Promoting Enduring Peace (PEP or PEPeace) is an American peace advocacy organization based in
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
. It is sometimes referred to as ''PeaceNews.org'', the name of its website.
PEP was founded in 1952 by Dr.
Jerome Davis. Its original purpose was resisting the ideology of ceaseless aggression and nuclear terror that characterized the
Cold War. It was incorporated as a tax-exempt educational organization in 1958 and reincorporated as a 501(c)(3) charitable-educational organization in 2008.
Its principal programs have been peace education, citizen diplomacy, and the awarding of the
Gandhi Peace Award to recipients such as
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...
,
Cesar Chavez, and
Daniel Ellsberg. More recent awardees have included
Amy Goodman
Amy Goodman (born April 13, 1957) is an American broadcast journalist, syndicated columnist, investigative reporter, and author. Her investigative journalism career includes coverage of the East Timor independence movement, Morocco's occupation ...
(2012),
Bill McKibben (2013), and
Medea Benjamin
Medea Benjamin (born Susan Benjamin; September 10, 1952) is an American political activist who was the co-founder of Code Pink with Jodie Evans and others. (2014).
Organization
PEP is a membership organization, with "activist" (voting) and "supporting" (non-voting) members. Its offices are based near the
New Haven
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...
-
Hamden line in Connecticut. According to a Guidestar review of its allocation of funds, because it has accumulated assets from decades of member donations that are sufficient to cover its modest administrative costs, contemporary donations to PEP from individuals can be allocated entirely to programming.
Mission
PEP's mission, reformulated in 2007 to respond to the post-Cold War circumstances of the early 21st century, is to contribute to transforming the primary social paradigm from one of competition to cooperation, from a culture of violence and war, to a global commonwealth devoted to the wellbeing of all. The updated mission statement recognizes that issues previously considered as separate and discrete, in fact are intertwined and increase risk to peace and sustainability in the world, paralleling the convergence of systems that characterizes globalization. PEP believes that a rapid and peaceful transition is required from an unsustainable civilization steeped in institutionalized violence, exploitation, and profligate consumption by some peoples, to a commonwealth based on universal harmony, mutual respect, and a love of the Earth and all its beings. PEP is devoted to putting significant effort and resources to achieving a fusion of peace, environmental, and social movements, in the belief that these causes are interdependent and no society can succeed unless all succeed.
Gandhi Peace Award
The
Gandhi Peace Award is given in person to t awardee during a ceremony held for that purpose in Connecticut or New York City, usually once each year. Since 2011 the Award has been accompanied by a cash prize. Nominations are accepted from PEP members. Nominees are distinguished by having made, over a period of years, a significant contribution to the promotion of an enduring international peace founded on social justice, self-determination, diversity, compassion, and environmental harmony, achieved through cooperative and nonviolent means in the spirit of Gandhi. On March 13, 1959, PEP founder Jerome Davis formally proposed that a yearly award be given "for contributions made in the promotion of international peace and good will." Brief bios of every Award recipient are found a
PEPeace.org/gandhi-peace-award
Other peace education activities
PEP's peace
education
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...
activities include publishing daily and weekly peace news updates. These emphasize the connection between peace and
environmental
A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...
harmony, and PEP also co-sponsors a daily environmental news update. Additionally, it makes available articles and other peace resources online.
Prior to the Internet, PEP distributed materials by mail to all who requested them; during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
period alone, PEP mailed more than 10 million articles encouraging peace to educators and organizers in numerous countries.
In 1975 PEP presented ''Uncloaking the CIA'' at
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
, the first national conference to expose the dangers of unregulated CIA activities in 1976. A book of the same name was developed from the conference proceedings and published in 1978 (edited by Howard Frazier). A principal conference organizer was Martin Cherniack, then a student at the Yale School of Medicine. After completing his medical degree, he later served as president of the organization for 18 years. A conference is planned on the integration of the peace and environmental movements to achieve a sustainable, peaceful civilization.
Citizen diplomacy activities
By organizing groups of Americans to visit the USSR, Cuba, Costa Rica, China, and Mongolia during and after the Cold War, PEP has given ordinary citizens a chance to get to know "the Other." Most participants report having positive, lifelong memories of these visits, and forming new friendships and renewed hope for a peaceful world. As an example, in 2002 a PEP citizen diplomacy delegation journeyed to Vietnam to contribute to healing the deep scars left by the 1960-74 U.S. warfare there. In 1978 it conducted reciprocal tours of the Volga River in Russia and the Mississippi River in 1978 by citizen delegations from the Soviet Union, the United States, and other nations.
Fusion of progressive movements
PEP co-sponsors numerous events conducted by other peace, environmental, and social justice organizations, such as the conference on human rights held at
Quinnipiac University
Quinnipiac University () is a private university in Hamden, Connecticut. The university grants undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees through its College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Engineering, School of C ...
in 2008. The stated strategy is to take the "long view" rather than respond to each new crisis as it occurs. In 2003 PEP coordinated with other Connecticut peace groups to provide trains conveying thousands of people to demonstrations in New York City opposing the
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
Administration plan to invade Iraq. PEP is developing a long-term "think tank" activity intended to create cogent source documents encouraging the productive interaction and mutual support of the peace, environmental, and social justice movements.
Links to Christian Left
Though it is a
secular
Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...
organization, its roots are in the
Christian Left
The Christian left is a range of left-wing Christian political and social movements that largely embrace social justice principles and uphold a social doctrine or social gospel.
Given the inherent diversity in international political thoug ...
. PEP leaders and members continue to cooperate with members of the progressive religious community. In its early years PEP was led by Davis and Dr.
Roland Bainton
Roland Herbert Bainton (March 30, 1894 – February 13, 1984) was a British-born American Protestant church historian.
Life
Bainton was born in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, England, and came to the United States in 1902. He received an AB degree f ...
, both Yale professors (Religion and Divinity School, respectively), and its executive directors were retired Christian ministers. Howard T. Frazier, the first president of the
Consumer Federation of America
The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) is a non-profit organization founded in 1968 to advance consumer interests through research, education and advocacy.
According to CFA's website, its members are nearly 300 consumer-oriented non-profits, w ...
, served nearly two decades as PEP's Executive Director, the longest tenure to date. He developed and conducted the programs and activities from 1978 until his death in 1997. He was assisted by his wife Alice Zeigler Frazier, who was later appointed as co-director.
Existential challenge
PEP's activities were interrupted from 2005 to 2008. It was involved in litigation after a few members affiliated with other groups attempted to have it dissolved so that its assets could be distributed to those groups. This attempt was blocked by the Office of the Attorney General of Connecticut and a court order providing for the continuance of PEP and the establishment of the Peace and Social Justice Fund at the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. It was endowed with a portion of PEP's assets and authorized to award grants for projects substantially similar to PEP's traditional activities (peace education, citizen diplomacy, and work toward a sustainable world peace). Groups seeking funds from PEP are referred to that Fund to apply for grants.
References
External links
PEPeace.org homepagePeaceNews.org(not to be confused with
Peace News (UK))
EnvironmentalHeadlines.org
{{Authority control
Peace organizations based in the United States
Organizations established in 1952
Charities based in Connecticut
1952 establishments in Connecticut