News and Media
War Is a Crime Against Humanity: Stop the Violence Immediately in Israel-Palestine
War Is a Crime Against Humanity: Stop the Violence Immediately in Israel-Palestine
Solidarity Banners for Gaza
If you are requesting a banner, please be sure to fill out our online request form here The War Resisters League (WRL) is proud to offer two powerful banner designs to support activism and advocacy efforts concerning the disastrous situation in Gaza. WRL is subsidizing the production of these banners, making them available at a greatly reduced…
STOP the Bombings and END U.S. Military Assistance to the Philippines
The War Resisters League (WRL) and New York Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (NYCHRP) urge an end to the indiscriminate bombings of Filipino villagers by the Philippine government and an end to U.S. security assistance to the Philippine government. Even as the Philippine government has re-engaged in peace talks with the National Democratic…
Bayard Rustin’s 1965 WRL Peace Award Acceptance Speech
– April 27, 1965 – A.J. Mustei: I present to Bayard Rustin at this 42nd annual dinner of the War Resisters League the 7th Annual Peace Award and the scroll, which I am presenting to him, reads as follows: To Bayard Rustin, pacifist, who has suffered for his convictions and held firmly and courageously to them….
ANTIMILITARIST ROOTS: nonviolent resistance for a world in crisis
The War Resisters’ International is holding its conference and assembly – Antimilitarist Roots: nonviolent resistance for a world in crisis – from Friday June 16 to Monday June 19, 2023 in London. The event will bring activists together to discuss the future of our grassroots movements, build allyship internationally, and respond to the challenge we…
War Resisters League 100th Anniversary Blog
Please join us during this 100th year of actions and educational events, which we are initiating with a weekly blog focusing on highlights from WRL’s 100 years, as we head towards the actual October 19 anniversary. Founded 100 years ago this year as a secular militant pacifist organization, the War Resisters League is made up of people…
WRL Statement on Ukraine
The War Resisters League was founded in the aftermath of a horrendous European war by those who resisted conscription and their supporters. They united around a powerful affirmation: war is a crime against humanity. Over the course of almost 100 years since that time, our commitment to this principle has been tested by many political struggles…
Journey of Reconciliation
The Journey of Reconciliation in 1947 was the first major national project organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), co-sponsored by the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR). An interracial group of 16 rode on buses through the upper South to test the implementation of the 1946 Supreme Court decision outlawing segregation on interstate travel. They…
Reproductive Freedom – WRL Statement
In 1981, shortly after Ronald Reagan became President, the right to choose to have an abortion and sexual freedom was increasingly under attack. The Feminist and Lesbian and Gay Task Forces of the Mobilization for Survival (MfS), a national network that included WRL, with goals to: abolish nuclear weapons and power, stop military intervention, meet…
WRL Organizational Statement: Spring 2022
Dear WRL Community, We hope this message finds you at peace despite seemingly endless moments of challenge, hardship and the ongoing horrors of war and militarism. We wanted to take this opportunity to reconnect with you all – our members, allies, comrades, and friends to provide an important update on behalf of the organization. In…
Just in Time for Tax Season, it’s WRL’s famous “Pie Chart”: Where Your Income Tax Money Really Goes
For almost 40 years, War Resisters League has researched and produced an annual pie chart flyer to call attention to the vast amount of our income tax dollars spent on the military and war. This year the pie percentages look different than previous years: the red slices add up to 37% — but the military budget…
Stop the War on Ukraine
Living Peace 3: Letters of Wars and Peace January 8, 2025 Letter by Yurii from Ukraine READ MORE Ukraine: About 300 criminal cases against conscientious objectors from War Resisters’ International The number of new criminal cases against conscientious objectors has surged since summer 2024 after the General Prosecutor’s Office wrote to local prosecutors. About 300…
War Resisters’ International statement on Ukraine
In response to this morning’s news, the War Resisters’ International Executive Committee has released the following statement. As War Resisters’ International, we are extremely concerned about the war in Ukraine. War is a crime against humanity! We call on Russia to immediately cease all attacks and withdraw its troops from the borders with Ukraine. We…
Stop the War on Ukraine: Calls to Action
War Resisters League believes that war is a crime against humanity; we are clear that war is never the answer. As an antimilitarist organization we refuse to take sides between the armed camps. We do recognize and oppose what the U.S. does and is doing to feed this conflict, and other conflicts. We stand with…
Letter from National Committee, December 2021
Dear friends, WRL shares greetings and wants to send you some news. These have been challenging times filled with much transition, loss and grief, and hope for the future. We share some of this below. Our much-loved Operations Coordinator, Linda Thurston passed away suddenly in late May 2021, and it has been a painful and…
Bob Meola, 1952-2021 – ¡Presente!
