“For over a decade, CODEPINK has been a beacon of light for me during countless times when I despaired at all the injustice, war and mayhem. Just when I would reach the precipice of hopelessness, I would see an image of a CODEPINK member carrying or wearing the neon pink, bravely disrupting some Goliath or other, and somehow my heartache would ease just enough to clear my mind and allow divine guidance to enter.”
—Fariba Homesley
Dear Activist,
As this year comes to an end, we see an even more urgent need to raise our voices to end war and militarism, stop drones, close Guantanamo Bay prison (and the navy base!), hold war criminals accountable, expose the corrupt relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia, and grow local peace economies.
That’s why we’re asking you to support our work for peace by disrupting war business as usual. By supporting CODEPINK, you keep voices for peace and justice in the halls of power and building peace locally.
Thank you for your support and for all you do for Peace!
Onward toward peace and justice!
Alli, Ariel, Chelsea, Janet, Janna, Jodie, Lisa, Medea, Michaela, Michelle, Nancy and Tighe
PS: We're facilitating "Pop Up for Peace" gatherings in our communities to talk about the Middle East conflict and growing Islamophobia here at home. Will you host one in your community?
PPS: Have you gotten any CODEPINK swag yet this year? Check out our online store for great holiday gifts for your loved ones!
CODEPINK ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2015
To celebrate diplomacy and the normalization of relations with CUBA, we brought over 200 peace delegates to Cuba. Our trip was a defiant demonstration against the American embargo—an unjust policy we are committed to ending. After celebrating the release of Shaker Aamer in November, we also brought 60 people to GUANTANAMO and called for the U.S. naval base and prison to be closed, and the land to be returned to the Cubans.
Calling for reunification and peace in KOREA, we travelled across the demilitarized zone from North Korea to South Korea with 30 prominent international women. Alongside thousands of Korean women, we joined their moving call to end heavily militarized borders.
In honor of those who sacrifice their lives to tell the truth and inform the public, we continued supporting our whistleblower shero, CHELSEA MANNING. You helped us raise $45,000 for her legal fees to defend her against trumped-up charges and keep her out of solitary confinement. We also helped whistleblower JOHN KIRIAKOU during his transition out of prison.
Working with a powerful peace coalition and 100 prominent American women, we ensured the passage of the IRAN nuclear deal. This helped us avoid another unnecessary war, showing the world that peace is possible through diplomacy.
We held WAR CRIMINALS accountable and spoke truth to power, from attempting an epic citizen’s arrest of Henry Kissinger (which made John McCain go berserk!) to a bold disruption of Dick Cheney when he was hawking for war with Iran.
Dedicated to ending US support for repressive regimes, we have worked all year to end U.S. military aid to EGYPT. After our tireless advocacy on his behalf, pro-democracy Egyptian American political prisoner Mohamed Soltan was freed and returned to his family.
Horrified by the destruction wrought by ISIS, which came to power because of the U.S. war on Iraq, you helped us raise $14,000 to fund a trauma and rape healing center for women and girls in IRAQ. Over a decade later, we still haven’t forgotten the crimes of the Bush administration in Iraq. We’re supporting Iraqi mother Sundus Saleh Shaker and her lawyer, Inder Comar in their lawsuit against Bush and his cronies.
After 14 years of a failed, horrifically destructive war on AFGHANISTAN, the situation is worse for women in the country. We exposed this truth with a shocking report published on the anniversary of the war. We are also pushing for an independent investigation into the U.S. bombing of a hospital in Kunduz.
When the media is looking for an opposing voice to killer DRONES, they come to us as one of the leading organizations pushing this issue. All year long, our Bay Area chapter hosted monthly protests at Beale Air Force Base in California and two annual protests at the Creech Air Force Base in Nevada.
We launched a new campaign this year to grow the LOCAL PEACE ECONOMY as a personal act against the economy that drives war. The relational, reciprocal, giving, sharing, thriving economy exists; it is why we are alive. We have daily inspirations to ignite our support for the peace economy and help us overcome the more dominant, violent, destructive and extractive economy.
Our LOCAL CHAPTERS have been relentless in their peace activism: Bay Area CODEPINKers hold a weekly vigil in San Francisco and a monthly walk for peace on the Golden Gate Bridge. CODEPINK chapters in Maine, Texas, Ohio, and more have been in the streets protesting the multitude of injustices facing our society. Our pink roots run deep internationally, and our Japanese CODEPINK sisters protested and hosted vigils against the re-militarization of Japan under the Abe government.
We brought 20 people to the WEST BANK for the annual olive harvest in solidarity with our Palestinian friends who are struggling against the occupation.
In June 2015, six years after launching the boycott against AHAVA cosmetics because of the company’s violations of international law, our Stolen Beauty campaign welcomed the news that Ahava was considering moving its factory out of the West Bank. Similarly, after immense international pressure, SODASTREAM is currently in the process of shuttering its West Bank factory.
We’ve stayed active in the fierce and powerful movement for Black Lives through our Communities Organized to Demilitarize Enforcement (CODE) campaign. On International Women’s Day we hosted a call between mothers who have lost their children to violence in the U.S. and Mexico. Each shared their grief and commitment to working for peace and justice. On Mother’s Day we delivered hundreds of flowers to mothers who had lost their children at the hands of the police. We hung a giant banner at the US Mayors Conference, telling the mayors to demilitarize our cities.
Here are some of our planned actions for 2016 :
We will continue to be in the HALLS OF CONGRESS as the warmongers raise the bar and spend our tax dollars on war. We will be there to stop them from sending more troops to Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. To expose the weapons trade and our complicity in it. To stop the spread of weaponized domestic drones. To stop the spying. And we will continue our work to bring the war dollars home to meet the growing needs of our communities.
As the situation on the ground in PALESTINE AND ISRAEL grows ever more violent, we will redouble our Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) efforts through our Remodel RE/MAX campaign in the coming year.
In YEMEN, thousands of innocent people have been killed by U.S.–made bombs dropped by SAUDI ARABIA. We plan to send our Yemeni friends on a speaking tour with CODEPINK’s Ret. Colonel Ann Wright to raise more awareness about the U.S.-supported Saudi war on Yemen. The tour will be followed by a large conference to strategize about ending the toxic relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia.
For MOTHER'S DAY we will bring together mothers for a beautiful and creative action near the United Nations, with a call for the world to disarm, disarm, and use political solutions instead of military solutions.
Medea and Tighe just returned from Lebanon, where they visited SYRIAN REFUGEE camps to pave the way for a possible peace march to the Syrian border in the spring. We will call for an arms embargo to the region, with money redirected to address the growing humanitarian crisis.
We will continue our work to grow local peace economies in the U.S. and globally, and publish a book to guide us in supporting our LOCAL PEACE ECONOMY! The book tour will nourish and grow our local CODEPINK communities.
During elections, we will call on America to GIVE PEACE A VOTE. We will hold every candidate accountable when it comes to their position on war and militarism because we need a president for peace!
Like what you see? Donate to keep CODEPINK going.