Minneapolis, MN – On March 26 Cuba solidarity activists responded to the national call for monthly car caravans to end the U.S. blockade of Cuba and to take Cuba off the U.S. State Sponsors of Terrorism list (SSOT). The 18-car caravan flew Cuba flags and displayed pro-Cuba signs while they drove down Lake Street through a Latino neighborhood. It was welcomed with car honks and fist pumps.

In the last days of Trump in office, he added Cuba back on the SSOT. During Biden’s campaign to become president, he indicated he would take them off the list as well as revoke the 247 additional sanctions Trump had imposed, now he is breaking yet another campaign promise.

One of the organizers of the Minneapolis caravan, Marcy Shapiro, member of Women Against Military Madness Solidarity Committee on the Americas, read from a statement from organizers of the Miami caravan, “On March 23, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, testifying before the U.S. Congress, assured Miami Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar that the State Department has no plans to review Cuba’s status on the sponsors of state terrorism list. This is further motivation why our caravan is so important. We are the voice of thousands of people, Cuban and non-Cuban alike, who want to see an end to the blockade.”

She went on to read, “Almost 36,000 people, for example, packed the Loan Depot stadium on March 19 to watch Cuba play the USA in the semi-finals of the World Baseball Classic. Perhaps half the crowd, primarily Miami Cubans, were there to root for the Cuban team. These fans demonstrated how there is a Cuban family on both sides of the Florida straits that thrills to the idea of increased athletic, cultural, and economic exchanges between the two nations.”

As the caravan drove through the streets of Minneapolis, WAMM member Carol Walker spoke on Zoom to the other cars about her recent return trip from Cuba. She was in a delegation sponsored by the Vets for Peace (VFP) where she and others saw the VFP’s sailboat, Golden Rule, as it visited Cuba on its coast-to-coast tour. Walker pointed out, “Isn’t it hypocritical that Biden calls Cuba a terrorist state when what they do is send boatloads of doctors to countries in need of medical help, while the U.S. bombs countries across the world? Who is the terrorist?”

Activists vowed to continue to fight to remove Cuba from the harsh grip of sanctions made worse by the exclusion of Cuba from the global financial system because of the destructive financial restrictions of the SSOT list.

In April 2023, will mark the second-year anniversary of the Minneapolis Cuba caravan in the Twin Cities. For more details, follow Solidarity Committee on the Americas on Facebook, and SCOTA_MN on Twitter and Instagram.

#MinneapolisMN #Cuba #blockadeOfCuba #WomenAgainstMilitaryMadnessWAMM #Americas

Saint Paul, MN – The anti-war organization Women Against Military Madness organized a vigil on Friday, January 27, in response to the recent massacre of Palestinians in the Jenin refugee camp in occupied Palestine. Attendees held signs with the slogans “End U.S. aid to Israel” and “End Israeli apartheid,” and chanted “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” The vigil was met with a positive reaction from the community.

Israeli Occupation Force soldiers entered the Jenin camp and opened fire, killing nine Palestinians, including one elderly woman, and wounding at least 20 others. The IOF soldiers then obstructed traffic, preventing ambulances from entering or leaving the area, and even opened fire on an ambulance that attempted to move through the blockade.

Speaking about the massacre, Sarah Martin of Women Against Military Madness highlighted the cruelty of the attack, noting that Israeli soldiers even fired tear gas towards the children’s wing of a hospital, causing the caustic vapor to waft into a ward where sick children were being treated. A member of Israel’s parliament, Almog Cohen, responded to these events by making the appalling statement: “Nice and professional work by the fighters in Jenin. Keep killing them.”

Andrew Josefchak of the Anti-War Committee spoke about the importance of supporting the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement to strip Israel of international support. “We here in the United States are made complicit in these disgusting acts of violence,” Josefchak said. “Not only does the United States send Israel $4 billion a year in aid on the federal level, but states like Minnesota participate too. The Minnesota State Board of Investment not only puts our tax dollars into Israeli weapons companies like Elbit Systems, which manufactures cluster bombs, tear gas and other weapons, but also invests in Israeli government bonds. These are essentially long-term loans to the Israeli government, and they are using the money to commit atrocities like this.”

