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Previous Events

2010

• March for Human Rights July 29: MPJC will participate in this march to bring an end to racial profiling. Thursday, July 29th is the day the Arizona immigration law takes effect. Folks will gather at the Jon Hunt Plaza in front of Morris Civic Auditorium at 4:30pm, and walk past Rep Donnelly's office to deliver a petition, past the Count Court House, and down Washington to the Civil Rights Center, arriving about 6:00pm. All are welcome. Call Peter at 574-289-2126 for more information.
  
  
  
• August 6 Hiroshima Day Protest: MPJC will gather at the corner of Colfax and Michigan at 11:00 on August 6 to have a presence at the 1st Friday celebration to remind folks of the horrendous anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. All are welcome to participate. Call Lois at 574-231-8971 for more information.
  
  
  
• MPJC Float in Memorial Day Parade: MPJC will have a float (#102) in the parade on Monday, May 31. Folks should gather at Navarre School on Western Ave. between 8:30 and 8:45. The theme of our float is "Bring them home - Treat them right." All are welcome to participate. Call Pam at 289-8736 for more information.
  
  
  
• Peaceable Assembly Campaign: MPJC will support this campaign outside the White House to demand alternatives to U.S. militarism from Jan 19 - February 2. (See www.peaceableassemblycampaign.org). The campaign is asking local groups who cannot go to DC to establish a daily presence at their representative or Senator's office and/or the federal building during these 11 days. We decided to ask folks to sign up to visit Donnelly's and Bayh's offices so that there will be a visit from a pair of peace folks each day. There will be a sign-up calendar at https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AdEsofg-O9uQZGRmdHRndHNfNGNjdjhocjd2&hl=en Be sure to click "Save and Close" after you insert your name. We hope we can get new people to visit. Call Lois at 574-231-8971 to volunteer for a day if you prefer a call to the internet signup.
  
  
• Little Taste of Peace: Saturday, January 16th, 6:30-9:00pm at New Horizon's Outreach Ministry, 56165 Mayflower Road, South Bend, 46619 (1/3 mile north of Western). All are welcome to attend. Please bring a dessert or other finger food to share and participate in a coversation on current problems and solutions that can help to build Dr. King's dream. Please RSVP to Pam Blair 574-284-4061 or pblair@saintmarys.edu.
  
  
• Martin Luther King Birthday Celebration: MPJC will have a table all day at Century Center on Monday January 18th. Please contact Lois Clark if you can help staff the table for an hour or two (574-231-8971). We usually join the walk from the County City building to Century Center. The festivities for this walk start about 11:45am in the County City building lobby. Tickets for the evening program are available. Admission is free but you must have a ticket. Call Lois for more information. Please join us.
  
  

2009

• December 10 - International Human Rights Day in Michiana: Health Care is a Human Right!: MPJC is cosponsoring this event which marks the anniversary of the signing in 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a globally accepted set of principles regarding human rights. A panel of health care experts and community leaders will speak about the right to health care and efforts to protect this right. Professor Kevin James, a sociologist and newly appointed director of the Civil Rights Heritage Center, will report on upcoming plans for the Center.
  Date: Thursday, December 10, 2009, 7:00 PM-9:00 PM
  Location: United Steel Workers 1191 hall located at 125 S. Hill Mishawaka.
  Contacts: Joe Carbone, Jobs with Justice: 574-292-8137, and Jackie Smith, Michiana Social Forum: 574-631-2640; 574-233-3928
  
  
• Kathy Kelly Talk December 4: Kathy Kelly, founder of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, is a former high school theology teacher who has organized 70 delegations to Iraq, personally leading 26 of them between 1996 and 2003, delivering medicine and humanitarian aid in defiance of economic sanctions. She will be the featured speaker at Our Lady of the Road Catholic Worker first Friday gathering, 744 South Main, South Bend, IN Friday, December 4th @ 7:45 pm. All are welcome to join in for the entire evening: [6:00pm Mass + 7:00pm potluck + 7:45pm Kathy Kelly ] Any donations of money, coffee, creamer, travel toiletries, hats, socks, and gloves would greatly assist in their ministry to those coming to our drop-in for meals, laundry, showers, and overnight "Weather amnesty" shelter from November through April.
  
  
• Health Care Reform Rally: MPJC will cosponsor this rally on October 10 at l:30 p.m. in front of the Morris Civic Auditorium downtown South Bend at Colfax and Michigan. Come if you support Health Care Reform and wish to know more about it. Sponsoring groups include MPJC, unions, Change that Works, MoveOn and more. All are welcome. More information will be available via the list serv or by calling Ellyn at 574-289-2126.
  
  
• Hiroshima/Nagasaki Remembrance: MPJC will sponsor a gathering at 11:30am, Friday, August 7, in front of the Morris Auditorium, during the music at the fountain series. All are welcome. More information will be available via the list serv or by calling Lois at 574-231-8971.
  
  
• June 12 Friday by the Fountain: MPJC will hand out leaflets promoting publicly-funded universal healthcare at 11:30am in the plaza in front of the Morris Auditorium. Please join us.
  
  
• June 13 Gun Buyback: MPJC will contribute $75 to purchase one gun at this year's buyback. Others are urged to contribute to this violence reducing event. For more information, contact Glenda Rae at 574-287-7715.
  
  
• June 19 Red Table Plaza Lunchtime Concert Series: MPJC will hand out leaflets prepared by Physicians for Social Rewsponsibility (PSR) regarding children having access to guns in homes. We will meet at 11:30am at Jefferson and Michigan. For more information, contact Lois at 574-231-8971.
  