WRL is saddened by the death of long time WRL organizer and former NC member Bob Meola on November 17, 2021. In the 1980’s Bob was a co-founder of the Southern California War Resisters’ League. After he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, Bob became active with WRL West. He faithfully organized the May…
Nonviolence in Action online conference – November 20th-28th
Join us for Nonviolence in Action: Antimilitarism in the 21st century an online conference bringing together activists from across the international peace movement to learn, strategise and build solidarity. The War Resisters’ International (WRI) network – and the whole international peace movement – finds itself at an important crossroads. Over the last hundred years we have been…
Sewing Resistance to Militarism: Arpilleras and other transnational textiles – Sunday, November 14th
Virtual Tour by curator Roberta Bacic and short film on arpilleras Organized by War Resisters League to mark the centenary of War Resisters’ International Sunday, November 14th 7 – 8.30pm (UK time) 2 – 3.30pm (US Eastern time) 11 – 12.30pm (US Pacific time) Zoom link: bit.ly/arpilleras-zoom The Conflict Textiles curated exhibition, Nonviolence…
WRL’s Statement on September 11, 2001
On September 11, 2001, War Resisters League staff person David McReynolds, wrote this from the WRL National Office which was only a mile and half north of the World Trade Towers. As we write, Manhattan feels under siege, with all bridges, tunnels, and subways closed, and tens of thousands of people walking slowly north from…
We Have A New Mailing Address!
Dear friends, War Resisters League’s mailing address has changed. To reach us, write to: War Resisters League 30 E. 125 St. #229 New York, NY 10035
Store Update: We are closed from June 24th until July 19th
The WRL Store is moving to our New England Office as the National office moves out of the office on Canal St in NY and work is done remotely. The Store will be closed from the end of day on June 24th until July 19th. You can still place orders at our online store but…
Applicants have until July 5th to apply for Development & Membership Coordinator position
War Resisters League is extending the deadline to submit applications for the Development and Membership Coordinator Position to July 5th. Job posting: The War Resisters League seeks to hire a passionate and dedicated individual to create and implement a development and membership program to continue supporting nearly 100 years of challenging all wars. About WRL:…
She Wove Us Together: Linda Marie Thurston, 1958-2021
Linda Marie Thurston, who spent a lifetime forging connections between and among people, organizations, and ideas in peace and justice movements, passed away in her Brooklyn, NY home due to natural causes. She was 62 years young. Linda was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on August 7, 1958, the oldest child of James Thurston Sr….
Mourning Linda M. Thurston: Funeral Service Info
May 31st, 2021 For people who are in New York, there will be a public viewing and funeral service scheduled for Wednesday June 2nd from 6 PM – 8 PM ET and Thursday June 3rd at 11 AM ET this week at T.C. Carrillo Funeral Service in the Bronx, respectively. The details are posted on Facebook, Instagram,…
Linda Marie Thurston, rest in eternal power and memory. We love you greatly.
