Coordinating Committee notes 090220

Present: Nina Huizinga (notes), Rich Gardner, Elisabeth Leonard, Bob Moore, Sue Edwards, Ken Heard

We had earlier agreed that we would not try to organize a regional event to mark the 6th year of the Iraq War's beginning, but that we would publicize what our groups are doing.

DELCO Wage Peace and Justice has planned events for Thursday, March 19th along Baltimore Pike. One will happen from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at Baltimore Pike and Providence Road (Rt. 252); another will happen at Baltimore Pike and Lansdowne Ave. Possibility for more locations; stay tuned.

The Buddist Peace Walk will be doing something. Bob Smith will know the latest information.

The Coaliltion for Peace Action for Central NJ will hold a rally on March 19th at Noon at the Trenton State House. They expect press to be there. They have contacted a Vietnam Vet as one speaker.

The Coalition for Peace Action for Bucks County will hold an event on the "Trenton Makes; the World Takes" Bridge along the pedestrian walkway. Time to be announced.

On a side note, Ken tells us that there will be an African-American event happening Saturday, February 28th, from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m., at 4515 Baltimore Ave.

1) Nina will tell the list of "Endorsing" groups [i.e. those that endorsed the Oct. 27th demo] to get information about their plans for March 19th (or for the following weekend) to Bob Moore. The deadline is Friday, February 27, 2009.

2) Bob will draft a press release with the list of events. He will send it to his media contacts, to all of us via email, and one hard copy to Elisabeth.

6) Ken will publicize events on the Working Class Network (a list serve that goes out to 10,000 people) and will broadcast events on the WPEB radio station.

Note also: The Black Radical Caucus expects to have a 1 watt show that aires from 6 to 9 a.m. on WPEB; approval is coming up.

UFPJ National had planned to do an event on April 4th in NYC but the news is that it is tottering on the brink of nonexistance. The IAC and World Can't Wait are planning to do a Wall Street demo on April 3 and 4.

We AGREED to ask national UFPJ what is happening. Elisabeth will contact Bal Pringle of AFSC; Bal is on the UFPJ National Board. We AGREED that we are NOT doing any planning for April 4th at this point.

The UFPJ Delaware Valley Network IS PLANNING to do an event on Saturday, May 9th, titled (at this point) "Mothers Want Peace." The focus is on the role women have played in working for peace starting with Juliet Ward Howe. The original Mother's Day was started to show that mothers want peace; it was only later coopted as an opportunity for the card and flower industries to make a fast buck.

Suggestions about possible speakers: Sonia Sanchez, Kathy Black, Carol Steller (Million Mile March organizer), Anan Zahr (spoke at WILPF conference), Irene Etkin Goldman (Bob Moore has contact info.),

Suggestions about possible groups to contact: Women in Black, Code Pink, Spiral Q, Gold Star Familites Speak Out, CLUW, Iraqi Families Speak Out, Granny Peace Brigade, Mothers in Charge, Mothers Against Violence, link to women fighting violence on the streets

Suggestions about possible locations (outside and inside): Art Museum steps and inside room (Elisabeth will check on this.) Sheetmetal Workers Union Hall and march to Penn's Landing (Sue Edwards will check on this.) Tabernacle Church at 37th and Chestnut (Nina will check on this.) Gallery and Market Street East (nobody volunteered)

Limit our expectations, warns Bob. We will NOT get a big turnout like we did for October 27th. We may, if we are lucky, get, say, 500 people.

Committee to Plan for May 9th WILL MEET on Friday, February 27th, at Nina Huizinga's home, 4609 Spruce Street, from 10:00 a.m. to Noon. Bring your own lunch. Kathy Black, Sue Edwards, and Elisabeth Leonard (who came to the last May 9th Committee Meeting are invited to come. NOTE: I notice on my database the names of Cathy Leary, Esther Croft, and Robin Stelly who were interested in helping to plan for May 9th. Nina will invite them to come.

Debi Richter and Karen Porter have left our Committee. We AGREED to invite John Braxton (Nina will contact him), John Grant (Sue Edwards will contact him), Andre Butler and Linsey Patterson (Ken will contact them.) John Braxton, like Kathy Black, is with USLAW. John Grant is with Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Andre Butler is with Phildelphia Unemployment Project. Linsey Patterson is with the Steelworkers Union.

HOW LONG DO WE THINK THE DELAWARE VALLEY NETWORK IS VIABLE? SHOULD WE STAY INFORMAL? asks Nina

Ken (30 years! Be multi-national, get funded like Bread and Roses, have strong student, church, union, etc. involvement), Bob (worth sustaining network), Sue and Elisabeth (agree with Bob), Rich (We are not ready to become more formalized. We need an office and staff and, thus, funding to do it.)

Bob Smith spoke with Bob Moore and asked that we consider changing the name of this Committee from "Steering Committee" to "Interim Committee." He wants it to be clear that this is a network and not another (competing) organization. We came up with the term "Coordinating Committee." So, that's who we are now.