Josefchak highlighted the fact that Palestinians living under occupation have long asked their supporters in the international community to push the BDS movement forward, and stated that the Anti-War Committee is pursuing a campaign to pressure the Minnesota State Board of Investment to divest its Israeli holdings. “BDS worked in the case of South Africa, and it can and will work in the case of Palestine.”

#SaintPaulMN #Palestine #FreePalestine #WomenAgainstMilitaryMadnessWAMM #MiddleEast

Minneapolis, MN – Polly Mann, a leading force and giant in the Twin Cities anti-war movement, died on January 12, 2023 at the age of 103 in San Francisco, California where she had lived with her daughter Connie for a little over a year.

In 1981 she called her friend Marianne Hamilton, who in 2015 recalled, “The smartest thing anyone ever thought of and carried through with was a new name for war: military madness. Men who were against war had to flee the country to avoid arrest, so women protested in great numbers. Dear Polly gave us a name to live up to – Women Against Military Madness: WAMM.”

Hamilton and Mann knew that polls showed most women were anti-war but they needed an organization to challenge the current government’s spending priorities, from military spending to human services. They were also concerned about the ongoing threat of nuclear warfare. They wanted a place for women to become leaders who would demand a peaceful and just society.

Mann always thought big, made things happen and remained involved. Until just six months before she died, she was still sending ideas and suggestions to the WAMM newsletter editor.

Mann began her lifelong commitment to peace and justice during World War II. As a secretary with the U.S. Army, she witnessed soldiers bayonetting straw effigies of enemy soldiers yelling “Kill, kill, kill!” and she instantly and from then on knew she opposed war.

Her fierce and relentless activism to all U.S. wars, interventions, and occupations began with the Vietnam War. She was a field organizer in the Gene McCarthy campaign, was present on the streets during the police assault on protesters during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968 and attended the Paris Peace talks in 1971 between the north Vietnamese and the U.S. with The Citizen Committee to End the War in Vietnam.

Mann was the first volunteer staff person in the WAMM office. She understood the importance of an office and staff to an organization and as a result she saw WAMM celebrate 40 years as a persistent anti-war presence opposing U.S. foreign policy. At times these were unpopular positions such as WAMM’s early decision to support Palestinians in their struggle for liberation, opposition to the U.S./NATO dismemberment of Yugoslavia and the U.S. involvement in the unsuccessful but destructive attempt at regime change in Syria.

Mann was very well informed, followed events closely and had a sharp and correct analysis and understanding of the depth and breadth of U.S. imperialism. She understood that capitalism was the root of U.S. wars at home and abroad. Her response to the injustices, oppression and violence perpetrated on both individuals as well as countries in the crosshairs of U.S. militarism was swift and strong which led her to immediate action.

She gave and organized support to countless people. Sara Olson, a current WAMM board member, recalls, “Once, while incarcerated, I requested what is called an ‘Olson Review.’ My so-called ‘counselor,’ a former Los Angeles County sheriff, a former member of a corrupt bunch if there ever was one, had to wait while I read my entire C file [criminal file]. I recall a letter Polly's husband wrote to the California attorney general, telling him he should see to it that the judge on my case in Los Angeles be disbarred and why he, Walter, thought so. Next, there was Polly's letter. As my counselor twisted and turned with frustration in his seat, I read her beautiful, well-turned phrases of support, tears streaming down my cheeks. While there are rarely good days in prison, for me, Polly's letter made it one of the best.”

Kim DeFranco, WAMM member and former organizer with the Welfare Rights Committee, said, “Polly Mann was a fierce supporter of the Welfare Rights Committee. Throughout her lifetime and when fighting for economic and social justice, she knew the importance of women having a better economic status in society. She knew women are the economic and social backbone and needed to be better supported by the government and society.” Mann made every effort to promote the Welfare Rights Committee while in WAMM, either by writing articles, joining the group at rallies, demonstrations and legislative committee hearings. When she could, she would encourage the Minnesota legislature to pass important bills that would improve the lives of poor and working families and women and their children. Polly Mann will be missed but her legacy will carry on for another century.”