May 25, 2021 To our dear community, We are grieved to be sharing with you all devastating news: Linda Thurston, War Resisters League’s Operations Coordinator passed away unexpectedly this past weekend. Linda first organized with WRL for the Day Without the Pentagon action in 1998 and later joined the national staff collective in 2007 where…
We’re Hiring! Development & Membership Coordinator
WRL Development & Membership Coordinator: Job Posting May 2021 The War Resisters League seeks to hire a passionate and dedicated individual to create and implement a development and membership program to continue supporting nearly 100 years of challenging all wars. About WRL: The War Resisters League (WRL) affirms that all war is a crime against…
An update on Mumia: Freedom is the only treatment
April 29th, 2021 Dear friends, We are relieved to share that Mumia Abu-Jamal— journalist, author, and WRL Peace Awardee— is recovering from heart surgery and that, thanks to continued pressure, he was able to speak with his wife Wadiya after the operation. But, we need to keep the pressure on. Mumia’s doctors remain very concerned about his treatment…
Uncovering the roots of Barbara Deming’s revolutionary nonviolence and feminism
April 29th, 2021 Uncovering the roots of Barbara Deming’s revolutionary nonviolence and feminism By Joanne Sheehan This article has been adapted from a talk on “The Revolutionary Nonviolence by Barbara Deming: Two Handed Practices” which Joanne Sheehan gave with Ynestra King, who is writing a book about Barbara Deming. Most who are familiar with author…
Long-time WRL member Dr. Linnea Capps, MD, MPH passes away on April 19th, 2021
April 21st, 2021 Dear friends, War Resisters League is saddened to learn of the passing of our long-time member, Dr. Linnea Capps, MD, MPH. She will be dearly missed. We will be sharing reflections about her, starting with this one from Matt Meyer: Dr. Linnea Capps, MD, MPH June 19, 1950—April 19, 2021 Reflections by…
Help stop people from joining the police
April 15th, 2021 Dear friends, If you know someone— a friend, family member, colleague, or neighbor— who is thinking about becoming a cop, now is an important moment to engage in a tough but necessary conversation on why they shouldn’t join the police force. Download our free brochure So You Wanna Be A Cop? to…
Take action tonight before Mumia’s heart surgery tomorrow.
April 14th, 2021 Dear friend, Earlier in March, we wrote to you with calls to action for Mumia Abu-Jamal as his health took a serious decline after contracting COVID-19. Tomorrow, Mumia is scheduled to have heart surgery. This call to action was put together by the International Movement to Free Mumia. Please read, take action, and…
Call for Pitches | A Critical Look at Authoritarianism(s)
Authoritarianism is a driving force of war, both at home and abroad. But what exactly is authoritarianism and what are the strategies to resist it? The War Resisters League’s Editorial Committee invites pitches for articles that can help us both amplify ongoing work resisting this political phenomenon and clarify opportunities for antiwar and antimilitarist movements…
Guidelines on how to pitch the Editorial Committee
Monday March 29th, 2021 War Resisters League’s Editorial Committee regularly puts out calls for submissions to foster conversation on a variety of antiwar/antimilitarist topics. We want to hear from people directly impacted by war: grassroots activists, academics, our membership, and freelance journalists and writers from around the world who are committed to resisting the…
Nonviolence is an exploration- Join us!
March 22, 2021 Dear friends, I often quote Barbara Deming’s reminder that “nonviolence is an exploration, one that has just begun” at trainings with groups looking to achieve justice using nonviolence strategies. By engaging in this exploration, we continue to both learn new aspects of the power of nonviolence and develop more creative ways to…
Your Submissions, Published: A Critical Look at Borders
March 19th, 2021 Dear friends, In December, War Resisters League’s Editorial Committee put out a letter taking a critical look at borders where we discussed how borders motivate both conflict and cooperation between states, and discussed their impact on Indigenous communities. We asked you to join in the conversation through our call for submissions….
Order WRL’s famous pie…chart.
March 14th, 2021 Dear friends, It’s Pi day and we couldn’t resist a little pun. For almost 40 years, War Resisters League has researched and produced an annual pie chart flyer to call attention to the vast amount of our income tax dollars spent on the military and war. Since World War II, roughly…
Action Alert | Free Mumia, bring him home to heal!
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021 Dear friends, Today we write to you with serious news. Mumia Abu-Jamal is experiencing a severe decline in health and we must act now to secure his release from prison. While Mumia Abu-Jamal— the 66 year old award winning journalist, former Black Panther, and US political prisoner— has been ill for…
Biden dropped seven 500lb bombs last night. Here is what you need to know.
