US Peace
Memorial Foundation, Inc.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the FoundationÕs mission?
The US Peace Memorial Foundation,
Inc. was established to build the US Peace Memorial in Washington DC. The Foundation will also conduct
research, provide education, and publish the US Peace Registry.
The Foundation exists to demonstrate that advocating for peaceful solutions to
international problems is an honorable and socially acceptable activity. It will
focus attention on the contributions of those citizens who have opposed war(s)
and who have attempted to influence US foreign policy towards peaceful
solutions to international problems.
The specific goals of the US Peace
Memorial Foundation are to:
1. Recognize,
honor, and remember the millions of US citizens who have advocated for peace
and written, spoken out, or taken other appropriate action against US wars;
- Design,
build, own, operate, and maintain the US Peace Memorial;
- Publish
the US Peace
Registry;
- Award
an annual Peace Prize
and
5. Engage in fund-raising, research,
and education related to the above.
It is hoped that these efforts
will identify US role models for peace, inspire new generations to work
to end war, and demonstrate to the world that
citizens of the United States value peace and non-violence.
What is the rationale
for building the US Peace Memorial?
Please take a few minutes to read a succinct rationale for
the US Peace Memorial at www.uspeacememorial.org/article. This is a short essay published in 2009
in the scholarly journal, Peace and Conflict. We hope that you will
share it with your friends, family, and colleagues.
How can the US Peace Memorial change
our culture?
Our nation has a long, but largely unrecorded, history of
patriotic citizens who have opposed U.S. aggression, violence, and war. The US Peace Memorial will display
antiwar quotations by American leaders, document U.S. antiwar role models and
activities, and make it clear to our citizens that advocating for peaceful
solutions to international problems and opposing war are honorable and socially
acceptable activities in our democracy.
A national monument to peacemakers can raise awareness of these activities
and help to change our cultural mindset so that it will no longer be acceptable
to label those who speak out against war as un-American, antimilitary,
traitorous, or unpatriotic. The
memorial and the US
Peace Registry will help decrease the
social barriers that citizens must overcome before they speak out against a
war. For a more detailed
discussion read ÒHonoring Peace and Antiwar BehaviorÓ which was published in Peace
Psychology at www.uspeacememorial.org/article2.
How do I make a contribution?
You can donate by credit card or mail a check to: US Peace
Memorial Foundation ¥ 334 East Lake Road
#405 ¥ Palm Harbor, FL 34685.
Without your-tax deductible contributions, the
US Peace Memorial may never be built.
Click here for more information. Contribute Now! To use a credit card, copy and paste
the following into your browserÕs address field: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=UFTJC9KAXVUDJ
For a limited time, anyone who
donates $100.00 or more will become a Founding
Member of the Foundation and will be
recognized on the organizationÕs website: www.USPeaceMemorial.org/Donors
and in a separate donor section of the US Peace Registry. Anonymous
donations will, of course, be respected.
Why havenÕt I heard about the
Memorial from the national media?
Before making a nationwide public announcement of its
mission, the US Peace Memorial Foundation will build a substantial
grassroots organization. We hope to avoid national media attention until
one of the following criteria is met:
1. Founding Members from all 50 states, or
2. 1000
Founding Members, or
3. 1000
listings in the US Peace Registry,
or
4. $1 million in donations and grants
Where will the Memorial
be located?
Once sufficient resources are
available, the foundation will petition Congress to support setting aside
public land on the Washington Mall for construction of the US Peace
Memorial. If efforts to secure a
location on the Mall fail, other sites and private land will be
considered. A highly visible site
in the nationÕs capital is deemed to be most desirable.
When will the Memorial
be completed?
Realization of the physical
memorial will depend on how quickly sufficient donations are received. Until then, the memorial will exist on
the World Wide Web.
What is the target date
for construction to begin?
The target date to begin construction is arbitrarily set
as July 4, 2012. This is a very
ambitious goal since progress is dependent on many factors. The Foundation must raise at least $20
million to develop and build the monument and guarantee perpetual
maintenance. If the Peace Memorial
is to be built on the mall, the Foundation will need to secure approvals from
the National Capital Planning Commission, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the
National Capital Memorial Commission.
This process will not begin until the funds are in hand. We need donors and volunteers to make
the public aware of the project and to meet our fundraising goals.
What are the phases of the project?
The project has several distinct phases including research, establishing the not for profit organizational structure, website design, initiation of the US Peace Registry, initial fund raising ($1 million), marketing, major fund raising ($19 million), planning, approvals, building, and ongoing operations.
The Foundation is in the initial fund raising phase. At least one million dollars in
donations are needed before the Foundation's mission is announced through the
media. Many foundations reach 50%
of their total goal before announcing the fundraising project publicly. Early donations help with developing
momentum and make the goal appear more attainable. Contribute
Now!
