Dear John,

Are you one of the many Americans who dread this holiday week? Do you dread the mandatory time with dysfunctional families, the problematic fairy-tale Thanksgiving story, and the consumerist feeding-frenzy of Black Friday?  

I especially dread the consumption-driven start of the holiday shopping excess on Black Friday. For me, this rampant consumerism ruins a perfectly good Friday that could be better spent being in service to something larger than ourselves and our individual families.

How might bring the Peace Economy ethos to Black Friday as an antidote? How might we include our wider community and shift our focus away from consumption? We could start small and simply invite neighbors or friends to a community potluck meal and discuss how we might organize for the coming times of community need. We could organize a park or river clean-up to give back with gratitude to the “more than human” world, which is part of our community as well. We might have a bonfire and invite strangers and passers-by to be warmed by the fire and some conversation; volunteer with a community organization doing important work that you admire; donate to little “free” libraries around us, or attend a craft fair. Instead of consuming, focus on community and bring the family along, if they are willing.

Ask yourself, “Who else might I bring to my table?”

Finding a community lens through which you might view this upcoming holiday season could help to relieve the almost inevitable disappointment many feel and bring you some measure of joy or gratitude. It might also allow you to breathe easier, hug longer, savor nourishment, feel connected, and appreciate the small ways the messiness of life, community, and family can foster contentment and enough-ness.

For more ideas about how to welcome the Peace Economy into your holiday weekend, see this social media post or visit CODEPINK's Substack page for more information.

Our next Local Peace Economy meeting is next Wednesday, December 4th at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT.

In this meeting, we want to emphasize that this is the moment we have been warning about since we launched this project. The structures that held us have been crumbling for a while now and it becomes more and more apparent. What can we learn from them? How might we meet this moment? Why community, mutual aid and grounding ourselves locally matters even more right now. How can we not be pulled under by fears while creating the future? How can we share what we learn with others?

We hope you will join us!

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. 

Some members of CODEPINK are joining a hunger strike to serve as a call for urgent action to break the siege, demand humanitarian access to Gaza, and end Israel’s genocidal campaign that has devastated the region. CODEPINK and other participating groups stand in firm opposition to the ongoing blockade and the use of U.S. weapons in the genocide, advocating for an immediate shift toward peace and justice for the people of Gaza.

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, December 4th!

Don't forget to follow us on social media!

With care,

Marie, Cameron, Daisy and Jodie

P.S.   A poem from the incomparable Joy Harjo.

Perhaps the World Ends Here

By Joy Harjo

The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what, we must eat to live.

The gifts of earth are brought and prepared, set on the table. So it has been since creation, and it will go on.

We chase chickens or dogs away from it. Babies teethe at the corners. They scrape their knees under it.

It is here that children are given instructions on what it means to be human. We make men at it, we make women.

At this table we gossip, recall enemies and the ghosts of lovers.

Our dreams drink coffee with us as they put their arms around our children. They laugh with us at our poor falling-down selves and as we put ourselves back together once again at the table.

This table has been a house in the rain, an umbrella in the sun.

Wars have begun and ended at this table. It is a place to hide in the shadow of terror. A place to celebrate the terrible victory.

We have given birth on this table, and have prepared our parents for burial here.

At this table we sing with joy, with sorrow. We pray of suffering and remorse. We give thanks.

Perhaps the world will end at the kitchen table, while we are laughing and crying, eating of the last sweet bite.

Copyright Credit: "Perhaps the World Ends Here" from The Woman Who Fell From the Sky by Joy Harjo. Copyright © 1994 by Joy Harjo. Used by permission of W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.,
Source: The Woman Who Fell From the Sky (W. W. Norton and Company Inc., 1994)