WILPF Celebrates President Obama's Inauguration,
Expands Vision for Beloved Community

With hope tempered by 93 years of experience, the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, US Section (WILPF US) celebrates the inauguration of the country's 44th president, Barack Obama. Our members have gathered in DC, joining citizens from across the country to witness this historic occasion. We wrote to President Obama, articulating our priorities for his administration.

WILPF Co-President Nancy Munger in DC yesterday

Since WILPF recognizes the inter-connected nature of societal problems, analyzes the root causes of war, and builds movements for justice, peace, and radical democracy, it can be difficult to define our priorities succinctly. Though no process is perfect, our engagement with the new administration highlights the core strength of our organization: the ability for one member's idea to gather the strength of our collective wisdom and move towards action.

A member suggested on an issue committee conference call that WILPF should define priorities for the administrative branch of the federal government. This idea was brought to the program committee and all issue committees were tasked with defining priorities within their purview. These priorities were gathered by the Program Co-Chairs, who developed the first draft of our letter to Obama, organizing the priorities into three main areas:

• Leadership in multi-national efforts to end war and militarism
• Promoting human rights for all
• Care for our planet earth

This letter was edited by our Co-Presidents and submitted yesterday to the Obama transition team. You can view the entire letter on our website. We urge you to use this letter as a blueprint for activism:

1. Delve deeper into a particular area of our activism by getting involved in an issue committee. Learn more about getting involved in one of our ten committees on our website.


2. Discuss how your branch can work locally and advocate nationally for these priorities. Distribute copies of the letter to your branch members. Invite all members to a branch meeting to discuss weaving these priorities into your activism.


3. Remind your friends that true change requires a critical mass of political will: encourage them to join WILPF.


4. Financial contributions to our organization are vital to our continued existence. Consider a monthly pledge to support our work. Your money will help us spread our message to the next generation of WILPF women, participate in meetings with sister WILPFers globally, and allow our section to pay its dues to our international organization, supporting the work of our PeaceWomen and Reaching Critical Will projects.


5. While our analysis is built on our collective wisdom, it is always evolving. Join the conversation in our Facebook group and on our blog.

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For more information, visit our website: www.wilpf.org