Plug Into Your Progressive Community!

Upcoming News/Events: We have workshops on Edible Forest Gardens coming up, as well as cob workshops. Emails us and get on our listserve to be notified of events.

We are the local group which  organized the Olympia area “StepItUp” campaign events in Olympia in April and November of 2007.

Produce local TCTV program "Veterans For Peace Hour" shown on Channel 22, Wednesday 9 p.m. Thursday 9:30 a.m. On KAOS "Wings of Honor" with John Ford last Thursday of each month @ 8 p.m. Sponsor and organized Arlington NW Display/Memorial. Provided support for "Viet Nam Friendship Village" outside of Hanoi. Sponsor and support Lt. Watada, first officer to refuse deployment to Iraq because it's an "illegal and immoral" war.

CREATING DEMOCRACY THROUGH MEDIA The Reclaiming Democracy TV Show: Tune into TCTV Channel 22 or into the web! This show is about grass roots efforts to restore democracy and discusses the many ways our lack of democracy harms the environment, peace, health care, and more. Watch episodes on Channel 22 Mondays at 6:00 a.m. and Fridays at 6:00 p.m. Also watch at www.SoundDemocracy.org by clicking on "The Reclaiming Democracy TV Show" in the menu on the left. DVDs of this show are also available to show at meetings or on community cable—see website for details. MOVING CLEAN CAMPAIGNS FORWARD IN WASHINGTON Through its educational efforts, AfD is helping Washington Clean Campaigns succeed in advancing Publicly Funded Campaigns in Washington. The legislative session we saw VICTORY on the Local Option bill! The Legislature approved a bill that would for the first time in 16 years allow local towns and counties can create programs with modest use of public funds for campaigns for local office. The benefits: * Public financing cuts the undue influence of money in politics - and restores governance of, by and for the people. * Ordinary people with good ideas can run for office, without needing personal wealth. * Candidates spend time with voters instead of courting big donors.

In 2007, the Rachel Corrie Foundation... .

• supported speaking tours in the US that brought speakers from Palestine and Israel
• supported projects in the West Bank and Gaza including the Rachel Corrie Children and Youth Cultural Center in Rafah.
• facilitated and supported connections between US and Gazan members of the Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project.
• coordinated with Al Mezan Center for Human Rights and Gaza Community Mental Health Programme to educate American citizens and members of Congress about conditions in Gaza and human rights violations that occur there.
• networked with the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation in support of June events in Washington DC marking the 40th anniversary of the Israeli occupation.In Olympia, we partnered with other organizations to mark the 40th anniversary with street theater checkpoints, a statement at the Olympia City Council meeting, and a teach-in about the ’67 war with remembrances from Palestinians.
• awarded the third annual Rachel Corrie Memorial scholarship at The Evergreen State College
• sponsored and co-sponsored events to educate and inspire grassroots activism and to build momentum for the painting of the Olympia-Rafah mural in 2008:
• 65th anniversary celebration of the American Friends Service Committee-Seattle where the foundation received a Pillar of Peace Award.
• presented Peace Works—an annual Rachel Corrie Foundation event which in 2007 supported local performances of the Seattle Repertory Theatre’s production of My Name is Rachel Corrie including educational outreach to three area high schools and post-play discussions at The Evergreen State College. Peace Works also brought Voices of a People’s History of the United States to The Washington Center for the Performing Arts.
• supported the work of the Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project including an enormous effort to seek official sister-city status from the City of Olympia.

