Coalition for Peace Action

25 Year Chronology

ORIGINAL NAME:
The Coalition to Reverse the Nuclear Arms Race

1980
Events:
1st Conference and Interfaith Service for Peace
• Can We Reverse the Arms Race?
Speakers: Harvey Cox, Helen Caldicott, Richard Barnett, Paul Warnke
Highlights: The small group of religious organizations, which had put together the first teaching conference, decided to organize a coalition to build upon the momentum from this first event. A pulpit exchange was planned for a "Peace Sabbath" in the spring of 1981.

NEW NAME:
Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament

1981
Staff & Chair:
   Executive Director - Rev. Bob Moore (Sept. 81 - current)
   Steering Committee Chair - Wallace Alston (through July 84)
Events:
Nagasaki Day Program
   Readings and music at Woodrow Wilson School Fountain, sponsored by the Political Action Committee
Annual Conference and Interfaith Service for Peace -
   • The Choice Is Ours: Confronting the Nuclear Arms Race
   Speakers: Donald W. Shriver Jr., George Kennan, Robert Jay Lifton, William Sloane Coffin, William Maynes, Tom Furer, Jeff Dumas
Highlights: With the selection of an executive director and the renting of office space, the Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament took shape. A second two-day conference was held and MaryAnne Hutchinson gathered and supervised the first "faithful band of volunteers" at 20 Nassau Street. The Peace Education Committee sponsored a series of Sunday afternoon "Talk-togethers."

1982
Staff:
   Assistant Director - Mark Pickett (March 82 - June 85)
   Associate Director - Mary Ward (July 82 - Dec 88)
Events:
1st Concert for Peace
   • Emerson String Quartet with pianist Lillian Kallir, speaker George Kennan
Annual Conference and Interfaith Service for Peace
   • The Time Is Now: Responding to the Nuclear Arms Race
   Speakers: C. T. Vivian, Gary Hart, Herbert Scoville, Inge Thorsson, Mark Garrison, Marion Wright Edelman, William Winpisinger
Highlights: With a new sign (made by Ann Gross) at the door of 40 Witherspoon Street, the Coalition was honored as Outstanding Ecumenical Ministry by the New Jersey Council of Churches. The Coalition chartered a "Peace Train" to take 1,400 to Central Park where 1,000,000 rallied for peace in the largest such demonstration in US history. The successful Nuclear Freeze Referendum, which received the support of 66% of New Jersey voters in the fall election, was co-led by the Coalition.

1983
Events:
1st Membership Dinner
Speaker: Robert Scheer, With Enough Shovels: Reagan, Bush, and Nuclear War
Honorees: Jack Johnson, Barbara Johnson, Ione Milner, Elsa Kerr, Len Newton, Irene Rodgers
Annual Conference and Interfaith Service for Peace
• Euromissiles: Leverage or Liability?
Speakers: Cyrus Vance, Maj. Gen. George J. Keegan, Brig. Gen. Michael Harbottle
Highlights: Bishop Thomas Gumbelton speaks to 1000 Coalition members and supporters about the Catholic Bishops Pastoral Letter on Peace. The Coalition co-organized a Nuclear Freeze Lobby Day that brought 800 New Jerseyans to join a crowd of 5,000 peace lobbyists in Washington DC.

1984
Chair:
  Steering Committee Chair - Ira Silverman (July 84 - May 86)
Events:
Membership Dinner
   Speaker: Freeman Dyson
Honorees: Hinda Winawer, Betsey Clark, Ann Kurtt, Joel Weisberg, Ariela Gross
Annual Conference and Interfaith Service for Peace
   What Price the Arms Race?
Speakers: George McGovern, Seymour Melman, Harold Willens
Highlights: In May demonstrations continued at Earle Naval Weapons Base with more than 40 Coalition members demanding that nuclear weapons be removed from New Jersey and everywhere! Rachel Findley became Director of the New Jersey Freeze Voter '84 drive as Freeze Voter injected the Freeze into the presidential and congressional elections.

1985
Staff:
  Assistant Director - Steve Harrison (July 85 - June 87)
Events:
Membership Dinner
   Speaker: Jeremiah Ostriker, The Fallacy of Star Wars
   Honoree: Wallace Alston
Annual Conference and Interfaith Service for Peace
   US - Soviet Relations
   Speakers: Balfour Brickner, Arthur Waskow
Highlights: The 40th Anniversary of the Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki commemorations included a walking tour, led by Al Cavallo and Frank von Hippel, entitled "Princeton and the Bomb." The Urgent Action Network Phone Tree included 120 of the 1200 Coalition members.

