Our Philosophy



We believe in a future where wealthy countries no longer profit from the suffering of others through an obscene arms trade. We believe in a future free from the constant threat of nuclear annihilation. We believe in a future where we no longer squander billions of dollars every year on unnecessary and menacing weapons. Our vision is not built on wishful thinking.



Everything we do is designed to build lasting organizational power to support and realize these ideals. Millions of Californians and hundreds of millions of Americans share our values. California Peace Action`s purpose is to transform that support into an effective mass organization. There has never been a peace and social justice organization with millions of members - our goal is to make it so.



We realize that our goals are long-term goals which require long-term solutions. We believe that militarism must be eradicated. We hold the abolition of slavery, the enfranchisement of women and the recognition of the dignity of labor as examples of the potential for transformative social change.



To realize our goals we stay focused on our core mission. We ask our members and volunteers to realize that they are making a commitment to a fundamental social change that they might not see realized in their own lifetime. We ask our staff to consider committing their working life to the struggle.



Lucretia Mott once wrote,

"If we believe that war is wrong, as everyone must, then we ought to believe that by proper efforts on our part it may be done away with."



That is our mission.