You are cordially invited to the Upper Hudson Peace Action Annual Gathering on Sunday, November 8th.

We hope to see you there to connect, share ideas, and build community together!

Taking place on the weekend after Election Day in the United States, we will hear from Kevin Martin, President of Peace Action (USA) about Paths to Peace and Justice. We will present this year’s Pat Beetle Peace Award to Women Against War.

Coffee, tea and light refreshments will be served.

$20 donation. Free for students.
No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKER:

Kevin Martin, President of Peace Action and the Peace Action Education Fund, joined the staff on Sept 4, 2001. Kevin previously served as Director of Project Abolition, a national organizing effort for nuclear disarmament, from August 1999 through August 2001. Kevin came to Project Abolition after ten years in Chicago as Executive Director of Illinois Peace Action. Prior to his decade-long stint in Chicago, Kevin directed the community outreach canvass for Peace Action (then called Sane/Freeze) in Washington, D.C., where he originally started as a door-to-door canvasser with the organization in 1985. Kevin’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Nation, Los Angeles Times, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Village Voice, The Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, The Progressive, Z magazine and many other publications. He has appeared on CNN, National Public Radio, Fox News, MSNBC, BBC-TV and radio, and many other local, national and international radio and television outlets. Kevin has traveled abroad representing Peace Action and the U.S. peace movement on delegations and at conferences in Russia, Japan, China, Mexico and Britain. –

ABOUT OUR HONOREE
Women Against War (Recipient of the 2026 UHPA Pat Beetle Peace Award)

Women Against War was formed in 2002 by a network of Capital District New York women who mobilized against the United States government’s plan to go to war with Iraq. Their first public event was a gathering that took place on the steps of the Legislative Office Building in Albany on December 5, 2002, where the group put out an open call for participants in their Women’s Fast for Peace.

For almost 25 years, Women Against War has been a pillar of grassroots activism across the Capital Region. Members include Maud Easter, Micki Lynn, Trudy Quaif, Eleanor Stein, Maureen Aumand and many more.

Get your ticket for the 2026 William Sloane Coffin Jr Peacemaker Awards

Every year, Peace Action Fund of New York State (PAFNYS) hosts the William Sloane Coffin, Jr. Peacemaker Awards to honor outstanding individuals whose lives are models for current and future changemakers. During this event, PAFNYS also presents the annual Don Shaffer Student Peacemaker Award and the Holly Maguigan Peace with Justice Award to honor young peacemakers who are making a difference. (Our own Charlie Mandracchia was a recipient of the Peace with Justice Award in 2024, when he was the Siena College Chapter President !)

This year’s awards program a will be held on Monday, October 5, 2026, starting at 6 pm, at Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue (btw. 37th and 38th Streets) in New York City. Refreshments will be provided at the reception. A livestream of the event will be available to those who cannot attend in person (registration required.)

This is PAFNYS’ biggest fundraiser of the year, and we are so grateful for the generosity of all those who contribute to support our work! Income generated by the Peacemaker Awards event provides vital support to PANYS programs, including the Campus Organizing Program and public outreach campaigns. 

Announcing the UHPA Monthly Discussion Group, a space for activists to talk and think

Following the news this past year can feel overwhelming, especially for activists working to change the world. Movement building is more than just taking action. It’s also asserting principles and finding affinity. Movement building happens when people gather together, ask hard questions, and seek collective solutions. That’s why Upper Hudson Peace Action is excited to announce our Monthly Discussion Group, starting this August.

Whether you’ve been organizing for peace for decades or you’re completely new to advocacy and just looking for a thoughtful, welcoming space to process global events, we welcome you.

We will gather on the 3rd Wednesday of every month:

• When: 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
• Where: Social Justice Center (33 Central Ave, Albany, NY)

What We’ll Be Talking About

Each month, we’ll tackle a specific issue. The discussion group is not a lecture. Rather these sessions are open roundtables and an open space for dialogue.

