Women’s Day Intl’ spotlights WAMM USA

Women against Military Madness 1980 – NOW!
Re-reporting and editing by Carolyn Bennett

Until we move away from domestic and foreign policies of war, violence, aggression, plunder, exploitation, corruption in leadership and government ─ BREAKDOWN ─ progress toward the possible is impossible.

International Women’s Day USA from WAMM

Funds for education, housing, health care & human needs, not wars and occupations:

Out of Afghanistan & Iraq

Bring the Troops Home Now

No Escalation — Hands off Pakistan, Iran, Yemen and Somalia. Aid for Haiti, not occupation!

Women against Military Madness is a nonviolent, feminist organization working in solidarity with others

To create a system of social equality, self-determination and justice through education, action and the empowerment of women. WAMM’s purpose is to dismantle systems of militarism, economic exploitation and global oppression.

Ten women in the fall of 1981 met in Loretta’s Tea Room in Minneapolis to figure out how most effectively to respond to the threat of nuclear war, the huge increases in military spending and the massive slashes in human services budgets. Inspired by polls showing that most women were against war but as a group were unorganized and inadequately empowered to challenge government priorities, WAMM founders believed that by confronting our fear, anger and denial together, women could become the leaders of a movement to turn our country from the brink of nuclear holocaust to a peaceful and just society.

One hundred assembled at a founding conference January 16, 1982, then marched with signs along University Avenue in Minneapolis. A tradition was born ─ Never a meeting without an action. WAMM published a monthly newsletter informing members and the community about peace and justice issues. WAMM in the 1980s opposed the nuclear arms race and the U.S intervention in Central America.

WAMM supported Native American spear fishing rights, Minnesota nurses and P9 meat packers strikes, the welfare rights group Up and Out of Poverty, the struggle to get Honeywell to stop producing land mines in coalition with the Honeywell Project, and joined coalitions for police accountability. WAMM members demonstrated against war toys by buying out one store’s supply before Christmas then returning them all after the holiday.

WAMM is well known for creative and consistent legal nonviolent activism. WAMM members engage in freeway ‘bannering,’ weekly downtown marches, empowerment groups, school visitations with ‘Tough Dove’ the puppet, and distribution of ‘Tools for Tough Times’ packets to activate members.

WAMM and coalition partners in the 1990s held the first protest in the U.S. against troop deployment leading up to the Gulf War and then fought the deadly sanctions and continuing bombing of Iraq. WAMM protested interventions and bloody conflicts in Panama, Yugoslavia, East Timor, Somalia, and Israel/Palestine. WAMM campaigned against the ‘Contract on America’ making the critical link between domestic cuts and military madness. On the local level WAMM worked against police brutality, and with coalition partners defeated attempts to mandate Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) in Minneapolis public high schools.

WAMM has been focused since September 11, 2001, on opposing the ‘war on terrorism’ in all its forms ─ including attacks on the civil liberties of immigrants and activists. WAMM has formed a new committee to expose the danger of depleted uranium munitions.

WAMM continues to support direct action and coalition building and encourages women to act through committees, empowerment groups, and individual activism. WAMM spreads the word of peace and justice into schools and community organizations through WAMM Action!



Source
W A M M,310 East 38th Street, Suite 222, Minneapolis, MN 55409, USA,
wamm@mtn.org; www.worldwidewamm.org; http://www.worldwidewamm.org/home.html