TOMORROW, August 6 at 7pm Join us on the Burlington Waterfront to sing songs of peace and justice and at dusk we will launch the candle boats in solidarity with the Japanese people. They float candle boats to remember those who died and also as symbols of hope for a more peaceful world. The atomic bombing of Hiroshima took place on August 6, 1945 at 8:15am. Nagasaki was bombed three days later, August 9, 1945 at 11:05am.  

On April 24th, The Marshall Islands filed landmark cases in the International Court of Justice and US Federal District Court. The Claim: The nine nuclear-armed nations have failed to comply with their obligations, under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty and customary international law, to pursue negotiations for the worldwide elimination of nuclear weapons.

They act for the seven billion of us who live on this planet to end the nuclear weapons threat hanging over all humanity. Every one of us has a stake in this - sign the petition.

World leaders need to know it's the will of the people to reach Nuclear Zero.  
Be a hero for Nuclear Zero and add your voice today. Nuclear weapons threaten everything we love and treasure in this world. To protect humanity's future, we support the Marshall Islands, a small island nation who is courageously seeking to enforce the Nuclear Zero promise -- a world free of nuclear weapons. 

That is why we call upon the nuclear weapon nations to urgently fulfill their moral duty and legal obligation to begin negotiations for complete nuclear disarmament.

Zero is the only safe number of nuclear weapons on the planet.

On July 21, 2014, the United States filed a motion to dismiss the Nuclear Zero lawsuit that was filed by the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) on April 24, 2014 in US Federal Court.

The Canvas Peace Project 

On Sunday, August 10 at 5:00pm the Peace & Justice Center will host an informational meeting and Call to Artists presentation about the Canvas Peace Project (CPP). CPP exhibits are built from a coalition of artists working to raise awareness of decades of conflicts in the region of Sudan and South Sudan. The events centered on the exhibit raise funds for women's empowerment projects in Southern Sudan. CPP is currently seeking Vermonter artists to join other artists from around the country to exhibit new works created specifically for an event on October 18th at Skinny Pancake in Burlington, VT. Artists, activists and community members can learn more about the how to participate by coming to the informational meeting on August 10. 

"The exhibit at Skinny Pancake is part of a larger grassroots movement demonstrating that Vermont's artists stand in solidarity with the women of South Sudan and support their aspirations for education, freedom and equality," said Cynthia Davis, founder of CPP. "Over one hundred artists have answered the call to create and donate paintings for past exhibits. The paintings will depict both the beauty and the plight of South Sudanese and Sudanese women who have faced discrimination and violence for decades."

Cynthia Davis, founder of CPP, graduated from UVM in 1984. She is a decorative artist in Fairfield, Connecticut. As the mother of two children, Ben now 23 and Stephanie now 21, Cynthia always emphasized the importance of volunteerism and caring for the needs of others locally and abroad.  In high school Ben and Stephanie became involved in STAND, a student lead coalition for the prevention of genocide with a focus on the conflicts in Darfur. Through STAND Cynthia was introduced to one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, Gabriel Bol Deng, who founded his own organization to build a school in his war torn village in South Sudan. 

Cynthia spent 3 years on the board of Gabriel's organization, Hope For Ariang, and worked hard to help raise money to build the school. In 2011 she traveled with him to South Sudan. After meeting the women in the village and working with Gabriel closely, she became passionate about social causes focusing on women's empowerment in South Sudan.  In 2011 Cynthia also served as a Carl Wilkens Fellow and completed a year-long advocacy fellowship for genocide prevention. During her fellowship year, she realized that her personal passion for art was a powerful advocacy tool. She developed the Canvas Peace Project to share this idea with a other artists. Artists from around the world began to tell the story of decades of war in Sudan through their art.

"Through the CPP exhibits, the public learns about the history of devastation through the artists' brush. They see artists depict both the beauty and the plight of women affected by the region's conflicts," says, Davis. 

Skinny Pancake and the Peace & Justice Center offered to support the CPP event. Funds from the Burlington event will support SUDEF, an organization based in Burlington and teaching women's health education in South Sudan and Hope For Ariang.  As a UVM alumni, bringing the CPP exhibit to Burlington is especially significant for Cynthia. She hopes the event will also be meaningful to the local Sudanese community and raise awareness for the needs in their home country. Cynthia currently attends The School of International Training Graduate Institute in Brattleboro, VT. She has earned a professional certificate in Conflict Transformation and is currently a candidate for an MA in Service Leadership Management. More info: www.canvaspeaceproject.org 

Volunteer at Dismas House

In the 1970's a Catholic Chaplin named Jack Hickey and a group of college students volunteered their time at the local prison and found that although some men were able to go back home to families or friends many other prisoners had no one to count on and therefore no place to go once released.

Homelessness was and still is for many former prisoners the only option after prison. Dismas House was created as a place where former prisoners can have a bed, food, and support; a home.

Prisoners currently incarcerated in Vermont face a new housing challenge. If a suitable housing option cannot be found before their sentence is up they may be kept in prison for lack of residence. Dismas House is a powerful and effective community-oriented solution for those who have done their time and are waiting to transition out into society.

At Dismas we believe that community is about relationships; a place where former prisoners and society may find reconciliation and peace. Dismas residential staff also consist of Volunteers for Peace, AmeriCorp members, and college students. Our daily dinners are generously prepared by volunteer community members who quickly become our extended family.

We are always looking for volunteer cooks, new board members, and college student residents. Those looking to be board members or college students wanting to live at Dismas must fill out an application and may contact Kim Parsons. There is no application for prospective volunteer cooks and you may contact Sierra Flynn. You can also visit our website for a more detailed description of our mission, history, and how you can get involved.