We will begin on August 19 with a discussion of the Back from the Brink campaign. Here’s a sneak peek at some other topics we’ll be exploring over the coming months:

• US-Israel-Iran War
• Ending Torture: Examining accountability, state violence, and the ongoing work to uphold international humanitarian law.
• The U.S. Military Contribution to Climate Change: Unpacking the massive carbon footprint of global military operations and connecting peace organizing to environmental justice.
• Global U.S. Military Bases: Mapping the footprint of over 750 U.S. military bases worldwide and exploring their impacts on local communities and international stability.

We know that an hour isn’t long enough for some of these issues and we will only be scratching the surface, but we will be scratching them together. Townsend Park, Washington Park, and Lark Street bars and cafes are nearby. We hope that some of you will keep the conversation going with those you find affinity with.

Bring your curiosity, your questions, and your lived experience. We will provide background reading and talking points. And bring friends!

Every month. 3^rd Wednesday.

• Music by the Solidarity Singers
• Refreshments will be served
• RSVP: Please help us plan for the event by sending your RSVP at this link:

Here’s a Sampling of Upcoming Peace Events – check links, etc. for more

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Palestinian Rights/Ceasefire: The best way to get involved in organizing for ceasefire, Palestinian liberation, and related work is to connect with any of the groups listed here:

https://bit.ly/ceasefire-cr

WEEKLY RALLIES TO STOP STARVING GAZA:

WED & FRI, 4-6, (different locations)!

TAXPAYERS AGAINST GENOCIDE RALLY, NYC, 9/4;

JOIN US AT OUR LIBERATION BBQ, SAT, 9/6!!

DOUBLE FEATURE FILM & DISCUSSION, SUN, 9/21!

FLOOD THE UN PROTEST: Tu, 9/23!!

MARCH TO THE UN, FRI, 9/26, 9A!!

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The Capital District Humanist Society Presents Joseph Gerson speaking on:

     U.S. Policy on China.

Sunday, September 14th, 2025 at 1 PM,  both in-person and via Zoom.

This program begins at 1:00 PM, both in-person and via Zoom. The in-person event will be held at Pinnacle Living, 45 Forts Ferry Road, Latham, NY. It is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be available starting at 12:30 PM. Please bring your own beverage. 

If you wish to attend via Zoom and are not a current member of CDHS, email your request to CDHS.Albany@gmail.com at least several days prior to the event. Or log onto our Meetup page, https://www.meetup.com/Capital-District-Humanist-Society/. Click on JOIN, then ATTEND, then RSVP, and the link will be available.

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Saratoga Peace Week: September 21-27th!  Venues and event sponsors include Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs United Methodist Church, Saratoga Senior Center, Presbyterian-United Church of Christ, Saratoga Immigration Coalition, Saratoga Pride, Hudson Crossing Park, Schuylerville, NY, Earthbeat Music, Frederick Allen Lodge 609 and individuals who are taking to heart, this year’s UN International Day of Peace (9/21) 

Theme: Act Now for a Peaceful World! Programs include films, music, art, kite flying, drumming, discussions, pizza, puppets and more! 

Keep checking back as we will be posting daily specifics for each event. Please share with everyone you know!!!

https://www.facebook.com/SaratogaPeaceWeek

Upper Hudson Peace Action Alert
Commemorating 80 Years Since Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan

Date: August 9, 2025
Time:  11 AM
Place: Lions Park at 3439 Rosendale Road, Niskayuna, NY 
Sponsored by: Upper Hudson Peace Action & Women Against War

Please join us in commemorating the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the only time such weapons have been used. Today’s volatile world calls us to note the terrible scale and repercussions of these events and advocate for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

We will gather at 11 am at Lions Park, Rosendale Rd., Niskayuna, probably near the old railroad station and small memory garden, which are not far from the entrance. The Mohawk River runs parallel to the park.

The program is intended to be concise, focused, and serious, beginning with short remarks about the event and anniversary, and including brief poetry and music. 

Next, a short silent walk on the bike path with our themed props and signs will take place. If there is a large group, we may need to break into sections, so that others using the bike path can get around us. Some people may opt to forgo the walk and sit with signs, etc. by the park entrance where there are picnic tables, or by the gazebo. 