1986
Staff & Chair:
  Steering Committee Chair - Jay Bleiman (May 86 - March 90)
Organizer of the Trenton office of the Coalition - Jerry Eure
Assistant Director Steve Harrison becomes Associate Director
Associate Director Mary Ward becomes Assistant Director and Executive Secretary
Events:
Membership Dinner
   Speaker: Victor W. Seidel, Destruction before Detonation
   Honoree: Barbara L. Johnson
Annual Conference and Interfaith Service for Peace
   Clearing Obstacles: What It Will Take to Get a World without Nuclear Weapons
   Speakers: Robert Drinan, George Rathjens, Thomas Graham, James Bush, Robert Tucker, Arthur
Macy Cox, Jack Matlock, Sergei Rogoff, Howard Moreland, Richard Ullman, Franklin C.
Miller, Richard Perle, Daniel Duedney
Highlights: In August, the US House of Representatives approved an amendment to a Department of Defense Authorization Bill that called for withholding funds for nuclear warhead tests for a period of one year. The majority of New Jersey congresspersons voted for the amendment due to an intense year of letter, phone calls, vigils, and meetings with Coalition members. Mary Ward was one of 150 protesters arrested for civil disobedience at a Nevada Test Site. Youth for Peace, a group of students from local high schools, was initiated at the Annual Conference.

1987
Staff:
Associate Director - John Field (June 87 - Sept. 89)
"Target Congress" coordinator - Frances F. Kaplan
Events:
Concert for Peace - Paul Winter Consort
Membership Dinner
   Speaker: Robert Tucker
    Honorees: John Crocker, Z Smith
Annual Conference and Interfaith Service for Peace
   Clearing Obstacles: Apathy to Action
    Speakers: F. Forrester Church, Betty Bumpers, Fred Reed, Milton Schwebel, Robert R. Holt,
Frank von Hippel, Jessie Cocks, Thomas Gumbleton
Highlights: Founding Congress of newly merged SANE/FREEZE attended by Bob Moore. 11 Soviet citizens visiting with US-USR Bridges for Peace attend 6th Annual Membership Dinner.

1988
Events:
Membership Dinner
   Speaker: William Sloane Coffin
   Honorees: Michele Graybeal, Menachem Tacher, Sue Graham
Annual Conference and Interfaith Service for Peace
   Leveling the Wealth of the American Economy
   Speakers: Bishop Leontine Kelly, Dr. Gar Alperovitz, Dr. Betty Lall, Col. Philip Cox, Dr. John Lynch,
William Hartung, Gen. William Burns, Andy Lebedev
Highlights: A March demonstration at the Nevada test site drew over 5000 peace activists who rallied to the cry "Reclaim the Test Site." 1200 committed acts of civil disobedience requiring over 50 buses to take them to a location far from the site before releasing them. The Coalition sent twenty-five supporters.

1989
Staff & Chair:
Associate Director/Office Manager - Pat Cox (Sept. 89 - July 96)
Bookkeeper - Stuart Lee Brown (Jan 89 - 1993)
Events:
Concert for Peace
    Pete Seeger & the American Boy Choir (Jan 89)
Membership Dinner
    Speaker: Andrea Ayvazian, Positive Peacemaking: Looking Forward to the 90's
   Honorees: Mary Ward, Margaret Burt, Pat Paine Dougherty
10th Anniversary Concert
   NJ Symphony & American Boy Choir
(Oct 89) in a performance of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem at the Trenton War Memorial
Annual Conference and Interfaith Service for Peace
   Speakers: John Crocker Rep. Ted Weiss, EP & Dorothy Thompson, Richard Falk, Mark Sommer, Dietrich Fischer, Pam Solo
Highlights: The Coalition joins the Peace Economy Campaign of National SANE/FREEZE. The Monmouth chapter of the Coalition sponsored the second annual "Children's Peace Fair" at Brookdale Community College.

