WiserEarth Suggestions

If you, too, are concerned about the direction this country has taken and are interested in local efforts to help this nation return to its core values of liberty and justice for all, we hope you will consider joining us in seeking paths that lead to peace, justice, and healing for the United States of America and for the world.

Our activities include a vigil for peace every Wednesday, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in front of the Federal Courthouse on Pacific Avenue in downtown Tacoma, across from UWT. The Federal Courthouse is the most visible symbol of the authority of the federal government in the city of Tacoma. Join us at the Federal Courthouse with signs and make visible your stand for peace and justice!

The principal locus of action of People for Peace, Justice, and Healing is the weekly Saturday morning meeting. We meet faithfully every Saturday morning from 10:00 a.m. to noon at Associated Ministries, 1224 South "I" Street, Tacoma, WA 98405 to share concerns and plan activities. We are involved in educational events, lectures, study groups, workshops, and calls for community action. (The formation of the leading anti-war group in Pierce County, United for Peace of Pierce County, grew out of a call from People for Peace, Justice, and Healing in early November 2002 to people and groups in Tacoma and Pierce County to form a coalition against the war on Iraq.) Please consider joining us next Saturday morning. All people of good will are welcome!

How does PJH function? We are a deliberately leaderless group in which decisions are made by consensus at the weekly Saturday meetings. We always welcome new participants.

A word about "healing" and beliefs. People for Peace, Justice, and Healing does not advocate a particular set of beliefs, is not pursuing a political program, and does not endorse candidates in political campaigns. We call on all people of good will to join us in trying to further our common understanding of the challenges we face in finding the paths to lasting peace and social justice, a commitment that led to our recent endorsement of the Earth Charter. But valuing peace, justice, and the health of the earth are not, in our opinion, enough.

We live in a nation born of a bright dream, but also marred from the start by the historic wrongs of genocide and slavery -- wrongs that have for too long been denied or neglected. Leadership in our contemporary society, misshapen by the powerful and violent institutions of patriarchy, exploitation, and militarism, continues to be marked by the manipulation and reinforcement of patterns of prejudice and fear that help maintain these institutions. PJHers tend to believe that peaceful progress toward addressing these matters depends on finding ways to heal the wounds that have too often blighted and stymied our dearest hopes. This is not always possible, of course, and our efforts often fail to bear immediate fruit. But we have faith in their long-term efficacy nevertheless. Our emphasis on "healing" signifies a recognition that progress toward peace and justice, if it is to be enduring, must involve learning about the harm that has been done (and is being done). Reconciliation can only come through acknowledgment of the truth, however painful that may sometimes be.

Your support for our work for a peaceful, hopeful, and just future is greatly needed and can be expressed through a donation to further our efforts. Please send contributions: PPJH, c/o Sallie Shawl, Associated Ministries, 1224 South "I" St., Tacoma, WA 98405.