What will the Memorial look like?
Our Founding Members www.uspeacememorial.org/Donors
will be consulted about the design.
Two artistsÕ conceptions have been completed based on the preliminary
description at www.uspeacememorial.org/Design. Alice
YeagerÕs illustration is at www.uspeacememorial.org/sample
and Beth BrookfieldÕs work is at www.uspeacememorial.org/drawing2.
These are early conceptions that may or may not resemble
the final structure. We encourage
other artists to create their own vision, based on the preliminary description
at www.uspeacememorial.org/Design,
and send it to Knox@USPeaceMemorial.org.
No final decisions are likely until we have successfully
completed our fundraising campaign – so there is still time to become a
Founding Member and give us your opinion!
How much money will be needed?
The Foundation is actively seeking
to raise $20 million from the general public.
If I donate, what will it
help to support?
The project has several distinct phases including fund
raising, planning, approvals, building, and ongoing operations. Individual donations will help to
support on-going activities at each phase of the project. Your donation will fund research,
mailings, education, website maintenance, and other public information
dissemination. Later donations
will help to support site identification, design development, core foundation
staff salaries, expenses and office rental. Planning will require coordination with the National Capital
Planning Commission, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capital
Memorial Commission. Building will
include the purchase of land (if necessary), permit acquisition, construction costs,
and landscaping the surrounding area.
An endowment for perpetual care and maintenance will be required after
construction is complete. Contribute Now!
Are there other peace memorials?
How will US peace
efforts be recognized?
Personal and organizational peace and antiwar activities by U.S. citizens/organizations are recognized in the US Peace Registry. The Registry is published on the US Peace Memorial website and will be printed as a formal publication and made available as a reference book in 2011.
Potential registrants provide
behaviorally specific biographical information, with supporting documentation,
which is reviewed by Foundation staff. Those vetted and verified are recommended
to the Board of Directors for approval.
An electronic edition of the US Peace Registry will eventually be accessible at the memorial.
Some seemingly undeserving
people are listed in the US Peace Registry because... (a
variety of reasons listed).
We do not judge the entire life of those listed in
the US Peace Registry,
or the consistency of their behavior.
We just accept and applaud any antiwar/peace contribution that they have
had the courage to make. For example, many registrants have participated
in or supported US invasions, but at some point they decided to publicly oppose
a particular war.
Many citizens are reluctant to speak out against a US war
because those who do so are often labeled Òun-AmericanÓ, ÒantimilitaryÓ, and
ÒunpatrioticÓ, and can suffer reprisals. Our goal is to demonstrate that
advocating for peaceful solutions to international problems, or taking action
against one or more wars, is an honorable and socially acceptable activity.
If we can change the culture in this small way, more people will feel
comfortable speaking out and the government will be challenged more frequently
when it threatens, invades, or occupies other countries.
Although we are anxious to honor consistent and significant
peace leadership, the US Peace Registry
will help achieve the desired cultural
change by honoring the millions of thoughtful and committed Americans who
have taken a public antiwar stand at some point in their life. We
are identifying a broad range of peace and antiwar activities and a continuum
from participating in a single action to devoting one's entire adult life to
peace and opposing war. We recognize a person who, for example, simply
wrote a letter to the editor of their hometown newspaper opposing the invasion
of Panama, even if they didn't speak out against the 20+ other US invasions
since the end of WW II.
Any public antiwar act is important enough to recognize,
because it demonstrates some level of courage and establishes that citizens are
capable of attempting to stop the bloodshed. We will be successful if we
increase the number of citizens willing to engage in such behavior.
How does one update or
revise their entry in US Peace Registry?
If there are just a few additions, send them to Info@USPeaceMemorial.org.
If there are revisions, go to US Peace Registry and
copy your current entry. Paste it into a new Word document and do track
changes. Send the document to Info@USPeaceMemorial.org
and a volunteer assistant editor will make it consistent with our style.
We'll let you know when the revised listing is ready for your review.
How will financial
contributions be recognized?
Levels of support have been
established and, for a limited time, all persons/organizations who contribute
$100.00 or more will become Founding Members of the Foundation and be recognized
in the donor section of the US Peace Registry
and on the FoundationÕs website. Anonymous
donations will be respected. Contribute Now!
Be assured that
the Foundation will not sell or rent your name and personal information to any
other organization.
Braggadocio is a big turn off to most antiwar people. Convince me that the US Peace
Registry isnÕt about self-promotion.