  
• May 9 Homeward Bound Walk: MPJC will walk as a group in this 5K walk to raise money for agencies helping the homeless, leaving the Hall of Fame at 9:00am on Saturday, May 9. To sign up for the walk and collect pledges, call Glenda Rae, 574-287-7715.
  
  
• April 4 Vigil to Commemorate the Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: MPJC will commemorate this event and remember the causes he fought for, especially an end to war, at our regular Saturday vigil. See below for details.
  
  
• April 15 Tax Day Protest: MPJC will sponsor a vigil and leafleting from 6pm to midnight on Wednesday, April 15, at the main downtown post office in South Bend. Folks are welcome to spend an hour of two during that time period. Call Lois at 574-261-5493 for more information and to sign up for a time.
  
  
• April 18 Forum for Economic Development: MPJC will have a table at this forum on Saturday, April 18, at Wycamp Hall, IUSB. Please attend and support this effort. For more information, call Lois at 574-261-5493.
  
  

2008

• Thursday, October 30 - St Marcellus Day. Folks will gather at 1:50pm at the Civil War Monument, Battell Park, 301 Mishawaka Ave in Mishawaka. We will walk and pray for peace along the river from Mishawaka to South Bend. At 4pm we will gather at Seitz park between the East Race and the dam off Niles Ave (rain site Zion United Church of Christ, 715 E. Wayne) for a dramatic reenactment of the St. Marcellus Story along with testimonies of several conscientious objectors. There will be a soup supper at 5:30pm at First Unitarian Church at Michigan and North Shore. The day will end with a prayer service at 7pm in the Basilica, Notre Dame campus, featuring a keynote address by Fr. Richard Rohr on "A New Consciousness for Peacemaking." See www.cpnv.net or call 574-291-0924 for more information.

• Sunday, September 21 - International Day of Peace. There will be an interfaith prayer service at 8am at St. Peter's United Church of Christ at 915 N Ironwood, South Bend. The interfaith service will have prayers by Jewish, Christian, Bahai and Muslim leaders. A joint Proclamation by the Mayors of South Bend and Mishawaka proclaiming Sept. 21 as "an International Day of Peace throughout the cities of South Bend and Mishawaka and urges all government departments and agencies, organizations, schools, places of worship and individuals in our cities to commemorate, in an appropriate manner, the International Day of Peace. This may include community service projects, cultural exhibits and performances, a moment of silence, ringing of bells, sharing the universal wish "May Peace Prevail On Earth," vigils, religious services in our places of worship, and other education and public awareness activities in order to establish a global day of peace in our homes, our communities and between nations." See http://www.internationaldayofpeace.org/

• September 27 is a national day of action to stop a war on Iran. Since it is a Saturday, we decided to devote our Saturday vigil from 1 to 2 pm at Grape and Cleveland to this issue.

• October 1-10 is the 3rd annual week of nonviolence throughout Iraq to oppose corruption and violence. Groups in over 100 governates are participating. We decided to stand in solidarity with these brave Iraqis.

• Remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Gather by the Morris Civic Theater on Friday, August 8, between 11:30 and 1:30 to ask folks to give their opinion about building, stockpiling, and using nuclear weapons. Please come anytime in that time frame and stay as long as you can.
  
  
• Tax Day Vigil and Leafletting: April 15 is Tax Day. Members of Michiana Peace & Justice Coalition will be at the main post office in downtown South Bend from 4:00 PM - 7:30 PM. We will have flyers discussing the huge percentage of America's tax dollars that goes to war and the military. With 89% of the public believing that Iraq war spending is responsible for the economic problems in this country perhaps this is a good time to get this info disseminated. Please join us for an hour or two or as long as you can.
  
  
• On Wednesday, March 19, (the 5th anniversary of the start of the war) MPJC and other organizations will sponsor the following events:
  
  
• 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Holy Cross College reading of the names of the US casualties in Iraq/Afghanistan. Then at 5 p.m. ND and SMC students and a few from Holy Cross Village will meet at Holy Cross for the closing prayer and will start the march by 5:15. We will leave from the main building at the college (Vincent Hall). Parking should not be a problem in the main lot.
  
  
• 12 noon Haggar College Center Parlor at St. Mary's College - "A Journey of Faith: My Decision to Become a Conscientious Objector" is being presented by Daniel Baker, a Navy veteran and current member of the Catholic Worker House in South Bend. Baker was part of flight crew that served over Iraq and North Africa. He will share the personal journey that led him to ultimately seek conscientious objector status. Sponsored by the Justice Education Program.
  
  
• 1:00- 2:00 PM Fieldhouse Mall Notre Dame University. Protest to mark the 5th anniversary of the Occupation of Iraq
  
  
• 7:00 PM Dooley Room, LaFortune Student Center Discussion: "What Can We Do to Call for Peace?" Notre Dame Peace Fellowship http://nd.edu/~pfellow? A discussion on personal and conscientious action in our everyday work, play and way of life.
  
  
• 6-8 p.m. So. Bend area: rally/vigil in front of Morris Civic. Speakers: Kathy Liggett/Wes Liggett/David Cortright/Charlotte Pfeifer/Bob Warnock/Veidre Thomas; Music by David James and Joe Taschetta
  
  
• "Faith Seeking Peace" - Thursday, 7pm, March 13, at Saint Mary's College Bobbi Wrenn Banks will lead this workshop. Contact Sierra at scompo01@saintmarys.edu for more info.
  