1990
Chair:
Steering Committee Chair - Alan Karcher (March 90 - May 93)
Events:
Concert for Peace - Odetta and the choirs of Trenton's Shiloh Baptist Church (Jan 90)
10th Anniversary Membership Dinner
   Speakers: George Kennan, Marvin Goldberg, Vladimir Pechatnov
Annual Conference and Interfaith Service for Peace
   The Peace and Justice Dividend
    Speakers: Marion Anderson, Elena Bonner, Eugene Carroll, William Sloane Coffin, Angelique
Walker-Smith
Highlights: Palmer Square Post Office was once again the site for a Tax day vigil and leafleting. The Coalition hosted a delegation from the Volgograd region as part of the second annual New Jersey-Volgograd Bridges for Peace exchange.

1991
Events:
Concert for Peace - Suzanne Vega & Pete Seeger (Jan 91)
Membership Dinner
   Speaker: John Kenneth Galbraith
Respondent/Honoree: Frank von Hippel
   Honorees: Sylvia Temmer, Julius and Fern Keil, Joanne Garver
Annual Conference and Interfaith Service for Peace
   Nuclear Weapons and the New World Disorder
   Speakers: Harvey Cox, Freeman Dyson, Erwin Knoll, Mary McGory, Theodore Taylor,
Frank von Hippel
Presentation of an original multimedia performance piece written, composed and performed by Dan
Bauer, Charlotte Hussy, and Tim Geller
Highlights: Buses of Coalition members attended the mass rally to support the Comprehensive Test Ban held at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza across from the UN. Eight busloads from the Coalition joined 160 other organizations in DC to demonstrate against the Persian Gulf War.

1992
Events:
Concert for Peace - Tom Paxton & Holly Near
Membership Dinner
   Speaker: Audrey Freedman, Economic Conversion in the Post-Cold War Era
Annual Conference and Interfaith Service for Peace
   Shaping a Peaceful World: National Priorities, Economic Realities
    Speakers: Benjamin Chavis, Ramsey Clark, Dr. Ann Markusen, Freeman Dyson
Highlights: With the Nassau Presbyterian Church and the Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church, the Coalition sponsored a play, short story, essay, and poetry writing contest for high school students. Sixty-nine students from eleven schools participated in the "Writing about Peace 1992" event. Members were again mobilized for the April "Save Our Cities/Save Our Children" march on DC.

NEW NAME -- Coalition for Peace Action

1993
Chair:
Steering Committee Chair - Leslie Smith (May 93 - May 96)
Events:
Concert for Peace - Lucinda Williams & David Byrne (Jan 93)
Membership Dinner
   Speaker: Sharpe James
   Honorees: Donald Payne, Sarah Milburn Moore, David Morris
Annual Conference and Interfaith Service for Peace
   Halting Weapons Trafficking
   Speakers: Arthur Hertzberg, Seymour Hirsh, Betty Lall, Lora Lumpe, William Hartung
Highlights: In keeping with the National SANE/FREEZE change of name to Peace Action, the Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament became the Coalition for Peace Action with its educational arm becoming Peace Action Education Fund. In July, in response to an intense campaign by the Coalition and others, President Clinton announced his decision to extend the US nuclear testing moratorium.

1994
Events:
Concert for Peace - Emerson String Quartet (Jan 94)
Membership Dinner
   Speakers: Leonard Spector, Frank McClosky
   Honorees: Darlene McKnight, Vladimir Iakimets
Annual Conference and Interfaith Service for Peace
   Speakers: Andrew Young, Daniel Ellsberg, Miyoko Matsubaru, McGeorge Bundy, Rolf Ekeus,
Richard Falk, Miguel Marin-Bosch, Bonnie Urfer
Highlights: At the Peace Action National Congress in Biddeford, Maine, Coalition vice-chair Darlene McKnight participated in a panel on "The Urban Crisis and the Role of the Peace Movement." The Coalition brought the largest delegation outside Maine, 40 people including 16 youth.

1995
Events:
Concert for Peace - Lionel Hampton & Orchestra (Jan 95)
Membership Dinner
   Speaker: Stewart Udall
   Honorees: Ellen Saxon, Magnolia McGlothen, William Scheide
Annual Conference and Interfaith Service for Peace
    Stopping Weapons Violence at Home and Abroad
   Speakers: William Sloane Coffin, Patricia Schroeder, Joel Chinitz, Vinny DeMarco,
Kathy McBride-Thomas, Ken Rutherford, Arlene and Jacob Locicero
Highlights: The Coalition hosted its first annual Peaceful Toys Fair and Violent Toy Turn-In. Youth for Peace began participation in "Alternatives to Violence," a Quaker-based program of training for peaceful conflict resolution.

