Alaska Peace Center Committed to nonviolent conflict resolution, working for peace within ourselves, our community, and our world

Today starts a week of actions

Imagine the benefits to Earth, People, Justice, and PEACE

if our government started to comply with the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons:

The $51.5 BILLION/YR our government spends on nuclear weapons

could be instead spent on improving life instead of preparing to destroy it!

Check out  https://www.icanw.org/nuclear_spending_get_the_facts  & actions planned across the world.

Come up with your own actions or participate in others’!

The Alaska Peace Center joins the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) promoting adherence to and implementation of the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. ICAN  is a coalition of non-governmental organizations in more than one hundred countries that was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its successful work getting the Treaty passed in 2017, ratified, and is continuing to work to get it implemented worldwide.

Thanks to all who came out to the Peace Feast at Pioneer Park early last month. The weather was awesome and so were the invited speakers. There is so much good work being done in our community. It is inspiring to find out about it and to discover the inter-relationships between small non-profits making life in Fairbanks better.

The next big thing on the horizon is the Tanana Valley State Fair, which runs from Friday, July 26th through Sunday, August 4th this year. We will have a booth at the Fair, as we have for many years! We once again need people to staff the booth and meet the public. This is an opportunity to be Present for Peace at the biggest social gathering in interior Alaska. It is a remarkable opportunity to deepen our own understanding of what we mean by “Peace” and to exercise our ability to be people of Peace. Volunteer for one, two, or three shifts, meet the people, ask folks their opinions and experiences on current and historic issues. It is a rare opportunity for genuine communication.

Dates: Friday July 26 – Sunday August 4
Shifts: noon-3pm; 3-6pm; 6-10pm

The current volunteer schedule sheet is here.

You should be able to follow the “Open with Google Docs” link and add your name directly to the schedule sheet. It would help if you would also provide an email address or phone number. Anyone uncomfortable with providing contact info on a publicly accessible document can put their name in the appropriate spots on the document and email contact information to us at info@alaskapeace.org. Those who don’t want to deal with Google Docs at all can email us information about which shifts you would like to cover and we’ll add it to the schedule (without contact info). We need to have at least one person per shift; it would be nice if we are able to have two people per shift. We really appreciate all of you who come out for this!

On another note, organizing the Peace Feast and maintaining a presence at events such as Earth Day, Arbor Day, the Tanana Valley Fair, and the Renewable Energy Fair requires a lot of organizing, a lot of help and enthusiasm from many people, and, yes, money. Maintaining a website, maintaining our obligations as a charitable entity in the State of Alaska, maintaining an office where we can keep things and organize from, publicizing our events, booth fees at the Fair, all require a certain amount of money. We greatly appreciate the people who have already responded financially to our recent newsletter. If you would like to make a donation you can send a check to Alaska Peace Center, 3535 College Road Suite 203, Fairbanks, AK 99709-3722 or donate through PayPal. We very much appreciate your support.

The 2024 issue of the Alaska Peace Center Newsletter is out! Kudos to editor Maia Genaux and all the contributors. You can view or download it here.

Vigil, Friday, May 31, 2024, 6 – 8 pm

Golden Heart Plaza

Join us for a tribute space for collective grief with consideration and warm invitation of all cultures, religions, spirituality, and practices.

We welcome signs, speeches, comfort items, and spiritual contributions.

View/download the flyer here.

Saturday, June 1, 2024, Noon to 2 pm at the Square Dance Pavilion, Pioneer Park

Celebrating Peacemakers in Our Community!

Free barbeque! Please bring a dish to share, but come anyway if you don’t have time to prepare something.

The Peace Feast is an opportunity to relax with friends in the summer sun and share ideas and interests. We encourage those with a passion for peace to get involved at the personal level to make a difference in our own community. We’ll be featuring short presentations from some of the many organizations working toward peace, justice, and sustainability in our community. The Square Dance Pavilion (aka picnic shelter) is between the Dance Hall and the the Pioneer Air Museum. Vehicles aren’t allowed in the Park after noon, so we will need to walk in from one of the entrances.

Dick Farris initiated the original Peace Feast in 2013, and it has become a tradition since then (we missed it in 2020 because of Covid). We provide the barbeque part. Bring a dish to share if you can, but there is always plenty of food so come anyway even if you don’t have time to bring anything.

The Alaska Peace Center works for peace, justice and sustainability – individually, in our community and globally – with a commitment to nonviolent conflict resolution. For more information, contact info@alaskapeace.org.

Due to a scheduling conflict our end-of-the-month potluck and presentation normally held on Friday evening will be held Saturday evening this month. It will be at the Alaska Peace Center Office (upstairs above the Fuji Steakhouse). The potluck begins at 5:30; the presentation at 6:30.

In 2018 we presented the 2014 movie “Doctrine of Discovery: Unmasking
the Domination Code”, focusing on the devastating legacy affecting
Native peoples within the US.

Saturday evening we’ll have a chance to hear other voices of Turtle Island — voices of many First Nations people of present day Canada.

We will be viewing the 2019 movie “Doctrine of Discovery: Stolen Lands, Strong Hearts”, beginning at 6:30 pm, both in-person at the APC office and via Zoom.

And we will begin the evening with a potluck, at 5:30 pm at the Alaska Peace Center office, 3535 College Rd, Suite 203, upstairs from the Fuji Steakhouse.

Join Zoom Meeting:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89515216442?pwd=Qdu5xN5LyRvK1MbtroEXGtIYhsgXBT.1

Meeting ID: 895 1521 6442
Passcode: 023930

Potluck and Discussion at the Peace Center Office

Room 203, stairs at the west end, beside Fuji Steakhouse

This month we’ll just have a potluck with no formal presentation or set agenda. It will be an opportunity for folks with an interest in peace, justice, and sustainability to relax, socialize, and talk about things that are going on in the world and in our community. There is a lot to be concerned about: Ukraine, Gaza, expanding nuclear weapons systems, and much more. There has also been a lot going on in our community, and the larger Alaskan community, working toward ameliorating these problems or at least speaking out about them.

We seem to get few opportunities to meet in person in a relaxed setting these days. If this happens to be an inconvenient evening to bring food, please come anyway. I’m sure there will be plenty.

February 23 at 7:00 pm via Zoom

Video: Sailing for a Nuclear-Weapons-Free World

The Golden Rule ship, which was used to stop nuclear weapons tests in 1958, has just completed an 11,000 mile voyage around the eastern U.S. Learn about the voyage, the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and measures you can take to stop the possibility of nuclear war. Helen Jaccard is the Project Manager, public speaker and a crew member of VFP’s Golden Rule historic anti-nuclear peace boat. She represents the Veterans For Peace Golden Rule Project to Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom and many anti-nuclear organizations. Helen writes about the environmental costs of war and militarism, specifically Sardegna, Italy and Vieques Island, Puerto Rico. As editor of Golden Rule News, she researches and writes about current nuclear issues.

The video is about an hour long. We will have a discussion afterward.

Learn more about the Golden Rule at: https://vfpgoldenruleproject.org/

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89515216442?pwd=Qdu5xN5LyRvK1MbtroEXGtIYhsgXBT.1

Meeting ID: 895 1521 6442
Passcode: 023930