  
• Storyteller Bobbi Wrenn Banks will perform at chapel on Friday, 11:45am, March 14, at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary Call Ginny at 574-296-6210 for more info. At 6:30 that evening, WAND will host a potluck for Banks. Call Karen at 574-206-5753 for more info
  
  
• "The Great American Pie Chart: Our Money, Our Priorities" - Saturday, 9am, March 15, at a buffet breakfast at Old Country Buffet* (NOT Peddler's Village), 4024-12 U.S. 33 (near Staples and Wal-Mart). Presented by Bobbi Wrenn Banks. Contact Shari at skmellin@comcast.net for more info. From 1pm to 3pm that day at the Cristina Creek Country Club in Elkhart, WAND will host "Messages with Wings," a roundtable of women's groups for the purpose of networking.
  
  
• "Don't Feel Hopeless Anymore" - a workshop on redirecting your income tax dollars This will be held from 3-5pm on Saturday, March 15, in the Dickinson Room of the downtown public library. Bobbi Wrenn Banks will do a pesentation on income tax priorities at 4:30pm. For more information, contact Peter Smith at 574-289-2126



• Michiana Call to Action, January 19-26, 2008 MPJC day in this week to foster a Social Forum in Michiana is Monday, January 21. We will have a table at Century Center with literature about counter-recruitment and Conscientious Objection for military personnel. We will prepare two big signs with an image of MLK and the words ":The Iraq War- What Would Dr. King Do?" We will carry these as well as our banner in the walk from City County Building to Century Center, gathering at 11:30am. The signs will also be available at the table and in the vigil and march from Donnelly's office, on Colfax between Main and Lafayette, to Bayh's office, to the federal building starting at 4:00pm that day. We will read MLK's speech about the Vietnam war outside Donnelly's office as part of the vigil there. Folks are welcome to stay for the regular weekly vigil at the Federal Building (see below). Bring your own sign or share ours. These are nonviolent protests. We show respect for all participants and passers-by. All who share our concerns are welcome to participate.
  
  There are other events during the week that we need to support. There is a Jobs with Justice action on workers rights, Wednesday, 5-6pm at the South Bend Housing Authority. On Saturday there is a gathering from noon to 4:30pm at the downtown library where the Social Forum will be described and the organizations which participated during the week will describe their campaigns. MPJC will be one of these organizations. For more information see www.michianasocialforum.org

2007

• Monday, December 17, 4-5 pm - Vigil at Rep. Donnelly's office Colfax St. next to the South Bend Tribune office between Main and Lafayette, downtown South Bend. Our message is no funding the Iraq war without a firm deadline for withdrawal. About 4:45 we will move the protest to Sen. Bayh's office on the northeast corner of Main and Jefferson. Folks are welcome to stay for the regular weekly vigil at the Federal Building (see below). Bring your own sign or share ours. These are nonviolent protests. We show respect for all participants and passers-by. All who share our concerns are welcome to participate.



• South Bend City Council Passes Peace Resolution: The South Bend Common Council passed a resolution designating September 21 as the International Day of Peace in South Bend, IN. Earlier, at the Arlington Midwest prayer service, the mayors of Mishawaka and South Bend had issued a similar proclamation.
  
  
• DAYS OF DECISION - DECLARATION OF PEACE: In concert with peaceful actions at Congressional offices all over the country, members of the Michiana Peace and Justice Coalition announce a Declaration of Peace rally and vigil outside of Rep. Donnelly’s South Bend Office at 207 West Colfax Avenue in South Bend, Indiana. Beginning Saturday, Sept. 15 from Noon to 1 pm and continuing every week day at 4 pm, vigils and rallies will be held to demand that Rep. Donnelly, and Senators Evan Bayh and Richard Lugar, hold President Bush accountable, to end the occupation of Iraq, and begin safely redeploying troops out of Iraq. Please join with us as often as you can and call Donnelly, Bayh and Lugar NOW regarding funding ONLY a redeployment and an end to the occupation.

  Friday, September 21 is the International Day of Peace. The following churches will be open for prayer on Friday:

  • First United Methodist, 333 N Main St., S. B. Chapel open from Noon to 1 P.M.
  • Epworth United Methodist, 2404 LWW, Chapel open 5:30 - 6:30 P.M. (Handicap entrance from Bond St.)
  • St. Augustine's 1501, W. Washington, 10:30 A.M. - 2 P.M.
  • Prince of Peace Church of the Brethren, 53105 N Ironwood, 5:30-7:30 P.M. open for prayer. Candlelight vigil at 7:30pm.
  
  From noon to 5pm on September 21, the Art Center across LWW from the Charles Martin center will be open for folks to make pinwheels for peace. Bring some new pencils and attach the pinwheels to them. Then bring the pinwheels to the crop walk on September 30. Church World Service will send them to kids in Africa who can use the pencil after the pinwheel wears out.
  
  At Stonehenge (Clarke Memorial Fountain) on the campus of Notre Dame, there will be a rally for awareness of the International Day of Peace. 11-1 Friday
  
  There will be a table in Madeleva and at the Saint Mary's College Student Center until 2 p.m. for those who wish to make a pinwheel. At 12 noon there will be a prayer vigil on Alumnae Green.
  
