Dear John,

This coming Wednesday, July 17th at 5:00 PT/8:00 ET, we'll be gathering for our next Local Peace Economy Community Call. Join us as we come together to connect, learn. and nourish one another. We'd love to see you there!

We live in challenging, anxiety-inducing times. Each day, the news reveals another horror about the genocide in Palestine and the rise of fascism in the U.S. It is more important than ever to root ourselves in our local communities and connect with others doing the work of seeding peace. That's exactly what we do during these calls. Join us!

We ended last meeting by each making a commitment for the next month—a commitment that would deepen our practice of the local peace economy in our communities. During this call, we’ll be reflecting on and sharing our learnings with one another.

If you weren't able to be with us during our last meeting, we hope you can join us this time. You can catch up on our last call here. You can also watch the recording of our introduction to the Local Peace Economy Workbook during our first meeting here.

Local Peace Economy Community Calls take place every other Wednesday at 5:00 PT/8:00 ET. Newcomers are always welcome. Stay up to date on all of CODEPINK’s events here.

Next Community Call Topic: Commitments

Commitment is key to cultivating our local peace economies—commitment to showing up, commitment to our practices, and commitment to our community. This kind of commitment contributes to a more beautiful future instead of the devastation of the earth, our home sweet home. Often even our commitments have been weaponized against us to serve the war economy. We can take them back and have them serve life.

What are you committed to that serves peace in your community? What actions are you taking to root that commitment in your day-to-day life? What habits serve your commitment, and what habits pull you further away from it? What is your commitment teaching you about what it takes to grow a local peace economy?

We'll explore these questions and more as we learn together during the call. In the meantime, you can learn more about commitment on page 6 of The Local Peace Economy Workbook. We look forward to being with you on Wednesday, July 17th!

Pivot to Peace

Repression to Revolution

Given the realities of our world, revolution is necessary now. The war economy causes repression in ways we see and in ways beyond our awareness. We are indoctrinated to go along to get along and are rewarded for not rocking the boat. We can be punished for saying things that don't conform to the goals of the war economy, so we often repress our true feelings. Revolution lives with free, honest expression. Revolution starts with small, peaceful steps of connection. Revolution is also not a one-time event. It is something that we must be committed to in the daily actions of our lives.

How does repression show up in your life? Where are places you have been silenced, or have silenced yourself, so as to not rock the boat? How can you bring revolution, and more honest, expression, into your community?

Read more about the pivots to peace here.

The Cycle of (Re)connection

Grief, care, joy, and celebration—these experiences are some of the key entry points for (re)connecting with ourselves and each other as we divest from the war economy. We call this the Cycle of (Re)connection, and it's important work to attend to as we cultivate local peace economies. When we are attentive to the cycle of (re)connection in our own practice, we can more fully show up for what matters. In this exercise for connecting, Rev. angel Kyodo williams models how to ground and center in our commitment, so we can return to it when we go astray.

Find more resources like this one in our Cycle of (Re)connection library.

Inspiration for the Journey

The local peace economy is all around us. Stories of the local peace economy inspire us and teach us how we can create a culture of peace together. On the Local Peace Economy Wiki, we’ve been gathering stories of local peace economy projects. Check out this story about how one community's commitment to climate justice and restoration led to a historic dam removal.

Resources

You can always find more resources for your local peace economy journey on CODEPINK’s website. Here are some helpful links:

• Lean into supported reflection by downloading or purchasing The Local Peace Economy Workbook
• Tend to yourself with The Cycle of (Re)connection
• Find a community of practice with The Local Peace Economy Ecosystem
• Get inspired by The Local Peace Economy Wiki
• Listen to CODEPINK Radio's episodes all about local peace economies - Ep. 242 and Ep. 256
• Read why the local peace economy is an antidote to the weaponized confusion of war

Don't forget to follow us on social media!

Please email Emily at [email protected] with any questions. We look forward to being with you on Wednesday, July 17th!

With care, 

Jodie and Emily

PS: Spread the word about local peace economies in your community—buy CODEPINK's new Local Peace Economy t-shirts and totes!