1995
The Peace and Justice work organized, co-sponsored, publicized and endorsed by LEPOCO in 1995 covered a broad range of issues through a wide variety of ways and means. Efforts were as follows:
Disarmament: January 30th was Nuclear Test Ban national call-in day. LEPOCO members participated. On March 12th Senator Rick Santorum speaks out: “You don’t want to put as head of the Armed Services Committee someone who believes in disarmament.” April 17th found LEPOCO tax day leafleting at post offices in the valley. April 20 – 22 was a Citizens Assembly to Stop the Spread of Weapons in New York city and Ray Sommerville participated. August 6– 9 the 50th anniversary of bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were observed at the Tondabayashi Serenity Garden and the Peace Pole. A signature ad for peace appeared in two local newspapers. November 24-25 involved bannering for “Don’t Buy War Toys”.
Latin America: Haiti Week observed by LEPOCO in early February. Bazalais Jean-Baptiste of Haitian Peasant Movement speaks in the Lehigh Valley. A Haiti Solidarity Celebration was held at the Unitarian Church. On June 8th Bonnie McDonald speaks to ASG on working with women in Peru. On December 9th an event was held entitled “Dancing Janet to Haiti” to raise funds to help Janet Goloub monitor elections in Haiti.
Fundraising: Annual Dinner speaker Bill Callahan of Quixote Center gives talk on “Patience, Perseverance, and Forgiveness.”; Yard Sale; Lemonade sales at Christmas City Fair; Lehigh Valley Earth Days at Cedar Beach in Allentown; Bike-a-Thon (co-benefitting Coalition for Alternative Transportation (CAT); Peace Boutique sales; and a Phone-a-Thon; Pride Festival in Allentown; Charlie King concert sponsored by LEPOCO and Godfrey Daniels Coffeehouse with reception before concert; Holiday Open House at LEPOCO.
Potluck & Politics: March 31st Bill Lopez of United Steel Workers speaks on grassroots work for diversity; April 30th Leon Weber reports on delegation to Oaxaca, Mexico (agriculture, health and nutrition); May 19th Janice Joseph speaks on grassroots work to end youth violence; On September 9th at a Picnic & Politics Ned Smith and Andy Petonak from Wilkes-Barre spoke on Haiti experience; November 3rd Chris Ney speaks on Tha Death Penalty and the Peace Movement; December 8th Anne Toensmeier spoke on the Fourth World Women’s Conference in Beijing.
Other Activities: July 24th to 28th Young People Making Peace Summer Day Camp with over 100 enthusiastic campers not kept away by the heat and humidity; We participated in Bike to Work Day in L.V.; In October we observed the nationwide Week Without Violence; LEPOCO members took part in the 36th annual Peace Pilgrimage which featured a talk by Ursula Wuerth. Throughout the year the Youth & Militarism group met and went into schools to give students good info on the armed forces.
1996
The Peace and Justice work organized, co-sponsored, publicized and endorsed by LEPOCO in 1996 covered a broad range of issues through a wide variety of ways and means. In early February LEPOCO held a Winter Retreat as a Celebration of Diversity at Kirkridge Retreat Center. 17 Members attended and shared discussions, singing, exercise, great food and fond memories.
Disarmament: On January 5th some LEPOCO members gathered to discuss the deployment of U.S. troops to Bosnia. LEPOCO sponsors Gary Shapiro of Conflict Resolution Catalysts for an address on “The Role of Citizens in Implementing the Bosnia Peace Accord” at the UU Church.
Latin America: On the 3rd of February Janet Goloub reported on her December trip to Haiti to observe elections. In late March ASG members participate in a Vigil at the U.S. Capital to Close the U.S. Army School of the Americas. On the 24th of April four LEPOCO people travel to Washington, D.C. to support those fasting to release the Cuban medical computers and Sister Dianna Ortiz’s vigil and fast to learn the truth about her torture in Guatemala. A vigil was held at Bethlehem’s Peace Pole in April was held to celebrate the success of the Fast for Life that ended after 94 days with the release of the medical computers for Cuba. In late September Janet Goloub and Nancy Tate attend meetings on the School of the Americas, Haiti, and Gender Justice in the Global Economy in Washington, D.C. ASG holds vigil on the 15th of November in Allentown to Close the School of the Americas.
Fundraising: On the 16th of March LEPOCO Annual Dinner speaker Rev. Lucius Walker, Jr. of Pastors for Peace sends regrets from the California border where he was sitting in a Fast for Life to release his organization’s donation of medical computers for Cuba. The shipment of 360 computers was confiscated by the U.S. Treasury Dept. The Rev. Cynthia Crowner of Kirkridge spoke eloquently in his stead about her experiences in Cuba; Yard Sale; Lemonade sales at Christmas City Fair; Bike-a-Thon (co-benefitting CAT and Community Bike Works; Peace Boutique sales at Super Sunday and Gay Pride Festival; SERRV crafts at LEPOCO Holiday sale; and annual Phone-a-Thon; LEPOCO sponsors singer-songwriter for peace and social justice Charlie King at Godfrey Daniels on the 3rd of November.
Potluck & Politics: State Rep. Bob Freeman on the 23rd of February did a talk on land-use policy reform in PA; On the 26th of April Jeanette Slaw speaks on Alternatives to Violence Project in prisons; Gary Olson of Moravian College speaks on NAFTA and downsizing and his travels to Mexico on the 19th of May; Alan Moore speaks about Butterfly Gardening on the 9th of June; Share the Wealth presentation on the 21st of July; Guy Gray of Lehigh River Keepers speaks on the 6th of October; Andrea McCarthy of UNITE speaks about the Resurgence of Sweatshops on the 8th of November; Robbie Recenes spoke about unfair challenges to public education by those who would dismantle it on the 8th of December.
Share the Wealth: LEPOCO hosts Share the Wealth workshops on the 10th and 11th of May exploring the growing inequities in wealth distribution in the U.S. 59 area residents attended; The Growing Divide workshop is presented to the Legislative Committee of the United Steelworkers District Council No. 10 on the 27th of August; Growing Divide Workshop presented to Church and Society Work Team of United Methodist Church, Philadelphia on the 21st of September; The Growing Divide Workshop is presented to the local chapter of NOW on the 9th of October.
