Acceptance Speech for ICUJP

I want to thank Steve Rohde and the ICUJP Board for electing me chair of this wonderful organization. This is a great honor and a humbling one. I feel as though I am standing on the shoulders of giants for justice—people like James Lawson, George Regas, Lydia Lopez, Grace Dyrness, and Steve Rohde, to name only a few. I have been active with ICUJP almost from its beginning 25 years ago, attending faithfully on Fridays. One of the highpoints of my involvement with ICUJP was joining George Regas and other “good troublemakers” in protesting the war in Iraq, when we were arrested. I will never forget my fellow peace activists singing protest songs as we were placed in a patrol car and taken to jail. I have participated in Close Guantanamo events, wearing an orange jumpsuit and a hood over my head. Another high point. With a nun and a rabbi from ICUJP, I visited and befriended a Muslim man imprisoned on trumped-up charges at a detention facility on Terminal Island and later celebrated his release at an interfaith event. What a joy that was! I have helped organize lobby visits with our senators, and I hope we can continue doing so. Our elected officials need to hear from the faith community! Over the years, I have learned so much from peace and justice advocates from many faith traditions, whose work has inspired and challenged me as a Quaker. I am grateful ICUJP is still here after 25 years, because our message and activism are needed now more than ever.

But I also have to be honest: we are not getting younger. If ICUJP is to continue, we need to attract new—and hopefully younger—members. Meeting by Zoom is not enough. I believe we need more in-person gatherings, such as the one planned for July 4 at the Quaker meetinghouse. We should also explore hybrid meetings so we can gather in person, strengthen friendships, and remain accessible to those who cannot attend physically. We once held justice luncheons at various churches, which brought more people into our organization, and we should consider doing that again. We also need to be clear about our purpose and goals as well as our capacity. What I am suggesting is a large task, and our capacity and resources are limited. Still, I take to heart the words of anthropologist Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” If we have faith in the power of goodness, love, and truth, together we can do more than we imagine. I want to give a shout of appreciation to our Board and also to our amazing communication and program coordinator Rick Banales. We can’t do this work without you, Rick! I look forward to working with all of you to do our part In building a just, equitable and peaceful world.