Film Screening, Peace Posse, and Labyrinth Walking for Peace in Action Days
During Campaign Nonviolence Action Days, organizers worked hard to create 5,057 marches, teach-ins, book clubs, and more in the name of mainstreaming a culture of active nonviolence. People reached out to the communities they had and those they wanted to build, connecting folks in the name of peace. The why is clear—as Martin Luther King Jr said, “It is no longer a choice between violence and nonviolence in this world, it is nonviolence or nonexistence.” Read on to see more of the who, the what, the where, and the how of this year’s Action Days.
South Country Peace Group held an International Day of Peace event in Sayville, NY on September 21. This event featured speakers on the topic of peace, activists representing their work toward abolishing nuclear weapons, supporting Afghan refugees, promoting understanding and conflict revolution, and music from Hank Stone while attendees took a peace walk through the labyrinth. Check out the video above for more.
Beth Kopicki and the Peace Posse organized an online gathering that showed just how valuable virtual friendships can be. She writes: “Our Peace Posse formed several years ago following a Pace e Bene training on Engaging Nonviolence. With members from around the globe, we have met online weekly to read and discuss books on nonviolence. Following an irregular summer, we were moved this year to reevaluate our group and renew our commitment, as well as to honor our role and skills as peacemakers. A summary of our comments follows.
CNV Peace Posse Online, Worldwide 2023
The Peace Posse fills a specific niche for us that no other group or person does. It is a safe space, a learning community that provides inspiration, challenge, and the comfort of like minded people on a common journey. The Peace Posse provides benefits not only to ourselves, but to the wider community of friends, family and everyone whose lives we touch. We each expressed gratitude for the group and one another—we have become fast friends over the year, celebrating a marriage and a new baby, mourning the loss of loved ones, and helping one another cope with life changes nonviolently. A testament to how important our group is to us is reflected in our new mother's continued participation despite lack of sleep and time, one woman rising in the dark to join at 4:00AM, and another staying on the call until 11:00 p.m. We all value our group as a support in our ‘nonviolent [lives] as a spiritual journey.’ (From the Introduction to Engaging Nonviolence)
The Introduction to Engaging Nonviolence ends with: ‘Inclusive spirituality is the living, unfolding experience of our journey toward wholeness . . . in relationship to our ultimate value and meaning as persons, communities and humanity.’ Our action of recognizing the impact of the Peace Posse and renewing our commitment to it and our journey through the deep, often difficult work of becoming more compassionate people and communities also recognizes the work we have done and continue to do to develop, promote, and further nonviolence within ourselves and the world in which we live and work. We will continue to deepen our understanding and practice of nonviolence and commitment to supporting one another along the way. The widespread culture of nonviolence began with our first step years ago when we registered for the course, and broadens with each new learning, contact and action we take as individuals.”
Looking to form your own nonviolent community? You could follow in the Peace Posse’s steps and sign up for our next online Engaging Nonviolence course or join one of the CNV Affinity Groups that meets regularly.
Speaking of Affinity Groups, Elizabeth High with the CNV Nonviolence Study and Practice Affinity Group shares that 55 people from around the country tuned into their online film screening and discussion. She writes: “Several members of the Nonviolence Study and Practice Affinity group hosted a film screening and discussion of the movie The Third Harmony: Nonviolence and the New Story of Human Nature. Because our affinity group is dispersed geographically, we held the event online via Zoom. After watching the film, we split into small group breakout rooms for about 20 minutes to discuss a list of questions that our group had come up with. The highlight of our event came towards the end when we returned to the main Zoom Room from our breakout discussions. The writer and director of the film, Michael Nagler, showed up and spoke with us and then took questions from attendees. Participants included a mix of people who are already dedicated to nonviolence, and others who are just beginning to learn more about it. I am hoping that those who were just beginning to learn more about it came away with increased understanding of and interest in promoting nonviolence. There was enthusiasm generated from the film, the director's talk, and the discussions, which I hope will help ignite a small flame that can join the broader effort to build a culture of nonviolence.”