Lisa, Cathy and Sue traveled to Washington DC to celebrate the inauguration of our first African American president Barack Obama.  It rocked!!!

Click to enlarge the photo.

The Chico Peace and JusticeCenter will no longer offer its garden or ordained Handsministers to the public for wedding ceremonies. With the passage of Proposition 8, same-sex couples have lost their right to express their commitment and acquire legal status as a married couple. Ordained ministers that have performed same-sex marriages at the center are no longer willing to offer their services.

After the California Supreme Court declared that the state Constitution protected a fundamental "right to marry" extending equally to same-sex couples, and the Butte County Clerk-Recorder Candace Grubbs refused to perform civil marriages, the Chico Peace and Justice Center stepped in. Services were offered to the public free of charge.  

We are pleased to announce our second Annual Membership Drive for the Chico Peace and Justice Center. We are hoping to build on the success of last year and get even more of our supporters to publicly declare their commitment to peace and justice.

There are several reasons for having a formal membership.  First of all, by quantifying our strength, we are better able to speak with our elected officials as representatives of the peace and justice community.  We can clearly state how many people we are speaking for while encouraging them to vote in a particular way.

Another more practical reason for having a membership program is to increase and stabilize our operating budget.  We recognize the beauty in an all-volunteer organization but the reality is that paid staff is critical in being an effective voice for change.  Every paid membership contributes to funding our small staff.

Finally, the CPJC Board of Directors has adopted two new campaigns that can only benefit from an increase in our budget.  The Beyond War Campaign (theme of this year’s annual dinner) and the Israel-Palestine Education Campaign will both further our mission of promoting peace and justice. (You will hear more about both of these campaigns in the upcoming months)

On February 14, 2009, Chico became the 2nd Fair Trade Town in California and 10th in the nation! Then on August 10th, Chico Fair Trade Town Steering Committee became one of six Fair Trade cities to join the National Fair Trade Town Steering  Committee, which on the same day launched their brand new campaign that you can link to:www.fairtradetownsusa.org.
Becoming a Fair Trade Town required our City Council to pass a resolution in support of Fair Trade principles, businesses and organizatons to offer fair trade products, and local citizens pledging to use those products.

Another requirement is that we form a Steering Committee to continue educating our community and assist businesses in becoming a part of this fast growing movement.  The Steering Committee is open to anyone interested in educating and promoting the use of certified Fair Trade products.  If you are interested in getting involved with this work, send an email to our Volunteer Coordinator at activists@chico-peace.org.