In 1967 Rev. Martin Luther King said, “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.” Today, military spending is draining the lifeblood of working class and communities of color.
Without moving money from war, we cannot have economic and racial justice. Working people won’t win jobs and services they need unless their organizations challenge military spending, and peace groups can’t end wars without working class and people of color. Right now we’re organizing separately. King’s prophetic speech contains a vision for a movement to challenge “the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism.” We need to come together to fund jobs, services, and racial equality by moving money from the military.
Concretely, we need a movement on the ground that
•Can pressure government to move a quarter trillion dollars from financing war towards jobs and services we need;
•Is led by the people who need those jobs and services – communities of color and working class communities;
•Challenges US military domination of the world and of our lives; and
•Beat the military-industrial lobby.
This workshop will seek to strengthen collaboration between the peace and economic, social and racial justice movements in a grassroots effort that will move money from financing and preparing for war, to employing, housing and rebuilding our communities. Find out what is working on the ground, strategize together, and walk out with a plan of action.
