In a Time of Anxiety and Distrust… Some Seeds of Peace! |
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The Elections: Where We Are
Two tense weeks have passed since Election Day — weeks in which, first, we waited, prepared to mobilize to have all the votes counted. Now we continue to wait, hoping for — and ready to insist upon – a peaceful acceptance of the voters’ decision.
WILPF US celebrates the commitment to voting shown by more people than ever before in the US. We especially thank those people of color — Blacks, Latinxes, and others — who made the positive difference in many contests and who turned out to vote in the face of long lines, the pandemic, and the threat of polling place violence.
In a number of cities, people have rallied to defend the counting of votes. Many of the organizers for such actions are part of the Protect the Results (PTR) coalition, which unites over 100 organizations nationwide, including WILPF US. PTR partner organizations continue to work together, prepared to respond to any threat of a coup. On Monday, coalition partner MoveOn delivered a petition to the GSA HQ in DC, calling for the release of transition funds, per the Presidential Transition Act of 1963.
Another coalition partner, The Center for American Progress, has released a statement: Refusing to Accept Biden’s Victory in the 2020 Election Hurts Our Democracy. That statement notes that “Trump and his supporters are pursuing reckless and baseless lawsuits in state and federal courts with no meaningful success: they continue to be rejected by judges from across the ideological spectrum appointed by Republicans and Democrats alike.” The people and institutions of the US are reasserting the orderly transition of administrations that is part of a healthy democracy.
The stress of this presidential election will ease on January 20. But healing the division and distrust of this election will take longer. That healing requires that we respect the human beings who voted in the minority — the very large minority. We cannot begin to build a peaceful country by reinforcing separations. How can we identify our common concerns with someone, finding areas to work on together, unless we respect them?
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“Open our hearts to peace and healing between all people... open our hearts to end exclusion, violence and fear among all people.”
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Alycia’s Gifts to Help Us Remember Respect for Each Other
Clearly, in working for peace, we WILPF members must address not only governmental attitudes and behaviors but also individual and personal ones. How do we bring into our own lives the attitudes and practices that support the international WILPF principles of seeking to prevent war and all causes of war?
In this difficult time, Cape Cod WILPF branch member, Alycia Longriver Davis, presents two gifts — books of poems and stories — to assist us in renewing respect for others and shifting attitudes. Alycia offers each of us her books, “freely given, to be used, shared, wherever and however they may be".
On another level, and like so many WILPF members, Alycia also offers us the model of her life. She has been a peace and environment activist for many years. A trans woman, Alycia has worked to end exclusion, violence, and fear. She has served on the Transgender Day of Remembrance Committee in Cape Cod.
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The Cape Cod Branch is one of the co-sponsors of their local Transgender Day of Remembrance this year. With that event being virtual, Alycia, the branch, and WILPF US invite you to join with the transgender community and allies at this free event, to honor the victims of anti-transgender violence:
Thursday, November 19, 7:00-8:30 pm EST
(6:00-7:30 pm CST; 4:00-5:30 pm PST)
The “last gifts of peace seeds”
Alycia is in hospice near the end of her life, and she wants us to use the two short books she is giving us.
Open Our Hearts is a collection of stories, inspired by a 1995 group walk of over 3,000 miles. Alycia was part of the Walk, which traveled from Cape Cod to Hopi-land, continuing over six months and averaging 20 miles a day. The walkers offered presentations in evening gatherings of church groups, schools, and community groups. The themes of these presentations and of the Walk – respect for the Earth, and respect for each other – are reflected in these brief stories. They’re especially suited for use with children, as a basis for group conversations, teaching sessions, informal gatherings, and other possibilities.
Alycia’s other book is Seeds of Peace. It is written for teen/adult use, for group gatherings, seminars, peace camps, and similar settings. In its direct and simple approach, it may be especially useful now.
As Alycia says in Seeds of Peace, “There are few people, if any, untouched from hurt in one form or another…. We must release the hurts to open our hearts to new beginnings, by all – for all, and especially for the children of today and tomorrow.”
Thank you to Alycia Longriver Davis for these books and this timely reminder that we must open to others and make it possible to reconcile past grievances to move toward a healthier society. Thank you to Cape Cod Branch for the invitation to this event.
May Alycia’s gifts inspire words and actions to release hurts and open hearts!
Darien De Lu
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Women's International League for Peace and Freedom/US Section
Friends House | PO Box 13075 | Des Moines, IA 50310 | 617-266-0999 | www.wilpfus.org
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