Below is the list of our CODEPINK workshops at the USSF as well as other workshops that we are recommending people attend. More details about meeting places and times will be posted as the forum approaches.

Thursday June 28: Women Stopping the War in Iraq and Preventing One with Iran

How do we relate to women in war situations?  How can we inspire women in the US to care about and take action to support women in Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan, and globally? 

The discussion will be facilitated by CODEPINK and Global Exchange cofounder Medea Benjamin, who has traveled to Iraq and Jordan and become a leader in the US peace movement. 

In this workshop we will screen a short (14 minute) documentary about the Iraqi women that CODEPINK sponsored to come to the US for a 100 city speaking tour in the spring of 2006, and we will talk about the current struggles women in Iraq face.  CODEPINK will have copies of our report on the status of women in Iraq available and give an up to date assessment of our work with women in Iraq and women in the US regarding the US occupation of Iraq.

Friday June 29: From Hillary Clinton to Nancy Pelosi: How can we get people in power to better represent women's interests?

Last November voters gave a Mandate for Peace to the new Congress, but so far little has been done to end the Iraq war under the new leadership of Nancy Pelosi.  Hillary Clinton is “in to win” the seat to be the next president, but hardly stands up against the Iraq war.  As women peacemakers we have a special responsibility to ensure that women in power are representing us.  Join us for an invigorating dialogue about how we as citizens can pressure our leaders to stand up for peace and justice.  Hear about legislative strategy from CODEPINK co-founder and United for Peace and Justice steering committee member Gael Murphy.  Learn how to get involved in New York CODEPINK’s national Listen Hillary birddogging campaign, and get a report about the inspiring Camp Pelosi ongoing action in San Francisco.  Speakers will include CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin and Camp Pelosi co-organizer Nancy Mancias.

CODEPINK was started by a visionary group of women who made the connection between the environment, women, and war and drew on the power of the feminine and creative expressions of our outrage and pain to carry messages of hope and peace to our leaders and fellow Americans.  In this panel we’ll discuss how to harness the power of pink to cultivate a movement that is ready to stop Congress from further funding the occupation of Iraq in the fall of 2007.

Saturday, June 30th (Strategizing – Strategies on achieving another world) CODEPINK 101: Women's Activist Training on Creative Direct Action, Getting Media Attention, and Community Organizing

CODEPINK Women for Peace has captured headlines in media outlets throughout the United States for its creative and witty tactics – from delivering “pink slips” (women’s lingerie) to war mongers like Donald Rumsfeld to presenting pink badges of courage to peace advocates like Congresswoman Barbara Lee. Learn how you can take CODEPINK’s tactics back to your own organizations and community, and how to get media attention for the issues you care about. In the workshop we'll share our experiences on how to plan and execute successful nonviolent direct actions – from marches to banner drops to civil disobedience and more, with a focus on our current actions to end the Iraq war. We'll also discuss how to develop campaign goals, choose appropriate tactics, and develop alliances to help you win your local struggles for peace and justice.

Trainers will include Gael Murphy, co-founder of CODEPINK and Rae Abileah, CODEPINK's local groups coordinators.

If you've heard about CODEPINK, had a chance to join us in action, or just curious about what the pink ladies in Congress and on street corners across America (and around the globe!) are all about, join us!

The Ruby RED Moon TENT- Throughout the USSF

The Ruby RED Moon TENT is a woman's sacred space to honor women's cycles and life changes, her body, fertility and eggs, pregnancy and blood of birth and menstruation from the first to the last one, beyond the blood and before her arrival.  All of it framed in Red.
 
Purpose: The tent can have several purposes within its sacred space framework.
1. It can be Open Time set up and left available for women to use anytime.
2. It can be Event Times requiring a posted schedule, for example
- circle: mother lines, womb stories, cycle celebration
- healing: one to one or group focused activity
- quiet time: for just feeling the space, meditate, write, draw
3. A combination of open time and event time work well and facilitate coordination
 
Project of Comadres Institute in collaboration with Mariposa Moon Lodge
 
www.MyMoonCards.com
www.ComadresInstitute.com
www.MariposaRetreat.com

COMBATING MILITARY VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN- Date & Time TBA

Discussion and Planning with GABRIELA Network (list of presentors and other orgs in formation)

