Peace and Social Justice Education Fund 1407 N. Topeka Street Wichita, Kansas 67214

Opt Out Program for USD 259 is a Huge Success

In its on-going work to promote peace, end the war in Iraq and prevent a new war in Iran, the Peace and Social Justice Center of South Central Kansas would like to announce that Opt-Outs for military recruitment in the Wichita High Schools increased over 100% from last year! The Opt-Out Notification for Military Recruiters form became available in 2005 to enable students and their parents to prevent the release of their names, addresses and phone numbers to military recruiters. In 2007, 32% of parents of 11th and 12th grade students district-wide have filed Opt-Out forms with their schools.

Nationwide, military recruitment is down 42%. In their efforts to sign up enlistees, recruiters often make false promises about the benefits of military service. A clear majority of Americans believe the Iraq war was a big mistake. More and more parents do not wish to sacrifice their sons or daughters in the Iraq disaster. The Peace Center believes it is essential for parents to be informed of their rights to opt-out of the release of their children’s contact information to the military.

We applaud the efforts of those in the Wichita Public Schools who have sought to give parents and students an informed choice about whether they want their students’ names released to the military. At the same time, it is obvious from the figures that two schools, South (0%) and Southeast (0.01%), appear not to have included the forms in the enrollment packets. At the June 26, 2006 Board of Education meeting, “Superintendent Brooks confirmed that the Opt-Out Notification for Military Recruiters form would be included in all high school enrollment packets.” (BOE minutes, 06/26/2006) We have questions about why the students and parents at these two schools may not be receiving the form.

The increasing number of Opt-Outs in 2007 show that, as the forms are included in the enrollment packets, more and more parents choose to Opt-Out. The youth of our nation are its most precious human resource. Students should have access to a variety of opportunities such as jobs, higher education and volunteer work. They should not be unduly pressured towards the military.

The Peace and Social Justice Center is interested in working with parents from school districts outside of Wichita to request that their school boards provide the military Opt-Out forms or to receive a form. Call (316) 263-5886 for more information.

Cathy Benton, new Peace and Social Justice Center director, came to the Center from the social services field where she witnessed too many people being treated with little or no respect from the community. She believes no one should go unheard or unseen and everyone deserves respect. This attitude makes her a perfect fit for the Peace Center directorship, a position she assumed in December.

Cathy discovered the Peace Center when she became involved with the Peace and Social Justice Committee at her church. Looking for a career change, she applied for the director position because she believed in the mission of the Center.

Currently, Cathy’s main focus is to get people registered to vote and encourage them to go to the polls next November. She wants to educate people that their vote does make a difference and for people to understand the importance of an administration that is ready to end the war and focus on health care, raising the minimum wage, ending poverty, helping families stay in their homes, and global warming.

In the past, Cathy has been involved with National Organization on Adolescent Pregnancy, Parenting and Prevention (NOAPPP), which is a national membership organization of practitioners, policy makers, and state and local coalitions concerned with adolescent pregnancy parenting and prevention, now known as Healthy Teen Network.

Cathy credits her parents with inspiring her to be an activist. “I grew up in a household where my parents’ friends were a racially, economically and a religiously diverse group of people, not common in the 1950’s,” she said. While she didn’t realize it at the time, when she started kindergarten in 1954 in Topeka, she became a part of history. This was the first year for schools to be racially intergraded after Brown Versus Topeka Board of Education.

“I was surprised when I visited the museum in Topeka last spring to learn my place in history but what didn’t surprise me was my parents’ decision not to mention the integration because to them it was simply the way it should be. I learned from my parents by the way they lived their lives and respected all people,” she said.

Cathy’s favorite thing to do is to spend time with her grandchildren. She has three little ones and three who are young adults so she thinks she has the best of both worlds right now. She also likes to travel, partly to visit new places but most of all to meet new people. “It is fulfilling for me as a grandparent to travel with my grandchildren so I can introduce them to new experiences where they can learn to embrace different cultures and ideas. When we travel we have found the best way to meet new people is to travel on public transportation and stay in hostels. I have learned from traveling what is most important to people globally is peace.”

Horace Continues to Work for the Betterment of Others

As many Peace Center members know, Horace Santry resigned from his position as executive director of the Peace Center where he worked diligently for over three years, to take a job at the Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center. We want to thank him for his service to the Center and wish him the best in his new job. We will miss him, but we know whatever he is doing, he will continue to spread the message of peace and justice.

