An invitation to gather and our note of gratitude 🙏
December 8, 2023
Posted in: Newsletters
Dear friend,
What an incredible year we’ve had! Join us for our last Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network gathering of 2023 on Thursday December 14, 5pm PT / 7 pm ET. Zoom here.
We’ll take some time to reflect on this past year and shower you all with appreciation for dedicating hearts and energy to Korea peace. In July, we gathered for a historic national mobilization in DC. Our deepest bows of gratitude to all who made this gathering a powerful, resounding call for peace in Korea. Over 500 of us spoke truth to power in many forms: from contacting congressional representatives to protesting in DC’s streets. We also tended to our selves and communities by tapping into intergenerational dialogue and healing through the Unbind Your Heart: Korean Han / Grief Transmutation Ceremony.
Throughout the year we continued our public and internal political education through webinars on environmental justice and militarized spaces in Korea with Tony Cho and Juneseo Hwang; cultural organizing across borders with filmmaker Yoon Ra; busting harmful myths about the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act; and the history of the Korean American peace movement and looking forward to 2024 with Kapsong Kim.
We also advocated for Korea peace in full force! In this year’s Korea Peace Advocacy Week, we met with 82 offices in 19 states to advocate for the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act. We now have 35 Korea Peace Champions in Congress! Many of us also canvassed and advocated at local events all across the country. And last month, we hosted a joint advocacy training with our partner organizations to call congressional representatives for the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act (H.R. 1369) and the Ceasefire Resolution (H.Res. 786).
In addition to electoral advocacy, we collectively worked to shift the dominant state narrative about the Korean War. This narrative change work is only possible with mass grassroots efforts. Thank you to all who raised your voices in all forms – from op-eds to social media posts and everything in between. And finally, thank you to all who hosted screenings of Crossings and other important films about Korea peace.
In recent weeks we have been especially heartened by the acts of solidarity undertaken by many of you, weaving the movement for Korea peace with other movements for liberation across the globe. You are all lighting the path for the next phase of this Korea peace movement. Read more about all of these collective accomplishments and what we’re planning for the year ahead in Women Cross DMZ’s Annual Report.
Together, we will change the narrative on the Korean War and see peace in our lifetime!
All our best,
Cathi & Echo
