Call to Conscience – Then and Now
by Ellen Finkelstein
At the annual MLK Day commemoration at Seattle’s Garfield High School, Tom Ewell (Whidbey Island FOR) & I led a workshop on King’s “Call to Conscience.” We featured a PBS Tavis Smiley Special Report that includes some video and audio of King’s historic April 4, 1967, “Beyond Vietnam” speech at Riverside Church in NYC as well as interviews about the impact of the speech in 1967 and its relevance today. You can watch the video: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/tavissmiley/tsr/mlk-a-call-to-conscience/ I am pleased to be adapting the workshop for the PJALS (Peace & Justice Action League of Spokane) annual conference on March 7-8. [Kristin Stoneking, FOR Executive Director, will be the keynote speaker.]
What most struck me as I viewed the video and listened to people’s dialogue is how much the message of the speech resonates in 2014 with FOR’s mission and much ongoing work that we engage in – whether it is addressing structural evil; embracing the power of nonviolence; making connections between issues; or exercising the necessity to act with courage and commitment.
The April 12 WWFOR Spring Assembly’s theme, “Resisting Structural Evil,” reflects King’s recognition of three systemic evils: racism, militarism, and economic exploitation. Today we also include the destruction of our climate and environment for profit as a fourth evil. Please join us to explore how people are nonviolently engaged in resisting these evils. You can view more details and the registration form.
Creative nonviolent strategy is being embraced by many of those working around the climate crisis. On February 1, the State Department released the supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) for the Keystone XL pipeline. Despite that release during Super Bowl weekend, two days later there were actions around the country. In Seattle several hundred people showed up to despite the cold. A 30-day public comment period has begun during which it’s vital that Secretary Kerry hear from you that the pipeline is a climate catastrophe. There are nonviolence trainings happening regularly as people gear up for actions beginning in early May.
Other recent nonviolent creative actions have opposed exploding oil trains or coal trains through our region (with 350.org, the Sierra Club, and Backbone Campaign, Olympia FOR’s Confronting the Climate Crisis group among others).
The importance of stepping out of your lane (as articulated by Michelle Alexander) and connecting issues has been on display as people work to stop the Trans Pacific Partnership, which has been described as NAFTA on steroids. A recent TPP rally demonstrated the power of “intersectionality”: Lynn Dodson (of the King County Labor Council) and Robin Everett (from the Sierra Club) shared the microphone – the BlueGreen Alliance speaking about a common cause from different perspectives. The linking of issues has also been critical in the burgeoning movement toward a living wage. Our region is taking leadership in promoting $15/hour minimum wage including a Day of Action on February 15 (2 pm; SEIU 775 – 1265 S Main in Seattle).
It takes action, as well as courage and commitment, to achieve our vision. The “Committed to Justice” call from Marcia Mullins offers FOR folks a concrete way to put our commitment to justice into action. Following up on the WWFOR 2013 Fall Retreat (No New Jim Crow) and discussions of racial and economic justice, this effort will provide observers for African Americans who request community support during King County Court proceedings.
Courage and commitment is certainly evident in the work of GI Voice/Coffee Strong, with FOR, Veterans for Peace, and many other supporting allies. You can support the GI Coffeehouse Tour in Seattle and Olympia on March 1. The GI Coffeehouse Tour will feature the work of Under The Hood Cafe and Outreach Center near Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, Coffee Strong near Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Lakewood, Washington, and The Clearing Barrel GI Bar and Coffeehouse in Kaiserslautern, Germany, the center for U.S. military installations in Europe.
Mark your calendars for the annual FOR regional conference at Seabeck (July 3-6) as we “Take Back the Fourth: Speak Truth to Power.” 2014 keynote speakers include: Peter Phillips (Project Censored), Michael Nagler (Metta Center for Nonviolence), and Rev. Kristin Stoneking (Fellowship of Reconciliation USA). This year’s conference is being organized by Oregon FOR. Registration will open in April.