The central command center of an electoral campaign is called The War Room, but CODEPINK's peaceroom2008.org
is all about ending the occupation of Iraq and preventing a war with Iran.
Vist our website www.codepinkalert.org
for extensive information, tips on action planning, starting your own local CODEPINK & much more!
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About us:
CODEPINK is a women initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement that seeks positive social change through proactive, creative protest and non-violent direct action.
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“ We call on women around the world to rise up and oppose the war in Iraq. We call on mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and daughters, on workers, students, teachers, healers, artists, writers, singers, poets and every ordinary outraged woman willing to be outrageous for peace. Women have been the guardians of life—not because we are better or purer or more innately nurturing than men, but because the men have busied themselves making war. Because of our responsibility to the next generation, because of our own love for our families and communities and this country that we are a part of, we understand the love of a mother in Iraq for her children and the driving desire of that child for life†— Starhawk
With this call CODEPINK came to the face and space of the national leadership to protest the pre-emptive strike in Iraq. Medea Benjamin, Starhawk, Jodie Evans, Diane Wilson and approximately 100 other women kicked off CODEPINK on November 17, 2002. They marched through the streets of Washington, DC and set up for a four month vigil in front of the White House. The name CODEPINK plays on the Bush Administration’s color-coded homeland security advisory system that signals terrorist threats. While Bush’s color coded alerts are based on fear, the CODEPINK alert is based on compassion and is a feisty call for women and men to “wage peace.â€
Through March 8th, International Women’s Day, CODEPINK held a daily, all-day peace vigil in front of the White House. The Women’s Peace Vigil inspired people from all walks of life, and from all over the country to stand for peace. Many organizations sponsored days: Greenpeace, WILPF, WAND, Public Citizen, NOW, Women for Women International, Neighbors for Peace and Justice, among others. On March 8th, CODEPINK celebrated women as global peacemakers with a week of activities, rally and march to encircle the White House in pink. Over 10,000 people participated. Among them, Alice Walker, Maxine Hong Kingston, Jody Williams, Susan Griffen, Starhawk, and Medea Benjamin.
CODEPINK has expanded its work into the following program areas:
Peacemaking and militarism
Supporting the International Occupation Watch Center in Baghdad
Peace delegations to Israel-Palestine, North & South Korea, Burma, and Iraq
Life-affirming economic priorities
Books not Bombs in support of local libraries
Civil liberties
Education and advocacy of grassroots efforts to prevent passage of Patriot Act II
Environmental sustainabilityAdvocacy of more fuel efficient cars
Support efforts to close Indian Point nuclear power plant in New York
Responsible Media and Reporting
Preserve diversity, localism, and competition
Work to stop the implementation of the FCC ownership rulings
Elections and Voter Registration
Encourage women and other minorities to register to vote
CODEPINK-Central serves to connect CODEPINK groups with the international network of global peacemakers. By placing a contact email on the CODEPINK website, local CODEPINK groups make themselves accessible to those in their area who would like to get involved. CODEPINK Central also supplies groups with a range of CODEPINK merchandise to increase visibility: pink scarves, buttons, bumper stickers, and tee-shirts. CODEPINK Central also provides local CODEPINK groups with organizing tips, overarching national campaigns and initiatives. By tapping into the network CODEPINKers coordinate our energies and efforts.
Besides grassroots organizing Stateside, CODEPINK women have traveled to Iraq where they helped to establish the Occupation Watch Center.
CODEPINK co-creator Gael Murphy has been key to the development of the international coalition of organizations and the management of Center staff. The first all-women CODEPINK peace delegation went to Iraq in February 2003. Another delegation traveled to Iraq in January 2004.
“ We call on women around the world to rise up and oppose the war in Iraq. We call on mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and daughters, on workers, students, teachers, healers, artists, writers, singers, poets and every ordinary outraged woman willing to be outrageous for peace. Women have been the guardians of life—not because we are better or purer or more innately nurturing than men, but because the men have busied themselves making war. Because of our responsibility to the next generation, because of our own love for our families and communities and this country that we are a part of, we understand the love of a mother in Iraq for her children and the driving desire of that child for life†— Starhawk
Radio -
KPFK the real news!
Amy Goodman - Democracy Now!
CODEPINK recommends these movies to your local group. Host a DVD party with other local members and watch for yourself the countless documentation of the Bush Administrations failed foreign policy and the horrific consequences that resulted. From the devastation in Iraq to the human rights atrocities at Guantanamo these films instill a powerful message of why CODEPINK women can no longer sit by and let the current administration continue to run this country into the ground.
The John Stewart Show
The Cobert Report
Real Time with Bill Maher
TWILIGHT OF AN EMPIRE: Responses to Occupation:
Journal Entries from CODEPINK's Iraq Trip
CODEPINK's Jodie Evans, who traveled to Baghdad directly before and after the war, explains the stratification between American economic interests and Iraqi helplessness that is the occupation's chief characteristic.
STOP THE NEXT WAR NOW! Effective Responses to Violence & Terrorism
Click here for CODEPINK Recommended Reading List
Click here for bios on CODEPINK Founders & Staff
Not Heros, women to admire but no need to idealize - the founders of CODEPINK are:
Jodie Evans
Medea Benjamin
Starhawk
Gael Murphy
Medea Benjamin
Jodie Evans at the White House - Mother's Day 2006