One of WAMM and Mann’s first actions was to organize buses to New York state for the 1983 Seneca Women’s Encampment for Peace and Justice, to stop the scheduled deployment of cruise and Pershing II missiles from the Seneca Army Base to Europe.

Mann went on delegations to many countries including Cuba, Libya and the Philippines to see and hear firsthand the effects of U.S. foreign policy. She ran a spirited campaign for the Senate in 1988 with the slogan “Speak Truth to Power.” She helped initiate an ongoing weekly vigil in Saint Paul, Minnesota for justice in Palestine during the first Intifada in 1988. She joined the picket line at the Hormel strike in Austin, Minnesota and, as Susan Giesen recounts, “Guardsmen were blocking the street. She marched right up to the line, approached each guardsman, touched him gently on the shoulder and said, ‘I know you don’t want to be sent to Central America. I will do all I can to not let them send you there.’”

She was an excellent and prolific writer and not only wrote columns for the WAMM newsletter, Southside Pride and the Women’s Press for years but also plays including, Victoria Reincarnated, which was about Victoria Woodhull and her candidacy – even before women could vote – for the office of U.S. president.

She was a popular speaker at innumerable programs and rallies including at the Minnesota State Capitol for the March on the RNC in 2008.

Mann was a beloved, respected and dynamic leader. Erica Bouza said on the occasion of her 90th birthday, “Greatness is rare. Not many of us have encountered it; the courage to stand up for what you believe and the skill to lead and persuade others to pursue the dreams of social, racial, economic and gender justice are isolated virtues, given to the very few. She is gutsy, scholarly, practical and effective, a devoted friend and an inspiration to those who dream of freedom, equality and justice.”

Polly Mann Presente!

#MinneapolisMN #Remembrances #WomenAgainstMilitaryMadnessWAMM

Minneapolis, MN – Marie Braun, 87, a longtime activist and beloved and respected leader in the peace and justice movement in the Twin Cities, died on June 27 after a very brief illness.

The response of Dave Logsdon, President of Veterans for Peace Chapter 27, reflects the reaction of so many, “Such a shock. She is so strong it's hard to believe this news. What a giant in our peace and justice movement.”

Marie Braun was a member of Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) nearly from its inception 40 years ago. After her retirement in 1997 from the psychology practice that she ran with her husband John, she turned her full attention, incomparable work ethic, legendary organizational skills, boundless energy and warmth and humor to anti-war work.

She traveled to Iraq with Ramsey Clark, Jess Sundin and others on an International Action Center delegation in 1998 at the height of the brutal U.S. sanctions against that country. Sundin gave this remembrance to Fight Back!:

“I was just 25 years old when I traveled with Marie to Iraq for a solidarity delegation to challenge the U.S. and UN sanctions that caused so much death and hardship. It was a life-changing journey for me, one made possible in many ways by Marie.

“Marie helped organize the fundraisers that paid my way, and she and her husband John made a substantial contribution themselves. The 1998 delegation was the first of its kind to Iraq, and I'm not sure I would've had the confidence to make that trip with 100 strangers from across the country, if I wasn't traveling with a veteran of the Minneapolis peace movement.

“Marie took myself and another younger traveler under her wing, and her mentorship didn't stop at the airport. Visits to a pediatric hospital and Al Amiriyah bomb shelter, dinner with the Iraqi family of friends from Minnesota or dancing with students at an art school. We would stay up late at night talking about our days, and Marie was the rock that I leaned on to process the horrors of war carried out against the loving and generous Iraqi people. She got me through.

“Back home, Marie set the standard for what international solidarity looks like. At the same time, she never forgot her family, she never stopped finding joy and cause to laugh, and she always encouraged young people like me to make a home for ourselves in the movement,” Sundin said.

Marie began the weekly vigil at the Lake Street bridge which has not missed a single Wednesday in its 23 years of anti-war presence, from the U.S./NATO bombing of Yugoslavia until today with the U.S./NATO provoked conflict in Ukraine. For many years she and John were the ones to bring the signs, often newly made that week, reflecting whatever country the U.S. was bombing, sanctioning or occupying.

