In 2019 we saw the release of the "Afghanistan Papers" that made it clear how much our government lies to us, just as it did when we waged war against the people of Vietnam. The U.S. unilaterally pulled out of the historic Iran nuclear deal and Congress passed the largest war budget ever in the history of the United States – giving the military $738 BILLION for the 2020 fiscal year. We continue to kill, maim, and make refugees of innocent, poor people in Africa and the Middle East, and take hostile actions against Latin American countries. As 2020 begins, the president has brought the country to the brink of war with Iran, a country that we have attempted to dominate during most of my lifetime.

Now is the time to put passion, concern for others, time, and money toward ending the U.S. war culture. When I was growing up in the 1960s, very few people could imagine that we would see significant, measurable changes regarding a variety of civil rights issues including race, gender, and LGBTQ+. If we can make progress in those areas, we can certainly move toward a culture of peace. It’s a matter of educating young people, developing role models, reinforcing antiwar behavior, and demanding an end to the oppression of U.S. war. Americans should not tolerate our nation starting wars or interfering to destabilize the governments of other countries.

The need to change our war culture by honoring those who stand for peace is greater than ever. We believe that documenting and honoring the work of antiwar activists will cause an evolutionary shift in our culture and motivate more Americans to speak out for peace. By advancing the recognition of heroic peacemakers – by celebrating their actions and accomplishments and normalizing their roles in society – we can challenge the social barriers that citizens face when they wish to publicly express antiwar sentiments.

We do this by:

• Publishing the US Peace Registry to document the antiwar and peace activities of individuals and organizations.

• Awarding the annual US Peace Prize to an individual or organization that has made an exceptional effort to stop wars and to work for peace.

• Raising funds to build the US Peace Memorial in Washington, DC.

Work with us to honor Americans who stand for peace and help end the U.S. war culture. When you reply with a contribution, you are showing that you value and support our programs to recognize courageous Americans. You also demonstrate your commitment to building the US Peace Memorial. Make a $100 (or more) donation and your name will be included on our website (www.uspeacememorial.org/Donors.htm), in our forthcoming book, and eventually at the National Monument we will build in Washington, DC.

YES, I want to become a Founding Member by donating $100 or more.

BRIEF REVIEW OF THE YEAR

US Peace Prize

The US Peace Memorial Foundation awarded the 2019 US Peace Prize to The Honorable Ajamu Baraka, “whose bold antiwar actions, writings, speeches, and leadership provide an inspiring voice against militarism.”

Michael Knox, Chair of the Foundation, presented the award on September 23 at a forum in New York City. In his remarks, Knox said, “Thank you, Ajamu, for your outstanding domestic and international activism to end wars and militarism. We applaud your long and distinguished record of working for social justice, human rights, civil rights, and peace. Many antiwar organizations have benefitted from your innovative leadership and consultation. You are a force in revitalizing the Black antiwar tradition. I believe that Black Alliance for Peace could be the most important new antiwar organization established this century. We want you to know that your efforts are greatly appreciated here and around the world. Thank you for your service.”

In his acceptance, Ajamu said, “I want to thank the US Peace Memorial Foundation, Dr. Michael Knox and the Board of Directors for this great honor and for your faith in me and my work. I accept this award this evening with great honor and humility. I accept not as an individual but as a member of a collective of peace and antiwar activists, many of whom are in this room tonight, who paved the way with their sacrifice, courage and unwavering dedication to the idea that we can live in a world without war. We envision a world where human beings can be free to live liberated from brutality, the madness of state and non-state violence in all forms, from direct military engagements to the war of sanctions. We believe that there is in fact an alternative to the irrationality that we call “modernity” built on conquest, slavery, economic exploitation and ongoing colonial domination. So, I accept this on behalf of those visionaries, on behalf of the Black Alliance for Peace, on behalf of all those who are committed to peace but who understand that there can be no peace without justice, and for justice - we have to struggle to achieve it.”

Mr. Baraka joins previous US Peace Prize recipients David Swanson, Ann Wright, Veterans For Peace, Kathy Kelly, CODEPINK Women for Peace, Chelsea Manning, Medea Benjamin, Noam Chomsky, Dennis Kucinich, and Cindy Sheehan. Nominees considered by the Foundation’s Board in 2019 included Erica Chenoweth, Stephen D. Clemens, Thomas C. Fox, Bruce K. Gagnon, Jewish Voice for Peace, National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth, Sally-Alice Thompson, Women's March on the Pentagon and World BEYOND War. You can read about the antiwar/peace activities of the recipients and all nominees in our publication, the US Peace Registry.

See photos and full details at: www.uspeacememorial.org/PEACEPRIZE.htm.