Friday, February 26th Dear Friends, Last night, Biden dropped seven 500-pound bombs on a small cluster of buildings on the Syrian side of the Syria-Iraq border¹. The bombings destroyed these buildings, ammunition and weapons stored inside, and killed at least 17 militia members affiliated with Kataib Hezbollah and other groups.² These militia members are Iraqi, backed…
The Roots of Revolutionary Nonviolence in the United States are in the Black Community
By Joanne Sheehan First published on Waging Nonviolence, February 15th 2021 Many are wondering how to respond to the current white supremacist threat. We only have to look to history — to those who organized against the brutal culture and laws of segregation in this country — for inspiration on the importance of relationship…
We need to strategically eliminate fascism, not engage in hollow calls for peace.
Thursday January 14th, 2021 We need to strategically eliminate fascism, not engage in hollow calls for peace. By War Resisters League For 97 years, War Resisters League has worked diligently to resist all wars at home and abroad through resisting the root causes of war: racism, sexism, and all forms of exploitation. Throughout the decades,…
Call for Submissions | A Critical Look at Borders
Friday December 11th, 2020 Borders motivate both conflict and cooperation between states, and are a key factor in deciding the movement of people and goods around the world. Borders are often-times colonial constructs that divide Indigenous lands and peoples, such as Israeli borders over Palestinian land. Increasingly, borders have become a space of hyper-militarization and policing…
December of Dissent: Help us raise $30K to resist war!
Wednesday, December 9th, 2020 Dear Friends, We kicked off our year-end fundraising on Giving Tuesday by asking you to help us raise $5,000 for WRL’s antiwar work. With your help and matching funds from a generous donor we raised $8,192! Thank you! Now, for the month of December we’re setting an ambitious goal to raise…
#GiveToResistWar
December 1, 2020 Today is Giving Tuesday which means we’re here to ask you to #GiveToResistWar! We have a goal of raising $5,000 by the end of today to support WRL’s antimilitarist work. Thanks to a generous donor, when you give today every dollar you give will be matched! Will you make a gift right now to…
War Resisters League Commends Kings Bay Plowshares
Thursday, November 19th, 2020 Written by Ellen Barfield with support from Joanne Sheehan WRL thanks and honors the Kings Bay Plowshares 7, three of whom (Carmen Trotta, Martha Hennessy, and Clare Grady) were sentenced last week for their bold Trident disarmament action at the Kings Bay nuclear submarine base in south Georgia. Several of the Kings Bay…
Our next commander in chief is not Donald Trump
As Leftist and progressive organizers going into this election cycle, we knew our best chances to continue making gains against oppression would not be under a Trump administration. This is why many, like LUCHA in Arizona, PA Stands Up, New Florida Majority, and Working Families Party, worked to get out the vote for the Biden campaign…
Submission: Leftists and anti-authoritarians have an obligation to vote out Trump
October 30th, 2020 Dear Friends, Earlier this month we shared with you our Editorial Committee’s letter on 2020 Elections and Antiwar politics. We’re pleased to share this piece in response from Joey Ayoub, a Lebanese academic based in Zurich who writes extensively on anti-authoritarian struggles worldwide. He writes: Biden is problematic, but he can be pushed to the left…
Call for Submissions | Reimagining Safety → Problematizing Policing and Envisioning Alternatives
It’s undeniable: the violent police crackdowns against Black Lives Matter protests throughout the United States in summer 2020 have decreased public support for police and increased criticism of their role in American society. Images and video of heavily armed and armored police tear gassing, pepper spraying, and assaulting demonstrators have vividly called into question the…
We made serious mistakes. An apology to action participants.
Dear friends, organizational partners, allies, and community members: We’re here to share with our broader community some insight to what WRL has been focusing on internally, and to apologize to our community members and comrades who have been harmed after participating in a WRL action. For background, we recently held an action in Trump country….