1996
Staff & Chair:
Steering Committee Chair - Darlene McKnight (May 96 - May 99)
Associate Director - Eric McKinley (Oct 96 - May 98)
Events:
Concert for Peace - Jennie and Amy, Janis Ian (Jan 96)
  Membership Dinner
   Speaker: Bruce Kent, Nuclear Disarmament Is Possible Honoree/Respondent: Freeman Dyson
   Honorees: Wesley Derbyshire, Valerie Ramos-Ford, Georges Temmer, Kathy McBride-Thomas
Annual Conference and Interfaith Service for Peace
   Swords into Plowshares: Building a Peace Economy for the 21st Century
   Speakers: Rosemary Ruether, Lawrence Korb, Ann Markusen, Donald Payne, Alice Slater, Ben Cohen
Highlights: In the Hague, the World Court declared threat of or use of Nuclear Weapons to be illegal and called for concluding negotiations for global nuclear disarmament. The Coalition co-sponsored the March for Peace of the Mothers Against Violence in Trenton for the third year in a row.

1997
Events:
Concerts for Peace - David Shifrin & Anne-Marie McDermott (Jan 97), Tribe I & Richie Havens (May 97)
Membership Dinner
    Speaker: Ambassador Richard Butler, Nuclear Weapons: Moving Toward Elimination
   Honorees: Marcia Van Dyck, Karen Scarborough, Trinca Palmer
Annual Conference and Interfaith Service for Peace
   Youth Violence: Issues and Solutions
   Speakers: John Harris, David Elkind, Janet Patti, John Bess, Don Schwartz, Charles
Webster, Taleeta Carter
Highlights: Coalition youth continue to participate in alternatives to violence training as the Coalition becomes a part of the HIP/RAVE ("Help Increase the Peace/Real Alternatives to Violence") program. Presidents Clinton and Yeltsin agreed on the outlines of a START III nuclear reduction treaty after both New Jersey senators joined with 20 others in urging him to do so.

1998
Staff:
Associate Director - LL Morgan-DuBreuil (Oct 98 - current)
Events:
Concert for Peace - Baba Olatunji & Peter Yarrow (Jan 98)
Membership Dinner
   Speaker: Stansfield Turner, Caging the Nuclear Genie
   Honorees: Henrietta Backer, Yvonne Amalina DeCarolis, Leslie Smith, Ted Taylor
Annual Conference and Interfaith Service for Peace
   Speakers: Bishop Paul Moore, Jonathan Schell, Betty Burkes, Dr. Barbara Rosenberg, Dr. Amy Smithson, Dr. Zia Mian,
Dr. MV Ramana, Thomas Nilsen
Highlights: The Coalition co-sponsored a week of activities to honor Paul Robeson. A "No to NATO Expansion" panel discussion was hosted by the Coalition at the Woodrow Wilson School. Peace Voter '98 to educated voters in the 12th congressional district, and a majotiry voted for the pro-peace candidate.

1999
Chair:
Steering Committee Chair - Bishop Mellick Belshaw
Events:
Concerts for Peace - Paul Winter Consort (Jan 99), Jennie Avila & Baba Olatunji (May 99)
Membership Dinner
   Speaker: William D. Hartung, Stopping the New Arms Race
   Honorees: Carol Allen, Marc Tolo, Barbara Hillhouse
20th Annual Conference and Interfaith Service for Peace
   Challenges of Peace for the 21st Century
   Speakers: Calvin Butts, Rush Holt, Randall Forsberg, Bryan Miller, Cora Weiss
Highlights: The Fifth Annual Peaceful Toys Fair included games, crafts, music, and a violent toy turn-in. Susan Tenney and her company of dancers and singers as well as the Solidarity Singers made the annual Hiroshima and Nagasaki Commemoration a multi-media event. In response to the bombing of Kosovo, the Coalition hosted an evening panel "Lessons from Kosovo," which included presentations by Richard Falk, Amy Goodman, Jeff Laurenti, Jack Matlock, and Walter Rockler. Ten Coalition members and six students attended the International Peace Convocation in The Hague. The students were winners of a Coalition sponsored essay contest.