  
• Arlington Midwest Memorial showing the "Human Cost of War": MPJC will help set up and take down this project sponsored by the Northwest Ohio Peace & Justice Coalition on the west side of US 933 in front of Holy Cross Village and across from WNDU. Brothers of Holy Cross have worked diligently to make this site available for the exhibit. The project will be erected on Thursday August 30 starting at 2:30pm and will be up through Sunday Sept. 2 at 2:30. Help is needed both Thursday and Sunday and volunteers will also be needed during the day Fri-Sun to attend the project, answer questions from passersby, etc. There will be a volunteer tent with brochures and other information. If you can help, please let Kathy Liggett know your availability by
  contacting her on cell 574-220-0846 or at kaligg52@comcast.net
  There will be a prayer vigil Sunday at 7:30 a.m. at the site. Take this opportunity over 4 days to learn and to reflect upon the "Human Cost of War"
  
  
• Vigils re Human Cost of War and Stand Up in September: MPJC will join with others on Tuesday, August 28, at 8:00pm across from the Morris Center for Performing arts on Michigan St., downtown South Bend. All are welcome to attend.
  For our Michigan constituants, there will be a Candle Light Vigil at Whittaker and Hwy 12, New Buffalo. Please meet at the traffic light in New Buffalo at 8:15. Bring a candle and something to keep it from blowing out in the wind. Bring a sign if you like. PLEASE bring your friends and neighbors.
  There will also be a candlelight vigil at Main St. & Lincoln Av (Elkhart County Court House) in Goshen at 7pm.
  
  
• Night Out Against Crime: MPJC will have a table at this event from 6-8pm, Tuesday, August 7, at Howard Park in South Bend (south of Jefferson on the east side of the river). Our focus is to get rid of nuclear weapons and stop the war in Iraq, the ultimate sources of violence in our society. Contact Lois at 574-231-8971 for more information.
  
  
• Meeting with Senator Bayh: MPJC will join with the Indiana Peace Community at the Crown Point Government Center at 6pm (EDT) (5pm CDT), Monday, August 21, in a town hall style meeting with Senator Bayh. Call Kathy Liggett 574.220.0846 for details.
  
  
• March of the People Rally: MPJC will cosponsor this event on Wednesday, June 27, 7-8pm in front of the Morris Performing Arts Center at Colfax and Michigan. This rally is in support of the March of the People to end the war in Iraq. The march is being led by a young man from Chicago, Mario Penalver, who is walking from Chicago to Washington, DC (over 800 miles) to call attention to the many Americans who want to see the war end now. Much of the time he is walking alone and a warm welcome here in South Bend would be terrific. The number of our kids killied in Iraq now numbers 3,560 with conditions becoming more dire every day.
  
  
• Emergency Veto Rally: MPJC will participate in this rally, sponsored by AAEI at 7pm on Wednesday, May 2, in front of the Morris Performing Arts Center, St. Joseph Street, South Bend, to protest the Bush veto of legislation setting a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. Please join us in making some noise and telling the president that he cannot ignore our voices. (Bring pots and pans and other safe noise makers if you can.) "Can you hear us Mr. Bush?"
  
  
• Cindy Sheehan South Bend Visit: Cindy Sheehan (Peace Mom and Anti-war activist) will speak at St Mary's College, South Bend in Carroll Auditorium (Madeleva Hall) on Thursday, April 12 from 10:30-11:30 am. The hall holds about 300. Please spread the word to everyone in our peace community, so we can give Cindy the warm welcome she deserves.
  
  
• Midwest Summit in Indy April 13,14: Folks at IUPUI and in the Indiana Peace and Justice Network have been working tirelessly to arrange great workshops and speakers including Cindy Sheehan and James Yee. There is no charge to attend and local folks will graciously help with housing. (Donations will be accepted if you are able to pitch in). You can get more information about the schedule and register at this website. http://www.mpjs.org/
  
  
• Tax Day Vigil and Leafletting, April 17: MPJC is cosponsoring this annual event at the main post office downtown South Bend. Folks will gather between 4 and 7:30pm on Tuesday, April 17, to greet last minute tax return mailers and tie in the war in Iraq with the 50% of their tax dollar that goes to the military. If you can come for an hour or two during this time, please call Peter at 574-532-3720, to help him plan better. Whether you call or not, come out and support the war tax resisters in the community. Peter is a war tax`resistance counselor if you have questions. For more information go to www.nwtrcc.org.
  
  
• Iraq War Anniverary Events: March 19 is the 4th anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq. There are national actions in D.C. and solidarity actions here at home. They are:
  • Vigil of worship, prayer, reflection, and song around the Peace Pole in our outdoor Peace Garden on Friday, March 16 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Hively Avenue Mennonite Church, 800 East Hively Ave, Elkhart, Indiana
  • Candlelight vigil on Friday, March 16, from 9:00 pm to 9:30 pm, outside the Plymouth United Church of Christ (Main St. and Plymouth Ave, Goshen). Refreshments and fellowship in the church will follow. Please bring your own candle and a shield from the wind for the candle (i.e. paper cup).
  • Vigil to commemorate the 4th anniversary of the Iraq war, especially remembering those who have died on both sides of the conflict. March 17, 2007, 5-6pm, in the parking lot in the 100 block on E. Main Street, Marcellus, MI. Contact: Roxane Ewert, 269 646 2421 at rjewert@earthlink.net
  • Regular MPJC anti-war vigil at Grape and Cleveland, 1-2p.m., Saturday, March 17. See below for details
  • Wilma Harder is going to do an especially anti-war show on A Women's Circle on Sunday, March 18. A Women's Circle airs from 6-7 PM Sunday nights on WGCS FM 91.1. If you have trouble tuning in on your radio, try the live stream on the internet at http://www.globeradio.org/ .
  • The Eyes Wide Open exhibit will be at IUSB on Monday 3/19, 9 am - 6 pm, on the lawn near Mishawaka Ave. Sponsored by Students for Common Sense of IUSB. They will be reading names of the dead and can use readers. Contact Jennifer if you can spare an hour or so. Jhlawacz@iusb.edu
  • Regular MPJC anti-war vigil at Main and Jefferson, South Bend, 5-6pm, Monday, March 19.
  • !!!!Honor Their Sacrifice Candlelight Vigil, Monday, March 19, 2007, 7-8pm, in front of the Morris Performing Arts Center (Public area along St. Joseph Street), South Bend!!!!
  • The Eyes Wide Open exhibit will be at Notre Dame on Tuesday 3/20, 8am - 7pm, on the lawn near O'Shaughnessy Hall (Progressive Student Alliance of Notre Dame)
  
