2022 Organizing Highlights

It’s been quite a year for Peace Action New York State and for peacemakers in our network. From advocating for peace in Yemen and Ukraine, to holding our leaders accountable for our nation’s excessive military spending, to educating the public about the ongoing dangers of nuclear weapons, to building partnerships with the climate and economic justice movements, our growing network is organizing a strong and impactful peace movement across New York State!

Tax Day 2022

In April, activists joined in Tax Day demonstrations to draw attention to the behemoth US military budget, which is set to surpass $800 billion in 2023. The climate and peace movements worked together to demand that US tax dollars stop being used to fund endless war and environmental destruction.

Learn more about Tax Day 2022 demonstrations here.

(Photo by Hideko Otake.)

Commemorating the 77th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombings

In early August, our network gathered to commemorate the anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki in 1945, and to remind the world of what is truly at stake in the struggle for nuclear abolition. We stand in solidarity with the Hibakusha, nuclear downwinders, and all communities affected by the horrors of nuclear weapons, and will continue striving for a world where every person can live free from the threat of nuclear destruction. Learn more here.

(Photo: Syracuse Peace Council commemorates Hiroshima & Nagasaki with a tableau and press conference, August 9th, 2022.)

Taking Action at the NPT Review Conference in NYC

On August 2nd, 2022, more than one hundred activists demonstrated outside the US Mission to the United Nations to demand that the US and other nuclear states fulfill their obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to engage in good faith negotiations toward the ultimate objective of global nuclear disarmament. Read more here.(Photo by Michaela Czerkies.)

Student Organizers Promoted the UN International Day of Peace

In September, student organizers at SUNY Geneseo joined with activists from Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace (GVCP) to promote the UN International Day of Peace. Established in 1981 by unanimous United Nations resolution, the UN General Assembly has declared this a day devoted to “commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples.”

Learn more about the 2022 International Day of Peace here.

Honoring Katrina vanden Heuvel and the Courage of Journalists at the 2022 William Sloane Coffin, Jr. Peacemaker Awards

On October 3rd, PAFNYS honored progressive media heavyweight Katrina vanden Heuvel, publisher of The Nation, with the 2022 WSC Peacemaker Award. We also recognized independent journalists who faithfully cover peace issues and activism in New York, and presented Peace Action Le Moyne with the 2022 Don Shaffer Student Peacemaker Award. Read more about the 2022 WSC Awards here.

(Pictured, from left to right: Cora Weiss, Katrina vanden Heuvel, and Emily Rubino. Photo by Matt Weinstein.)

Move the Money – From War to our Communities!

Throughout the year, members of our network have joined with Move the Money – NYC to urge New York City to go on the record as opposing our massive national military budget. Finally, in December, Council Member Carlina Rivera announced the introduction of a Move the Money Resolution in New York City Council!

Learn more about the NYC Move the Money Resolution here.