Honored

The US Peace Registry, a publication of the US Peace Memorial Foundation, honors Americans who stand for peace. It recognizes and documents the antiwar actions of U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and organizations that have publicly opposed military solutions (including invasion, occupation, production of weapons of mass destruction, use of weapons, and threats of war), and advocated diplomacy and global cooperation, to solve international problems. It is hoped that honoring these courageous role models and leaders will inspire new generations of Americans to speak out for peace and to work to end the hatred, ignorance, greed, and intolerance that lead to war.

This year the US Peace Registry recognized the following individuals and organizations for their peace and antiwar work. You can read about their specific contributions and activities at www.uspeacememorial.org/Registry.htm.

2019 additions to the US Peace Registry

Individuals honored:
Christine Ahn

Dr. Bahman Azad

Thomas C. Fox

Bruce K. Gagnon
William (Will) Griffin

David Hartsough

Dr. W. George Krasnow

Dr. Francis (Frank) X. Kroncke

Glen T. Martin, PhD

Holly Near

Louis H. Pumphrey

Dr. Stephanie Savell

Gar Smith

Greta Zarro

Organizations honored:
Arkansas Coalition for Peace & Justice

Costs of War Project

United National Antiwar Coalition

U.S. Peace Council

Women's March on the Pentagon

Public Speaking & Publications

This year we were honored to be a speaker at the 17th Annual Peacestock: A Gathering for Peace. The talk was entitled “Ending Our War Culture by Honoring Peacemakers.” Beyond Nuclear International published “It’s time to memorialize peace in our public spaces” and The Peace Psychologist published “US Peace Registry: From psychologists to comedians.”

If you belong to an antiwar group or a church that might appreciate and support our mission, please suggest that they invite us to speak on the topic: "Changing Our War Culture By Honoring Those Who Stand For Peace." Several churches have already become a Founding Member including First United Church of Tampa, Florida; Peace United Church of Christ, Minnesota; Unitarian Universalists of Clearwater; Thomas Jefferson Unitarian Church, Kentucky (listed at the $1000-$2499 donor level); Trinity Episcopal Church, Ohio; First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis, Minnesota; Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa, Florida; Unitarian Universalist Church of Vancouver, Washington; and Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, Georgia.

Search for Antiwar Quotations

Our Founding Members are helping to choose the best antiwar and pro-peace statements made by well-known Americans. Eventually, the selected quotes will be chiseled on the US Peace Memorial we are planning to build in Washington, D.C. Here are a couple of quotations under consideration:

“Strike against war, for without you no battles can be fought.”

Helen Keller (1880-1968).

Keller, Helen, and Philip S. Foner. Helen Keller, Her Socialist Years: Writings and Speeches.

New York: International Publishers, 1967. Print.

“I believe that the killing of human beings in a war

is no better than common murder.”

Albert Einstein (1879-1955).

Einstein, Albert, and Alice Calaprice. The Ultimate Quotable Einstein.

Princeton, N.J: Princeton UP, 2011. 258. Print.

Participate in the process! We are looking for well-referenced statements to inspire Americans to speak out against war and to work for peace. As new quotations are vetted, they are posted on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for review. We invite our Founding Members to add their comments on these social media sites. See www.uspeacememorial.org/Quotes.htm for more details about the quotation selection process. Let us know which ones are your favorites – and share with us any great quotes we may have overlooked.

NOTES OF APPRECIATION

Thank you to our Directors: Medea Benjamin, Dr. Lucy Bradley-Springer, Dr. Charles F. Clark, Jolyon Sasse and Dr. Charles F. Clark (emeritus); Assistant Editors: Tracy Blalock and Beverly Lowenstein; Coordinators: Dana D. Immordino, Dr. Dennis Neyman, and John Clark Pegg; and Bookkeeper: Donald Martin. Editing assistance was provided by: Roxane Assaf-Lynn, Renee Blanchard, Ken Burrows, Sondra G. Cadman, Dr. Tiffany Chenneville, Tom Cloud, Dr. Martha Friedrich, Lynn Hamilton, and Dr. Lynette J. Menezes; Photography was provided by Ellen Davidson, Jose A. Monzon, Tom Nowel, and Stephen Yovino; and other volunteers include Debbie Brinkley, Sue Chen, Dr. David Chiriboga, and Rebecca Russell. Without these incredible and dedicated supporters, very little would have been accomplished during the year. We greatly appreciate their contributions.

Our volunteers are the backbone of the foundation. As a nationwide grassroots organization with annual expenses of less than $10,000, we are heavily dependent on them. We are especially in need of assistant editors, researchers, marketing specialists, fundraisers, and coordinators. If you have the skills for one of these jobs and can donate four or more hours a month, we could certainly use your help. Please see www.uspeacememorial.org/Volunteer.htm for more details.