  
• Vigil in Solidarity with March in DC: Gather at the cemetery corner of Grape and Cleveland from 1-2pm on Saturday, January 27, to protest Bush's troop surge and pressure Congress to take a stand on ending the war and bringing the troops home quickly. This vigil, as well as the one every Monday (see below) will continue until the war is ended.
  
  
• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day March and Table: Gather at the County-City building lobby at 11:30am on Monday, January 15, for the start of the march. We will walk to Century Center arriving about 12:45. MPJC will have a table focusing on counter-recruitment from 8am - 4pm in Convention Hall C. Please stop by and help out if you can.
  
  
• No to Torture NO MORE WAR: Demonstration on the greenspace in front of Morris Civic from 5-6pm, Thursday, January 11, to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the prison camp at Guantanamo and to say NO to President Bush's call for escalation of the Iraq war. Please join us. Bring candles or flashlights. For the press release and pictures click here. More than 150 people attended and all three TV networks covered the event
  
  

2006

• Election Information for November 7: The League of Women voters www.lwvin.org/vote.htm has an excellent web site giving information on the voting requirements for the upcoming election. We recommend that you visit this site and print out some of the helpful forms and guides, so you can inform folks you come in contact with. Remember, you must have an ID to vote in this election. If you attend any pre-election candidate sessions, you may want to bring along the questions for candidates that we approved at one of our summer meetings.
  
  
• St. Marcellus Day Activities: The Center for Peace and Nonviolence will join MPJC at the regular Monday vigil on October 30. Before the vigil folks will gather at 4pm in Seitz Park for a welcome by Mayor Luecke and a one-act play about conscientious objection. After the vigil there will be a simple meal at the First Unitarian Church followed by a prayer service and talk by Bishop Gumbleton in Sacred Heart Church on the Notre Dame Campus. For more information email brennacussen@yahoo.com
  
  
• Hiroshima/Nagasaki Day Vigils: MPJC will vigil from noon to 1pm on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, August 7-9, at the corner of Michigan and Jefferson in downtown South Bend. All are welcome to participate. The main activity will be convincing passersby to write comments to President Bush and Representative Chocola about issues of concern to them. We will post the comments on a large board. There will be leafletting and sign holding as well. Contact Lois at phoebe22_98@yahoo.com for more information or to volunteer to attend one or more of the vigils.
  
  There will be an expanded vigil on Monday, August 7, from 5-6 at the Federal Building (See below) to protest U.S. stockpiling of and threats to use nuclear weapons.
  
  
• Women's issues: A Participatory Forum Tuesday, April 25, 2006 7 - 8:30 p.m. Room 223 Student Activity Center, Indiana University of South Bend, Corner of Mishawaka Ave and S. 20th Street, South Bend, IN 46634. Second Congressional District candidates Joseph Donnelly(D), Steve Francis(D), Chris Chocola(R)*, and Tony Zirkle(R) will address issues especially important to women. (*invited, response pending) Listen, participate, evaluate, and decide. Vote on May 2 in the General Primary at a ballot box near you. Sponsored by the IUSB Office of Campus Diversity, the Office of Student Services, and the Michiana Peace and Justice Coalition. For more information, call Ellyn Stecker at 574-532-8166 or email etstecker@earthlink.net Click here for Event flyer
  
  
• "Migrant Rights March" Monday, April 10, 10:00 a.m. Gather in front of the Morris Performing arts Center, Michigan and Colfax, downtown South Bend. Sponsored by Michiana Immigrant Coalition and MPJC. The march is in favor of humane legislation for our immigrant neighbors. Lets put an end to unjust bills such as HR 4437. For more information and details, stay tuned to Sabor Latino 98.1 FM, your local radio station. Click here for Event flyer
  
  
• "Tax Day Vigil and Leafletting" Monday, April 17, 6:00 p.m. - midnight, Main Post Office, Western and St. Joseph, downtown South Bend. Lois Clark (574-231-8971) is coordinating this event. Please call her if you can spent 1-2 hours on April 17th protesting the amount of money spent on war and militarism. There is usually a steady stream of cars waiting to mail tax returns.
  
