Put Yourself in the Picture

Check out this amazing picture. One of our supporters, Jon Asher, took this pic at the 2018 Solidarity March and Rally. If you were there, besides looking for yourself in the picture, you are likely recalling the sense of community and mutual support that was in the air.

On Saturday, Jan. 19, this year, we have another opportunity to come together to demonstrate our concerns. We are building a strong alliance of progressive groups and individuals throughout mid-Missouri. We intend to turn out in large numbers to challenge the retrograde agenda of the Trump administration and, simultaneously, to advance policies and programs that work for all of us.

If you recognize the necessity of economic and social justice, peace, sustainability, climate action, civil rights and liberties and meaningful, participatory democracy, please plan to put yourself in the picture this year as we gather for the 2019 Solidarity March and Rally.

The Details

This event, put together collaboratively by Peaceworks and our allies in the Mid-Missouri Solidarity Network (see list below), will begin at 1 p.m. at the Missouri Theatre.

We have an amazing lineup of speakers. Participants will hear from Barb Kuensting, student activist from the University of Missouri, Michela Skelton, vice-chair of the Missouri Democratic Party Progressive Caucus, Carolyn Amparan, chair of the Sierra Club Osage Group and Reverend Cassandra Gould, director of Missouri Faith Voices. There will be music from Violet & the Undercurrents.

All this is a prelude to our keynote speaker, author and activist, Frances Moore Lappé (CLICK for more info). Lappé is the author or co-author of 19 books about world hunger, living democracy, and the environment, beginning with the three-million copy Diet for a Small Planet in 1971. In Fall 2017, she coauthored Daring Democracy: IgnitingPower, Meaning, and Connection for the America We Want with Adam Eichen.

What You Can Do

Besides participating yourself in the March and Rally, there are several important ways you can help make this event a success. First, you can talk it up with friends, family, neighbors, work or school colleagues, co-parishioners, etc. Encourage others to attend. Offer to go together, share rides, etc. If you’re on Facebook, you can also invite friends that way. For the FB event CLICK HERE.

You can also be an event volunteer. We are seeking more Peacekeepers. This requires participation in a non-violence training session that will be held this Saturday, Jan. 12, 1-5 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbia. If you are interested in attending, please sign up by calling Jeff Stack at 573-449-4585. There is also a Facebook event for this. CLICK HERE.  If you’ve had previous non-violence training it might be possible to volunteer without attending the Jan. 12 training. Please speak with Jeff to discuss this.

There are also a number of other volunteer slots still open. You can find these on-line if you CLICK HERE.

What to Bring?

If you have the time and wherewithal, you might want to make a sign or banner for the march. The theme for the march is “Unity Moving Forward” and signs that reflect or expound on this, intersectional, message are very appropriate. You are, of course, welcome to bring signs focused on what you oppose. This said, we’d urge you to consider making signs that reflect what we’re for. This could be peace, climate action, reproductive rights, fair taxes, LGBT rights, infrastructure investments, asylum rights, universal healthcare, tuition-free education, student loan relief, etc.

We probably don’t need to remind you to come dressed for the weather. It is January, and it’s highly unlikely to be unseasonably warm for a third year in a row. You might also want to bring along a little money. The event is free, but we will be passing the hat for donations to help cover our costs. There also will be a book-signing with Frances Moore Lappé. Her books are available now at the Peace Nook and will be available for sale at the Theatre on the 19^th.

Who’s Behind This?

The Mid-Missouri Solidarity Network is a loose alliance of progressive groups. Peaceworks has been part of this effort from its inception. We’ve been working closely with many of the groups in the Network on a variety of efforts. Besides the Solidarity Marches and Rallies in 2017 and 2018, the SN is also the alliance of groups that put together Citizens’ University this past August. To date, 19 area organizations have signed on for this year’s Solidarity March and Rally, and the list is still in formation.

To date, the co-sponsors include:  Callaway County Concerned Citizens, CoMo for Progress, Mid-Missouri Fellowship of Reconciliation, Mid-Missouri NORML, Mid-Missouri Peaceworks, Missouri Faith Voices, Missouri National Organization for Women, Mizzou Energy Action Coalition, Moms Demand Action for Gunsense in America, MU Peace Studies Program, NAACP Columbia Branch, Osage Group Sierra Club, Our Revolution Mid-Missouri, Physicians for a National Health Plan Mid-Missouri Chapter, Planned Parenthood Great Plains, Rock Bridge Christian Church, Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbia Social Action Team, Vets for Peace – Charlie Atkins Chapter, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom - Mid-Missouri Chapter.

How Does This Fit Into Peaceworks’ Mission?

Peaceworks is a progressive, multi-issue organization and we have long understood the importance of creating coalitions and alliances. We have done this around specific issues in the past, but today we are in need of broader, Popular Front-style, politics that bring together all groups that oppose the dangerous, neo-fascist Trump administration.

By coming out in large numbers, we embrace the theme of the national Women’s March, “Unity Moving Forward.” We hope you share the sense that this is needed, now more than ever, and will plan to participate as actively as possible in this effort.