New York State Marches for Peace

Walk to Fort Drum in May 8-17

New York State Marches for Peace header image 5

Sponsors


If your group would like to co-sponsor the walk please read below. These are the groups that are sponsoring thus far.

Sponsored by (list in formation): NY State Direct Action for Peace; Different Drummer Café; Citizen Soldier; Iraq Veterans Against the War; Upstate Anti-war Network; Syracuse Peace Council; North Country Veterans for Peace; Tompkins County Marches for Peace; Ithaca Catholic Worker; Finger Lakes for Peace; Rochester Declaration for Peace Affinity Group; Rochester Against War (RAW); Peace, Action and Education; RAW Theater; Rochester Chapter of Veterans for Peace; Western NY Peace Center; Campus Anti-war Network-Cornell University Chapter; Students United for a Just Peace-Ithaca College’ Hamilton Friends Meeting/Chenango Valley Peace Alliance; Muslim Solidarity Committee, Albany, N.Y.; Military Families Speak Out of Upstate New York; St. Joseph’s House of Hospitality; Saratoga Peace Alliance; Veterans for Peace Adirondack Chapter #147; Women Against War; Lewis Co. Citizens for Peace In Iraq; Veterans for Peace Tom Paine Chapter #10; Rosa House Troy Catholic Worker; Palmyra Pro Soldier/ Pro Peace Vigil; Peace and Justice Committee of St Catherine of Siena; Wayne Action for Racial Equality; Iraq-Iran Group of the Coalition for Democracy of Central New York; Rochester Indymedia; Progressives in Action; Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace; Pax Christi, Upstate NY; Justice & Peace Ministry of Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga; RIT Campus Anti-war Network; The Ithaca UU Social Justice Council; Pax Christi; Network of Spiritual Progressives-Penn Yan Branch; Episcopal Diocese Public Policy Committee; The Interfaith Alliance of Rochester; Military Families Speak Out NYC; Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace; Upstate NY; Chapter 34 NYC Veterans for Peace; Rochester First Unitarian Peace Advocates;Bath Peace and Justice Group

INFORMATION SHEET FOR CO-SPONSORS

The Background:
Members of a coalition of New York State direct action groups called New York State Direct Action for Peace initiated the peace march as a part of their ongoing strategizing to end the Iraq War. This coalition formed in September 2007 to strategize new and creative tactics for supporting soldiers and educating about the illegality of the invasion of Iraq. The Coalition identified the need for a statewide action to follow on the actions we took in March for the 5th Anniversary of the Iraq War and in support of Winter Soldier. Partnership with Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), Organizers of Different Drummer Café and Citizen Soldier catalyzed the planning of the event and established the organization of both the March and the culminating event – “Blackwater Community Festival” to be held on May 17th in Watertown on Armed Forces Day.

The Mission:
New York citizens will be marching across the state to bring support to our active duty soldiers and Iraq Veterans Against the War. This march will be an act to rebirth our civic duty and responsibility to defend our Constitution and strengthen our resolve to stop the damage this unjust, illegal, and immoral war is doing to our families, communities, the world and most of all, soldiers.

The Strategy:
As citizens of New York State we are walking to support the soldiers at Fort Drum. Fort Drum deploys more soldiers to Iraq than any other base in the country. As IVAW grows in number we want to support their call to end the occupation of Iraq and end the deployment of their fellow soldiers to Iraq. Their testimony at Winter Soldier urges all of us to reach out to soldiers to show our support and end the carnage of soldiers and Iraqi citizens. Walking to Watertown to show this support will also give walkers and members of communities along the route an opportunity to learn about these issues from soldiers and concerned citizens. The march ends on May 17th – Armed Forces Day –a day to salute all of the men and women in all branches of the service who serve their country. We will offer our support to them as they make the hard decision whether or how to resist participating in an unjust and illegal war.

The March:

New York State Marches for Peace is a 10-day peace walk to Ft. Drum, Watertown, NY, from May 8-17, 2008. There will be three feeder marches originating from: Rochester, Ithaca and Utica. These feeder marches will merge north of Syracuse and walk together to Watertown for 4 days arriving on May 17th -Armed Forces Day.

Armed Forces Day:
In Watertown the marchers and others who join us will attend the Armed Forces parade, meeting soldiers and their families and inviting them to the Festival to be held in the afternoon and evening. The Festival will be held at an outdoor music venue on the Black River where we will join together to listen to music and participate in family-oriented entertainment – clowns, puppets, face painting…..

Co-sponsorship (see our co-sponsorship form for specific details):
We are inviting your group to co-sponsor both the March and the “Blackwater Festival.” In addition to being listed as a co-sponsor in our publicity, your support would also be needed to:
➢ Support members of your organization to march and attend the Festival
➢ Provide financial and/or in-kind contributions toward the expenses
➢ Assist with publicity- distributing flyers, posters, brochures and press releases
➢ Provide volunteers
➢ Have a table at the event with literature on the organization’s activities and mission

Please fill out the co-sponsorship form below.

Co-sponsoring Organization
  2. May we use the name of your group in our publicity?
Contact Person
  1. (required)
  2. (required)
  3. (valid email required)
  4. (required)
What co-sponsorship means:
  1.     It is more than just a name on a flyer, each person working on this major undertaking is a volunteer, and we are depending on our co-sponsors. Our goal is to work together in a partnership that ensures the work and expenses are spread out evenly, and not a burden to any one person. Below is a list of contributions we would like to see our co-sponsors provide, please respond as soon as possible, so we may assess our resources. Thank You.
  2. 1. Distribution of publicity within your organization and community in the form of flyers, press releases etc. If other than contact person, who should receive this information?
  4. 2. Sign up and organize walkers from your organization. Who will be responsible for organizing this?
  6. 3. Contribution of resources in the form of either:
  8. Checks can be made out to “Citizen Soldier” write “May March” in the memo section of the check, and sent to Citizen Soldier, 267 Fifth Ave., #901, New York N Y 10016
  9. And/or
  10. In-kind contributions (food, support vehicles [vans, station wagons, SUV’s...] paper, volunteer time for phoning, copying, printing, peace keepers...)
  12. 4. Provide a link on your webpage with our website: http://nysmarchesforpeace.org
Other information/comments:
 

cforms contact form by delicious:days

3 Comments

3 responses so far ↓

  • 1 linda kunz // Apr 13, 2008 at 6:11 pm

    A group of us would like to donate food. If this is appropriate, please suggest what.
    Thanks for doing this,
    Linda

  • 2 mary beth gamba // Apr 22, 2008 at 10:58 pm

    I’m hoping we can get some of our youth to walk with us on the weekend. Can ou give me some more specific information as to where they can join on Saturday or Sunday.

  • 3 Dale Pondysh // May 9, 2008 at 9:57 pm

    Non support of war initiative
    At the beginning of this year I decided on a way I could not support the war via my income tax and this may be something, if spread around could have an impact.

    I have put enough of my income into a deferred profit sharing plan that reduces my income to a level that I can live with and not pay income tax until after this war is over. I think if many people could afford to do this, we may be able to substantially reduce the money the government has to work with. I haven’t paid any federal income tax this year.

    Possibly if this was promoted via your website and other anti war groups websites, many people that are against the war may participate.

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