PAST EVENTS
The IPWG began its work by seeking to identify people in the community who shared its concern about militarization. Our public events intend to draw such people together in the hope they might partner with us in engaging local faith and secular communities in study of and deliberation on the subject.
Speakers
Trillions for the Military: Will that make us secure?
November 2017, edgewood college
Speaker: Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence
Having stood alongside people in war zones, Kathy has spoken and written about the futility of U.S. militarism, the terrible consequences of U.S. Wars, and the positive, proven potential for nonviolent resistance to war and injustice.
Demilitarizing for a Brighter Future
february 2018, madison christian community
Speaker: Lindsay Koshgarian, National Priorities Project Program Director
Lindsay documented what the U.S. spends on the military and what could be done with that money to meet human needs. The mission of her organization is to inspire individuals and movements to take action so that our federal resources prioritize peace, shared prosperity, and economic security for all.
Hunger and Hope in the Federal Budget … An Insider’s View
april 2018, edgewood college
Speaker: Sister Simone Campbell, SSS, Executive Director of NETWORK Social Justice Lobby
Sister Simone spoke about what she has seen and heard in her travels, especially on the “Nuns on the Bus” cross-country trips. She focused on topics like economic justice and immigration reform, and explained why compassion and love can be a basis for policy choices and priorities for Federal spending.
War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict
OCTOBER 2022, edgewood college
Speaker: Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK and the fair trade advocacy group Global Exchange
Medea Benjamin gave a history of Ukraine-Russia-NATO relations and spoke of opportunities to bring an end to the Ukraine war through diplomacy.
The Power and Promise of Nonviolent Action
November 2023, tripp commons (UW Madison)
Speaker: Dr. Maria Stephan
Dr. Maria Stephan, co-author of the book Why Civil Resistance Works, explained why non-violent campaigns are twice as effective as violent campaigns in achieving positive social change and democracy.
Make War Visible and End It
2024
Speaker: Norman Solomon, co-founder of the Institute for Public Accuracy and Roots Action
Norman Solomon said that no matter how much coverage of war comes through mainstream news outlets, the human realities of warfare are scarcely conveyed. “The activist’s task is shattering the silence about war, challenging mainstream media and creating our own media.”
The Middle East Crisis with Peter Makari
SEPTEMBER 26, 2024
Speaker: Peter Makari, Global Relations Minister for the Middle East and Europe for the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), member of the Board of Churches for Middle East Peace
Peter Makari, a leading specialist on the crisis in Gaza and the Middle East, presented for churches and other communities of faith on the crisis in the Middle East. Born in Egypt, he is among the most well-informed Church leaders on developments in the Middle East, having spent much of his life studying and living in that part of the world.
Education
Evensong for Peace
June 2021-may 2022
The Evensong program consisted of music, a prayer and a short homily/sermon followed by breakout groups in which people responded to a query. It was inspired by the Confessing Church of the 1930’s which opposed Nazism and by the “political prayer movement” in West Germany which opposed nuclear weapons and the Vietnam war in the 1960s-70s.
The Interfaith Peace Working Group sponsored a series of 12 monthly online Evensong programs with brief homilies from members of Buddhist, Christian and Jewish faiths. The programs consisted of music, prayer and a short homily/sermon followed by breakout groups in which people responded to a query. It was inspired by the Confessing Church of the 1930s which opposed Nazism and by the “political prayer movement” in West Germany of the 1960-70s. The presenters spoke of the spiritual roots of their commitment to non-violence and introduced us to the work of Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice, the Madison Urban League, the Alternatives to Violence Project and the Nonviolent Peaceforce.
Co-sponsoring groups: Wisconsin Council of Churches, First Congregational–United Church of Christ
A Force More Powerful
2023
A six-session study on non-violent action was led by Jerry Folk at Holy Wisdom Monastery. This study was based on the book and film A Force More Powerful.
International Peace Day Film Viewing
September 21, 2024
Where Olive Trees Weep
No One Is Free Until We Are All Free
The film, Where Olive Trees Weep, offers a searing window into the struggles and resilience of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation. It explores themes of loss, trauma, and the quest for justice.
The film follows Palestinian journalist and therapist Ashira Darwish, grassroots activist Ahed Tamimi, and Israeli journalist Amira Hass. We witness Dr. Gabor Maté offering trauma-healing work for a group of women who have been tortured in Israeli prisons.
Ancient landscapes bear deep scars, having witnessed the brutal reality of ancestral land confiscation, expulsions, imprisonment, home demolitions, water deprivation, and denial of basic human rights. Yet, through the veil of oppression, we catch a glimpse of resilience—deep roots that have carried the Palestinian people through decades of darkness and shattered lives.
This emotional journey bares the humanity of the oppressed while grappling with the question: what makes the oppressor so ruthlessly blind to its own cruelty?
Co-Sponsored Events
The Growing Risk of Nuclear War and What We Can Do About It
April 2018
Speaker: Dr. Ira Helfand, co-founder and past president of Physicians for Social Responsibility
The Environment and Nuclear War — Making the Link: What Madison Can Do to Save Our Planet
2018
Speaker: Dr. Bob Dodge, Co-Chair of the Security Committee of Physicians for Social Responsibility
The Back from the Brink of Nucear War Campaign
2022
Speaker: Dr. Ira Helfand
On American Democracy and the Role of Faith
2022
Speaker: Reverend Jennifer Butler, Executive Director of Faith in Public Life (photo) Jennifer Butler
What Should Be Done to End the War in Ukraine?
2023
Speaker: David Swanson, Executive Director of World Beyond War. (photo) David Swanson
Advocacy
Fall 2017 – We joined representatives of Physicians for Social Responsibility–Wisconsin, the Outrider Foundation, Veterans for Peace and the Womens’ International League for Peace and Freedom to lobby Senator Baldwin’s staff for support of bills that would cut funding for U.S. nuclear weapons modernization and prohibit the first use of nuclear weapons by the U.S.
Fall 2018 – We joined Physicians for Social Responsibility–Wisconsin at a press conference calling for the Madison City Council to pass a “Back from the Brink” nuclear weapon disarmament/divestment resolution.
May 2023 – IPWG members joined other Back from the Brink Coalition members in a Zoom Meeting with Rep. Mark Pocan to thank him for his co-sponsorship of House Res. 77, which calls on the U.S. to join the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and to urge him to continue working to redirect defense dollars to programs that meet human needs.