Listed below are spiritual activist resources mentioned by Lawrence Ellis in his interview in September 2002 on Points Of Interest television show. A few additional resources not mentioned in the interview are also listed. Please note that this resource page will be removed on November 29, 2002.
For information about business & organizational consulting, as discussed in Lawrence's interview, click here to return to our website homepage, or call us at 510-482-0750.
Sonbonfu and Malidoma Somé, renowned medicine people of the Dagara Tribe of Burkina Faso, travel the world providing teachings and rituals about ancient African wisdom and mastery practices. Information about their books, workshops, and other activities is available at www.malidoma.com.
A good introduction to Bay Area Native American spiritual practices may be found through the Seven Circles Foundation.
The Buddhist Peace Fellowship works at the intersection of contemplative Buddhist practice and progressive social change. Check them out at www.bpf.org.
In August, 2002, Lawrence Ellis was among fifteen prominent Buddhist teachers & leaders at a first-ever conference/retreat for African-American Buddhists from all four major Buddhist schools (Pure Land, Therevada, Tibetan, and Zen.) Other teachers & leaders included Rachel Bagby, Gaylon Ferguson, Joseph Jarman, Marlene Jones, Konda Mason, Ralph Steele, Sala Steinbach, Choyin Rangdrol, Alice Walker, Angel Kyodo Williams, Jan Willis, and Lewis Woods.
Listed below are Ten Things You Can Do To Stop The War On Iraq, provided by Global Exchange. (You can download a pre-formatted PDF flier of the information below at http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/iraq/tenthings.html.)
1. Call or Fax your US Senators and Representatives and express your opposition to an invasion of Iraq. You can find out the names of your Members of Congress and their contact information at www.senate.gov and www.house.gov or call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. Ask your representatives to sign the ''Peace Pledge'' available at www.unitedforpeace.org.
2. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper saying why you oppose the war on Iraq. Your letter should be from one to three paragraphs long. Possible points to make include: the Administration has not presented an adequate justification for going to war; Iraq does not pose a clear and present danger to the US; and an invasion of Iraq would violate international law. You can find out where to send your letters by looking on the letters to the editor page of your local newspaper.
3. Email a friend and ask them to join you in opposing the war. Send this list of things you can do to stop the war to a friend along with a copy of Global Exchange's Top Ten Reasons Why the US Should Not Invade Iraq, available online at www.globalexchange.org.
4. Join the national mobilization to stop the war on Iraq by organizing an anti-war event (a rally, march, vigil, teach-in, or other action) in your community October 5-7. Make sure to list your event on the website www.unitedforpeace.org. We expect there will be more than 200 ''No War on Iraq'' protests during those three days.
5. Distribute flyers about why people should stop this war before it starts. Good, heavily trafficked locations include bus stops, subway stations, grocery stores, college campuses, libraries, and churches, among other sites. For a sample flyer, go to www.unitedforpeace.org or call us at 415-255-7296.
6. Organize a weekly vigil against the war at the US federal building in your city, at the office of a Congressperson who supports the war, or at another public place.
7. Call a press conference where local community leaders, religious leaders, veterans, politicians, and others can speak out against the war. Once you have some community leaders who are willing to speak out against the war, determine the time and location of the press conference, send a press release to local media outlets, and then follow up with a phone call to tell editors and reporters what you're doing.
8. Educate yourself about Iraq and the US accusations against Saddam Hussein so you can discuss the issue with friends, family, and even strangers. We won't be able to stop this war if we can't convince people who don't agree with us to come over to our position. Websites that have good information include www.zmag.org, www.thenation.com, www.commondreams.org, www.alternet.org, www.pacificnews.org and www.endthewar.org.
9. Place a ''No War on Iraq'' banner in a prominent public place. Even if the banner is taken down within a few hours, people will see it while it's up, and they will realize that the opposition to this war is growing. You can hang banners from freeway overpasses and out the windows of buildings in downtown areas. It's easy to make a banner: just use paint or markers on a white sheet.
10. Connect with the local peace group in your community. They will undoubtedly have other ideas for how you can work to stop the war. Some peace groups that have chapters in many cities and towns include Peace Action and the American Friends Service Committee. You can also look at the events section on the United for Peace website, and see what groups are sponsoring events in your community. Or join Global Exchange's moderated email listserve by sending a message to nomoreinnocentvictims-on@globalexchange.org.
For information about business & organizational consulting, as discussed in Lawrence's interview, click here to return to our website homepage, or call us at 510-482-0750.