Other Activities: Howard Douglas, Tom Boice and John Zachman participated in civil disobedience on the 20th of March in Washington, DC calling for the release of American Indian Movement leader Leonard Peltier; April 15th again finds LEPOCO members distributing WRL flyers at many post offices; LEPOCO members hear Holly Sklar at Moravian College on the 1st of April and Wole Soyinka of Nigeria at Lehigh University on the 17th of April; Mike D’Amore and Eli Reusch join the LEPOCO office staff to help with summer work; Seventh Young People Making Peace Camp from July 29th to August 2nd with dozens of young people and helpers; August 9th LEPOCO members and LEPOCO Chorus participate in commemoration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings at the Bethlehem Peace Pole; Lehigh Valley Committee to Abolish State Killing (CASK) forms at the end of August; LEPOCO members hear Michael Moore at Muhlenberg College on the 9th of September; LEPOCO members attend discussion organized by Clean Up Elections on Campaign Finance Reform at Cedar Crest College on the 18th of October. U.S. Rep. Paul McHale sat on the panel; LEPOCO members hear Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader at Lehigh University on the 22nd of October; Peaceful Productions, an alternative toy and gift fair, is held at Wesley United Methodist Church on November 16th by Build the Peace with LEPOCO participating; On November 19th LEPOCO members hear popular historian, Howard Zinn, speak at Muhlenberg College; LEPOCO members participate in the 37th annual Peace Pilgrimage; Longtime member John Brennan died in early December.
1997
Activities at LEPOCO for 1997 kept us on our peace and justice toes. Our annual dinner speaker stated that Undersecretary of State George Kennan stated in 1947 “We control 50% of the world’s resources, but represent only 6.3% of the world’s population. Our responsibility is to maintain the disparity.”
Disarmament: LEPOCO members signed three petitions during the year: Urging the U.S. to stop the embargo against Cuba, To Close the School of the Americas and last An Interfaith call to restore sanity and compassion to the National Agenda. On August 7th we held our annual Hiroshima-Nagasaki program at the Peace Pole and the Rose Garden. On October 24th we participated in “A Day Without the Pentagon” which involved nine vigil sites to bring public awareness to $1,700,000,000 spent each day by the Pentagon.
Latin America: In February on a winter afternoon “Moving Collage for Cuba” was an artistic composition of food, information, dancing and conversation to raise money for IFCO activities in Cuba (approximately $300 was raised). Joe DeRaymond spent most of February studying Spanish and Salvadoran culture where he lived with a Salvadoran family. In early May a fundraiser was held at the Friends Meeting to collect funds and materials for the Caravan to Cuba. In November over 700 signatures were sent from LEPOCO to SOA Watch asking Congress to Close the SOA.
LEPOCO Peace Chorus: The Chorus sang at the Annual Dinner, at a Good Friday program on May 10th at the Friends Meeting Addition Dedication and at the Annual Peace Pilgrimage.
Fundraising: On March 8th Rev. Lucius Walker, Jr. was the Annual Dinner speaker. He was the speaker in 1996 but was held up at the border in Texas with a fast in order to obtain permission to ship some computers to Cuba. Also at the dinner was the drawing for the Art Raffle that was organized by Tomas Wolff. LEPOCO had tables to sell our Boutique items and distribute literature at the following events: Easton Heritage Day in July, Bethlehem City Fair in July, Super Sunday in Allentown in September. We held our annual Bike-Walk-a-thon in June which we shared with the Quixote Center to help them to send One Million pencils to Haiti. We held our annual yard sale at the Bross home in September. On October 5th Charlie King helped us raise money at Godfrey Daniels Coffeehouse. We held our annual Phone-a-thon on various days in November. We held an Open House on December 7th to sell our Boutique items and SERRV craft items.
Potluck & Politics: On April 20th Greta Browne and Joan Campion presented a rich history of the Southside and a pedestrian friendly development scenario; On April 25th (originally scheduled for March 14th but cancelled because of a snow storm) Philip Donnelly spoke about effects of the Boyertown Area Unity Coalition to act together to resist bigotry; On May 9th Tom Frangicetto, a psychologist and writer, told the truth about Rush Limbaugh; On June 6th Laura Katz Olson spoke on looking at the “undeclared war against Social Security;” On September 14th Janet Goloub and Martin Boksenbaum told of their adventures in South Africa; On October 10th Edith Bross shared her stories of life in Ecuador; On November 2nd Patrick Kabagema, Moses Bob Passima and Cletus Onyegbule told LEPOCO members about their difficulties seeking asylum in the U.S.
Share the Wealth: On February 16th and April 26th participatory workshops were held that explore the widening gap in wealth in the U.S.
Other Activities: On April 9th Edith Scott (an early LEPOCO member) passed away; The May 23rd edition of the Express Times carried an interview with Michael Kline and David Rose about CASK; Joan Stone leaves as staff person. Todd Garcia, Eli Reusch and Melissa Ritter take her place plus do additional work during the summer; Twelve people pass out flyers on Tax Day on April 15th; On April 17th many LEPOCO members participated in the Bread and Puppet Theatre activities at Muhlenberg College; LEPOCO offered a Series on Nonviolence and Children on four Saturday’s in March and April; CASK members travelled to Harrisburg on February 7th to hear Sister Helen Prejean. CASK members also put on a video about the death penalty on May 16th at the Friends Meeting; The Annual Peace Pilgrimage from Nazareth to Bethlehem featured Molly Rush from Pittsburg as the speaker; The Youth & Militarism Committee activated to counter act the planned arrival of an Army Cinema Van at Dieruff High School. Fortunately it was averted by a snow storm. Peace Camp was once again held from July 28th to October 1st at First Presbyterian in Allentown.
1998
Middle East: On February 20th, in response to threats of U.S. bombing of Iraq, the re-formed Middle East Peace Committee rallies 75 people to vigil at the Federal Building in Allentown; March 16th Phyllis Bennis, from the Institute for Policy Studies, speaks on the U.S.-Iraq Crisis at Lehigh University; During the month of May the Middle East Peace Committee collected 60 Children’s Health Kits for Iraq to be delivered by AFSC; On December 19th LEPOCO organizes vigil to protest the bombing of Iraq. Over 65 people march through downtown Bethlehem, Two days later nineteen people held a vigil on the Hill-to-Hill Bridge in Bethlehem, the day after the bombing started.