Thank you to all of our new Founding Members and other 2019 donors. They are:

Dr. Maxine Amundson, CA

Medea Benjamin, DC

Dr. Elizabeth Bird, FL

Bo Boudart, CA

Dr. Lucy Bradley-Springer, CO

Edward J. Briody, NY

Fred Bryant, IO

Dr. Axel Frank Campbell, CA

Sue Chen, FL

Dr. David A. Chiriboga, FL

Richard Chiriboga, MA

Stephen D. Clemens, MN

Tom Cloud, AR

D. Allen Coen, ND

W. Wayne Conrad, NJ

Ludmilla Coven, IL

Pauline (Penny) Cragun, MN

David Michael Enterprises, NV

Dr. Lawrence Davidson, PA

Hans Faulstich, FL

Barbara Fite, FL

Jennifer Kresge Fitzsimmons, NY

Maryann Fox, VA

Thomas C. Fox, KS

Dr. Linda Rose Frank, PA

Dr. Donna M. Gallagher, MA

Marilyn Gallant, MA

Penelope Gardner, MN

Barbara Gerten, MN

Cybelle Greenlaw, KS

Dr. William W Habedank, MN

Robert Hackwell, VT

Dr. Nuzhat Haneef, MD

David Hartsough, CA

Jessie Coven Herman, GA

Fletcher W. Hinds, Jr., MN

Ali Ismail, FL

Linda Musmeci Kimball, OH

Dr. Russell S. Kirby, FL

Dr. Karl Knobler, CA

Chris A. Knox, OH

John M. P. Knox, TX

Dr. Michael D. Knox, FL

James R. S. Knox, FL

Dr. W. George Krasnow, DC

Dr. Seetha Krishna, FL

Dr. Jeffrey D. Kromrey, FL

Francis X. Kroncke, CA

Erich Kuerschner, NM

Stephen D. Landers, NC

Cynthia Lazaroff, HI

Elisabeth Lenain, FL

Josie Lenwell, NM

Robin Lloyd, VT

Dr. Alice LoCicero, CA

Beverly Lowenstein, MD

Dr. Kathleen Malley-Morrison, MA

Donald W. Martin, MI

Dr. Glen T. Martin, VA

Dr. Lynette J. Menezes, FL

Dr. Karen A. Moffitt, FL

Dr. Victor A. Molinari, FL

Heather Morris, NY

Kingsley G. Morse, Jr., WA

Network for Good, DC

Dr. Dennis Neyman, KY

Tim Oconnor, NE

William Pace, NJ

Joseph F. Palen, MN

Dr. Jacques R. Pauwels, Canada

PayPal Giving Fund

John Clark Pegg, MN

Diane Picotte-Habedank, MN

John M. Porter, WA

Charles R. Powell, NM

Louis H. Pumphrey, OH

James H. Raphael, MI

Dave Rasmussen, CA

Dr. Kathleen M. Rehl, FL

Barbara A. Riordan, FL

Chaia Ross, NM

Sherwood Ross, FL

Melanie Ross-Acuna, CO

Phil Runkel, WI

Rebecca A. Russell, FL

Salaam Network, KY

Jolyon Sasse, FL

Dr. Jack Sawyer, CA

Barbara Schechtman, IL

Barbara Sinnott, FL

Dr. John T. Sinnott, FL

Fredric D. Sirasky, FL

Sally J. Van Slambrouck, MI

Dr. Paul Van Slambrouck, MI

Dr. Charurut Somboonwit, FL

Lyle D. Steinfeldt, MN

Arnold E. Stieber, NY

Rev. James L. Swarts, NY

Brian J. Trautman, NY

Dr. Robin Lynn Treptow, MT

US Peace Council, CT

Dr. Ronald Wilcox, DC

George Wilhelm, WA

Carol F. Yost, NY

Stephen G. Yovino, FL

We need your help, too. Without your ongoing generosity and commitment, the US Peace Memorial will never become a National Monument that can help move the United States toward a culture of peace.

MEASURED PROGRESS

Early on, we set four benchmarks to achieve before going public with a national campaign to build the US Peace Memorial. This chart shows how we are doing and where we need your help before we can distribute our initial press release.

43 States Represented - 86% of our goal

We have achieved 86% of our goal to have Founding Members from every state. With the addition of Arkansas in 2019, we now have 43 states (plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the USVI). Help us to add Founding Members from the remaining seven states: Delaware, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and West Virginia.

The 5 leading states in terms of membership are Florida (123), Minnesota (35), California (28), New York (16), Massachusetts (14). Help us increase the number of supporters in your state.

392 Founding Members - 39% of our goal

We are at 39% of our goal to announce 1,000 Founding Members in our initial press release. We must have 608 more Founding Members from throughout the country. Currently, our Founding Members list includes 355 individuals and 37 organizations/businesses, 11 of which are faith-based organizations.

