As we brace for the next administration that will greatly impact the direction of U.S. foreign policy, Women Cross DMZ continues to evolve our strategies and tactics to work toward lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Our accomplishments in the past year show how we have adapted to increased U.S. militarism and unprecedented violence across the globe, by building solidarity across movements, growing the leadership of the next generation of Korea peace activists, and connecting our movement for Korea peace to global struggles for demilitarization and decolonization.
Here are some of our accomplishments in the last year:
- Along with our Feminist Peace Initiative partners and the Inclusive Global Leadership Initiative, we organized the inaugural Feminist Peace Summit with leading feminist scholars and activists to discuss advancing a new U.S. foreign policy away from endless wars and toward feminist principles of peace, justice, and sustainability, led by people of color, diasporic communities, and Indigenous Peoples.
- Our Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network expanded its membership base to grow our political power and mobilize more voices calling for a peace-first approach to end the Korean War. Our monthly national meetings focus on community building and political education.
- We held educational webinars on the gendered impacts of the Korean War and busted myths about the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act, and our Education Committee launched the first-ever New Member Orientation Series providing key data on the Korean War and U.S. militarism.
- We launched a groundbreaking Intergenerational Healing & Learning Series led by artists, psychologists, writers, and other culture bearers to center addressing intergenerational trauma as an integral part of our work to end the Korean War.
- We organized the ninth annual Korea Peace Advocacy Week to urge members of Congress to support legislation supporting peace in Korea. Thanks to this nationally coordinated action with our faith-based partners and our grassroots activists across the country, H.R.1369, the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act, now has 52 co-sponsors.
Next year will mark an exciting new chapter for Women Cross DMZ, as Cathi Choi will become Executive Director in January 2025 and Founder and Co-Director Christine Ahn will leave her post to become a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. Christine will continue to serve as a strategic advisor for Women Cross DMZ. Cathi plans to expand Women Cross DMZ’s visibility and reach, and cultivate a new generation of Korea peace activists for the long-term viability of our global peace movement.
Looking ahead, here are some of our initiatives for 2025 and beyond:
- Women Cross DMZ turns 10! To commemorate our historic 2015 crossing, we will lead a Healing & Reconciliation Tour to South Korea in 2025, on the 10-year anniversary of the DMZ crossing and the 80th Anniversary of Korea’s division.
- Feminist Peace Report. With our Feminist Peace Initiative partners MADRE and Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, we will publish a report outlining our feminist vision for U.S. foreign policy for the incoming administration.
- Anti-Asian Violence Conference. Partnering with the University of Washington, in the fall of 2025 we will host a conference on the connections between anti-Asian violence and U.S. militarism.
- Organizing & Advocacy. We will work with our advocacy partners on developing the best strategies for legislative change, and we will continue organizing the dedicated activists in our Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network to advocate for Korea peace legislation and an end to the U.S. ban on travel to North Korea.
- Healing Intergenerational Trauma. Responding to overwhelming interest, we will continue with our Intergenerational Learning & Healing Series with legal experts, scholars, artists, psychologists, community leaders, survivors, and allies to discuss how healing intergenerational trauma stemming from U.S. forever wars is intricately tied to advocating for peace and justice.
To find out more about what we’ve accomplished and what we’re planning in the year ahead, read Women Cross DMZ’s 2023-2024 Annual Report.