Resources to Stop a Coup
October 27th, 2020 Trump has repeatedly said he will not peacefully transfer power and there is legitimate fear that the election may be stolen. If Trump makes good on this promise, then make no mistake: we are headed towards a coup. The President has also called on white supremacists to “protect the vote,” threatened to call out troops…
What to watch for in tonight’s presidential debate
September 29th, 2020 Ahead of tonight’s U.S. presidential debate, we are thinking of the root causes of war, chiefly: racism, sexism, and all forms of exploitation. While we don’t know exactly what will come up in tonight’s debate, here are some things to watch out for: Taxes. We shouldn’t be merely calling for Trump…
U.S. Elections | Pre-Debate Notes
October 22, 2020 It is 11 days until election day and tonight is the last debate between the two people who are essentially running to be Commander in Chief of the United States Military. Based off of what we know what topics the moderator will cover, here is what you should watch out for in tonight’s…
For our 97th Birthday, take our membership survey for a chance to win raffle tickets!
On October 19, 1923, New York City educator and queer activist* Jessie Wallace Hughan wrote in her diary: “Tracy [Mygatt] to dinner—had hair done—organized real War Resisters League.” That was 97 years ago today. At WRL resisting war has always meant addressing the root causes of violence by forging relationships and building movements that empower…
It’s time for LANDBACK.
October 12th, 2020 In honor of Indigenous People’s Day we are amplifying visionary, Indigenous-led leadership today from our friends at the NDN Collective, who are launching the LANDBACK Campaign. LANDBACK is a movement that has existed for generations with a long legacy of organizing and sacrifice to get Indigenous lands back into Indigenous hands — and…
No To War in Artsakh! Solidarity with antiwar Armenians and Azeris! Զոորակցություն Հայերի Հետ
October 6th, 2020 At least 150 people have been killed so far from the fighting between Turkey-backed Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh (also known as Artsakh and Karabagh) which began last week on September 27th when Azeri forces shelled the area. This conflict, with roots in Russian-drawn borders, Soviet-era imperialism and propped up by the modern…
Call for Submissions: 2020 Elections + Antiwar Politics
October 3rd, 2020 Friends, I’m excited to share with you the first call for submissions from War Resisters League’s newest committee, the Editorial Committee. We are comprised of writers and organizers based across the Americas with ties to Black, Indigenous, MENA, Latin American, and white communities of resistance. Every month, we meet to discuss pressing issues…
They’re Out! Thank You.
We are happy to be emailing with great news: all five activists are home and we’ve successfully fundraised the total bond amount to reimburse those who stepped up to help get our folks to safety. We’re blown away by your support. 167 people came together and through large and small gifts, got us to our…
Emergency Fundraising: Bail them out!
On Monday August 17th five WRL members blockaded the entrance to Combined Systems International — the largest tear gas manufacturer in the U.S. Our group successfully deterred a shipment from entering Combined Systems Inc. and had many meaningful conversations with neighbors and folks driving by. All five members of the blockade were arrested and kept overnight at…
We’re blockading the entrance to a tear gas manufacturer right now
Monday, August 17th, 2020 Right now, 5 activists are blockading the entrance of Combined Systems Inc. with giant tear gas cans and gas masks, refusing to move. These five are with a group of 40 activists from cities across the U.S. who are onsite in Jamestown, PA with the goal of shutting down operations at Combined…
Hiroshima & Nagaski – Marking 75 Years
August 6, 2020 August 6th and August 9th this week mark the 75th year since the United States used nuclear weapons on civilians living in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bombings killed over 200,000 people. To this day, survivors are #stillhere and fighting for the abolition of nuclear weapons. As we remember the incredible violence of…
John Lewis, CT Vivian Presente!
July 20, 2020 We are filled with gratitude for the wisdom and leadership of Rep. John Lewis and Rev. CT Vivian, two people who dedicated their lives to racial justice in the United States and made incredible contributions towards collective freedom, nonviolent struggle, and Black liberation. Both Lewis and Vivian were active in the 1960’s civil rights movement…
It’s Time to Abolish DHS
In a continued effort to crush the Black Lives Matter movement, Trump sent Federal agents to the streets of Portland to “quell” the weeks of rallies to defund the police. Civilians in Portland, a majority-white city, have reported cases of unmarked vans “snatching” protestors off the streets and tear gassing civilians (even while a federal…
Now Recruiting Members for our New Editorial Committee
War Resisters League is creating a space for accessible antiwar analysis that pushes forward the viewpoints of people struggling for justice around the world in a way that creates more and new opportunities for solidarity. Building on the War Resisters League’s long history as a home for open and honest debate and much-needed analysis of…
Have you been tear gassed? We want to hear from you.