Further details: 
The park has a small Little Blue Library exchange, so it’s a great opportunity to leave books on a peace theme there.
We need to carefully follow the bike path rules, such as keeping to the right and not stopping and standing still on the bike path. 
Please try to dress in white, the Japanese color of mourning

Contact for questions and comments: Elaine at elaineklein@hotmail.com

On August 6, 1945, during World War II (1939-45), an American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion immediately killed an estimated 80,000 people; tens of thousands more would later die of radiation exposure. Three days later, a second B-29 dropped another A-bomb on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 40,000 people. Japan’s Emperor Hirohito announced his country’s unconditional surrender in World War II in a radio address on August 15, citing the devastating power of “a new and most cruel bomb.” https://www.history.com/articles/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki

Na Mu Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo

The peace walk will take place August 3-9, 2025.

The program at the Peace Pagoda is August 9.
(see details below)

Four events in the area to note – please scroll for details.

• The Vanaver Caravan
• DrumSong Orchestra
• Uptown Lodown
• The Spirit of Thunderheart

Saturday, August 6, 11:00AM

Townsend Park, Albany, NY

(Henry Johnson Blvd. & Central Ave.)

(Hiroshima, Japan, 1945)

The event is free and open to the public and the public is encouraged to join in the reading.  Those interested in reading can sign up to participate when they arrive.  Please bring folding chairs. Rain site: Social Justice Center.

On August 6, 1945 the United States of America used the atomic bomb for the first time to destroy the city of Hiroshima, Japan; on August 9, the U.S. used the atomic bomb again on Nagasaki, Japan.  Over 200,000 people died immediately in the two bombings and over a hundred thousand more died in the following decades as a result of the effects of the radiation.  

Hiroshima by John Hersey tells the story of the bombing on August 6, 1945 by following the story of six of the survivors.  The book version has been in print since 1946.  

Co-sponsored by the Poetry Motel Foundation, Tom Paine Chapter Veterans for Peace, Upper Hudson Peace Action. For more information contact Dan Wilcox, 518-482-0262, dwlcx46@gmail.com

• The park has a small Little Blue Library exchange, so it’s a great opportunity to leave books on a peace theme there.
• We need to carefully follow the bike path rules, such as keeping to the right and not stopping and standing still on the bike path. 
• Please try to dress in white, the Japanese color of mourning

Na Mu Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo The peace walk will take place August 3-9, 2025. The program at the Peace Pagoda is August 9. (see details below)

The 27th annual Kateri Peace Conference

Friday, August 22 & Saturday, August 23, 2025

Palestine and Israel

Tragedy, Trauma, Truth & Compassion

SAVE THE DATE

ALL ARE INVITED

The 27th annual KATERI PEACE CONFERENCE will be held in Fonda, NY on August 22nd and 23rd. This year’s conference will focus on the nightmare which is the Palestinian/Israeli conflict with the intent of generating increased compassion, understanding, and life-affirming action.

The conference will begin at 5:30 PM on Friday with a pot luck followed by a Tapestry of Word and Song reflecting voices from the conflict presented by area theater artists from the Creative Action Unlimited Social Justice Artist’s Collective, accompanied by flautist Eric Marczak, beginning at 7:00 PM. 

Saturday we are fortunate to have – sharing information, insight, and inspiration:

PHYLLIS BENNIS, Jewish scholar/activist from The Institute for Policy Studies in DC.  Her latest book: UNDERSTANDING PALESTINE and ISRAEL has been described as offering “readers the most comprehensive, lucid and reliably informed and evidence-based guide available” to the conflict.

SANA WAZWAZ, Palestinian-American writer and organizer and chapter lead for the American Muslims for Palestine, Minnesota. Sana is currently the Program and Administrative Assistant at New Arab American Theater Works.

KATHY MANLEY who is the Legal Director of the Coalition for Civil Freedoms and the Vice-President of the Capital Region Council of the New York Civil Liberties Union. Kathy was a recent participant in the blocked international Global March to Gaza.

