News & Updates
News & Updates
As we reflect on the 79th anniversary of the atomic bombings, holding the stories of hibakusha in our hearts, it is critical that we acknowledge all victims of nuclear weapons and know that there is still so much work to be done.
This semester has been one of the most tumultuous but important semesters in the history of our program. Through teach-ins, walkouts, rallies, fundraising efforts, concerts, letter-writing, and more, student organizers in the Peace Action Fund of New York State (PAFNYS) Campus Organizing Program have acted as leaders in their campus communities in response to the unfolding conflict and genocide in Gaza.
Peace Action New York State (PANYS) stands in solidarity with student activists on campuses across the United States who are peacefully protesting to demand that their universities divest from Israel due to its violation of international humanitarian law, perpetration of genocide in Gaza, and its ongoing occupation of the West Bank.
Last week, Peace Action New York State representatives were in Washington, D.C. for #CeasefireNow Nationwide Grassroots Advocacy Days. More than 600 activists from more than 50 other peace organizations and 35 states were on Capitol Hill and in meetings around the country with members of Congress urging them to support an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza; to prevent the conflict from becoming a wider regional war; to oppose further military aid and offensive weapons shipments to Israel; to require the State Department to provide a human rights report on Israel’s campaign in Gaza; and to remove the ban UNRWA aid.
This week, Peace Action New York State representatives are traveling to Washington, D.C. for #CeasefireNow Nationwide Grassroots Advocacy Days. Hundreds of peace activists from our nationwide coalition will be on Capitol Hill and in meetings around the country with members of Congress working to turn the tide on U.S. support for Israel's war in Gaza. We will be meeting with our elected representatives from New York to urge them to support an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza; to oppose further military aid and offensive weapons shipments to Israel; to require the State Department to provide a human rights report on Israel’s campaign in Gaza; and to remove the ban UNRWA aid.
The annual Upstate Campus Tour kicked off on Monday, March 4th when Executive Director, Emily Rubino and Student & Campaigns Coordinator, Margaret Engel set off from NYC to visit 7 upstate campus chapters and 4 PANYS community chapters in Bronxville, Geneseo, Buffalo, Niagara, Syracuse, Potsdam, and Albany. This yearly tour around New York State is an opportunity for our PANYS state office staff to strengthen our multigenerational organizing network across the state, hear from PANYS chapter leaders about the work they’re doing in their local communities, and build connections with our student organizers who are paving the way for the future of the peace movement.