  
• Statewide Peace Rally Saturday, March 18, 1 p.m. at Monument Circle, Downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. See the website: www.hoosiersforpeace.org for information. Hoosiers for Peace Rally will mark the third year of an unjust war. Hoosiers will have an opportunity to contact their representatives, listen to distinguished speakers, hear inspirational music, and network with others who are against the war and interested in promoting peace. The rally will be family friendly and the fo cus will be on how families are affected by war i.e. loosing their loved ones, and a plea to representatives to reset budget priorities with the needs of the family in mind. The theme is Honor the Dead, Heal the Wounded, End the War. Sponsors: Progressive Indiana, Indianapolis Peace and Justice Center, Bloomington Peace Action Coalition, Veterans for Peace. Contact Info: Heather Allen-Garde heather@hoosiersforpeace.org
  
  
• Stop the U.S. War on Iraq! Converge on Federal Plaza in Chicago Saturday, March 18 at 12 noon Feeder March to Rally at Union Park. For more info call 773-463-0311 or http://www.chicagoanswer.net. From Iraq to New Orleans: Fund People's Needs, Not the War Machine! End Colonial Occupation: Iraq, Palestine, Haiti, ... ! Bring all the Troops Home Now! On Saturday, March 18 people all over the world will hit the streets to protest the U.S. war on Iraq. In Chicago there will be a day of action with community marches, a rally in Union Park, a Festival for Civil Rights in the evening along Michigan Avenue and many other actions. ANSWER Chicago, in conjunction with globally coordinated local actions, is calling for people to Converge on Federal Plaza in Chicago at 12 noon on Saturday, March 18. On the 3rd anniversary of the war, let's send a clear message to the Bush Administration, Congress, Wall Street and the Pentagon that we will continue to resist their unpopular war. The political climate and popular opinion in the U.S. have turned dramatically against the war and the Bush administration is on the defensive. A new poll shows that more than 52% of Americans believe that Bush should be impeached. We have the momentum. Now is the time to make the international actions against the war as big and powerful as possible. United and determined, the people can stop the war!
  
  
• Protest Events Surrounding Bush Visit The Working Families Coalition of Michiana (WFCM) is planning a series of events as follows:
  • Wednesday, Feb 22 John Young School, 1801 N. Main, Mishawaka is confirmed as the location for the Feb. 22nd rally. The rally will begin at 6:30 pm. A band called "Nice Save" will start playing (for free) at 5:00 pm for the entertainment of those who would like to arrive early. The Quaker Boots Project will display 300 pairs of boots outside the school, representing the National Guardsmen killed in Iraq. Representatives from various groups will give two-minute introductions to the speakers, who will each speak for about five minutes. Cindy Sheehan is not yet confirmed as a speaker. The overall slogan for the event is "Together We Can Do Better."
  • Thursday, Feb 23 The meeting place for the walking informational picket--let's hope it becomes a major demonstration--is Local 365, 2405 Edison Road (just down from the junction with Ironwood, near the Post Office). The unions have arranged for buses to transport people from Local 365 to the parking lot for the old Target store on McKinley and Hickory, starting at 8am. People can also make their own way, of course. To get to the Target parking lot from the Notre Dame toll road entrance 77, turn right at the light and take the next left on Douglas. Follow Douglas to Ironwood (2nd light) and turn right. Follow Ironwood a couple of miles to the light at McKinley and turn left. In about a half mile (after the S curve) you will see an entrance on the left which has a signboard without the sign. Turn in here and follow the road back to the parking area. It is best to enter from McKinley west of Hickory/Logan since the Hickory entrance may be closed. If you are coming from the east, take McKinley past Logan to the entrance which will be on your right. Bush will probably arrive before noon. MPJC folks can gather by our banner after 10am. You can call 574-532-3720 for last minute updates.
• Camp Casey is set up at 1501 West Washington St until Jan. 22 Several groups in South Bend are hosting a "Camp Casey" - similar to the Camp that grew up around Cindy Sheehan when she went to Texas to protest the war on behalf of her son Casey, who was killed in Iraq. The purpose for the South Bend camp is to engage in respectful dialog about ending the war. Please look at the web log and come to as many of the activities as you can.

  Elkhart and Fort Wayne held Camp Caseys last fall. See the Elkhart blog at www.elkhartcampcasey.blogspot.com.
  

  2005

• "Opt-Out" Coffee House: Hear what's been going on in peace efforts at area high schools, listen to music, hang out with friends, and enjoy New Orleans' style coffee! Friday, October 28th from 8 to 11 PM at Chicory Café, Corner of Michigan and Jefferson, Downtown South Bend. Featuring Rayniel Rufino: A teenage rap artist and peace activist from New York City, and Joshua Casteel: Eight-year army veteran who spent a year as an interrogator at Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq, and recently was discharged as a conscientious objector. Download and print the flier for this event.
  
  
• Justice Fair: Here is a justice fair that will look specifically at globalization and how it affects our lives and the lives of the world. It is Saturday October 29, 2005 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Good Shepherd Montessori School, 1101 East Jefferson Boulevard, South Bend, IN 46617 (First floor of First Christian Church/Corner of Jefferson and Eddy). Talk and Panel Discussion at 11:00 AM; Main Speaker: Jackie Smith: "South Bend and the World: How Globalization Affects the Way We Live." Jackie Smith is the author of a forthcoming book entitled, "Changing the World: Social Movements in a Global System" and Associate Professor of Sociology and Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Download and print the flier for this event.
  
  
• Wednesday, October 26th, 6:30-7:30pm Candlelight Vigil commemorating the 2,000 troops killed so far in Iraq. Two Sites: the Cemetery corner of Cleveland and Grape Road near University Park Mall, and the area in front of the Morris Civic Auditorium on Michigan between Colfax and LaSalle downtown. Bring friends, signs, a candle. Park in one of the bank parking lots on the other corners if you come to the Grape Road vigil.
  