In the runup to Desert Storm, she and John organized a campaign for WAMM members to distribute thousands of lawn signs which said “Call your congressperson. Say no to war on Iraq.” These signs were not only pervasive across the lawns in our city but were also requested by other communities across the country.

For many years Marie organized a service at their church, Saint Joan of Arc, on the feast of the Holy Innocents. She transformed this remembrance of the slaughter of the children in Palestine by Herod, to a memorial for the children of Iraq killed by U.S. bombing and sanctions.

Marie organized days-long occupations at U.S. Senators’ Wellstone, Dayton and Coleman’s offices. She brought to town national leaders like Cindy Sheehan, Kathy Kelly and Denis Halliday, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, and made sure they spoke to standing-room-only crowds. She developed a statewide network of anti-war activists to host speaking tours and to pressure elected officials. She left no stone unturned in her work against U.S. imperialism in Iraq, a tenacity she applied to whatever she undertook.

Alan Dale, Minnesota Peace Action Coalition founder tells the story, “Marie was the most consistent activist, working with a wide range of people from many backgrounds, always keeping true to her own principles. Marie often took on the role of peacekeeper coordinator or lead marshal for protests. At one of the Iraq war anniversary protests starting at Loring Park, hundreds of people had gathered to march. Then the police arrived. The lead cop seemed beside himself that all these people planned to march without their permission. The lead cop demanded someone's drivers' license so he knew where to send a summons to, Marie said, ‘You can have my drivers license, but we are still going to march.’ By then, there were 1000 to 2000 people gathered. The cops just gave up and left.”

In 2010, anti-war activists in Minneapolis and around the Midwest were targeted by the FBI for their peace and international solidarity activism. Both these writers were included in those subpoenaed to a grand jury and targeted by the FBI. Marie helped us organize our resistance through the Committee to Stop FBI Repression. Joe Iosbaker, an activist from Chicago who was also subpoenaed, remembered her solidarity, “I remember her best from her efforts with congresspersons and senators on behalf of the Antiwar 23. Getting those elected officials to speak out in our defense seemed unimaginable to me, but not to Marie and the veteran peace activists in the Twin Cities! And they were right.”

For the past several years Marie chaired the WAMM End War Committee. Mary Slobig said, “I can't imagine the End War Committee without her sending out the agenda, holding us to task, and taking notes. She's our rock!”

Kristin Dooley, the director of WAMM told Fight Back!, “Marie has been my friend, my mentor, and my partner in activism for decades. She was an incredibly capable activist. She could handle finances, personnel, membership renewals, fundraising, press and writing. She willingly interacted with religious, political, civil and police authorities. Marie let me know she had my back and I became a better activist because she believed in me.”

Marie inspired us by her commitment and wasn’t afraid to ask for involvement or money. Most of us have said, “You can’t say no to Marie.” She was a pillar of the peace movement and a key motivator for actions and effective change. She also was a skilled mentor and teacher and leaves behind strong organizations and individuals to carry on the struggle. She brought out the best in us, and we and the peace movement will miss her beyond words.

¡Marie Braun Presente!

Memorials can be sent to Women Against Military Madness at 4200 Cedar Avenue South, Suite 1, Minneapolis, MN 55407.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #Remembrances #obituary #WomenAgainstMilitaryMadnessWAMM

Minneapolis, MN – On June 1, 40 people stood holding signs that read, “No troops! No drones! U.S. hands off Somalia!” and “Troops home now!” on the Lake Street/Marshall Avenue bridge over the Mississippi River between Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

The Biden administration announced that 400 to 500 U.S. troops will be going to Somalia and that the U.S. plans to increase drone strike activities against Somali targets.

A statement issued by Women Against Military Madness and the Twin Cities Peace Campaign organizers said, “U.S. troops do not fight terrorism, U.S. drone strikes do not bring democracy. Join the June 1 Bridge Peace Vigil to say no to yet another endless U.S. military intervention.”

The weekly peace vigil is sponsored by Women Against Military Madness and the Twin Cities Peace Campaign.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #International #AntiwarMovement #Africa #PeoplesStruggles #Somalia #WomenAgainstMilitaryMadnessWAMM

Minneapolis, MN – Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) is still saying “No to war” as the group celebrates 40 years of organizing and fighting back.

