Resolution for Peace
National Association for Multicultural Education
WHEREAS peace is the realization of justice; and
WHEREAS we all share a common humanity; and
WHEREAS democracy, peace, and human rights are best achieved through the tools of diplomacy, and international cooperation; and
WHEREAS we believe in the ways of peace as the most effective means to counter threats of violence and achieve lasting security for all the world’s people; and
WHEREAS peace involves developing alternatives to violence as a means of resolving human conflicts and working for reconciliation at all levels of human life --- interpersonal reconciliation, reconciliation between peoples of different races, genders, religions, nations, etc., and reconciliation with the earth itself; and
WHEREAS the real path to security lies in a strengthened global civil society based on mutual trust and respect, the rule of international law, shared love for all of God’s peoples, and removal of the roots of violence and war; and
WHEREAS experience has taught us that threats and violence perpetuate fear, hatred, and further violence, and that cycles of hatred can be interrupted by acts of creative nonviolence, conflict resolution, and courageous love; and
WHEREAS the world’s citizens can learn the difference between justice and vengeance and can call world leaders into accountability to employ nonviolent means to resolve conflicts; and
WHEREAS the massive sums of financial resources which are required for military engagement would be far better spent addressing humanitarian crisis conditions in education, poverty, racism, environmental destruction, the global AIDS crisis, genocide, weapons proliferation, and human rights abuses (which are themselves a serious threat to our national security); and
WHEREAS war results in tremendous loss of innocent lives, suffering, and trauma; and
WHEREAS the collateral damage is not some impersonal statistic but lives and homes of children, families, parents, grandparents; and
WHEREAS committing human lives to offensive military actions will put in harm’s way citizens of our world, a disproportionate number of them racial and ethnic minorities from the most economically deprived communities; and
WHEREAS the military action has the potential to destabilize the Middle East and thereby requiring a continual military presence for the foreseeable future; and
WHEREAS the expenditures necessary for this purpose will result in reductions in investment in domestic economies with a resultant deterioration in the infrastructures of many countries; and
WHEREAS the expenditures will result in ballooning deficits, further weakening the already sluggish economies and thereby further reducing funds for education, health, and human services; and
WHEREAS the climate of fear and war hysteria has removed from public scrutiny numerous issues of public concern, such as economic and environmental threats to the quality of life;
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) holds peace as an organizing principle; endeavors to promote justice and democratic principles to expand human rights; works to create peace, prevent violence, and develop new structures in conflict resolution; and takes a proactive approach toward national and international conflict prevention, nonviolent intervention, and mediation;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NAME opposes military action against Iraq and other countries as a primary means of resolving conflicts;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NAME urges the United States to reject violence and build international relations and institutions that promote economic, political, and social justice. In this way the lives of our children, our children's children, and their contemporaries the world over can be liberated from the hatred, intolerance, and fear that exists today;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution, duly adopted, shall be sent to President George W. Bush, U.S. Senators, and all members of Congress.
Adopted by the NAME Board of Directors on February 1, 2003.
The National Association for Multicultural Education is the leading international and national organization in the area of multicultural education. For additional information, contact NAME at or visit the website at . The NAME office is located at NAME, 5272 River Rd, Suite 430, Bethesda, MD20816 and can be reached by phone at (301) 951-0022 or by fax at (301) 951-0023