Disarmament: On May 15th the Disarmament Working Group hosted the film “An Act of Conscience: Standing for Your Beliefs Begins at Home” at the Friends Meeting. The film features Randy Kehler and Betsy Corner and their tax resistance. Attendees also wrote dozens of postcards to elected officials on disarmament topics.
Latin America: On April 26th and 27th several local activists participated in activities in Washington, DC, calling for closing of the School of the Americas. They also joined over 2000 at the White House and met with aides of Senators Specter and Santorum and Representatives McHale and Greenwood, and hear about the sad news that Archbishop Juan Jose Gerardi had been murdered in Guatemala the previous evening; July 2—9 had Fred Rooney, Elsa Vasquez and Barbara Ames Schultz visiting Chiapas, Mexico as part of a delegation organized by the Mexico Solidarity Network; July 15th had a program at Godfrey Daniels called Sing Down the SOA, SOA activists from Syracuse area illustrate through song, video and lecture, the need to close the SOA; October 14th Magda Lanuza, a young Nicaraguan ecologist and activist, speaks at Lehigh and Muhlenberg only weeks before Hurricane Mitch strikes her country; November 11th some LEPOCO members enjoy the concert by Chilean musicians, Inti-Illimani at Lafayette; November 20th to 22nd found eleven LEPOCO members making the long trek to Fort Benning, GA for the demonstration to close the SOA; December 20th had Julio Gonzalez talking about the human rights conditions in his home state of Chapas, Mexico, as part of a month-long visit to the Lehigh Valley.
LEPOCO Peace Chorus: On May 9th the Chorus performs at the Bethlehem Fine Arts Show in the Sun Inn Courtyard on a very rainy day; On September 27th LEPOCO Chorus give rousing, labor-related mini-concert at Labor Party Open House at the home of Ted Morgan and Mary Lou Hatcher.
Fundraising: LEPOCO’s Annual Dinner featured Edward Herman as speaker for 180 attendees; June 14th was the annual LEPOCO Bike/Walk-thon that raised over $1500 LEPOCO and Pastors for Peace Program to get bookmobiles to Cuba and The Caring Place, a drop-in center for inner city youth in Allentown; LEPOCO yard sale at the Bross’s; November 7th to 22nd was LEPOCO’s Annual Phonathon with dozens calling and being called; LEPOCO Open House on December 6th with SERRV crafts and peace boutique; Besides the events mentioned above we participated in many fairs and festivals: The Intercultural Unity Fair in Bethlehem, Earth Day at Kutztown U., YWCA Vigil to Eliminate Racism and the southside’s Bethlehem’s Spring on 4th, Stand for Children, Pridefest in Allentown, Heritage Day in Easton, Super Sunday in Allentown, Unity Rally in Stroudsburg, Nonviolent Toy and Gift Fair and the Annual Peace Pilgrimage.
Potluck & Politics: On March 29th Susie Ravitz gave a report on her trip to Puerto Rico with a delegation sponsored by FOR; On April 26th Hans Wuerth presents slides from his recent visit to a variety of sites of persecution during National Socialism in Germany; On June 5th Annie Prince gave a presentation on her trip to Northern Ireland; On September 18th Sylvia Stengle gives a report on her recent trip to Guatemala; On October 23rd Curtis Keim leads a video presentation about Ken Saro-Wiwa of Nigeria, famous poet who led a campaign among the Ogoni People against Shell Oil.
Other Activities: On January 10th Peace Camp has its first ever Reunion Day, a one-day version of Peace Camp; January 19th in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday Nancy Tate and Tom Carlin joined over 50 people at a demonstration in Valley Forge at Lockhead-Martin; On April 15th LEPOCO members once again leafleted local post offices, reminding taxpayers of how much of their taxes are being spent on bloated military while over a quarter of U.S. children live below the poverty level and over 43 million citizens have no health care; July 27th to 31st was the annual Peace Camp; June to August involved several LEPOCO members slowing but not stopping the CVS almost next door to LEPOCO; On August 6th Hiroshima observance held at the Peace Pole in Bethlehem’s Rose Garden; During October 16th – 18th Todd Garcia, Janet Ney, Tom Stinnett and Nancy Tate attend the 75th Anniversary Conference of WRL in Maryland; On October 19th Fourteen LEPOCO members traveled to Washington, DC to join A Day Without the Pentagon demonstation, organized by WRL. Reggie Regrut and Joe Cackowski were among those participating in civil disobedience.
1999
Middle East: On March 25th LEPOCO members stage a vigil in front of the federal building in Allentown to protest the bombing of Yugoslavia. This is the first of ten weekly vigils; April 9th and 10th Brad & Barbara Schultz, Monica McAghon and Nancy Tate attend a conference at Villanova entitled Iraq: A Symposium on the History, People and Politics; On June 4th over 30 members join in a vigil on the Hill-to-Hill Bridge to stop the bombing of Yugoslavia; On June 5th-17th members gather at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in DC (joining 3000-5000 others) to demand an end to bombing of Yugoslavia; On June 24th Nine LEPOCO members met with Pat Toomey’s district director in Allentown to ask for aid to Yugoslavia and urge that NATO troops be replaced with UN Peacekeepers; On July 17th a Balkan Circle Dances fundraiser at the Unitarian Church to benefit the people of the Balkans.
Latin America: On May 1st LEPOCO members join over 3000 people in front of the White House urging the shutdown of the SOA; On May 3rd Joe Cackowski, Susie DeVietro and Joe DeRaymond join 2000 protestors at the Pentagon to demand the end of the engine of death known as the SOA; Sue Ravitz and other LEPOCO members join demonstration in NYC on September 11th supporting the demilitarization of Vieques and Puerto Rico; On November 8th LEPOCO holds a press conference in front of Pat Toomey’s office in support of members about to travel to Fort Benning, GA, to join the demonstration to close the SOA; On November 14th SingDown the SOA concert and fundraiser for efforts to close the SOA; Close the SOA actions at Fort Benning, GA over November 20th – 21st. Over 25 LEPOCO members make the long trek to join 12,000 others rallying to close the SOA. 4408 people cross into the fort, risking arrest.