July 10, 2020 At the same time that we are facing tremendous horrors, we are experiencing the powerful accumulation of years of abolitionist organizing led by Black feminists. The future we want feels so much more possible than it ever has. The state has been doing everything in its power to keep that from becoming…
A Revolutionary Nonviolent Perspective on US Uprisings
July 9, 2020 Previoulsly published on Waging Nonviolence We are activists, we are practitioners of revolutionary nonviolence, and we are outraged. Outraged at the 400-year long history of violence against Black people in this country; outraged at the racist and murderous system that founded police, who kill Black people with impunity; outraged at the state-sanctioned brutality meeting…
Tear Gas – What You Need To Know
From 2012 to 2014, War Resisters League ran the Facing Tear Gas campaign aimed at exposing the tear gas industry: who’s making it, who’s buying it, and where it’s used. Tear Gas, unsurprisingly, was found to be a common tool for state oppression from the United States to Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, and elsewhere. Now in 2020,…
Militarized Response Tracker #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd
Sunday May 31st, 2020 We’re heartbroken and outraged and like so many of you, refuse to allow the systematic killing of Black people in the United States to continue without a fight for justice. There is a lot to be outraged about: from how the politics of COVID-19 pandemic put the lives of Black and…
TAKE ACTION: STOP U.S. ARMS TRADE
Friday May 25th Over the last month, under the cover of COVID, a new series of Arms Sales were proposed by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the section of the Pentagon responsible for handling major arms sales. According to US law, there is a 30 day period to mount a legislative challenge to these sales before…
Back to basics: solidaridad | تضامن | solidariteit | solidarity | એકતા | 연대 | mshikamano
April 16th, 2020 Dear friends, We knew this was going to be a tough and pivotal year politically, but few predicted the extent to which it would be so. Constant updates from the COVID-19 pandemic to the Democratic Primaries to chaos from within the Trump administration are alarming and hyperstimulating. For many young people, this…
Important Message Regarding WRL’s store + Mutual Aid resources
Tuesday, March 17th, 2020 Dear friends, We’re writing to touch base during this time of crisis and uncertainty, to offer an update on WRL’s operations and to share a few resources on what we can be doing to love and protect each other in these strange and difficult times. Like many of our peer organizations,…
Welcome News: NYC set to divest city pension funds from Nuclear Weapons
Every move towards a world free of warfare is a move worth taking. That’s why I spoke on behalf of War Resisters League at New York City Council on Tuesday – to voice our support for Resolution 0976 and Introduction 1621. These proposals reaffirm New York City as a nuclear-free zone, and instruct the pension…
What you need to know about ending endless wars
January 17, 2020 End endless wars. It’s a phrase we’re hearing come up more and more in media, from community leaders to talking heads to presidential candidates— and it’s a stance we fully embrace in its truest sense. Which is why we’re alarmed to hear “end endless wars” regularly framed in exclusive terms as withdrawal of groundtroops from the Middle East region. The…
Against War With Iran, Against WWIII
Wednesday, January 8th, 2020 Dear friends, Early Friday morning, in an act of imperial power and disregard for international law, the US assassinated Iran’s General Qassem Soleimani and Kata’ib Hezbollah’s Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis at Baghdad International Airport via targeted drone strike and immediately deployed more troops to the region for “protection.” That same day, police…
Against War with Iran
Friday January 3rd, 2020 This morning, WWIII was trending on our social media as Gen Z all mentally prepped themselves to be recruited and deployed to Iraq/Iran. How did we get here and what can we do about it now? After the Pentagon continued to defend troop presence in Iraq to fight ISIS under Obama,…
2019 Staff Reflections
We’re going to be honest with you; our fundraising isn’t where it needs to be. We’ve raised just under half of what we’ll need to keep our programs going in 2020. We believe this work is important because we believe a better world is possible: just read from staff below. And we know that as a…
We were the only voice of dissent that day