August 6, Wednesday

• 8-8:30 am Hiroshima Day Silent Vigil to remember and honor the victims (hibakusha) of the Atom Bomb. For many years sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), the vigil has also called for the worldwide abolition of nuclear weapons. Today, more than 10,000 nuclear weapons still exist globally. Join us at the northwest corner of So. Prospect and Main Streets in Burlington. The first atomic bomb destroyed Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 at 8:15 AM local time, killing many tens of thousands of people. Please be aware that parking on weekdays is not available at UVM lots without a permit. Pay parking is available in a visitor lot across from the Waterman Building on College St. or near the Davis Center and Jeffords Hall. Some free on-street parking may be available on nearby Summit Street (off Main Street).
   
•  7pm PJC's Songs of Hope: A Remembrance of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Sing-a-long songs of peace and justice and candle boats. Burlington Waterfront.
   
• 7pm New Directions for the Labor Movement: Forum with Mark Brenner at the Vermont Workers Center. New union strategies centered on social justice unionism have animated a number of recent successful struggles, from the 2012 Chicago Teachers Union strike to the recent Teamster CCTA walkout in Vermont. Join us for a discussion with Labor Notes editor Mark Brenner about the future of the Vt. Labor Solidarity Committee, labor strategy in Vermont, and the potential to transform the future of the labor movement in the US. Hosted by the Vermont Labor Solidarity Committee and the Vermont Workers' Center.

August 8, Friday

• 7-9pm The Peace & Justice Center and Warren Library invite you to a free public screening of "Spies of Mississippi." The film is a journey into the world of informants, infiltrators, and agent provocateurs in the heart of Dixie. It tells the story of a secret spy agency formed by the state of Mississippi to preserve segregation and maintain "the Mississippi way of life," white supremacy, during the 1950s and '60's. The film will be introduced by PJC Exective Director, Rachel Siegel and followed by snacks and conversation lead by PJC Intern, Alessandra Clelia Amato. Warren Public Library, 413 Main St, Warren VT. 

August 8-11, Friday-Monday

• Northeast Regional Climate Justice Gathering at Wheelock Mtn Farm, Greensboro Bend, VT. Are you an Artist? Writer? Activist? Farmer? Union worker? First Nations/Indigenous land defender? Peace-maker?The Northeast Regional Climate Justice Gathering is about building power for a just transition away from unsustainable energy and toward community-based economies. Come strengthen the power of the movement! At this convergence, we will collectively develop and coordinate art and actions for this epic event. We also want to discuss our own local and regional struggles, and build lasting relationships for mutual support and local climate justice work. Hosted by 350 Vermont, Rising Tide Vermont, and the Vermont Workers' Center!  More information on the Rising Tide website. Let's show up in NYC together on September 21st for the People's Climate March!

August 9, Saturday

• 12 noon VCC Patient Registry Classes: How to qualify and apply for a medical marijuana card. At the PJC. [email protected]

• 2-4pm The PJC Kids' Club celebrates Europe! We'll be playing the Italian version of Capture the Flag by the waterfront, snack on the biggest Nutella baguette you have ever seen, and learn how to say "I believe in Peace and Justice" in more than 5 European languages from our international guests! We'll also be making some colorful crafts to take home with you! At the Peace & Justice Center, 60 Lake St, Burlington. This Summer Series is free and open to people of all ages! The focus of the Kids' Club is promoting peace, justice, and appreciation for cultural diversity through informal education and play. Through our events we hope to increase the global awareness and the cultural acceptance in our young community members needed for them to engage in today's multicultural society.

August 10, Sunday

• 5-6pm Informational meeting and call to artists for the Canvas Peace Project. The Canvas Peace Project is an initiative inspiring US artists to raise awareness of genocide and the ongoing conflicts in the Sudan. The exhibit is October 18 at the Skinny Pancake, Burlington. Join us to learn more and get involved as an artist and/or an activist.

August 12, Tuesday

• The Peace & Justice Center and The Block Gallery & Coffeehouse will be screening: Unmanned: America's Drone Wars. The film investigates the impact of US drone strikes at home and abroad through more than 70 separate interviews, including a former American drone operator who shares what he has witnessed in his own words, Pakistani families mourning loved ones and seeking legal redress, investigative journalists pursuing the truth, and top military officials warning against blow-back from the loss of innocent life.
  
  Throughout Unmanned, Greenwald intersperses in-depth interviews with never-before-seen footage from the tribal regions in Pakistan to humanize those who have been impacted by our drone policy. This footage, alongside interviews with Pakistani drone survivors, describes the brutal reality of drone attacks ordered during the Obama Administration. The film highlights the stories of 16 year old Tariq Aziz, killed by a drone a mere week after he participated in a public conference in Islamabad in 2011, and a school teacher, Rafiq ur Rehman, grappling with the loss of his elderly mother and the hospitalization of his children due to a drone strike last year, showing how delicate life can be in this virtual war where no one is accepting responsibility for the casualties.
  
  In candid conversations with experts like Lawrence Wilkerson, former Chief of State to Secretary of State Colin Powell; David Kilcullen former adviser to NATO and General Petraeus; and Vicki Divoli, former deputy legal adviser to the CIA's counter-terrorism Center, Unmanned reveals that these covert military actions are often imprecise and result in creating more enemies for the American people who have little knowledge of how drone targets are set and the killings carried out. 

Sunday, September 21

• The People's Climate March is going to be the single largest mobilization about climate change in history - people from all across the country will be coming to New York City on September 21st just in advance of world leaders meeting there for the UN Climate Change Summit. Our future is on the line, and now is the time to come together.  Vermont buses.
• Go to peoplesclimatemarch.org  for more info on the action

November 15, Saturday

• Save the date: Peace & Justice Center presents Julia Alvarez at Main Street Landing.