Share the Wealth: On several days in April the Share the Wealth Committee presented workshops at Grace Episcopal Church and at the Kirkridge Retreat Center; Bob Walden leads a Share-the-Wealth workshop about the WTO at the monthly meeting of the Lehigh Valley Labor Party at Moravian College.
LEPOCO Peace Chorus: On October 17th the Chorus performs at the Week Without Violence rally sponsored by the Bethlehem YWCA; LEPOCO Peace Singers sing at the program for the 40th annual Peace Pilgrimage.
Fundraising: The Annual Dinner featured Fr. Roy Bourgeois, founder of SOA, as speaker; On June 12th a record 29 riders and 9 walkers participate in the annual Bike/Walk-a-thon to additionally help provide aid to help Yugoslavia war victims; On June 19th LEPOCO members participate in the 6th Annual Pride Festival and Parade; On August 7th LEPOCO staffs a table at the Black Heritage Festival in Valania Park in Allentown; On September 25th LEPOCO holds its annual Yard Sale at the Bross’s; Annual Phonathon begins on November 4th.
Potluck & Politics: On January 24th Rev. Jeffrey Garis, Executive Director of Pennsylvania Abolitionists United Against the Death Penalty gave a presentation on the death penalty and the upcoming call for a moratorium in PA; On May 12th Mary Beth Ziegenfuss, a writer and media literacy educator, shows Be Like Me, a video she produced with Guy Gray. It analyzes how mass media affects the attitudes of girls and young women; On March 7th Ellen Barfield, who visited Iraq in early 1998 with Voices in the Wilderness, gave a presentation entitled Iraq: A People Under Siege. Ellen also visited several other organizations around the valley; On April 11th Kathy Hoffman reports on her recent trip to Cuba. The program was enriched by comments from John Zachmann and Brad & Barb Schultz all of whom had travelled to Cuba recently; On May 16th Eric Frank does an informative program about his summer spent teaching English in Guangzhou, China; On June 25th a video and discussion was held focusing on Freedom Summer, 1964; On October 22nd Janet Goloub lead a discussion of the video Cancel the Dept Now in support of the Jubilee 2000; On October 29th Harold Locke and Sylvia Stengle report on their trips to Puerto Rico and Honduras respectfully.
Other Activities: Bob Walden leads a workshop on February 27th at the Unitarian Church outlining the rise of corporate power and looking at ways to challenge it; On April 15th The Nuclear Abolition Sisters leafleted local post offices about how their tax dollars are misspent; On April 24th LEPOCO members join in the Millions for Mumia March in Philadelphia; Also on May 1st over 35 LEPOCO members join a Death Penalty Moratorium Rally in Harrisburg; Tom Lloyd represents LEPOCO at the “Ozone Stakeholders Group”, a Berks/Lehigh Valley group of 35 organized by the PA DEP to recommend actions/regulations to bring our area into compliance with the Clean Air Act of 1990; Ten LPOCO members join about 300 others in Philadelphia for the annual “Free Mimia” rally; July 26th-30th Peace Camp was held once again with over 80 campers at the First Presbyterian Church; On August 6th the Annual Hiroshima/Nagasaki observance is held at the Japanese Serenity Garden in Bethlehem; Six LEPOCO members attend the annual Veterans for Peace conference in Philadelphia on August 20th. Speakers included Fr. Roy Bourgeois, Brian Willson, Cheri Honkala and Denis Halliday; On September 30th Monica McAghon joins Daniel Ellsberg and others at the Israeli embassy in DC on the 13th anniversary of the kidnapping and imprisonment of Mordechai Vanunu; Late September David Rose and others attend the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty Conference in Philadelphia; On October 1st Sixteen LEPOCO members hold banners at five rush-hour intersections in support of the Day Without the Pentagon effort of WRL; On November 26th Todd Garcia, Sheila Matheson, Yvonne Rasor, Lauren Cliggett and Reggie Regrut vigil in front of Toys R Us in Whitehall, encouraging shoppers not to buy war toys.
2000
Disarmament: April was a record setting month for demonstrations: four in DC and one in Harrisburg. In DC the first one was a Close the SOA demonstration, the second one was Cancel the Debt Now and the third was Keep Space for Peace, and the fourth was the Mobilization to Stop the IMF and the World Bank. The one in Harrisburg was to Stop Executions in PA; On July 30th 22 LEPOCO members joined the Peace Contingent to the Unity 2000 March and Rally in conjunction with the Republican Convention in Philadelphia; On October 8th 26 People were involved/distributed 2000 door hangers as part of the Day Without the Pentagon door hanging all over the L.V.
Middle East: On February 13th an action protesting the sanctions against Iraq was attended by several LEPOCO members in NYC; On May 15th over 50 Educational Kits for the children of Iraq and $300 for shipping were delivered to AFSC in Philadelphia by Juanita Gomez Reyes and Monica McAghon; August 6th-7th at a demonstration against sanctions on Iraq LEPOCO members Lauren Cliggitt and Nancy Tate were arrested along with approximately 100 others; Vigils were held from April to October on the third Friday of each month to protest the bombing and sanctions against Iraq. 32 people participated in at least one of the vigils; On August 11th a video was shown at LEPOCO entitled “Paying the Price: Killing the Children of Iraq”, written by John Pilger.
Latin America: On January 24th Cecilia Moretti from Argentina, a former staff person with Serpaj in both Argentina and Panama visited the L.V. She mate with PSA of Lehigh University and Amnesty International at Muhlenberg College and met with individuals in small groups around the valley. She also had an interview with The Morning Call; For three weeks in February Joe DeRaymond went to Nicaragua to help build houses for the homeless as a result of Hurricane Mitch; On October 29th Joe DeRaymond and Sarah Snider deliver a pickup truck load of medical supplies collected locally by Dr. Ruth George to the IFCO Caravan in NYC to continue on the Cuba; On September 22nd at the Whitehouse and on October 21st in NYC LEPOCO members attended demonstrations against using Vieques for target practice. On October 27th Five members distribute 1000 flyers to people who attended a rally for Al Gore on Fountain Hill, about the U’Wa of Columbia struggle to keep out Occidental Petroleum from drilling for oil; October 18th – 19th Several LEPOCO members attend the annual SOA program and demonstration at Fort Benning, GA; On November 5th a vigil for Peace and Freedom in Palestine was held in Allentown and at least a half dozen LEPOCO members were present.
