Dear John,

Thank you to all those who joined us for the Local Peace Economy meeting on Wednesday night!

As one person on the call reflected last night, it's important to both support each other and be supported during these times, and we're so grateful for your presence during these gatherings. It truly makes a difference!

Last night, we heard from Emily as she reflected on some of her learnings during her time as CODEPINK's Local Peace Economy Coordinator. During the call, she spoke about where we get "hooked" by the war economy and invited us into two inquiries:

Is there a war that you’re waging within yourself or in a relationship? If so, what can you learn from that war about cultivating peace in your community?

What’s one small thing you can do this week that creates the conditions for a peace economy to emerge in your community?

You can read more about Emily's reflections in this recent blog post.

Although we were sad to say goodbye to Emily in this role last night, we were also so excited to welcome in Marie, CODEPINK's new Local Peace Economy Coordinator! Marie brings rich experience growing the peace economy in her community in Pennsylvania to the role, and we can't wait for you to get to know her. You can reach Marie at [email protected].

If you want to revisit the content from the meeting, or if you weren’t able to join us, you can watch the recording of this week's call.

If you want to deepen your reflection about last night's topic of self-responsibility, you can find additional prompts here and on page 87 of The Local Peace Economy Workbook.

We'd love to hear what you're learning before our next call! You can share about your experience with our local peace economy listserv. 

Our next meeting will be Wednesday, November 6th at 5:00pm PT/8:00pm ET. We're excited to welcome a special guest who has dedicated decades of her life to cultivating the peace economy. We hope to see you there!

Links and resources shared during the call:

• What Keeps Us Hooked on the War Economy (blog)
• The peace economy strengthening activism in Ft. Bragg (video)
• Local Peace Economy Learning Hour: Co-ops & the Path to Peace
• Community Care After Hurricane Helene
• Jerusalem by Steve Earle (song)
• The Bumper Sticker Song by Four Shillings Short (song)
• Local Peace Economy Padlet — add yourself and see who is near you!
• Download The Local Peace Economy Workbook (free digital version)
• Purchase The Local Peace Economy Workbook (physical copy)
• The peace economy website
  

Other supportive resources:

• Video introduction to the workbook
• Local Peace Economy Wiki
• CODEPINK Radio Ep. 242: The Local Peace Economy
• CODEPINK Radio Ep. 256: What is the root of peace?

If you have an idea for a local peace economy project and would like specific support bringing it to life, reach out to Marie at [email protected] to set up a time to talk!

We look forward to seeing you on November 6th!

With care,

Jodie, Emily, and Marie

P.S. Jodie is sharing The Local Peace Economy Workbook and the peace economy website on a book tour! If you'd like to invite Jodie to your community for a book tour event, please email Marie at [email protected].

Red Brocade
by Naomi Shihab Nye

The Arabs used to say,
When a stranger appears at your door,
feed him for three days
before asking who he is,
where he’s come from,
where he’s headed.
That way, he’ll have strength
enough to answer.
Or, by then you’ll be
such good friends
you don’t care.

Let’s go back to that.
Rice? Pine nuts?
Here, take the red brocade pillow.
My child will serve water
to your horse.

No, I was not busy when you came!
I was not preparing to be busy.
That’s the armor everyone put on
to pretend they had a purpose
in the world.

I refuse to be claimed.
Your plate is waiting.
We will snip fresh mint
into your tea.