Brethren Witness/Washington Office sponsors Million Mom March, CO day.

Two May events in Washington, D.C., are being sponsored by the General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office: the Million Mom March on May 9, and International Conscientious Objector Day May 15.

The office is urging Brethren to join the "Mother's Day March to Halt the Assault" for gun control laws. "People die every day from handguns. Show your convictions of nonviolence, peace, and justice by taking a stand and lending support to those who have lost loved ones needlessly," said an action alert from the office.

The event will begin with an interfaith prayer service at 10 a.m. on the west lawn of the US Capitol building and is expected to continue to mid-afternoon with speeches and a march down Constitution Avenue. Presenters sharing stories of how violence and the gun lobby have influenced their lives and families will include Jesse Jackson Sr., Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, and authors Marianne Williamson and Richard North Patterson. The event, organized by the Brady Campaign to Stop Gun Violence, is wheelchair accessible and interpreters will be on hand for the hearing impaired.

On May 15, International Conscientious Objector Day, the office is hosting seminars and workshops about conscientious objection, anti-militarism, counter recruitment, and war tax resistance from noon to 5 p.m. The event will be held at the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, 337 North Carolina Ave., SE, Washington, DC 20003.

On May 14, the office is co-sponsoring the Center for Conscientious and War Lobby Days along with Mennonite, Quaker, United Methodist, Unitarian, Catholic, and Presbyterian organizations as well as the National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund and Veterans for Peace. The lobbying day will focus on educating Congress about conscientious objection and how a military draft is not a viable option. "During this time when the United States military is stretched thin across the globe in various military campaigns, there are talks about the administration considering a draft. Now is the time to make our voices heard, to let Congress know that we do not want a draft," the action alert said.

For more information call the Brethren Witness/Washington Office at 800-785-3246 or e-mail washington_office_gb@brethren.org.

Source: Newsline 5/7/2004
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