Share the Wealth: On September 15th Nancy Tate and Janet Goloub presented a program at Allentown College with the title of “The Growing Divide: Inequality and the Roots of Economic Insecurity.”
LEPOCO Peace Chorus: On December 9th the LEPOCO Peace Singers perform at the Annual Peace Pilgrimage.
Fundraisers: On March 18th Annual Dinner was held with Phyllis Bennis as speaker at the Cathedral Episcopal Church; Art Raffle was also had at the dinner; On June 3rd the annual Bike/Walk-a-thon was held and shared the funds with Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques. Over 30 people participated; On June 15th a Theatre Party was held for the 1923 classic play R.U.R by Czech author Karel Capek at the Theatre Outlet in Allentown; On September 30th LEPOCO holds it annual yard sale at the Bross’s home; On October 21st Harvest Fest of the U.U. Church; On October 28th Wesley United Methodist Women’s Harvest Bazaar; On November 5th the Community Festival at St. John’s Lutheran Church; On November 9th – 29th Annual Phonathon.
Potluck & Politics: On January 21st Rev. Lloyd Steffen gave a talk on the moral meaning of the death penalty; On February 25th Stephanie Nelson & Chris Spinney gave a talk entitled “From Beijing to Canton: The Contrasting Experiences in China”; On March 3rd Barbara & Tom Lloyd, Harold Locke and Don MacRae spoke on recent impressions from Cuba; On March 31st Chris Ney, Disarmament Coordinator & Fundraiser for WRL, talked about Bringing Democracy to the WTO in Seattle; On May 7th Mimi Lang talked about bringing Peace & Reconciliation in the Holy Land: Salaam Shalom; On September 15th Paul Filson, a longtime union organizer, spoke on “Indonesia: A Look at the Trade Union Movement”; On October 15 Bob Smith from Brandywine Peace Community spoke on Lockheed Martin at Mimi Lang’s house; On November 10th Bernie Berg read Marx in Soho play by Howard Zinn.
Other Activities: Anna Hunt (first LEPOCO office coordinator) passed away in July, 2000; On September 9th a gathering was held to celebrate her life and work; On January 15th approximately 50 members attended the annual MLK program at the Bethlehem City Hall Rotunda and heard 16 individuals recite the MLK speech about the war in Vietnam; On March 7th Lauren Cliggitt, Susan Cushman, Margot Hillman and Nancy Tate participated in a panel discussion on “Women and Peace” at Lehigh University; On April 17th LEPOCO members once again leafleted post offices throughout the valley on Tax Day; On May 6th a rally for “Just Healthcare” was held in Bethlehem; On July 12th Ursula Wuerth, Bob and Carmen Riggs participated in a vigil at the Capital in DC for Non Violence; On August 3rd 37 people attend LEPOCO’s annual Hiroshima-Nagasaki program and brave a thunderstorm; On October 2nd we march through Bethlehem united to end gun violence; From July 24th – 28th Peace Camp was held at Wesley United Methodist Church. 60 campers and over 60 volunteers (including 14 teens) attended; August 4th-5th L.V. Committee Against State Killing and L.V. Friends Meeting hosted the Journey of Hope’s 2nd stop on a journey through PA; Joe DeRaymond & Monica McAghon attended a demonstration in Washington, DC seeking to free Mordechai Vanunu from prison in Israel.
2001
Middle East: September 11th – The last four months of the year were dominated by response to the terrorist attacks and the response of our government. Right after September 11th the Steering Committee called for a search for solutions that would stop the cycle of violence. Following a large gathering at the Bethlehem Rose Garden titled “6000 Steps for Peace,” that occurred on the day the U.S. bombing started , the Committee for a Just Response was organized. The committee met several times and managed to get an Op-Ed in the Morning Call written by Addison Bross and Sheila Mathieson. Nancy Tate’s editorial was printed in The Express Times in which she asked our leaders to seek justice (punish the killers), but not wage war. Vigils were held in downtown Bethlehem and at Toys R Us. We delivered 50 blankets and $235 to the American Friends Service Committee for Afghan refugees in Iran; Many LEPOCO memers heard Ron Young speak at several local colleges. He challenged his audiences to put aside prejudices about the Palestine-Israel conflict.
Latin America: LEPOCO sent Lauren Cliggitt off to Columbia with a Witness for Peace delegation for a close-up view of that war-torn nation. This included talks with leaders and displaced squatters. She met Hector Mondragon, a Mennonite leader of the displaced, and invited him to visit us. This he did and , at a breakfast meeting in Allentown, he told us of the mercenary “paramilitary” attacks on villages, coca growing and the U.S.-backed “War on Drugs” aimed at U.S. control; Joe DeRaymond held a fundraiser at his home for earthquake and hurricane relief in El Salvador and Nicauragua. Then he went off to help in the effort; Urban Byler visited Chiapas, Mexico, with a Christian Peacemaker Team, to learn of the plight of the peasants suffering under globalization; Seven of our members represented us at the School of the Assasins for the “Close the SOA” demonstration. The crowd of 5000 was less than the previous year with 70 being arrested; Suzie Ravitz kept us up on the Vieques saga.
LEPOCO Peace Chorus: The Chorus sang at the Annual Peace Pilgrimage which featured Jeff Garis as speaker.
Fundraisers: At our Annual Dinner in March, speaker Bill Hartung talked about keeping Space for Peace with humor: “MAD to NUTS: Stopping the Bush Nuclear Build-Up;” We held a yard sale, bike walk-a-thon and phonathon to raise money; We attended a Holly Near concert at Godfrey Daniels after a little party at LEPOCO.
