Pursuing Peace in Cincinnati – What is Nonviolent Cincinnati?
On September 20th, at Pursuing Peace in Cincinnati, IJPC will host activist and author, John Dear. We will also honor local peace activists Don Sherman and Bonnie Neumeier. We will use this event to launch Nonviolent Cincinnati – a new initiative that we can’t wait to share with you. For a bit of a background on Nonviolent Cities and Nonviolent Cincinnati, read below. If you are eager to join us, you can buy tickets or call 513.579.8547 for more information.
What is the Nonviolent Cities Program?
Guided by Campaign Nonviolence, the Nonviolent Cities Program calls upon activists, organizers, local leaders, political and religious leaders and ordinary citizens in every city in the nation to organize their local community as a “Nonviolent City.”
We believe in a vision of a nonviolent Cincinnati. There are a handful of other cities across the country that are invested in this work in their own communities. We all know this effort is radical because it hasn’t been done before, and we need peace in our city. We know this is big. We know this is hard. We know this will take time. We know we can’t do this without you.
The Nonviolent Cities Program is a grassroots movement. Cincinnati will analyze the strengths and challenges present in our community, organize what to do, and create a vision of how to do it. We will discover how to promote, teach and internalize principles, methods, and alternatives to violence in all forms at all levels. In the process, we will create just, peaceful, and sustainable solutions that will transform life in our homes, communities, and institutions.
Nonviolent Cincinnati will build a broad coalition of peace partners from a wide range of backgrounds and skills. Together, we will develop a comprehensive shared vision of a peace-filled nonviolent city, and work together to turn this vision into a new shared reality. To connect with Nonviolent Cincinnati, email andrea@IJPCcincinnati.org.
Why be involved?
Cincinnati is a city full of passionate citizens and abundant resources. It is also plagued by consistently having one of the nation’s highest rates of poverty and pervasive multi-level violence. Too many of our community members live in desperate situations that stand in stark contrast to the life of security and general comfort many others enjoy. Resignation and passivity only feed this system, sending the message that this is just the way things are and that we no choice but to live with it. It doesn’t have to be this way. We are sending out a call to all who believe in the possibility of change.
Nonviolent Cincinnati is a local, holistic, grassroots movement to make Cincinnati more disarmed, more reconciled, more just, more welcoming, more inclusive, more compassionate, and more peaceful. It needs the investment of all sectors of society including the poor and marginalized, children and older adults, news reporters and local media, housing authorities, educators and healthcare workers, religious and civic leaders, police and law enforcement, and the mayor and city councilors. Many are already doing the important work of creating peace in Cincinnati. This initiative requires intentional collaboration and connection across sectors. It will require that we stop wishing things were different and actively organize to make change happen. Will you roll up your sleeves and join us? To connect with Nonviolent Cincinnati, email andrea@IJPCcincinnati.org.