Doors will open at 8:00 AM for registration and a light breakfast on Saturday; the program of speakers, workshops, and discussion will begin at 9:00 and run through 3:30.

As always, lunch will be provided on Saturday. An admission offering of $20 to $40 is suggested. Scholarships are available. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

FULL CONFERENCE information regarding the day’s schedule, speakers’ bios, and registration details will soon be available on the conference web site: 

kateripeaceconference.org

Saint Kateri National Shrine and Historic Site 

3636 NY-5, Fonda, NY 12068, USA

Saint Kateri National Shrine and Historic Site 3636 NY-5, Fonda, NY 12068, USA 

My name is Larry Wittner and, starting with my participation in a peace demonstration in the fall of 1961, I have been active in the peace movement — arrested twice, tear-gassed numerous times, and elected to local, state, and national peace movement boards. I’m also a former Professor of History at SUNY/Albany and a historian of the peace movement.
Today, I’m sorry to report that the result of the recent U.S. elections is more horrible than you might think. Given the two factors that are most likely to destroy the human race – nuclear war and climate collapse – the takeover of the U.S. government by Donald Trump and his crew of rightwing fanatics, combined with the authoritarian, murderous regimes already in power in countries like Russia, India, China, Iran, North Korea, and Israel, probably spells doom for the world.
Now please note that I have said “probably.” I do believe there’s a possibility of avoiding this catastrophe – although it’s not a very likely one. And I think the peace movement can play an important role in increasing the chances of human survival.
The main threat to human survival comes from the behavior of the major military powers. Some people in the peace movement seem to believe that only the United States – or mostly the United States – is responsible for the murderous conflicts among nations. But this is a rather warped view of events, for the United States is a very recent arrival in human history, and for thousands of years before that there were plenty of wars. And, I believe that, if the United States miraculously disappeared tomorrow, there would still be plenty of wars!
If we look beyond the devil theory of history and think systemically, what we find is that most wars (and the weapons that accompany them over time – from spears to nuclear missiles) grow out of the conflicts among nations. Within nations, when conflicts inevitably erupt, there are laws, as well as police, courts, and governments, that play a major role in resolving these conflicts.
On the global level, however, there exists a situation approaching international anarchy. Although we do have the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, and the International Criminal Court, they are relatively powerless when major crises occur. They issue laudable statements, while the most powerful nations frequently ignore them and go on their merry, marauding way.
Thus, for example, the Russian government is currently continuing its massive military invasion of Ukraine and proceeding to annex its territory, while ignoring the demands of the UN and the International Court of Justice to end Russia’s aggression and withdraw from Ukraine. And, similarly, the Israeli government ignores the demands of these world organizations to end its brutal war upon and occupation of Palestine.
From the overwhelming votes in the UN General Assembly to condemn the Russian and Israeli invasions, we can see what the vast majority of the world’s nations want done in these terrible situations. But, alas, there is no implementation of their call for national independence and peace.
Where does this leave the peace movement? The peace movement has been effective, at times, in stirring up grassroots public protest against great power military aggression and the nuclear arms race. Even so, if it is to head off the doomsday scenario that now confronts us – or the slaughter occurring right now in Ukraine and Palestine – it desperately needs the existence of effective global governance. Or, to put things differently, the movement needs a stronger United Nations – strong enough to resolve conflicts among nations and, thereby, maintain international peace and security.
The task of strengthening global governance is difficult, but not impossible. There are ways to limit the use of the veto in the UN Security Council, to transfer security issues to the General Assembly (where there is majority rule and no veto), and to increase the jurisdiction of international judicial bodies. It’s also necessary and possible to provide the UN with an independent source of income to fund an expanded range of activities. It’s time – indeed, long past time – that the citizens of the world threw their weight behind these and other UN reform measures.
So I’m suggesting that the peace movement – without abandoning its important role in building grassroots activism – also back efforts to transform the United Nations into a government for the world. With such a government, we – the citizens of the world — have a better chance to restrain outlaw nations and avert the catastrophes that now loom before us.