Potluck and Politics: Bill Sutherland who after prison in South Africa devoted his life to efforts to move peacefully from colonialism to independence; Lauren, Joe and Urban all made P&P presentations after they returned from Latin America; Ellen Barfield, veteran worker for peace, especially Iraq, returned for a program on Iraq, also visiting William Allen High school in Allentown; We had P&P’s on Yugoslavia and Vietnam Today;
Other Activities: During September, October and November, a study group led by Addison Bross discussed the book, Guns, Globalization and Greed, which was edited by our friend Chris Ney, of WRL staff and the son of Janet Ney; The Nuclear Abolition Sisters donned wings and holos and, as angels, demonstrated in Bethlehem (where they presented a manifesto), Valley Forge and Washington, DC (where they were filmed and interviewed by CNN). Their main message was “Keep Space for Peace, Stop Missile Defense;” Barney Junker, a Quaker, who went to prison during WWII for resistance to War, died in July. He was a physician who worked in Vietnam offering health care under AFSC. We recalled his influence at a memorial gathering; The L.V. Committee Against State Killing was very active in seeking a moratorium (favored by 72% of Pennsylvanians) on state killing. A dozen from the L.V. attended a “Legislative Action Day” in Harrisburg and heard from Sister Helen Prejean; Williams Nieves, who was on death row in PA for six years, though innocent, spoke at four local schools in November; Peace Camp drew 65 youngsters who were led by 35 adults; MLK holiday was observed; Hirosima-Nagasaki days were also observed.
2002
2002 was yet another year when peace activists were desperately needed. The year began with the U.S. still involved with a war in Afghanistan and ended with further threats of an invasion of Iraq. In between, there were continued threats on civil liberties at home, violence in Israel-Palestine, and an escalation of the war in Columbia. LEPOCO was busy in 2002.
Middle East: On April 20th, LEPOCO sent a full bus to participate in the “Stop the War at Home and Abroad” march in Washington.; 40 Days of Nonviolent Action marked the period from Hiroshima Day to the anniversary of the previous year’s US invasion of Afghanistan. LEPOCO members fasted and participated in vigils and demonstrations. Activities included a September 11th vigil at the Peace Pole in Bethlehem entitled Our Grief and Remembrance Cry Out for Peace Not War; Women in Black began gathering in support of Israeli and Palestinian peacemakers; In October, LEPOCO members joined a march in Washington to protest a possible war with Iraq; About 75 people signed the Iraq Pledge of Resistance, agreeing to either participate in non-violent civil disobedience or support others who do following an attack on Iraq; Plans were made for a rally following such an attack and civil disobedience training was held; L.V Greens began holding “No War on Iraq” signs every Thursday in Bethlehem.
Latin America: Roberta Bacic of Chile reminded us of her country’s tragic September 11th, the military coup of 1973; The Vieques struggle came to the area when a women’s organization from the island spoke of their struggle to oust the U.S. Navy; A rally at the Philadelphia Art Museum, celebrating the life of Archbishop Oscar Romero and calling for the closing of The School of Americas, was attended by several LEPOCO members: Members attended a weekend-long Columbia Mobilization in Washington in April; Javier Sanchez, a leader in the San Jose’ de Apartado’ Peace Community in Columbia, spoke about the many Colombian communities that have nonviolently demanded peace and refused to participate in that country’s civil war; Philip Wheaton spoke about the Zapatista movement in Chiapas, Mexico; Several LEPOCO members attended the annual Rally to close the SOA in Fort Benning, GA in November.
Fundraisers: The Annual Dinner featured George Lakey as the speaker; LEPOCO participated in the River Fusion festival; Annual Bike-Walk-a-thon was a success; Theater Parties were held for The Cradle Will Rock and The Southside Experience and were both successes.
Potluck and Politics: In January, Rabbi Lauri Zimmerman from Jewish Mobilization for a Just Peace in Philadelphia, spoke of the need for the Jewish-American community to allow the discussion of diverse views surrounding Israeli policy; A representative from Good Schools PA discussed the need for quality education for every child in PA; Monica McAghon reported on the Third Annual Organizing Conference on Iraq; The Innocence Tour brought tow men who had been wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death to the L.V. and put a human face on the injustice of capital punishment.
Other Activities: The movie, Gandhi, was shown and the Mirror of Truth bus tour visited the valley; Protestors attended a visit by the Vice President to Allentown; Anti-war signs and leaflets were found at the gubernatorial debate in Easton; 29 showed up at Senator Specter’s office to voice their opposition to war; Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday was celebrated with the reading of his speech in NYC against the Vietnam War; LEPOCO presented a workshop at Lehigh University’s One World Forum; Peace Camp was once again held at Allentown Presbyterian Church; LEPOCO members once again participated in the Annual Christmas Peace Pilgrimage from Nazareth to Bethlehem; LEPOCO hired Sarah Andrew to revive the Youth & Militarism work; LEPOCO had an ad in the Morning Call against the invasion of Iraq; A member sponsored a day on WDIY to talk about LEPOCO activities; LEPOCO helped defeat a strip mall in West Bethlehem; LEPOCO was honored by the Allentown Human Relations Commission for speaking out against injustice and in support of peace.
2003
Middle East: On January 17th the local Iraq Pledge of Resistance held a public signing where 60 people weathered the bitter cold to take part in a march to M.L. King Park in Bethlehem; On January 18th 200,000 people filled DC streets saying “No War”, again in bitter cold, including buses of people from the L.V.; Weekly vigils continued by the L.V. Greens in Bethlehem; On January 21st MoveOn.org organized visits to congressional offices opposing the war; On January 26th 350 people marched for “peace and patience” in East Stroudsburg; On February 6th The Progressive Student Alliance at Lehigh University had a noontime peace rally; On February 8th at a Speak Out for Peace in Bethlehem, sponsored by the L.V. Peace Coalition, Barbara Lloyd quoted Howard Zinn “There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people;” On February 15th an estimated 10 million people turned out in cities across the globe to protest the war. Over 200 people from the Lehigh Valley rode on five buses to NYC to join an estimated 500,000 protesters there. The sheer size and energy of the crowd overwhelmed the efforts of NYC officials and police to harass and fragment the demonstration; On February 23rd Pax Christi and Catholics for Peace held the first of several peace vigils in local Catholic churches; On February 28th Dan Poresky placed a large anti-war ad in The Morning Call, with hundreds of signatures; On February 28th when Rep. Toomey announced his run for the U.S. Senate, 15 people picketed for peace outside his office at 8 am; In the run-up to the assault on Iraq, things were tumultuous in the LEPOCO office. We gained over 300 new members, driving our rolls to the highest level ever. There was a flurry of letters and op-eds against war in local newspapers; On March 5th National Books Not Bombs day is observed by local high schools and colleges; On March 16th Archbishop Desmond Tutu called for worldwide candlelight vigils. At least 700 people joined at over 15 sites in the Lehigh Valley; On March 20th several hundredpeople braved a downpour to march through downtown Bethlehem to a peace rally at the Unitarian Church. This emergency response to the attack on Iraq had been planned for weeks by the L.V. Peace Coalition; On March 21st about 50 people gathered at the Federal Building in Allentown and marched to Pat Toomey’s office for an action that followed weeks of planning and several nonviolence trainings as part of the Iraq Pledge of Resistance. Eleven LEPOCO members went into Toomey’s office and vowed to occupy it until Rep. Toomey spoke out for an immediate end to the war. The eleven were arrested. At a hearing in May they were given the choice to either pay $220 in fines or do 22 hours of community service; On September 10th a candlelight vigil was held in Bethlehem to remember the victims of the 9/11 attacks and to support the September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, calling for nonviolent solutions to the world’s problems; On November 24th Naim Ateek, an Anglican Palestinian priest, spoke at the Episcopal Cathedral Church in Bethlehem, about the possibilities for peace between Israel & Palestine. The program honored the memory of Barbara Lloyd; On December 7th at least two home showings of MoveOn.org’s “Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War” were held in the Lehigh Valley.
