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Pictured: We packed the office during the first  Alternatives to Military Service Volunteer Training of the year! What a lovely "problem" to have! <3 
Dear friends, 
 
The first month of the new year has kept us BU-SY! From hosting our first Alternatives to Military Service Training under a new leadership to tabling at the MLK Jr. Day Conference, to participating in the National Day of Action - No War with Iran, we are actively pursuing a shift toward a culture of peace at both a local and global level.

Today, we urge you to join us in supporting the joint memorials (SJM 8006 on preventing nuclear war) in the WA state legislature. These memorials are important pieces of legislation that propose checks and balances to prevent the president from starting a nuclear war. There will be a hearing in committee tomorrow, this Friday, February 7 at 12:30 PM. The hearing will be held in Senate Hearing Rm 2, J.A. Cherberg Building at the Capitol in Olympia. Let's pack the room and call the chairs of the state government and tribal relations committees to get a hearing scheduled in the House and pass the bill out of committee in the Senate. It's not too late to call!

February is Black History Month, so let’s make sure to honor Dr. King’s radical legacy by struggling in solidarity and working towards liberation from militarized racist violence and exploitation together! 


 We invite you to extend your much-appreciated support as far as possible this month, whether through donation, social media shares, or engagement in any of the several social justice events coming up in the near future.

The mere act of daily living brings many opportunities for peace work, and your choice to engage in such work is pivotal in creating the kind of change we wish to see. 
 

In peace,

Marii Herlinger & Aline Prata

Black History Month Free Evens at Western Washington University

 

February is Black History Month, and Western Washington University has organized multiple events to celebrate and honor cultural diversity and the experiences of the campus community’s black students, faculty, and staff.

All events are free and open to the public. Check out the details here.


 

Register & Vote 

 

Last day to register to vote in the 2020 Primary Election is February 17, 2020


How to Register: you can print and mail your voter registration application or do it online here. You can also Check or Change your Registration through the same link.

You can Pre-register at age 16 and 17, then vote when you turn 18.
 

Whatcom Conservation District Election Update


There will be no voting for the Whatcom Conservation District this year, as there is an incumbent without any opposition. 

The current chair and incumbent Heather Christianson will serve another three-year term as Whatcom CD Supervisor. The deadline to file an application to be considered a candidate in a 2020 election was January 10th, 2020. No other person filed in opposition of Ms. Christianson by that time. State Conservation Commission rules provide that if the only person filing by the deadline is the incumbent s/he is automatically reelected so long as the requisite notice was given and the petition contained the signatures of 25 registered voters. Whatcom CD went above and beyond the minimum notice and confirmed the signatures on January 13th, 2020. 

12-1 p.m., February 6

Dignity Vigil
Customs and Border Patrol (1431 Sunset Ave, Ferndale)

7-9 p.m., February 7
Keepers of the Dream: Seattle Women Black Panthers

Northwest Film Forum 

4-5 p.m. February 7
Friday Peace Vigil
Corner of Magnolia and Cornwall

12-1:30 p.m., February 8
Dignity Vigil
Ferndale Riverwalk

3:30-6:30 p.m., February 9
Palestine in the Islamic Consciousness
Muslim Association of Puget Sound (Redmond)

8-week class, begins February 10
Learning American Sign Language (ASL) Mindfully
TBA

12-1 p.m., February 13
Dignity Vigil
Customs and Border Patrol (1431 Sunset Ave, Ferndale)

4-5 p.m. February 14
Friday Peace Vigil
Corner of Magnolia and Cornwall

12-1:30 p.m., February 15
Dignity Vigil
Ferndale Riverwalk

2-3:30 p.m., February 15
Washington's Undiscovered Feminists
Ferndale Library (2125 Main St)

12-2p.m., February 16
AMS Volunteers Appreciation Brunch
WPJC (1220 Bay St)

7-8:30 p.m., February 19
Can We Just Talk? LGBTQ Discussion Group
WPJC (1220 Bay St)

February 20-29
Bellingham Human Rights Film Festival
Various Locations

12-1 p.m., February 20
Dignity Vigil
Customs and Border Patrol (1431 Sunset Ave, Ferndale)


5:30-7:30 p.m., February 20
Know Your Rights: Tenant & Community Defense
Roosevelt Resource Center (2303 Moore St)

12-1:30 p.m., February 21
Dignity Vigil
Ferndale Riverwalk

4-5 p.m. February 21
Friday Peace Vigil
Corner of Magnolia and Cornwall

6-8 p.m. February 21

Veterans for Peace Monthly Chapter Meeting
Bellingham Food Co-Op Connections Building

11 a.m., February 21
Film Screening of "An Endless War" (Bellingham Human Rights Film Festival)
Settlemeyer Hall, Bellingham Technical College

 

Bellingham Humans Rights Film Festival: WPJC & VFP will be co-hosting again the film screening of "An Endless War: Getting Out of Afghanistan" 


Whatcom Peace and Justice Center and Veterans for Peace Chapter 111 have joined forces again to co-host the film screening of "An Endless War," featured in this year's Bellingham Human Rights Film Festival. If you can't catch this one, there will be three separate screenings throughout the week: the first is at Settlemeyer Hall (BTC) at 11 a.m. on Friday, February 21; the second is at Fairhaven College Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 22; and the third is at Options High School at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, February 25. 

The film closely examines why the war in Afghanistan has failed, as well as what has caused it to become America's longest war - 18+ years! - and features former commanding officers of the US military, combat veterans, political analysts and American and Afghan peace activists.


Following the film at BTC we will host a discussion engaging community members in the critical issue of U.S. militarism and ending endless wars.

Practice solidarity & help us moderate our Facebook page

It is our understanding that online conversations do not substitute our shared responsibility to create spaces for face-to-face learning, without overburdening impacted communities. The WPJC hosts several of these events and we encourage you to stay engaged by subscribing to our newsletter and showing up in these spaces. We also know that social media has been a space used by white supremacist and ultra-conservative groups to gain ground, disseminate ignorance and hatred, and dispute narratives online.

We believe that solidarity and active non-violence are the only peaceful way towards social transformation. Let's pop some bubbles and talk with each other. This online exercise is just a tiny practice in an ocean of work we need to put into creating real, intersectional and structural change. Thanks for supporting our moderator in peacekeeping and creating space for healthy dialogue!

Head to our Facebook post to learn how to sign up to help moderate and #PracticeSolidarity online. 

 

Alternatives to Military Service Volunteer Appreciation Brunch 


As a way of giving thanks to all Alternatives to Military Service volunteers, there will be an appreciation brunch at 12 p.m. on Sunday, February 16 at The Whatcom Peace and Justice Center.

It is an optional potluck, so feel free to bring an item of food or beverage if you would like. We will have fresh mini-bagels donated from the always supportive Bagelry!

"Can We Just Talk": LGBTQ+ Discussion Group


7-8:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 19, at The Whatcom Peace and Justice Center

This casual, no-pressure discussion group is open to anyone
who identifies as LGBTQ+. We come together each month to meet,
talk, and tell our stories. Each month will have a loose theme to
help guide our discussion. February's theme is COMMUNITY.

What is your experience with LGBTQ+ communities?
Do you have a strong online community? What about face-to face?
How have you built community? What are your struggles? Your dreams?

We meet on the 3rd Wednesday of every month. We look forward to hearing your unique perspectives on what community means and how it has taken shape in your life.  
 
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