Braggadocio and
self-promotion couldn't be farther from our motivation. The intent of the US
Peace Registry is to write a living history, document human behavior,
and identify role models for US peace activities. The US Peace Registry will help Americans understand some options for action
against war. The specific
behaviors listed in each record are intended to provide ideas and
guidance. Role models are listed
to inspire Americans to speak out for peace and to work to end the hatred,
ignorance, greed, and intolerance that lead to war. We are documenting specific actions that Americans have used
to oppose war. I suspect that in
the final analysis we will have listed several hundred discreet antiwar
behaviors. The people and
organizations included in the US Peace Registry are not braggarts or self-promoters, but role models
for other Americans. Their
activities are behaviors that others can use as models for action, now and in
the future.
The US Peace Memorial will
make it clear to Americans that opposing war is honorable and socially
acceptable, and that our nation has a long history of patriotic citizens who
have opposed wars. A national
monument to peacemakers can change our cultural mindset so that it will no
longer be acceptable to label those who speak out against war as un-American,
antimilitary, traitorous, or unpatriotic.
We hope the memorial will decrease the barriers that citizens must
overcome before they speak out against a war.
The military honors its
heroes and reinforces warrior behavior with medals, promotions, ceremonies, and
monuments. This has resulted in a
country that recognizes contributions to war and the sacrifices of the military. People who make valiant efforts to
maintain global peace should also be honored. The US Peace Memorial Foundation is attempting to balance
the picture so that more Americans will know that peace is an equally honorable
endeavor.
The current wars won't be our
last and future generations need to know how thoughtful individuals have
promoted peace. If those in the
peace movement are concerned that speaking about their actions to promote peace
will be seen as bragging, they may be missing an opportunity to document their
contributions. We at the US Peace
Memorial Foundation think it is important to catalogue these activities in
order to educate people, stimulate conversations, and lead to positive
interventions for peace. Please
help us to get that message across.
Are speakers available?
Dr. Knox regularly speaks to groups. Topics include: "A Cultural Shift
toward Peace: The Need for a National Symbol", "Honoring the
Peacemakers" or "Peace is Socially Acceptable". Each
presentation includes the importance of the US PEACE MEMORIAL www.uspeacememorial.org and the US
Peace Registry.
Although an honorarium is not required, travel expenses are requested
(or equivalent in donations to the Foundation) if the location of the
presentation is more than 60 miles from Tampa and/or the audience
size is expected to be less than 25 people.
If you belong to a peaceful group that might be
interested in having a speaker, please suggest
that they consider inviting Dr. Knox. He can be reached at Knox@USPeaceMemorial.org.
Are volunteers needed?
The Foundation is
heavily dependent on a community of volunteers. Please sign up today by sending your contact information and
interests to: volunteer@USPeaceMemorial.org
The following are
some potential volunteer duties:
¥ Identify potential
memorial honorees
¥ Tell others about
our mission and website
¥ Serve as an
Assistant Editor of the US Peace Registry
¥ Identify potential
donors and provide email addresses
¥ Organize a local
fundraising event
¥ Review this website
and suggest improvements
¥ Suggest other volunteer tasks
Volunteers are
not compensated for their time or expenses. Volunteers, however, should speak with their accountant
about how to deduct expenses in support of this not for profit foundation.
Why is the FoundationÕs mission
so limited?
While it is understood that there are many other important and related political issues, the focus of the foundation is on peace, defined as the avoidance of US aggression to solve international disputes. Related issues such as human rights, civil rights, poverty, education, healthcare, overpopulation, environmental concerns, and interference in the affairs of other countries are excluded. All of these important topics are related to peace, but to keep the mission focused and clear, the scope of the foundationÕs work will not broaden to include any other issues.
Every issue or variable that is added to the mix makes the
project more appealing to some and less appealing to others. Supporters of a war are often very
focused on opposition to a certain culture or belief system, gaining resources,
preventing something from happening in the future, etc. Peace advocates often get caught up in
a variety of other issues, many of them very important, but often
divisive. That may be one reason
that we aren't often successful.
The US Peace Memorial will recognize and be dedicated to US citizens who have opposed and/or resisted US military solutions including invasion, occupation, use of weapons, and threats of war – rather than diplomacy – to solve international problems. The US Peace Registry will document the activities of these role models for peace in hopes of inspiring new generations of Americans. That is the only focus of this project and, if we do it well, it should help to unite the peace movement.
How long will the Foundation
be in existence?
The Foundation is a permanent
institution that, after overseeing the fundraising and building of the
Memorial, will maintain the monument and surrounding lands, continue to publish
the US Peace Registry, and conduct peace-related research and education to
further the mission of the Foundation.
US Peace Memorial Foundation,
Inc. is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public charity.
The IRS has determined that
donations are tax deductible.
Copyright 2006 - 2010, US Peace Memorial Foundation, Inc.