  
• "Rally for Peace" Saturday, September 24, 3:00-4:00 p.m., Morris Civic Fountain Plaza, Michigan and Colfax, downtown South Bend, Indiana Speakers: Robert Warnock, president, St. Joseph Valley Central Labor Council; Tony Flora, secretary, St. Joseph Valley Central Labor Council; Professor Rosalind Clark, Saint Mary’s College; Others speakers to be announced; Music by Joe Taschetta Print and distribute the following flyer
  
  
• "Let Me Decide" High School Student Planning Evening WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH, 6-8 PM, ROBINSON COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER (921 N. EDDY ST, SOUTH BEND). A follow-up to the successful August 18th Pizza Party, this gathering is for High School students interested in developing a plan of action to encourage students to opt-out of giving military recruiters access to their school records. Pizza and Ice Cream will be served. Print and distribute the flier
  
  
• "Why Does the U.S. Need the United Nations?" Panel & Discussion What every citizen should know about The UN World Summit & Millennium Development Goals: Thursday, September 8, 7:00-9:00 p.m., St. Joseph County Public Library, 304 S.Main, South Bend, Colfax Auditorium **Event is free and open to the public** Panelists: Anna Garcia Rodicio Visiting Research Fellow, The Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame & former Researcher at the UNHCR Spanish Committee/Globalitaria in Madrid; Paul Mishler Assistant Professor of Labor Studies, Indiana University South Bend; George A. Lopez Professor of Political Science and Senior Fellow, The Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame. Print and distribute the following flyer
  
  
• "Hiroshima and Nagasaki - 60 Years Later: We Are Still in the Shadows of Nuclear Weapons": MPJC is dedicating the vigil on Monday, August 8, from 5-6 at Main and Jefferson to protest the production, testing, refurbishing, and threats to use nuclear weapons. Please join us as we commemorate the 60th anniversary of the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. If you can, bring a black paper cutout to simulate the shadows left after the Japanese in those cities were obliterated. Bring your own sign or use one of ours.
  
  
• Protect Our Youth/Let Me Decide: MPJC has joined with the Center for Peace and Nonviolence (CPNV) in a counter recruitment campaign. The focus of this effort is to encourage high school students and their parents to fill out and sign an opt-out form which will prevent the schools from sending student information to military recruiters. The "No Child Left Behind" law requires schools to release this information unless the opt-out form is submitted. On Thursday, August 18th, at 7 PM, CPNV will host an "Opt-Out" campaign planning evening and pizza party for leaders among high school youth. It will be held at Prince of Peace Church at Ironwood and Cleveland. Please call Brenna at 232-2295 if you can bring one or more high school students to the planning session.
  
  
• "Darfur: A Genocide We Can Stop": MPJC is aupporting the campaign to stop the genocide in Sudan. We will help vigil and leaflet each Sunday at the East Race near the Emporium parking lot when there is a concert at Seitz park. The gathering time is 3:30pm.
  
  
• Responding to the DARFUR Genocide: Thursday, June 23, at 7pm, at 122 MENDOZA BUSINESS BLDG on the Notre Dame Campus (Just west of the Football Stadium) Liz Fallon and Brenna Cussen from the Catholic Worker House will share information on this tragedy and suggest steps we can take to overcome it. For more information Click Here
  
  
• Potluck with Sheila Provencher: Monday, June 20, at 6:30pm at First United Methodist Church, 333 North Main St., South Bend. Bring a dish to pass and listen to Sheila talk about her recent 18 months in Iraq with the Christian Peacemaker Team. Come first to our weekly vigil from 5 to 6 at the Federal Building at Main and Jefferson. For more information Click Here
  
  
• March and Rally for Justice for the Latino Community Saturday, May 7. Gather at 9:30 at Madison Center on Niles Ave. March to Howard Park at 10:00am. 10:30 Rally at the park to demand amnesty for undocumented immigrants, end of discrimination in jobs and housing, and expanded bi-lingual education and increased educational opportunities. All marchers should bring one non-perishable food item (can) to support the food pantry at La Casa de Amistad. Sponsored by the Coalition for Cinco de Mayo, UNITE-HERE, NAACP. IUSB Latino Student Union, MECHA-ND, Latino Student Union-Washington High School, Jobs with Justice, St. Joe Valley Project, Michiana Coalition for Peace and Justice. For more information, please contact Jesusa Rodriguez at 574-340-6959
  
  
• April 15 Tax Protest and Leafletting from 6pm to midnight at the main South Bend post office at the corner of Monroe and Saint Joseph in downtown South Bend. We will stand with signs and hand out leaflets about where the tax money really goes to the thousands of last minute tax filers who line the street waiting to drop off their tax returns. Bring signs and banners or use ours. The signs should oppose policies and avoid personal attacks on people. Please contact Peter Smith at 574-289-2126 or email at psmith@saintmarys.edu if you can spend an hour or two at the post office on the evening of Friday, April 15.
  
  
• -- Midwest Peace Summit and Rally:
  
  
  • March 20 Anti-War Rally in Indianapolis
    Sign up for the bus to this rally to mark the second anniversary of the start of the Iraq War. See flyer for more details.
    
    
  • March 18-19 Midwest Peace Summit in Indianapolis
    Participate in this regional conference endorsed by a number of local groups. For schedule and housing information, see spii.usg.iupui.edu and click on peace summit info.
    
  
  
• Saturday, March 19, 12:30-2:30pm -- Special Anniversary Anti-War Vigil This is an expanded version of the Michiana Peace and Justice Coalition's weekly peace vigil at the corner of Grape and Cleveland in Mishawaka (where thousands of cars pass by each hour). At this 2-hr. vigil our signs will emphasize the 2-yr. anniversary of the war.
  
