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Program, Outreach, Structure at NC Meeting

A more compact National Committee moved forward with WRL’s restructuring at the NC’s winter meeting in New York City February 13-16. The meeting of the League’s highest decision-making body—which convenes twice a year in New York City to choose WRL’s direction, program and budget for the next six months—was notable for the welcome presence of two new local representatives and new National Office Administrative Coordinator Judith Atiri (see below), a larger-than-usual opening event, and a productive balance of program work and internal focus.

The kick-off was a departure from the NC’s standard practice of starting the meeting with a discussion on local activism among NC members and a guest or guests. Noted Chicana writer/activist Elizabeth (Bettita) Martinez—author of last fall’s article in Z Magazine on “Looking for Color in the Antiwar Movement”—came from the West Coast to talk about “Resisting War, Resisting Racism: Where and How They Meet.” Vietnam vet and Newark, NJ, community activist Greg Payton and NVA Editor and journalist Judith Mahoney Pasternak joined Martinez at the podium, and former WRL Chair and returning NC member Matt Meyer emceed. The evening was conceived as a tribute to the late Jon Cohen (NVA, November-December), a longtime member of the National Committee who spent his too-short life resisting war and racism. A full house of about 200 people, many from outside WRL’s usual orbit, attended the February 13 event at Greenwich Village’s Judson Memorial Church. The next night—the evening of Valentine’s Day—at least that many danced the night away at New York City’s Brecht Forum in a celebration of Jon’s life that, while not a WRL event per se, was attended by many members of the staff and NC.

The National Committee meeting was preceded by a meeting of WRL’s Anti-Militarism Task Force, which spent the afternoon of the 13th articulating the next phase of its very successful Stop the Merchants of Death program, the NC’s major program decision was to affirm the next phase of Stop the Merchants of Death, which will bring the facts of the Bush administration’s war-and-occupation profiteering across the country next fall. The NC also approved a proposal brought by Eugene PeaceWorks, one of our two locals in Oregon, for the Viewing Project, which will complement Stop the Merchants of Death by creating “coffin” installations in several communities to memorialize the Iraq war dead the Bush administration has tried to keep hidden

As to structure and other WRL internal issues, the NC approved a temporary new staff position, an Administrative Associate to help redress an imbalance between program and administrative staff; it also approved a FY 2004-05 budget and considered a number of proposed new policies including one regarding conflict resolution within the organization and one on sexual harassment. Most of the new policies were referred back to their originating committees for polishing, but the NC did pass a new affirmative action policy updating our old one in a number of respects and explicitly inserting the role of affirmative action in combating white supremacy.

Finally, bridging the programmatic and the internal, the NC gave official recognition to the League’s new People of Color Caucus convened by NC member Sachio Ko-Yin and selected as the recipient of this year’s WRL Peace Award West Coast antiwar activist Fernando Suarez, whose son was killed last year in Iraq. The award will be given, as always, at the League’s annual dinner on June 11, 2004, at Cyril and Methodius Hall, 502 W. 41 St., NYC. For tickets and more information, call 212-228-0450.

It takes a lot of hands to organize and conduct a national meeting. The staff and National Committee thank: the staff of Judson Memorial Church for providing space for progressive events like the February 13 forum; the Westbeth artists’ housing and gallery complex for the use of its community room as a meeting space; Pacifeast Caterers (WRL New England staffers Joanne Sheehan and Rick Gaumer) for feeding everyone for two and a half days; Amanda D’Aloisio and Jeanne Strole for taking minutes, Hotel Davidson-Freedman and the Catholic Worker for providing housing, and, not least of all, the Agenda Committee (Frida Berrigan, Rick Bickhart, Adrianna Coe and Judith Mahoney Pasternak) for putting the whole thing together.

WRL Staff Changes

WRL is proud to welcome Judith Atiri as the new Administrative Coordinator of the National Office. Judith’s dynamic combination of high energy and strong background in nonviolence and conflict resolution promises great things for WRL’s immediate future, especially in conjunction with the implementation of our new structure.

Born in Nigeria, Judith has come to the United States after eight years in Vienna, where she was adding a Ph.D. to an already-impressive string of degrees. It wasn’t her academic qualifications that got her the job, however, but her visible drive and intelligence. In the six weeks since she started February 2, those qualities have won the admiration of staff and National Committee alike. She’s thrown herself into the job and is doing everything from sending out mailings to seeking grant support for WRL programs to updating the website and giving it more human interest.

Although much of Judith’s work is, of course, nearly invisible outside the National Office (we’re sure you’ll become aware of its results, however), some is highly visible—for example, see the new staff/National Committee page of the WRL website at “WRL Staff and Employment.” Over the next while, many of you will probably speak with her about one aspect or another of our work together. Meanwhile, on behalf of all of us, this magazine says again, welcome aboard, Judith!