My name is Lucia Sandoval, and I am a member of Puente Human Rights Movement, a long-standing grassroots organization that campaigns to bring attention to the realities of policing and surveillance that harm us every day in the borderlands of Arizona. Last year, when we learned the annual National Homeland Security Conference (NHSC) would be…
Young people are ready to end war
Dear friends, When we were just starting elementary school, the U.S. invaded Afghanistan. And just the other week, the Afghanistan Papers confirmed that political and corporate elites have been lying to us our whole lives, so that they can use our communities for their power and profit. That’s why we joined a team of young…
To be abolitionist is to be antiwar
Peace everyone, My name is Maya Jenkins, and I am an organizer with No New Jails in NYC. For the last year, No New Jails has been organizing to stop Mayor de Blasio’s jail expansion plan, close all jails on Rikers Island, and ensure that the $11 billion budgeted for new jails are funding what…
Busting Border Patrol’s Recruitment Propaganda
Dear WRL Friends and Family, I’m Heath Rudd (pronouns they/them/theirs), WRL’s Fall 2019 Bilezikian Intern. Over the past three months, I had the special opportunity to work with WRL to develop a new resource to counter Border Patrol recruitment. As someone who loves interrogating history for the betterment…
December of Dissent: A Message from Bogota
Hi All, I’m Natalia, and I’m the Right to Refuse to Kill Programme worker at War Resisters’ International (WRI) based in Colombia. Last July, WRI organized the International Conference “Antimilitarismos en Movimiento” along with other grassroots antimilitarist organizations in Colombia. We were so lucky to have War Resisters League’s participation in the conference and to…
December of Dissent: From Turtle Island to Palestine
Dear Friends, My name is Sandra Tamari, the Executive Director of Adalah Justice Project and a friend of The War Resisters League. My work is centered around fighting for the rights of Palestinians: as a Palestinian living in the United States, I have spent over 15 years connecting people across borders to resist settler-colonial violence—…
Political Education to Spread Antimilitarism
Friends, I’m Citlali Perez, I am a rising sophomore at DePaul University and have worked with the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council as a youth leader. In the spring of 2019, I was part of WRL’s three-day Demilitarization School in Chicago, where I learned a lot about what militarization looks like around the world that I hadn’t…
Political Education to Spread Antimilitarism
Friends, I’m Citlali Perez, I am a rising sophomore at DePaul University and have worked with the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council as a youth leader. In the spring of 2019, I was part of WRL’s three-day Demilitarization School in Chicago, where I learned a lot about what militarization looks like around the world that I hadn’t…
Foresight 2020: December of Dissent
Friends, They say hindsight is 2020. As we finish up the end of the decade, we say: don’t look back without looking forward. When we look ahead to 2020 and beyond we see struggle, promise, hope, and victory for self determination, from Gaza to Santiago to Hong Kong to Kafranbel to Baghdad. When you zoom…
Larry Gara, Lifelong War Resister 1922 – 2019
History professor, pacifist and WRL member (since 1940) jailed during World War II, prison abolitionist, jazz aficionado, birder, vegetarian. Gara died at age 97 on November 23, 2019, in his hometown of Wilmington, Ohio. He was a professor of history at Wilmington College from 1962 to 2002, when he retired from teaching. Larry called himself…
Meet WRL’s Communications Coordinator – Shiyam Galyon!
Dear Friends, What does a U.S.-based antiwar movement look like that has deep connections across the country and around the world? That is agile and responsive under systems of settler colonialism, under authoritarian systems, and towards refugees and migrants whose bodies are on the line between borders? That dismantles systems of oppression in the United…
Another Death in the Family: Simon Harak, 1948-2019
Fr. G. Simon Harak SJ, the exuberantly pacifist Jesuit priest and onetime WRL Disarmament Coordinator, died November 3 in Campion Health Center, Weston, Mass. He was 71 and had dealt for some six years with frontotemporal degeneration (also called frontotemporal dementia). Simon was the kind of pacifist who sees peace and justice as inextricably bound…
WRL Activist Update: Linnea Capps, MD
Linnea Capps, pacifist activist, physician engaged in liberation medicine (the conscious, conscientious use of health to promote human dignity and social justice), and philanthropist for more than 40 years, recently left her longtime home in Brooklyn, NY, to live in a care facility in Kansas. She, along with her cats Rosie and Flora, is now…
It’s our 96th!
