grassrootspeace.org

November 5, 2007: This website is an archive of the former website, traprockpeace.org, which was created 10 years ago by Charles Jenks. It became one of the most populace sites in the US, and an important resource on the antiwar movement, student activism, 'depleted' uranium and other topics. Jenks authored virtually all of its web pages and multimedia content (photographs, audio, video, and pdf files. As the author and registered owner of that site, his purpose here is to preserve an important slice of the history of the grassroots peace movement in the US over the past decade. He is maintaining this historical archive as a service to the greater peace movement, and to the many friends of Traprock Peace Center. Blogs have been consolidated and the calendar has been archived for security reasons; all other links remain the same, and virtually all blog content remains intact.

THIS SITE NO LONGER REFLECTS THE CURRENT AND ONGOING WORK OF TRAPROCK PEACE CENTER, which has reorganized its board and moved to Greenfield, Mass. To contact Traprock Peace Center, call 413-773-7427 or visit its site. Charles Jenks is posting new material to PeaceJournal.org, a multimedia blog and resource center.

Search site - New! Calendar - Calendar Archive
Contents - Archives - War Crimes - GI Special - Student Activism - Links

War on Truth  From Warriors to Resisters
Books of the Month

The War on Truth

From Warriors to Resisters

Army of None

Iraq: the Logic of Withdrawal

Valley-Wide Commemoration of the US Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

~ A Just And Peaceful World Is Possible ~


Western Massachusetts - Beginning on August 5, 2002 and continuing throughout the week, local justice and peace groups hosted events from Springfield to Greenfield in remembrance of the US Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6, 1945 and August 9, 1945, respectively. The following are highlights of the August programs:


August 5, 2002 ~ Amherst ~ Peace Walk, Reflection and Vigil

An Interfaith peace walk, organized primarily by the Leverett Peace Pagoda and the Jewish Community of Amherst, connected 13 Amherst faith communities, beginning at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Amherst: An evening program of spirit and reflection followed at the Jewish Community of Amherst, featuring Kristina Olsen from Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. Kristina lost her sister Laurie on September 11th aboard American Airlines Flight 11 and has recently returned from Afghanistan. A candlelight walk ensued to Amherst Common for an all night vigil until 8:15am, August 6, the anniversary of the atomic blast in Hiroshima.

August 6, 2002 ~ Northampton ~ Remembering Hiroshima

This days events, organized by Women's Congress for Peace, Traprock Peace Center and other organizations and individuals, started with a 5:00pm community potluck at the Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence. People then participated in making more lanterns (to join ones having been made by Irene Michaud, a Peace Center Core Group member and Jude and Jontz Johnson, neighbors and former interns at Traprock), followed at 6:30pm by a "Rally ~ Crisis and Solutions / Activism in the Nuclear Age" at Pulaski Park with speakers and music; and great MC work by Northstar Pilgrim (pictured above right; © Charlie Jenks, 2002.). At 7:45pm about 75 people walked from Pulaski Park to Paradise Pond, Smith College. Participants. After inspiring speakers, a song by Christina Olsen and poetry by Jim Mason, people participated in the lantern floating ceremony at the pond.


(Procession in Northampton; Jim Mason, one of our favorite local poets of peace; © Charlie Jenks, 2002)

August 7, 2002 ~ Greenfield ~ Fact Finding and Fund Finding — For the Future!

Traprock Peace Center hosted a community discussion on human needs and coalition building in a climate of perpetual war. Traprock volunteers served refreshments at 5:30 at Greenfield Community college Downtown. The keynote speaker, Linda Stout, has worked for economic justice with the Piedmont Peace Project, the Peace Development Fund and now focuses on Spirit in Action, which she founded. She wrote the book "Bridging the Class Divide and Other Grass Roots Lessons for Organizing." Representatives of local non-profit human services organizations discussed the impact of budget cuts to libraries, colleges, universities, youth programs, social services, mental health services, healthcare coverage and other vital programs will be discussed. Co-sponsored by American Friends Service Committee and endorsed by the Community Coalition for Teens.


(Pictured: Gustavo Acosta, FCAC (an umbrella social service provider in Franklin County), and Linda Stout; © Charlie Jenks, 2002)
Linda Stout, the keynote speaker, has been a grassroots organizer and activist for almost two decades.  As a thirteenth-generation Quaker born to a tenant-farming family, Linda founded a successful grassroots organization in 1985, the Piedmont Peace Project.  PPP attracted national attention for its success in drawing leadership from within a working-class community, actively encouraging diversity, and empowering people who never had a voice in policy decisions to speak up for their own interests.  PPP established itself in the midst of a daunting mix of well-organized corporate interests including textile giant Cannon Mills, the Moral Majority, Senator Jesse Helms, and the Ku Klux Klan.  

Linda also worked at the national level as the Executive Director at The Peace Development Fund (PDF) in 1995. Under Linda’s leadership, PDF tripled its grant making capacity and initiated several groundbreaking projects, including the Community Media Organizing Project, the Southeast Training for Trainers Program, and the National Listening Project. She now focuses on Spirit in Action, which she founded.

Linda’s awards include a Public Policy Fellowship and a Bunting Fellowship from Harvard University’s Radcliff College and the Freedom Fighter Award of the Equal Rights Congress.  She is also the author of "Bridging the Class Divide and Other Grass Roots Lessons for Organizing," published by Beacon Press in 1997.

August 8, 2002 -

From 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm there was a Vigil for Peace and a War-free Tomorrow at Court Square on Main St. in
Springfield. The organizers were expecting the Peace Walkers to join the vigil. From 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm Court Square they held a Commemoration and Peace Discussion/workshop. Rev. Jonathan Tetherly opened the event. Speakers included Palmer Legare, the Hiroshima - Nagasaki Commemoration. Springfield College student sentenced for protesting the School of the Americas (a.k.a. the School of the Assassins), Michaelann Bewsee of Arise For Social Justice, and Professor Nicholas Camerota of A.N.S.W.E.R. The tals were followed by Peace poetry and song. Film clips were shown on Hiroshima and Iraq. (We apologize for the lack of photos on this day's events; our sole photographer had other commitments. We have requested photos from the organizers to add to this page.)

See last year's No Nukes Revival, 2001 for Hiroshima Days

(413) 773-7427; charlesjenks@gmail.com

For more information and updates to calendar, contact us.