Morphing and Responding – 20th Century Nuclear Freeze Meets 21st Century “Move Your Money”

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Our interview with Alicia Godsberg, Executive Director of Peace Action in New York City, could also have been titled “Meeting Today’s Problems with Today’s Activists,” as this appears to be exactly what happens when movements accomplish their goals only to find more social, political and financial ills needing attending.

As you will learn from Alicia, her organization, “Peace Action of New York” (www.panys.org), is an affiliate of Peace Action, the largest grassroots peace organization in the U.S.  Peace Action is devoted to the non-violent resolution of conflict, the abolition of nuclear weapons, halting the spread of conventional arms, abandoning militarism, and building a culture supporting human rights.

PANYS is, itself, the outgrowth of earlier social protest movements – starting with the “Ban the Bomb” activists of the ‘50’s, then adding their counterparts in the Nuclear Freeze Movement in the ‘60’s and eventually embraced the Anti-Vietnam War protests.  (A fuller history is here:  http://bit.ly/NeGUlt).

Out of all this came the largest anti-nuclear and anti cold-war march ever in America’s history when on June 12, 1982, one million demonstrated in NYC’s Central Park.

So, what has this got to do with our own Here-and-Now?  What relevance does “Peace Action” have to the Occupy Wall Street movement, or vice versa?

As Alicia points out, OWS has focused America’s attention on Wall Street ills and has attracted a number of organizations to join in.  But, as good a start as this is, it is only a beginning.  The skill will be in coordinating and focusing the energies of these new activists.  PANYS has this pedigree.

As example, Peace Action combined forces with Veterans for Peace, Grannies for Peace and military wives recently to protest outside the studios of NYC and demand that they abandon a proposed new series, “When Stars Meet Stripes.”  Purportedly honoring our military men and women, it appeared to be more of a propaganda device for the acceptability of war.

“If you want to honor the troops,” the protestors said, “why don’t you air a program that shows how difficult it is for them when they return home – or for their families when they don’t?”  (Mission accomplished – NBC announced that the series is to be terminated.  We can also honor the role of social media – a website gathered in over 50,000 signatures decrying the program.)

Oh yes, and “move your money?”  If Peace Action has its way, money will be first of all moved from weapons of war to public works projects.  If Occupy has its way, money will be moved from Wall Street banks to local Savings and Loans.  Peace Action, working with New Priorities Network to build a coalition of like-minded groups, have amplified Occupy’s Voice – truly a Win-Win for progressives.

For more information, visit the Panys website or write Alicia directly: Alicia@panys.org.  Volunteers are always welcome.  You can listen to my earlier interview with Alicia’s colleague, Leslie Cagan, a noted NYC activist and her powerful opposition to NYC’s “Stop & Frisk” policy – http://bit.ly/NeHMqp.