In 2007, the Rachel Corrie Foundation... ...supported speaking tours in the US that brought speakers from Palestine and Israel including o nonviolent activists Mohammed el-Khatib from Bi’lin and Feryal abu Haikal of Hebron. o physician Dr. Mona el-Farra from Gaza o American University student from Rafah, Mohammed Abu Asaker o Israeli-French filmmaker, Simone Bitton ...supported projects in the West Bank and Gaza including the Rachel Corrie Children and Youth Cultural Center in Rafah. ...facilitated and supported connections between US and Gazan members of the Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project. ...coordinated with Al Mezan Center for Human Rights and Gaza Community Mental Health Programme to educate American citizens and members of Congress about conditions in Gaza and human rights violations that occur there. ...networked with the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation in support of June events in Washington DC marking the 40th anniversary of the Israeli occupation. Craig and Cindy Corrie spoke and marched in DC on this historic occasion, and joined other citizens and visitors from Gaza in meetings with members of Congress. In Olympia, we partnered with other organizations to mark the 40th anniversary with street theater checkpoints, a statement at the Olympia City Council meeting, and a teach-in about the ’67 war with remembrances from Palestinians. ...awarded the third annual Rachel Corrie Memorial scholarship at The Evergreen State College ...sponsored and co-sponsored events to educate and inspire grassroots activism and to build momentum for the painting of the Olympia-Rafah mural in 2008: 1) Mural artist Susan Greene of Break the Silence Mural Project with presentations about murals in the West Bank, Gaza, and the Bay Area. 2) Hidden Histories, Honoring Local Native American and Palestinian Struggles—an event to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People-- featuring the film Jerusalem 1948 and indigenous-American speakers addressing the commonalities in the struggles of Palestinians and indigenous Americans. 3) An evening with life-long activist and actor Mike Farrell. 4) Beyond Occupation— an educational event with Palestinian-American spoken word artist Suheir Hammad and journalist Dahr Jamail, in conjunction with the Olympia Film Festival. 5) Discussion on the Iraq War with author Anthony Arnove and Iraq War veteran Chanan Suarez-Diaz, presented through efforts of the Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace and the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador. 6) Jerusalem Dispossessed, a photo exhibition from the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, hosted at The Evergreen State College by Students Educating Students About the Middle East (SESAME). ...65th anniversary celebration of the American Friends Service Committee-Seattle where the foundation received a was presented a Pillar of Peace Award. ...presented Peace Works—an annual Rachel Corrie Foundation event which in 2007 supported local performances of the Seattle Repertory Theatre’s production of My Name is Rachel Corrie including educational outreach to three area high schools and post-play discussions at The Evergreen State College. Peace Works also brought Voices of a People’s History of the United States to The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, introduced by author and historian Anthony Arnove and read by actor Brian Jones, Lt. Ehren Watada, Iraq war veteran Chanan Suarez-Diaz, and a diverse and talented group of local readers. ...supported the work of the Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project including an enormous effort to seek official sister-city status from the City of Olympia. Supported ORSCP’s display and sale of Palestinian art from the Rafah Artists’ Association. ...provided print and film resources to educate about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In addition, the Corrie family supported productions of the play My Name is Rachel Corrie as they participated in post-play talkbacks and forums in Seattle and Olympia; Shepherdstown, West Virginia; Denver, Colorado; and Chimacum, Washington. The Corries provided information and support to other theater groups in the US, Canada, and the world. They continue to speak about creating a just and lasting peace for Israel and Palestine at speaking venues throughout the country – in churches, theaters, colleges and high schools, and at conferences.

Annual events including International Women’s Day (March 8), Women’s Equality Day (August 26), Women’s Lobby Day; actions when needed such as clinic defense, Plan B picketing, reproductive rights, anti-hate crime work, anti-war, marriage equality, assisting/supporting the Feminist Library and many others.

Spiritual: · Gather together to share common interests and diverse outlook · Encourage reflection and diverse understandings of spiritual truth · Explore our various beliefs and understandings · Welcoming Congregation for everyone including Gays, Bi-Sexual, Lesbian and Trans-gender people Community: · Clean Carpenter Road from Pacific to Martin Way · Support Habitat for Humanity with lunches · Give warm clothing for homeless · Provide Peace Flags & Guest at Your Table for World Outreach · Participate in CropWalk and Interfaith Works Projects Fun: · Participation is All Volunteer · Show Movies for all ages · Showcase your talent in a Coffeehouse evening · Come to the Craft Club · Your ideas are Welcome here!

