for their work in our community.

Emily Alma is the founder of the Community Collaborative for Youth. CCY is a coalition of community-based programs that serve youth from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds in the North Valley. Click here for more information about CCY.

Cathy Webster is the founder of the national organization 1,000 Grandmothers, whose mission is pressure Congress to close the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, also known as the School of the Americas. Cathy spent two months in jail in the spring of 2007 for her protest activities at the WHINSEC/SOA in Fort Benning, GA. Click here for more information about 1000 Grandmothers.

STUFF HAPPENS!!

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

Click here to view the video.