The “war on terror” has given rise to intense military violence against women. For countries like Afghanistan, the Philippines and Iraq militarization has meant tens of thousands of non-combatant men and women killed, hundreds of thousands displaced. For women and girls this militarization has meant ruthless violence and exploitation; this has meant further devaluation of women’s lives. When a 22-year old woman is raped by US military in the Philippines and her plight ridiculed by her own government, when a 14-year old is raped, killed and burned by US military in Iraq, when thousands of women survivors of systemic sexual enslavement by the Japanese Imperial Army in WWII are denied a pardon and redress, when brothels around the bases in Iraq, disguised as massage parlors and beauty salons, offer Filipinas and other East Asian women for the military’s rest and recreation, when up to 2.5 million Filipinas are exported into life-threatening work, when sex trafficking in the Philippines increases at an annual rate of 10%, when every year sex traffickers prey on half a million Filipino women, the whole of womankind is further dehumanized.

The COMBATTING MILITARY VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN session will discuss how such dehumanization perpetuates the objectification and sexualized image of women; how it impacts the way women see themselves—objects whose sole purpose is to satisfy someone else’s sexual, political, economic, social needs and desires; how, on a global scale, such dehumanization feeds the machine of patriarchal imperialist globalization. The session will discuss how military violence engenders the commodification of women and women's further entrenchment into a conditioned role as a mere thing that replenishes—i.e. sustenance, entertainment, rest and recreation, procreation—daily and generational labor.

Most of the session will be spent on creating a CONCRETE PLAN OF ACTION to combat military violence against women.

GABRIELA Network (GABNet) is a Philippine-US women's solidarity mass organization.  Established in 1989, we are a US based multi-racial women's group working with GABRIELA Philippines, a national alliance of more than 200 women's organizations. We work on issues that impact women of Philippines ancestry, but which have their roots in the decisions made in the United States. GABNet is an all-volunteer organization with chapters in Chicago, Irvine, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, Portland, San Francisco/Bay Area, and San Diego.  For more info: www.gabnet.org

Military Women & Veterans of Color: Powerful Voices for Peace- Date & Time TBA

Women of Color Resource Center teams up with dynamic military women and veterans of color to offer critical perspectives and ways that women of color are taking a stand against militarism. We will be taking a deeper look at militarism and bringing voice to strong women of color leaders in the peace movement. The panelists will share their unique military experiences and discuss their visions for peace and how to get there. Come prepared with questions, as we'll be opening up the presentation for discussion.

We want participants to walk away with the rich perspectives that military women and veterans of color add to the dialogue around militarism and peace. We would also like people to consider ways that they can help to suppport and grow this gender, race, class and power analysis in the peace movement. Our primary language will be English, and we will not have interpretation available. We do not have equipment for interpretation.

The biggest challenge we face is in inserting an integrated analysis of race, gender, class and power into the peace movement. It is WCRC's mission to support the leadership of women of color, and the crucial perspectives they bring to peace movement. We are working to build a strong network of military women and veterans of color to outreach and educate the increasing numbers of young women of color who are being recruited by the military. This work, as well as participating in coalition-building efforts between peace groups, and finding ways to integrate a women of color perspective into peace organizing more broadly is core to our strategy. We are also completing a popular education curriculum called PeaceGAMES (Gender and Militarism Education Strategies) that educators can use to further explore ideas and solutions.

Runway Peace Project Fashion Show- Date & Time TBA

Runway Peace Project is a creative and innovative initiative of the Women of Color Resource Center that raises awareness about militarism, gender, occupation, and activism through pro-peace, anti-war fashion shows. The project examines the powerful influence of U.S. militarism on popular culture and clothing. The fashion show engages a broad audience on the impacts of militarism on women, as well as women’s powerful stand for peace in communities all over the world.
WCRC plans to host a fashion show at the USSF to explore peace, militarism and gender, and to offer some concrete ways to resist the militarism that recruits our young women and men for an unjust occupation.

We want participants to walk away with some critical thinking and awareness about how militarism sneaks into our everyday lives and influences us without our awareness, and also some ideas about creative solutions of peace.

The biggest challenge we face is in inserting an integrated analysis of race, gender, class and power into the peace movement. It is WCRC's mission to support the leadership of women of color, and the crucial perspectives they bring to peace movement. The Runway Peace Project fashion shows are a concrete way to reach communities and young women to get them thinking and talking about how militarism is affecting their lives as women, and how to create new solutions for peace. The arts activist approach and formate of the fashion show increases the accessibility of the peace education - more young people are likely to attend a fashion show.