Dear John,

As we wind our way out of this election season and find ourselves engulfed in age-old stories of power and change, we are grateful that we will all be together for our Local Peace Economy gathering on Wednesday, November 20th 5pm PT / 8pm ET.

Where do we turn when we are trying to envision a new story? We turn to each other, and we turn to our artists. This week, we will be discussing “Peace Culture.” What is it, where is it already being practiced, and how can we nourish it within ourselves and our communities? This discussion will be led by Cameron Roper, CODEPINK's new Local Peace Culture Coordinator. In this call, we will begin to awaken our own agency, creativity, and power and take responsibility for building and supporting a local peace culture.

Please bring an artist, song, poem, book, or movie that feels aligned with the Local Peace Economy to share at this meeting.  

A living, breathing, and thriving culture of arts, practices, and traditions is essential to growing our local peace economies. The war economy preaches a culture of consumerism and complacency, where your identity, connections, and ways of relating are defined by what you buy, what you own, where you go out to eat, etc, rather than what you make, how you contribute, and who you are. We are interested in life-affirming ways of being. What does that culture feel like? What is out there already that we can learn from?

We continue to take our voices to Netflix to demand that they reinstate Palestinian films and voices into their catalogue. Will you help us? This action is easy to accomplish. Reach out to [email protected] if you want support. And use our Boycott Netflix Guide to take action.

If you were unable to join us for the last meeting or want to revisit the content from the last meeting, you can find the recording of the last call here. 

We are always interested in your experiences with your local community and want to be in service to the important work you are doing. Please feel free to share your experiences and insights with our local peace economy listserv. 

Some 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! She welcomes such conversations with this community.

We look forward to seeing you this Wednesday, November 20th!

Don't forget to follow us on social media!

With care,

Marie, Cameron, and Jodie

P.S.  Do you enjoy writing and sharing your creative world with others? If so, the Local Peace Economy community gathers once a month to share writing with each other. Can you join us? We come together once a month. RSVP for the next circle here.