Annual Meeting on Sunday, March 10, from 2 to 4pm, at Simpson House, 4509 Warwick, KC MO. On tap: snacks, tabling, reports, elections, awards, and a trio on the interface of race, ecology, war, and peace.
Bring finger-food if you wish, or just come browse our munchies. We say hi to friends, meet new folks, and visit the tablers from 2 to 2:15 pm. Then we vote for our leaders and hear reports on the state of PeaceWorks from Board Treasurer Dave Pack and Board Chair Henry Stoever.
We’ll give the Charles E. Bebb Peace Merit Award (to an individual) and the Kris and Lynn Cheatum Community Peace Award (to a group). Cheer for our winners!
At the heart of our meeting will be reflections from persons of color in the KC metro area. PeaceWorks Board member Joseph Wun will address environmental justice. We know freight trains may, if Congress decides, carry nuclear waste right through KC. Wun asks, “Where do freight trains run? Often through neighborhoods where people are black or brown.” And we know that the old and new nuclear weapon parts plants in KC border townhouses, homes, and farms of low-income and middle-income persons, including people of color—with the old plant identified by the federal government as having had more than 2,000 toxins. Joseph says we’re looking now at “the most disastrous intersection of the war economy, ecological devastation, racism, and economic exploitation.”
Carissa Garcia, who served in Iraq several years and continues to face PTSD, will read a short selection from her poetry. Her works draw from the battlefield of the Middle East and the battlefield of KC.
Kat, a student at UMKC, will speak from her perspective as a survivor, a mother, and a water protector. Being of Indigenous ancestry, with blood from both the Choctaw and Cherokee tribes, she says, “I am a human who cares about our earth, air, and water. I care about our children and grandchildren, and know we have a duty to ensure their future.” Reflecting on her experience fighting the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), she says, “We have more battles ahead of us.”
To allow a bit of time to visit with Joseph, Carissa, Kat, and our tablers, we hope to conclude our formal meeting and return to snacks and conversation for the last 15 minutes of our time together. Hope to see you there!
