Standing for Peace for 20 Years—CNV Reno, NV 2021
by Rita Sloan
Since the first week of October, 2001, when the United States began bombing Afghanistan in response to the 9/11 attacks, a group of peace-minded people in Reno has gathered weekly, without fail, in both protest of the use of violence to solve problems and in exploring and promoting nonviolent options. We reflected on those 20 years, going from large numbers of people in the beginning to a handful of regular attendees. The City of Reno issued a Peace Day Proclamation because of this group, and U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto sent a representative with a Certificate of Commendation to our group, Sierra Interfaith Action for Peace.
We know that we who have been regularly present at the weekly Peace Presence gatherings have been changed. We have studied nonviolence, held community studies and other programs to promote nonviolence, and practiced nonviolence in our own personal lives. Leading up to this event, we had two different OP ED pieces published in 3 local news outlets, and had one newspaper do a feature article on the group. We drew the attention of one of Nevada's U.S. Senators. We will continue to be a steady, though not-so-loud, voice for nonviolence in our community.
See coverage in Reno News and Review here: https://reno.newsreview.com/2021/09/17/standing-against-violence/
And another article in This is Reno: https://thisisreno.com/2021/09/standing-for-peace-for-20-years-opinion/