Thousands of people have joined our email list, yet only 392 of you have become Founding Members. You don't have to be an activist to be a Founding Member - you just have to care about peace. Join us in our nationwide effort to honor Americans who stand for peace by publishing the US Peace Registry, awarding the annual US Peace Prize, and planning for the US Peace Memorial in Washington, DC.

246 Registrants - 25% of our goal

I can't think of a better way to end the current U.S. wars than to have more Americans speak out against them. There are a lot of ways to make your voice heard. The US Peace Registry documents and honors what many of you have done. Our publication currently recognizes the work of 173 individuals and 73 organizations that are role models for a broad range of peace and antiwar activities.

Donations - 13% of our goal

We have received $135,714 towards the one million dollar benchmark we must reach before making a public announcement of our plans to build the US Peace Memorial as a national monument. If you are in a position to make a charitable contribution, please consider the importance of supporting our goal to move the U.S. toward a culture of peace.

SOCIAL MEDIA / INTERNET / ONLINE STORE

“Like” us at facebook.com/USPeace and Follow us on Twitter @USPeaceMemorial.

If you would like one of these t-shirts to show your support for the Foundation and for our antiwar/pro-peace message, here is the link to order yours: www.cafepress.com/uspeacememorial.

You can also purchase other items with our logo, including buttons, magnets, signs, water bottles, tote bags, and more. You’ll be encouraging your friends and everyone you meet to think about peace and to join us. It’s always time to get the conversation started!

Lou Pumphrey, a new Founding Member, wears our button on his old Army field jacket while carrying a peace flag at various public events. You can read details about his antiwar/peace activities in our publication, the US Peace Registry.

Many of you have well founded concerns about Amazon, but if you still make Amazon purchases, at least support the US Peace Memorial Foundation by shopping at smile.amazon.com. The AmazonSmile Foundation donates 0.5 percent of the purchase price every time you shop this way. You'll get the same Amazon login info, same products, same prices, and same service. These donations have totaled over $800. Please tell your family and friends about this easy way of supporting us.

WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU

Those of us who work for peace are pulled in many directions, especially as political campaigns are in full swing. Antiwar resources have been stretched thin, and peace seems elusive as our country's militarism maintains a fixed hold on our culture. The endless wars will stop only when the American people demand it, and the more people who demand it, the louder our voices will be. At this critical moment in history, we need your support, now more than ever, to make our voices heard.

Please help us to honor those who stand for peace by adding your voice to our cause.

· Become a Founding Member

· Add yourself and/or your organization to the US Peace Registry.

· Do both.

Your work will encourage more Americans to feel comfortable confronting our government, just like they did to help end the wars in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. By celebrating many diverse role models, we can inspire other Americans to speak out against war and to work for peace.

We Need Your Financial Support (All donations are tax deductible to the extent provided by law). CLICK HERE to see our 2019 Financial Report.

· Become a Founding Member. Add your name to our list of more than 350 visionary leaders, and be permanently associated with the US Peace Memorial. Click here to contribute by debit or credit card. Click here to donate by PayPal. Or, mail checks to: US Peace Memorial Foundation • 334 East Lake Road #136 • Palm Harbor, FL 34685.

· If you are already a Founding Member, please make your 2020 contribution.

· Consider moving to the next donor level. Credit for your contributions is cumulative.

· Give whatever you can. Donate $5, $10, or $20. Every donation counts!

· Show that you care about changing our culture of war to a culture of peace. When you reply with a contribution, you are showing that you value and support our programs to recognize courageous Americans.

We Need More Role Models for Peace

· Apply to the US Peace Registry. We are looking for Americans whose antiwar behaviors, examples, or successes can be emulated by others. If you have opposed U.S. wars in writing, speaking, advocating, marching, or in other ways, please submit your bio here Individual. To see examples, read some of the listings at www.uspeacememorial.org/Registry.htm.

· Add your organization to the US Peace Registry. Please submit your organization's antiwar activities here Organization. To see examples, read some of the listings at www.uspeacememorial.org/Organizations.htm.

· Help us find our first Founding Members from Delaware, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and West Virginia.

· Help us increase the number of supporters in your state.

We Need Volunteers

Can you volunteer? Even if you have only a few hours a month to give, we would greatly appreciate your help.

We Need You to Keep in Touch

Join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Let me know if you would like a call to discuss any aspect of the Foundation's work and/or how you might like to participate. I can be reached at Knox@USPeaceMemorial.org or (202) 455-8776.

Thank you very much for your support.

Michael Knox, Ph.D.

Chair

US Peace Memorial Foundation, Inc. is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public charity.

Donations to the Foundation are tax deductible to the extent provided by U.S. law.

Florida registration #: CH20094. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE FLORIDA DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.