Electoral Outcomes: The Green Party fielded several candidates for local office in 2007, including Suzanne Nott for Port Commissioner and Meta Hogan for Mayor. No local Green candidates won this year, but several progressives won (George Barner, Rhenda Strub), and the campaigns of our candidates were inspirational for many. Earlier successes included Greens T.J. Johnson and Paul Pickett (Mason County PUD commissioner) . Community Issues: The Green Party has been a key player in many community efforts. As a multi-issue organization, we are usually contributors rather than leaders in these efforts. Our energy has played a vital part in the community’s success. The Port: Green Party members have tirelessly insisted on open reporting of Port decisions, on compliance with environmental regulations, and on fiscal accountability. Port Militarization Resistance: The Green Party supports resistance to the use of our port by the military for shipment of weapons. Grassroots democracy implies that we can say No to the illegal actions of our government. Many members took part. As a party, we conducted a fund-raiser to raise money to help pay resisters’ legal costs. Climate Change Action: The Green Party acknowledges the danger of global warming, and works to halt it. We were key players in the StepItUp events in Olympia in April and November; Green Party member Chris Stegman organized the April event. Land Use Planning: Green Party member Suzanne Nott helped organize the opposition to Initiative 933 which would have made the current land use plan inoperative. Many members worked on this issue. Election Reform: The Green Party promotes Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) and other solutions to the disempowerment of citizens under the two-party system. Such reforms encounter powerful opposition from the major parties but have won some success: local governments may now choose IRV for their elections, and Pierce County has made the decision to use it for county elections.

Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation’s Accomplishments from May 2006 to April 2007 NEWSLETTERS: ~ We published another year of our bi-monthly newsletter (SW Washington’s most comprehensive peace & justice newsletter) and mailed more than 500 copies of each issue to people throughout Thurston and nearby counties. ~ Our newsletters inform and inspire people in a great many ways in support of peace, nonviolence and economic & social justice. We publicize information our readers wouldn’t see elsewhere. We publicized many other organizations’ activities as well as our own. TELEVISION PROGRAMS: ~ The Olympia FOR produced and broadcast another year of one-hour programs on public affairs issues. Each program aired twice a week for a full month on Thurston Community TV, cable channel 22 in Thurston County. Ours is TCTV’s longest-running series – 20 years! ~ This year’s subjects included: global hunger & poverty, oil & foreign policy, human rights & diversity despite neo-nazi confrontations, the realities of immigration, understanding terrorism, Venezuela, Iran, multi-faith support for caring for the environment, impeachment as a way to protect the Constitution, public financing of electoral campaigns, and nonviolent resistance to nuclear weapons. ~ Our additional TCTV series, “The Big Picture,” showed a wide variety of interesting video documentaries at 10 p.m. every Sunday night. PEACE VIGILS: ~ We completed our 27th year of vigiling from 12 noon to 1 pm at Sylvester Park’s corner at Legion and Capitol Way. We’ve vigiled every Wednesday since March 5, 1980. ~ We also completed 8 ½ years of vigiling at Percival Landing’s south end every Friday from 4:30 to 5:30 pm – until 6:00 while Daylight Savings Time is in effect). ~ A very large number of persons participated in our 31st annual Holiday Peace Vigil on Saturday December 16. PROMOTING NONVIOLENT ACTION: ~ We provided publicity, organizational resources and other supports for Unity in the Community’s efforts to protect human rights and diversity when threatened by neo-nazis. ~ We performed significant organizational and promotional support for activities commemorating Gandhi and updating his 1930 Salt Walk message to our time and place. ~ We presented and/or sponsored a variety of speaking engagements, workshops and special events about war and peace, the power and practicality of nonviolence, how to strengthen social change movements, and related topics. ~ We actively supported rallies, marches and other activities to oppose the current wars and support peace and justice. ~ We provided peacekeeper services to help several large peace and justice events succeed by staying safe, effective and nonviolent for everybody. ~ We conducted peacekeeper training and started planning more training for current and future peacekeepers. WEBSITE: ~ We maintained our website www.olyfor.org, which features our calendar; descriptions of our current TV programs; articles, news and resources about various subjects; links to other websites; and more. ECONOMIC JUSTICE: ~ We participated in the South Sound Clean Clothes Campaign, which works to eliminate sweatshop labor. ~ We lent support to local and larger organizations and coalitions for local and global economic justice issues and projects. IRAQ: ~ We contributed generous financial support for the Citizen Hearing on the Legality of the Iraq War (www.wartribunal.org) on January 20-21 in Tacoma. ~ We provided leadership, information, resources, publicity, and organizational supports for several Iraq peace events. DEATH PENALTY: ~ Our Committee for Alternatives to the Death Penalty reached out to the public. We spoke to several audiences and tabled at TESC’s Super Saturday, Olympia’s Pride Celebration, Tacoma’s Ethnic Fest, and elsewhere. ~ We participated actively as an organizational member of the Washington Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. ~ We informed and mobilized people and testimony about two important bills in the 2007 State Legislature. SPECIAL EVENTS: ~ We organized the annual peace lantern floating ceremony as part of the traditional Japanese Bon Odori mid-summer festival. ~ We organized a public display of children’s peace-related art for Arts Walk. ~ We co-sponsored, endorsed, and/or financially supported a great number and variety of events and activities supporting peace, social justice and nonviolence. ~ We enjoyed potluck picnics in June and August. ~ We staffed information tables and spoke to audiences at a great number and variety of local events. ONGOING INFLUENCE AND SERVICE: ~ As an affiliate member of Interfaith Works, we participated in the local interfaith community’s many activities. ~ We co-sponsored, supported, and/or publicized a great number and variety of community events that were initiated by other local organizations in support of peace, social and economic justice, human rights and nonviolence. ~ We responded to a great many requests from individuals and organizations and provided an abundance of information, referrals, consultation, services and support for their efforts for peace, social justice, and nonviolence. ~ We belong to the Thurston County Progressive Network (TC Pro-Net), www.tcpronet.org ~ We actively participated in activities of the Western Washington FOR. We contributed financially to support the WWFOR so it can better serve us and the regional peace movement. We actively participated on the WWFOR’s regional board, where we represented Olympia’s interests and grassroots values. ORGANIZATIONAL STRENGTH: ~ We accomplish an enormous amount because we are committed to our values and issues, we are well organized, we cooperate well with others, and we earn the larger community’s respect and cooperation. ~ We continually welcome new people to our mailing list and our many activities. ~ Our Steering Committee meets every two months to provide overall direction and decision-making. ~ Our Annual Meeting / Celebration / Election encourages broad participation in strengthening the Olympia FOR and having a good time as peacemakers. ~ We connect local folks with regional activities through the Western Washington FOR (www.scn.org/wwfor) and other activities through the national FOR (www.forusa.org) ~ We are an all-volunteer organization that relies entirely on voluntary tax-deductible contributions. ~ We even had fun raising money! Seattle folksinger Tom Rawson performed a highly enjoyable benefit concert. Since compiling this list in early May we have conducted basic and advanced training for peacekeepers, conducted a well-received workshop on Peak Oil, published more newsletters. We have also and produced and aired TCTV programs on additional topics (“The Single-Payer Solution to the Health Care Crisis,” “Resisting the Militarization of Our Port,” “Homelessness, Dignity and Real Solutions,” “Teenagers Work for Peace and Justice,” “Military ‘Solutions’ Are the Problem,” “Restore America: Impeach Bush & Cheney,” “Korea: A History of U.S. Intervention,” “Terrorism and the Challenge of Asymmetrical War,” and “Venezuela Update”).