  Cemetery corner of Grape and Cleveland in Mishawaka, 12:30-2:30 PM.
  
  All are welcome, bring your own non-inflammatory signs, or use ours. Please commit to non-violence if you attend this event. For more information contact Zae Munn at zmunn@earthlink.net, 574-876-1402.

2004

• Friday, October 29th, 6:30-8pm -- Get Out To Vote Vigil at the corner of Colfax and St. Joseph streets in front of the Morris Civic Auditorium. Bring candles, signs, and banners. We gather to combat the climate of fear gripping the country and to gain motivation to get out and persuade folks to vote out Bush.
  
  

• The War in Iraq: One Year Later
  A Week of Witness: Monday 3/15/04 to Monday 3/22/04

  • Monday, 3/15, Vigil at Federal Building, Main & Jefferson, South Bend
  • Thursday, 3/18, Video: Uncovered:The Whole Truth About the Iraq War
  • Friday, 3/19, The Heartache of War: Understanding its Impact on People. An interfaith service of music, reflection, and solace offering prayer and support to those touched by war. Little Flower Church, 54191 Ironwood. Sponsored by the Center for Peace and Nonviolence.
  • Saturday, 3/20, South Shore Train trip to Chicago for 10:30 Anti-war Rally at Chicago
  • Monday, 3/22, Vigil at Federal Building, Main & Jefferson, South Bend

2003

• Monday, March 3rd, Lysistrata: A Theatrical Dissent Against the War on Iraq - Carroll Auditorium, St. Mary's College. This reading on March 3rd, as well as over 700 other readings in 40 nations around the world on this date, is an element of the Lysistrata Project, a theatrical dissent against the war on Iraq.
  

• Feb 15, MARCH FOR PEACE, South Bend IN - The Rev. CT Vivian, veteran of the civil rights movement and co-worker and friend of Martin Luther King, Jr, led the march, which started at St. Paul Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, went along Lincoln Way West, and assemble in a vacant lot for brief comments and a prayer. See photos of the South Bend march.
  
  
• Feb 13, Elkhart County Peace Rally (at Goshen Courthouse) in honor of Valentine’s Day. Sponsored by: PEACE, WAND of Northern Indiana, Peace and Justice Collaborative, GC Peace Justice and Conflict Studies, CMC Peace Center
  
  
• Feb 12, Saint Mary's College - "We Pray with Open Hands" - Sheila Provencher, a recent graduate of Notre Dame's Master of Divinity program, traveled to Iraq in December with Iraq Peace Journey, a delegation of U.S. Catholics. They met Iraqi children and families, Catholic sisters and priests, NGO directors, doctors, students and teachers.
  
  
• Jan 28 - A Firsthand Account of Life in Iraq - What Can We Do to Seek Peace Now? -
  Fr. Mike Baxter, professor of theology at Notre Dame, was part of a peace delegation to Iraq bringing medical supplies, building relationships, meeting with civil and religious officials, and Christian churches. His trip with Voices in the Wilderness was supported by Kern Road Mennonite Church and Little Flower.
  
  
• Jan 18 - MUSIC FOR PEACE: PERFORMANCE AND PROCESSION
  Local artists and church choirs presented music for peace at St. Joseph Catholic Church in longing for a peaceful resolution to the conflict with Iraq. A procession followed to the Zion United Church of Christ (near Howard Park) and concluded there with candlelighting and refreshments. This coincided with King holiday observances and a national demonstration for peace in Washington, DC., and was sponsored by the Center for Peace and Nonviolence and the Michiana Peace and Justice Coalition.

  Performers at this event included Vinny Carasco, Coro Celestial (St. Stephen's Parish), Rey Hernandez, John Kennedy, the Kentucky Woman, Molly Moon, St. Joseph Parish Children's Choir, St. Paul Bethel Baptist Mass Choir, and Joe Taschetta.

2002/01

• December 10 - Citizens Support Iraqi Families International Human Rights Day rally, Elkhart County Courthouse in Goshen.

• September 5 - Public Witness against War and Terrorism!
  We held a rally to send a message to President Bush when he appeared in South Bend to speak at the Chocola fundraiser. The United Steelworkers of America and other unions also held a rally following ours. We had an estimated crowd of 400 people, and the labor rally also was estimated at 4-500! View photos of the rally.

• Aug. 28th. MoveOn organized meeting with Haj Patel, Asst for Senator Bayh. Members of the Coaltion presented position statements opposing expansion of terrorism by the US into Iraq.
  
  
• April 18th Send-off for Notre Dame students going to the April 20 Washington DC Rally Against the War. We met in front of Tim Roemer's office to send them to DC in style.
  
• Peace Rally -- We sponsored a "Stop the Killing in Afghanistan" march and rally December 2nd. Over 100 people came to speak out against the war! During the rally we delivered this petition to Representative Tim Roemer's office. Check out the photos from the rally, or read the rally flyer and press release. We are also distributing some great anti-war flyers that are available for free on the War Resisters League's Website.
  
  
• Oct-Nov 2001 Kern Road Mennonite Church. Tuesday evening presentations on
  basic issues related to terrorism, Afghanistan and alternatives to military action.
  
  
• Nov. 18 Kern Road Mennonite Church, St. Joseph Catholic Church Peace and Justice Committee and more cosponsors: Nov. l8, 2001 “Faith Based Witness for Peace” in park at Morris Civic.

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