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On a warm Mother’s Day evening in 2003, seven women gathered in Frick Park. They stood with lit candles in a circle and talked about their personal desires for Peace. That night Code Pink Pittsburgh was born. From this small group, Code Pink has grown to 45 members that include women (and a few men) of all ages, faiths and circumstances. Their common denominator is a shared hope that Peace is possible. Code Pink Pittsburgh is a local group affiliated with the National Code Pink. This organization was founded in March of 2002 in response to the Bush Administration policies that included military action in Iraq. Their website describes Code Pink as "a women initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement that seeks positive social change through proactive, creative protest and non-violent direct action. Code Pink is a feisty call for women and men to "wage peace." At that initial gathering, our small group pledged to make Mother’s Day, 2004, a day of awareness and actions to promote Peace. Why Mother’s Day? In 1870 Julia Ward Howe, a poet, pacifist and suffragist envisioned a day set aside to encourage mothers to rally for peace. She composed a Mother’s Day Proclamation that called women to the task of creating a peaceful world. In part the proclamation states, "Arise then, women of this day! Arise all women who have hearts! Say firmly: Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience. We, the women of our country will be too tender to those of another country to allow our sons to be trained up to injure theirs." Planning has begun for a 2004 Mother’s Day event that includes a Code Pink sponsored team that will participate in the annual Race for the Cure and citywide candlelight vigils. In the months leading up to Mother’s Day, our group will be involved in a variety of peace and justice events. On January 30th, we sponsored a preview of the film "Uncovered: The Truth About the Iraq War", at the Friends Meeting House. All are welcome to see this courageous film. The film was followed by a discussion and a short meeting. In February we will welcome Victoria Cunningham the administrator of the Code Pink Washington D.C. Office. She will be traveling this month with a delegation from Code Pink to Iraq. This delegation, known as the "Occupation Watch" will document the conditions in Iraq. She will be here to share her experiences. The date and place is to be determined, so watch the Merton Center calendar of events for details. In March we will be participating in the Merton Center sponsored protest marking a year at war in Iraq. I often think back in gratitude to that Mother’s Day in 2003...gratitude for shared bonds, for emerging friendships and for the creation of hope. Anyone who would like to become a member of the local group can send an email to codepinkforpeace@hotmail.com. You may view our local website by going to the national site at www.codepink4peace.org. Once there simply click on "local groups" and scroll down to Pittsburgh, PA. - Judy Focareta |