On January 16, 2022, people gathered on the spot where WAMM held its first demonstration in 1982. They stuck signs in the snowbanks and fences, and their chants were heard for blocks around, “Money for jobs and education, not for war and occupation!” “Coups and sanctions cost lives, we don’t believe the media lies!”

Back in January 1982, more than 100 women attended the WAMM’s founding conference where they decided, “No meeting without action!” Kristin Dooley, WAMM’s director, described the first-ever march, “They braved the ungodly cold weather to walk along University Avenue near the University of Minnesota.” A New York Times reporter happened to drive by, took pictures and published the story. Soon newspapers across the country read about the group of women holding signs from Moms Against Bombs and Women Against Military Madness.

Dooley continued, “WAMM helps educate and helps us see the world and see the kind of things the U.S. government tries to pull here at home and abroad.”

People walking by the protest got to read all the signs WAMM has made over the years, “No tax money for war,” “Fund human needs not war,” “Abolish nuclear weapons,” “Stop U.S. bombing of Syria,” “Hands off Cuba,” “Hands off Ukraine,” and “Let Palestine live! End U.S. aid to Israel.”

Chants continued, “Money for jobs, not for war, end all sanctions now! Money for COVID relief, not for war, end all sanctions now!

Statements from founding members of WAMM were read to the crowd.

Founding member Polly Mann, now aged 102, had outlined her vision for the group, “We would have to get a grant to hire a staff person who would create an inventory of all the women's groups in the country who have peace as an objective. This should include national offices of all U.S. churches. With such an inventory a national meeting would be held at which the subject of world peace would be the objective. For example, details should be sought such as recommended reading material, conferences, etc.”

Dorothy Van Soest, longtime member of WAMM and author of the recent novel Nuclear Option, paid homage, “ Nuclear Option would not exist if it were not for the WAMM women whose unstoppable demands for a peaceful and just society have inspired and called me to action for 40 years. I am deeply grateful to Marianne Hamilton and Polly Mann who founded WAMM at Loretta’s Tea Room in Minneapolis in the fall of 1981 by bringing together eight other women – Cathy Anderson, Pam Costain, Moira Moga, Eleanor Otterness, Pat Powers, Mary Shepard, Lucille Speeter and Mary White – who, like them, were committed to challenging the shift in national priorities taking place at that time from human services to military spending. The spirit of that day is imbued within me and reflected in the character of the unstoppable protagonist of Nuclear Option, as well as in several other characters.”

Through the years, WAMM saw the importance of linking issues locally, nationally and internationally. They worked alongside many groups at the forefront of many social, economic and racial justice issues. Community members came to salute WAMM’s long history and honored them with praises.

Meredith Aby-Keirstead, Anti-War Committee member stated, “WAMM sees the relationship between U.S. foreign policy and the need to struggle for human rights here at home. We have walked on the picket lines together for nurses here in this city, marched together for Black lives and protested together against Line 3. WAMM knows our solidarity with other countries needs to extend to solidarity with others here at home.”

Dave Logsdon, president of Vets for Peace Chapter 27, said, “We Have one of the best and most vibrant chapters in the entire country. We'd be nowhere without the energy, knowledge and support of WAMM.”

Erica Zurawski of MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee said, “WAMM has been with us step by step in our struggle for immigrant rights since our founding in 2006. You have radical politics and don’t let that fade or die and never compromise your values. WAMM, you have taught us well.”

Sarah Martin, member of WAMM’s Middle East Committee, thanked everyone for being out and supporting WAMM today. She described how this committee came to be and how supporting the heroic people of Palestine and their struggle helped turn the tide on U.S. public opinion regarding Palestine. Martin proudly exclaimed, “WAMM is still saying no to war and declaring, ‘We demand justice, we demand peace!’”

The anniversary rally ended with a group photo and a march that continued down the block, intermingling with University of Minnesota Gopher’s fans as they were leaving the basketball game and hearing supporting honks from cars in the street.

Kim DeFranco is a member of Women Against Military Madness

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #WomenAgainstMilitaryMadnessWAMM