David McReynolds (1929 - 2018)

UPDATE: Hear the presentations from the Memorial for David McReynolds at https://vimeo.com/305110298/686dc0eef2.
The memorial was held on Saturday, December 1 at 12 PM – 3 PM at Judson Memorial Church in New York.

On August 31st, lifetime War Resisters League member David McReynolds - committed pacifist + socialist - passed peacefully at the age of 88. David was on WRL staff for a large part of his life and remained within community long, long after.

WRL moves to 168 Canal Street!

After five decades, WRL's national office has a new home!

War Resisters League
168 Canal Street, Suite 600
New York, NY 10013

(We move into the new space by late June.)

On MLK Day: A Special Message from Arun Kundnani

On this MLK day, let us recall Dr. Martin Luther King's deepest legacy. He understood that denouncing the violent extremism of young, angry men in the ghettos could not be done without hypocrisy unless one also condemned the far greater violence of the U.S. war machine in Vietnam. When governments decide political problems can be solved through violence, it is no surprise their citizens reach the same conclusion.

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!

WRL at 95: Redefining our Base, Building our Power

“We’re acknowledging the many ways militarization shows up in our lives and neighborhoods.”
by Eleanor J. Bader | October 24, 2018

What kind of world are we trying to build and whose leadership should we look to in these times? Read how WRL's been internally shifting after 95 years of antiwar movement building, and the directions we need to take into the future to create the world we need:

A Message from Movement Elder, Mandy Carter

I graduated high school in the summer of 1966 in Central New York during the tail ends of the Civil Rights Movement and during the height of the U.S.-led wars in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. That summer, almost 400,000 men were drafted. Having lived and been raised in two orphanages and a foster home, I left New York and hitchhiked my way to California to attend the Institute for the Study of Nonviolence. I was barely out of my teens when I was first arrested at the Oakland Induction Center in 1967, the same year Dr. Martin Luther King gave his Beyond Vietnam speech. While in jail I was invited by a War Resisters League West staffer to a potluck - my very first introduction to WRL.

A Death in the Family: David McReynolds, Pacifist, Socialist, Ailurophile

David McReynolds under arrest at "Shadows and Ashes" Direct Action for Nuclear Disarmament, New York City, April 28, 2015. Photo by Felton Davis

By Judith Mahoney Pasternak

A great force for a peaceful world left the planet when WRL's—and the nation's—David McReynolds, who for decades was the best-known voice of American radical pacifism, died August 17 of injuries from a fall in his East Village home. He was 88 and had spent almost 40 years on the staff of the War Resisters League as a self-described “movement bureaucrat.”

Bill Koehnlein Presente!

WRL celebrates the life - and mourns the loss - of Bill Koehnlein, who passed in November of last year, and was an inspiration and dear friend to many of us. Rest in Power Bill!

Celebrating the Life of Bill Koehnlein
Saturday, March 24, 2018
Saint Mark's Church in-the-Bowery
Parish Hall
131 East 10th Street (at Second Avenue)
New York, NY 10003
1:00-4:00PM

"What's Next"? We Hope More Nonviolent Campaigns!

“What next?” The big question after our weekend of resistance. Movements are made of large demos, lobbying and grassroots campaigns. But nonviolent actions are most effective as part of nonviolent campaigns and we need build our skills to build campaigns.

Thanks to all who gave this #GivingTuesday!

Thanks to all who participated, helping WRL to raise $4,455 for nonviolent resistance!

WRL History