Today on our 96th birthday, War Resisters League is as energized and hopeful as ever in working to dismantle the military industrial complex. When people ask us why, we say: it’s because the life and dignity of everyday people are worth fighting for, across the United States and around the world. We are deeply moved…
War Resisters League in Solidarity with No New Jails NYC
The War Resisters League stands in solidarity with our comrades in No New Jails, who have been organizing to stop Mayor Bill de Blasio’s jail expansion plan and are holding it down at City Hall today. Join us in Abolition Square & tell your city council members that we don’t need new jails! Through our…
Peter Kiger, 1938 – 2019
Former WRL staff member Peter Kiger died on August 19 in New Castle, Indiana. He was 80 and had Parkinson’s disease. Born and raised in Spiceland, Indiana, Peter became a Quaker whose life mission was peacemaking. But during his freshman year at DePauw University (1956) — before becoming a pacifist — he won a Chicago…
How We Win – Summer Update
Congratulations to Decolonize This Place and partners, whose campaign calling for the resignation of Safariland CEO and Vice Chairman of the Whitney Museum of Art’s Board of Trustees, culminated in a successful win last Thursday with Warren Kanders’ announcement that he is resigning from the Whitney’s board. A result of cross-movement organizing, Decolonize This Place’s nine weeks…
Stop Urban Shield Coalition Victory: WRL Statement
Congratulations to the Stop Urban Shield Coalition on the recent victory of demilitarizing emergency preparedness in California’s Bay Area! In other words: ending Urban Shield. Since 2013, this cross-community coalition has organized tirelessly against Urban Shield — a SWAT team training and weapons expo, that brought together local, regional, and international police to collaborate on,…
Demilitarist School: Report Back from Chicago
In April, WRL piloted our first Demilitarist School in Chicago! Over three days, 13 young people and a group of Demil School facilitators, including WRL staff and National Committee members, gathered to grapple with the scale of US militarism. Participants delved into discussions about strategies for dismantling militarism and the ways antimilitarist work feeds into struggles for Black…
Update: Resisting Airwars Curriculum
Dear War Resisters Family, My name is YaliniDream and I’m a cultural worker, organizer, and facilitator currently supporting WRL by drafting the Resisting Airwars curriculum for WRL’s new Demilitarist School. I’m writing because this April, young people in Chicago participated in WRL’s first “school” with workshops on what militarism looks like – from police militarization…
On Martin’s 90th, we recommit to the struggle
Martin Luther King Jr. would have turned 90 this year. As we mark his birthday on this holiday, we are reminded of his work, his words, his inspiration, and his legacy… and we wonder what work he may have gone on to do if he had lived. We are reminded of all of those in…
From Kashmir to the Philippines, Give to Grassroots Decolonial Education
Dear Resisters, When I joined WRL’s National Committee in 2017, an unprecedented number of members from diasporic and marginalized communities were also joining, and I was thrilled to be working with a group of people ready to build a truly internationalist antiwar movement. As we acknowledged the many ongoing conflicts, occupations, and wars happening around…
A Teach-In on Militarized Disaster Response and Climate Colonialism
A Call to Action on Puerto Rico, International Campaign for Human Rights in the Philippines, and War Resisters League present a teach-in on the impacts of climate change and militarism. RSVP: On Facebook or Email us at wrl [at] warresisters.org WRL ORGANIZING TEAM STATEMENT ON MILITARISM & CLIMATE CHANGE As an organization that strives to target…
WRL at 95: Where We’ve Been, Where We’re Going
This past summer, WRL National Committee member Debbie Southorn took a moment to collect stories about our past, present, and future. Give it a listen above and stay tuned for more awesome opportunities for future podcasts! If you are a lifelong WRL member with a story to be shared, contact Raúl at raul [at] warresisters.org.
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