Latin America: In early January Joe DeRaymond left for 10 weeks in El Salvador to join the Center for Exchange and Solidarity as an observer for El Salvador’s national elections in March; On April 30th thousands in Viegues celebrated the end of the bombing of the island. Our own Susie Ravitz was one of the demonstrators arrested and jailed during the struggle against the U.S. Navy; On May 15th John Lindsay Poland of FOR spoke about his new book on Panama at the Old Library Shop in Bethlehem. He was in the area for a Peace Brigades International gathering at Little Pond Retreat Center in Nazareth; In July Joe DeRaymond left for six months in Colombia as a volunteer in the Peace Community in San Jose de Apartado. He and two other North Americans lived there as an accompaniment presence in an effort to stop attacks against the villagers by warring factions in the area. He carried a beautiful banner made by Ellen Buck as a LEPOCO greeting to the community; October 22nd & 23rd LEPOCO hosted Holman Moraga Sanchez and Jared Zimmerman as part of a Witness for Peace tour about the effects of globalization on Nicaragua. They addressed over 100 people at various local venues; Over October 21st & 22nd Carmen & Bob Riggs attended the annual peace vigil at the gates of the SOA in Ft. Benning, GA.
LEPOCO Peace Chorus: LEPOCO Peace Singers performed for the L.V. Arts Council program on “Art With an Impact.”
Fundraisers: On March 15th Pat Humphries and Sandy Opatow entertained over 200 at LEPOCO’s Annual Dinner. Everyone feared that “shock and awe” was imminent; On April 25th a LEPOCO group attended a performance of Benjamin Brittens’s War Requiem at Lehigh; On June 8th 25 people rode and walked in the Bike-Walkathon, raising over $1500 to help LEPOCO and the Southside Neighborhood Center and AFSC humanitarian aid to Iraq; The Annual Yard Sale was held on September 27th; On November 11th LEPOCO members attended the Inti-Illimani Concert at Lafayette College following a reception at the home of Tomas Wolff and Deborah Jones.
Potluck and Politics: Over the time period of March 24th to the 27th Ellen Barfield, a member of Voices in the Wilderness who spent five weeks in Iraq in December and January, visited the L.V. She brought slides of the people and cultural sights, and many insightful anecdotes that helped bring to life the Iraqi people, and the terrible suffering caused by 13 years of sanctions. With the war underway the suffering was only increasing; On September 14th Kevin Mahoney gave an excellent presentation on “Continuing Resistance to Corporate Globalization.”
Other Activities: The same day as our Annual Dinner buses of L. V. peace people joined thousands marching against war in Washington, DC, and there was a noon peace vigil in Easton’s Center Square (one of several vigils held there in 2003); On April 6th 100 people attended a Circle of Hope & Grief at Bethlehem’s peace pole, sharing sadness and dreams of peace; On May 31st opposition to the Cobalt-60 food irradiator coalesces at a public meeting in Quakertown, growing to a large public protest on November 23rd; Over June 6th to 8th Robert Daniels, III, representing LEPOCO and the L.V. Peace Coalition, attended the United for Peace & Justice conference in Chicago; On July 4th 20 LEPOCO members carpooled too Philadelphia to join about 2000 peace demonstrators at the opening of the new National Constitution Center; On June 14th Barbara Lloyd died. She was a fierce advocate for peace and social justice. Her life was honored by a huge gathering at a memorial service; Our summer of sadness continued when young peace witness Tommy Booth, the son of Ginny and Tom Booth, was killed in a car accident on July 8th; Then on July 31st, Claude Monet, the faithful neighborhood friend and official LEPOCO office greeter cat for over 12 years died; From July 21st to 25th Peace Camp happened with 60 campers and 30 leaders; On August 14th 50 people observed the 58th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the Tondabayashi Garden in Bethlehem; Sarah Andrew was awarded a $1500 grant from the A.J. Muste Memorial Institute for further youth and militarism work; On October 9th a Rally for a Moratorium on Executions drew 1000 people in Harrisburg. L.V. Cask organized a bus of 39 citizens from the L.V. Four local students attended the Conference for Young People that preceded the rally; On October 25th the Unitarian Church held a conference entitled “Working for Peace and Justice: Seeking a World Without War.” Several LEPOCO members helped with this important event, and well over 100 people attended; On the same day a L. V. delegation joined another large peace demonstration in DC; Early in November a buck, running frightened through south Bethlehem crashed through LEPOCO’s front window and exited through a rear window. He was last seen streaking across Wyandotte Street. After the front and rear windows were repaired the only evidences of his visit are the skid marks on the carpeting; On November 21st a roaming candlelight vigil, organized by the Lehigh Valley Peace Coalition (of which LEPOCO is a member), made its way through Southside Bethlehem. There were 40 to 50 of us. Under the theme “War Hurts Everyone,” we had signs and a rhythm section, banging out the peace & justice beat on the bottoms of paint drums. We were greeted with lots of curiosity and delight; On December 12th a very busy year for peace witnesses closed with the 44th Annual Christmas Peace Pilgrimage; During the whole year on every Wednesday and Friday Rick Dow and the Rev. John C. Fowler continued their weekly peace vigils, which were started in late 2002.
