Chico Peace and Justice Center

We are in historic times. The Obama campaign mobilized millions of people, and his election has brought a new sense of hope and possibility to the nation.  The Chico Peace and Justice Center is working in solidarity with United for Peace and Justice to build on this momentum and the rich history that made the election of an African-American possible.

With the inauguration coming the day after our nation celebrates the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, we are reminded again of King's courage and wisdom in connecting the issues of poverty, racism and war. In honor of his legacy, United For Peace and Justice is launching our BEYOND WAR, A NEW ECONOMY IS POSSIBLE: YES WE CAN! Campaign that will kick off on January 19th and culminate its first phase on April 4th with a massive mobilization in New York City and in cities and towns around the country.

April 4th is the anniversary of Martin Luther King's "Beyond Vietnam" speech in 1967 and, sadly, the anniversary of his death one year later. Our urgent call to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will be linked to our call to help solve the current economic crisis by dramatically cutting military spending and, instead, investing in our communities.

Click here to download a PDF file of Dr. King's "Beyond Vietnam" speech. You can also listen to audio from Dr. King's speech here while reading along to the text.

Our campaign is a call for a new set of national priorities rooted in the vision and values of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. -- a world without racism, poverty, or war. To honor his work -- as well as our work of the last six years -- we are committing ourselves to working across race, class, and gender lines to build a massive people's movement with the power to help make sure the Obama administration and the U.S. Congress are in alignment with the will of the people.

Building this kind of power and movement starts from the bottom-up with local organizing and building relationships and alliances that are rooted in respect and real solidarity. To nurture the peace movement's growth into a strong ally for other movements will require work. But ending war and building justice for our communities is worth it!

On March 18, 2009, a group of about 80 people met on the eve of the 6th anniversary of the war in Iraq.  They discussion economic concerns and ways they would like to reprioritize federal spending.  A letter was produced and sent to all of our elected officials including President Obama, Senators Boxer and Feinstein, Representatives Pelosi and Herger, Chico City Council and Butte County Board of Supervisors.  You can view the letter here.