Recent Events
CFPA's 40th Commemoration of Hiroshima & Nagasaki Bombings
On Monday, August 5, the Coalition for Peace Action held a Commemoration that marked 74 years since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Commemoration was CFPA's 40th. About 60 were in attendance.
The event featured (in order) - Glenn Swann, who plays the Shakuhachi (Japanese flute), a moment of silence at 7:15 (which correlates to the 8:15 AM bombing on August 6 in Hiroshima), singer Diane Beeny's rendition of "Never Again the A-Bomb," keynote speaker Mira Nakashima (daughter of renowned woodworker and furniture designer George Nakashima, and a celebrated artist herself), a group sing-along to "Down by the Riverside," an update on Iran and North Korea from Dr. Rob Goldston of Princeton University, a statement regarding the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton over the weekend, and a candlelight vigil accompanied by classical guitar from Charlie Frantz.
See photo below of speakers Mira Nakashim and Rob Goldston.
Please click here for a very valuable resource on presidential "first use," which very dangerously allows any sitting president to unilateraly issue an order for a nuclear strike, even if we are not under nuclear attack ourselves.
(photo by Wendy Greenberg)
CFPA Delegation Marches in Pride Parade 6/22/19
Since all peacemaking work needs to be diverse and inclusive, the Coalition for Peace Action promoted and participated in Princeton's first-ever Pride Parade, which thousands attended!
39th Annual Membership Dinner and Gathering
(photo by John Lien)
About 125 CFPA members and guests attended our 39th Annual Membership Dinner and Gathering!
We recognized Irene Etkin Goldman for her 15 year anniversary as Board Chair, and we honored Norm Cohen, who led our South Jersey chapter for over 35 years (click here to read his remarks). Dr. Zia Mian of Princeton University was honored for his work as a scientific advisor for the UN Nuclear Ban Treaty of 2017, and NJ Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald was honored for his gun violence prevention work in the legislature.
We also heard from Ambassador Seyed Hossein Mousavian on Iran/US relations, the dangers of war, and the path forward through diplomacy. Click here for a video of his talk, including the Q+A afterwards.
Thanks to all who made this event a sucess. See more photos below, and click here for more on Facebook!
Ambassador Mousavian speaks on the current Iran situation. (photo by John Lien)
NJ Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald is presented with an award for his leadership on gun violence legislation. On the left is Rev. Bob Moore, CFPA Executive Director, and on the right is Dolores Phillips, Ceasefire NJ Legislative Director. (photo by David Crow)
NJ Assembly Passes Resolution, Taking a Stand Against Nuclear War
The NJ Assembly voted on Thursday (May 23) on Assembly Resolution 230, which urges the federal government to ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and pursue other measures to reduce the danger of nuclear war. The Resolution passed by a vote of 56 yes, 3 no, and 15 abstentions. Special thanks to Dr. Zia Mian for spearheading this initiative.
BE IT RESOLVED by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
- This House urges the federal government to spearhead a global effort to prevent nuclear war by renouncing the option of using nuclear weapons in a first strike, ending the President’s sole authority to launch a nuclear attack, taking the nuclear weapons of the United States off hair-trigger alert, canceling the plan to replace its entire nuclear arsenal with enhanced nuclear weapons, and actively pursuing a verifiable agreement among nuclear-armed states to eliminate their nuclear arsenals.
- This House urges the President and the Senate of the United States to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
Thanks to all who emailed and called their legislators to encourage the passage of this important resolution! Click here to read a follow-up op-ed in the Star Ledger and Trenton Times about the importance of the resolution.
Guns Down America Discussion, 5/5/19
Gun violence prevention leaders in NJ stand with author and activist Igor Volsky (third from right), at a public discussion in Princeton about Guns Down America's next steps in a campaign to persuade banks in the US to change their relationships with the gun industry and the NRA.
Click here to read a New York Times article about the bank campaign.
2019 Membership Renewal Gathering
On Sunday, March 31, CFPA held its annual Membership Renewal and New Member Welcome Gathering. About 75 attended! We enjoyed a meal together, then heard from nuclear weapons experts - Dr. Zia Mian and Dr. Rob Goldston, from Princeton University, and Lydia Wood, the Campaign Coordinator for NuclearBan.US.
Click here to see photos. and click here to see video of the whole event!
Pictured below: Lydia Wood speaking to our attendees. Thanks to everyone who attended and our amazing volunteers for helping put the event together.
Meeting with Assemblyman Lou Greenwald
On Monday, April 1, 2019, Ceasefire NJ representatives met with Assemblyman Lou Greenwald, the NJ Assembly Majority Leader, to discuss moving forward on new gun violence prevention legislation.
March 14 Lobby Day
On Thursday, March 14, 2019, a delegation of 18 CFPA members went to D.C. to advocate for peace! We met with staff for three Senators and five Representatives, and we met with Rep. Jeff Van Drew (D-NJ02) in person.
We urged our members of Congress to support legislation that would cut off funding for security assistance to Saudi Arabia, prohibit military action in Venezuela, call for a formal end to the Korean war, restrict the first use of nuclear weapons, block funding for low-yield nuclear weapons, and block funding for weapons that were covered by the INF Treaty. See pictures below!
We received very positive feedback from our participants. We had several for whom it was their first lobby day - they thought it was a great experience, and would do it again. One even said it was the best day of her life! When it came time to make specific "asks" of the staffers, we distributed speaking roles among the attendees, making their individual voices heard and giving a more participatory experience to everyone involved. Many were also impressed by how smooth and well-organized the day was.
Meeting with Sen. Booker's staff
Our delegation meeting with Rep. Jeff Van Drew
Posing with Senator Bob Casey (D-PA)
Our Mission
The Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA) is a grassroots citizens' organization bringing together people of all ages, backgrounds, professions and political persuasions around three goals: global abolition of nuclear weapons, a peace economy and a halt to weapons trafficking at home and abroad.
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