2004
Middle East: The Lehigh Valley Peace Coalition organized buses to NYC to attend “The World Still Says No to War” protest. Joe DeRaymond and Bernie O’Hare created a temporary radio show on WGPA discussing issues such as the war in Iraq, death penalty, and the Patriot Act with guest speakers who are LEPCO members. In August LEPOCO supported a bus to take 55 LV protestors to NYC to join in a gathering of 500,000 people in “The World Says No to the Bush Agenda” march. In September 30 people gathered in Easton to commemorate the fact that 1000 U.S. soldiers had been killed in Iraq. In October LEPOCO members attended the National Memorial Procession “For All Those Wounded and Killed in Iraq” from Arlington Cemetery to the White House. In December Women in Black held a walking vigil in Bethlehem to “Remember the Children in Iraq.” LEPOCO newsletter readers were encouraged to call their local representatives once a week asking them to stop the war.
Latin America: In January Joe DeRaymond returned from living with the Peace Community in San Jose de Apartido in Columbia and working with FOR. In February Ursula Wurth and Mimi Lang joined a Kirkridge Pilgrimage to Guatemala that included building a school in the Mayan village of Caseria Paralchy. In March John Zachmann traveled to DC to lobby legislators against the School of Americas. In April Joe DeRaymond spoke at the Unitarian Church about his six months in Columbia and his experiences as an election observer in El Salvador. In July a send-off dinner was held for Janet Goloub who was going to Columbia with an FOR delegation. She reported in September on her participation in the delegation to Columbia’s Peace Communities in articles in the newsletter. LEPOCO members attended the Fort Benning protest against the notorious School of Americas in November.
LEPOCO Peace Chorus: In October the LEPOCO Singers performed outside Packer Chapel at LU to greet people as they gathered to hear the Rev. Dr. James Forbes speak on “A Call for a Just America.” They also sang at the Annual Dinner and the Peace Pilgrimage.
Fundraisers: LEPOCO had a booth in June at the Pride Festival in Allentown. The Bike/Walk-A-Thon had 38 participants and $2,650 was raised for LEPOCO, CUNA and FOR also in June. LEPOCO young people arranged a coffee housed gathering to raise money for LEPOCO in August. In October LEPOCO had a theater party at the home of Kathryn Hoffman and Jim Schneider before the play “Marx in Soho” performed by Bob Weick. In the same month LEPOCO held its annual yard sale in the Community room at the Forte Building in Bethlehem.
Potluck and Politics: Popcorn & Politics were revived with snacks and a discussion on the movie “The Boys of Sudan.”
Other Activities: In January The Nuclear Abolition Sisters arranged a reading of Dr. Martin Luther King’s anti-Vietnam War speech. On January 10th five young adult LEPOCO members co-facilitated a social workshop for the UU Regional Youth Conference. In February over 100 people joined a Walking Vigil for Peace in Allentown. In March LEPOCO members joined the memorial procession fro Dover, DE to Washington, DC titled A Trail of Mourning and Truth. A vigil was held outside state Rep. T.J. Rooney’s office in Bethlehem as part of Moratorium on the Death Penalty Week. Faculty of Muhlenburg College unanimously passed a resolution against the Patriot Act. The Students for Social Change Club at Palisades High hosted a Patriot Act Forum. On March 15th, Phillipsburg, NJ passed a resolution against the Patriot Act. In April Women in Black held a vigil for peace in Bethlehem supporting Mordachai Vanunu’s release from prison in Israel. Tax Day leafleting took place at local post offices to promote conversion of tax dollars from war to humane programs. Leafletters Susie Ravitz and Reggie Regrut were arrested and charged with defiant trespass at the Palmer Post Office. (The hearing for Susie and Reggie was rescheduled several times in June.) Also in March Sarah Andrew and others organized the first LEPOCO Youth Peacemaker Training. In May LU faculty approved a resolution to protect academic freedom and civil liberties in the face of the Patriot Act. A walking vigil for peace happened in Easton with John Grant of Veterans for Peace as a guest speaker. In June Sarah Andrew and Marc Rittle journeyed to DC to participate in an anti-draft lobby day and the Conference of the Center for Conscience and War. Readers of the newsletter were asked in June to write State Senators regarding a PA Senate Bill 305, which would connect obtaining a PA drivers license with registration for the Draft. In June Peace Camp training for helpers and leaders took place at the Red Cross Offices. LEPOCO members donned bright green shirts printed with “Stop the War” and strolled around May Fair in Allentown. In July Peace Camp was a success. In July Sarah Andrew left the post of Youth & Militarism Coordinator at LEPOCO to attend law school. A send-off part for Sarah was also a thank you for Angela Heverling who was also heading to law school after serving ably on the Steering Committee. In August the annual Hiroshima-Nagasaki program was held in the Tondabayashi Garden in Bethlehem. In September Nancy Tate and Janet Goloub presented the “Growing Divide” economic workshop for Marywood College students at Allentown College. In October LEPOCO continued visiting high schools to counter military recruiters and teach students about nonviolent, nonmilitary options in their search for education, job training, and careers. Peter Crownfield agreed to fill the position of youth & Militarism Coordinator until a permanent staff person can be recruited. In November Peter Crownfield had an article published in local and Philadelphia newspapers concerning the No Child Left Behind requirement that secondary schools give student information to military recruiters. Also in November the Bethlehem Chapter of the NAACP honored LEPOCO for efforts to stir the conscience of LV residents for pursuits of peace by nonviolence at their Annual Freedom Fund Banquet. In December the Annual Peace Pilgrimage was held with Bob Edgar as the speaker on “The Patriotism of Peacemaking.” Annie Hasz, Sarah Weick and other young people continued to organize SECO, Social and Environmental Change Organization. Throughout the year peace vigils took place weekly, arranged by Greta Browne and Guy Gray, and then Maria Weick, in Bethlehem; by the Rev. Dr. John Clint Fowler in Allentown; and by Susie Ravitz and Monica McAghon, and then Reggie Regrut, in Easton.