Our History
The Washington Peace Center was unofficially founded in 1959 by Quaker activist Larry Scott. Scott led a vigil outside of Fort Detrick in Frederick, Maryland to protest the development and testing of biological and chemical weapons in their facilities. Two years later, he and a group of activist supporters moved to the nation’s capital in order to expand their work and educate the public through film screenings, discussions, and the publication of a local newspaper. In 1963, the group acquired office space at the Friends Meeting of Washington and the Washington Peace Center as it is known today was formed. Soon thereafter, the Peace Center became active in opposing the Vietnam War and was the main local office for draft and military counseling.
Throughout its long history, the Washington Peace Center has been active on many social justice fronts. In the 1970’s, the Peace Center was a key organizing force in the anti-nuclear movement. With the outbreak of violence and unjust U.S. foreign policy in the 1980’s in Central America and the Middle East, the Peace Center became an instrumental player in anti-intervention work. The Peace Center evolved to focus on local and domestic social justice issues as well, such as local anti-racist work, abortion rights and Native American rights. Throughout the 1990’s, the Peace Center worked on fair trade and international economic justice issues and were directly involved in mobilizing protests against the first Iraq War.
The local/global connection continues to shape the Peace Center's work. Early work with the Anti-Racism/Anti-Oppression Education Network, the D.C. Statehood Party and the D.C. Citizen Action Network (D.C. CAN), revealed a path toward addressing the concerns of residents and organizers in D.C. Work with the Anti-Sanctions and Fair Trade movements also traces a path toward addressing the concerns of a global economy. In all, the Center's primary goal remains to strategically link local organizing for economic and social justice to national and international struggles toward establishing structures and relationships that are nonviolent, non-hierarchical, humane and just.
Highlights 2009:
PEOPLE ARE NOTICING THE PEACE CENTER! 2009 in numbers:
• We've logged over 1,600 volunteer hours this year - not even counting our amazing, hard-working, all-volunteer board.
• Our email list grew 28% and our website hits went up 60%!
• We posted over 2,450 progressive events this year (about 50 a week) to our online calendar, helping dozens of groups with outreach.
• Our event equipment (sound system, stage, etc.) was used over two dozen times at progressive events by allied groups and activists.
• Over 150 individuals supported us with donations in the first ten months of the year - 1/3 of whom were first time donors!
• Over $6700 worth of in-kind donations received from allies and supporters.
WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO in 2009:
Education
• Developed a GI Resistance Training on history and future of the movement and delivered it to high school students almost a dozen times.
• Organized skill-building trainings for summer interns working with grassroots organizations.
• Published three redesigned Peace Letters, focusing on GI Resistance and Afghanistan.
• Hosted an educational forum for the Afghanistan anniversary entitled Not the "Good" War: Rethinking Afghanistan Eight Years Later, with almost 70 people attending and a great panel of speakers. We raised over $200 for direct aid to Afghans and got first hand reports of the situation on the ground, as well as possible alternative solutions.
Resources
• Upgraded and redesigned website, including the most comprehensive and usable calendar with DC area progressive events - updated daily.
• Developed and expanded and our online Resource Guide with important activist resources ranging from where to find free event space in DC to how to do legal support for direct action.
Action
• Organized the progressive presence at Inauguration 2009 with over 12 groups through our Inauguration Action Center and our now famous "Mr. President, I Hope For ____" signs that invited attendees to fill in their hopes for the new administration.
• Co-sponsored protests and a shadow summit to resist the IMF/World Bank meetings.
• Facilitated an Action Week to mark the 8th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan, including education, art, street theater, a rally and Direct Action at the White House. Seven organizations came together to employ many tactics with one goal: to end the occupation of Afghanistan.
• Convened planning meetings for the March 2010 anniversary of the Iraq War.
2007-2008 Highlights:
o Participated in "Stop Loss Congress" and the "Five Years Too Many" March, 2008 mobilizations to protest the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, organizing trainings as well as the permitted space where speakers, performers, protesters and media could connect and find resources.
o Hosted veteran and war resistor Camilo Mejia in DC for a book-signing of his new memoir, Road from Ar Ramadi. It was a well attended event with an inspirational speech by Camilo. Camilo is the chair of the board of Iraq Veterans Against the War, who co-sponsored the event with us and with whom the Peace Center will continue working closely.
o Participated in and supported Witness Against Torture's day of action protesting Guantanamo Bay prison camp. Two Peace Center Board members were arrested at the Supreme Court, went to trial and were sentenced to jail time for taking a stand against torture. Also spoke at and supported TASSC's annual Survivor Week in solidarity with torture survivors.
o Participated in the No War No Warming (NWNW) mobilization in October 2007 and are part of the on-going conversation regarding the NWNW Coalition's next steps. NWNW is a coalition of anti-war and climate change organizations. For the October actions, the Peace Center organized and promoted the permitted space for a press conference where speakers and performers spoke all day. This was an incredibly important mobilization drawing the crucial connections between the two major issues of our time: war and climate change.
o Hosted a symposium in coalition with local groups such as Empower DC and Library Renaissance Project on the misuse and questionable practice of selling public property, such as libraries and schools, within the city to developers.
o Helped organize, promote and staff the Tower Watch Vigil in August 2007, where Iraq Veteran Evan Knappenberger erected a guard tower on the National Mall and remained there for one week to protest the Stop-Loss policy that was sending so many of his friends back to Iraq.
o Organized vigils protesting the government's use of torture at the gates of CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.
o Participated in Washington DC's Green Festival for the first time in October 2007.
o Hosted a summer film series with Foundry Church entitled "The Cost of War"