Half the Sky – Feb. 08

Bits and Pieces…We say “Goodbye” to an old friend, Harold Plenert who left us January 27th. The old saying “We’ll not see the likes of him again!” holds true here – for Harold wise and witty will leave a huge void – we will miss him on marches and demonstrations. Harold was truly dedicated to peace through justice and the practice of his faith. Thank you Harold – may you shine as a star through all eternity. mh

“You can no more win a war than win an earthquake.” Jeanette Rankin, R-Montana.

Molly’s Brigade gathers each Friday from 4:30 to 5:15 P.M. to call for bringing the troops home NOW – in one of Molly Ivin’s last columns (she died January ’07) she called for peace people to get out on the streets banging pots and pans and demanding the “troop’s home NOW.” So we are. Join us please, on 800 E. Second St. –(Warren Plaza) each Friday, 4:30 P.M. America’s Liars – who are they? Go to www.publicintegrity.org/WarCard for a database of 935 false statements made by Bush, Cheney, Rice and Rumsfeld et al. in the two years following 9/11. (The Nation - 12/19/07). Add 6,250 (or more) to the Iraq/Afghanistan body count – that is a horrific, tragic number of our veterans (or active troops) who have taken their own lives due to post traumatic stress disorder – most of them untreated either before or after leaving the service. This was documented by the CBS Investigative report, (Nov. 07) after exhaustive research. You can check this out by going to www.google.com

When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it?” Eleanor Roosevelt (Many thanks to my friend, Peg Vines, for this choice quote.)

Vigil to Close SOA Draws 25,000

Seven people represented the Peace Center at the annual School of the Americas Watch vigil/protest outside the gates of Fort Benning, GA this past November. Estimates of this year’s peaceful protesters range from 20,000 to 25, 000. Participants ranged in age from babies to 90+, with the predominant group seeming to be of college age. That’s a positive sign for the future of activism.

The purposes of this vigil/protest are to commemorate those killed, disappeared, or tortured by graduates of the School of the Americas, to bring about the closing of SOA/WHINSEC (new name, same shame), and to pressure Congress to investigate the atrocities linked to graduates of the school and to prohibit funding of the school. In June, 2007, a House of Representatives’ vote to prohibit such funding lost by a margin of only 6 votes! The vote gets closer each year. It can be done! www.soaw.org offers suggestions for pressuring your Representative to vote “yes” on the bill in 2008.

One of our group, Michelle Yipe, chose to cross the line in an act of peaceful civil disobedience. She, along with ten others, was arrested and stood trial in Columbus, GA on January 28, 2008. Her sentence is 30 days in jail and a $500.00 fine.

We already have rooms reserved in Columbus for the weekend of November 21, 2008. Please consider joining us for an extremely powerful experience. If Congress votes to close the school, we’ll have a big party at the gates of Fort Benning!

Partners with Peace Center

The Peace and Social Justice Center, again partnered with the United with Compassion (UWC) to reach the less fortunate children in Chihuahua, Mexico. UWC is made up of families from Wichita, Kansas, that provided gifts to children during the holiday season. This year more than 300 children were given gifts from over 2,000 items such as hygiene products, school supplies, clothing, and toys. These gifts were given to the children on January 6, 2008, “Dia de Reyes” (Day of the Wise Men) the feast of the epiphany. UWC’s mission is to reach out and give the less fortunate children the simplest tools they need to have a brighter future. They strive to dramatically impact the child’s morale and well-being. In partnership with DIF, they helped the underprivileged children who are in greatest need in Chihuahua, Mexico. DIF is a non-profit Mexican government program designed to help less fortunate families, children, and people with disabilities. DIF provides food, shelter, family assistance and most important, helps orphan children find a loving family.

YES!! I WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN THE WORK OF PEACE AND NONVIOLENCE IN WICHITA

Board Members

Dona Baba Janice Bradley, Vice-Chair Sr. Ann Catherine Burger, Treasurer Pat Ciotti Carolyn Marie Fugit Susan Maple Steve Otto Kent Rowe Frank Smith Laura Tillem, Secretary Diane Wahto, Chair Michelle Yipe’ Capri Zimmerman, Editor Joni Bradley Leigh Carlson-Cox Judith Loganbill Cathy Benton, Director Pat Cameron, Fund Raising Coordinator Dorlan Bales, Property Manager

Email: staff@wichitapeace.org

Phone: 316-263-5886