2000
Events:
Concert for Peace - Cheryl Wheeler & Dar Williams (Jan. 00)
20th Anniversary Membership Dinner
Speakers: Wallace Alston Jr., John Crocker, Marcia Van Dyck, Patricia Roberts
Honorees: Irene Goldman, Sylvia Temmer, Robert Turoff, Norm Cohen, Rick Walnut, Deborah Jacoby
Highlights thus far: Tonight's celebration of the 20-year vision for peace, which began with a teaching conference and has grown to the many programs, events, and initiatives presented here.

Other Detailed Highlights for 2000:
Saturday, April 15, 2000 - 12:00 to 4:00
"Missile Stop 2000 Tour" comes to Princeton when a 50-foot mock nuclear missile will be the Coalition's entry into the Communiversity Day activities.

Thursday, April 20, 200 - 12:00 to 5:00
Bob Moore will be a speaker during the early afternoon at Princeton University's annual Earth Day. Our information table will also be set us between the hours of 1:00 to 3:00.

Sunday, May 14, 2000
The Million Mom March will converge on Washington DC and several other major cities. The Coalition buses will join hundreds of others in an effort to bring 1,000,000 moms and their supporters to the National Mall to rally for sensible gun laws and safe kids. Call the Coalition office to make your reservations.

HIGHLIGHTS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- JUNE 1999 TO MAY 2000

June 13 Annual Membership Dinner draws over 100 to Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton to hear weapons trafficking expert Bill Hartung.
June 21 Forum on "Lessons from Kosovo" draws an overflow crowd of 250 at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School, drawing front-page coverage in local papers.
Over 200 attend annual Commemoration of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 5 at Woodrow Wilson Plaza. In conjunction with this, area children make and present 1000 Doves of Peace as symbol of hope and healing to residents of Princeton Nursing Home.
Community Peace Trainers, cosponsored with American Friends Service Committee, holds Peace Camps, conducts conflict resolution trainings for teachers and students, initiates mentoring programs, nd opens an office in Trenton.
20th Annual Conference and Interfaith Service on "Challenges of Peace in the 21st Century" draws 600 at Princeton University on November 7.
5th Annual Peaceful Toys Fair draws 200 children and family members on November 20 at Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton.
Coalition begins to lay groundwork for Peace Voter 2000 on December 7 by conducting briefing on Coalition issues for first major party candidate to fill Senator Frank Lautenberg's seat. Four more briefings conducted subsequently.
Vigil Against Gun Violence, co-sponsored with Youth Against Guns, Mothers Against Violence, Youth for Peace, and the Million Mom March, draws 60 at Palmer Square on December 18.
January 29 Concert for Peace in the New Millenium, featuring Dar Williams and Cheryl Wheeler, draws an overflow crowd of 750 to Nassau Presbyterian Church.
1999 Peace Legislation Record showing records of NJRepresentatives and Senators issued by Coalition and sent to 1,500 members and organizational contacts in February 2000.
Coalition sends vanload of supporters to Washington DC on April 4 for annual Peace Lobby Day sponsored by National Peace Action.
20th Anniversary Membership Dinner held April 9 at Trinity Church in Princeton brings together co-founders and early leaders of the Coalition.
Coalition organizes transportation to go to Washington DC on Mothers Day, May 14 to participate in the Million Mom March, demanding sensible gun control legislation.

2002 HIGHLIGHTS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Annual Concert for Peace features cellist Matt Haimovitz and blues-folk artist Toshi Reagon on February 10, 2002 at Unitarian Universalist Church of Princeton.
Mideast Optimist: Muslim and Jewish Comedians Night draws 700 to two sold out performances on March 2-3, 2002 in Princeton.
Coalition sends 25 to March 12 Nuclear Disarmament National Lobby Day in DC, nearly half of the total delegation from ten states.
Non-partisan candidate briefings starting March 25 given to two candidates for US House of Representatives and one for US Senate.
Three busloads with 150 peace marchers sent to April 20 D.C. March Against expanding the “War on Terrorism” and the US Nuclear Posture Review.
Coalition plays major role in State House March and Rally vs. Racial Profiling and Police Brutality, attended by 200 and sponsored by NJ Coalition for Justice on May 15.
May 21 State House press conference held to release report by Princeton University Nuclear Reactor Terrorism Task Force it sponsored, with 16 media representatives attending, resulting in major coverage throughout the region.
Annual Membership Dinner on May 19 featuring Dr. Tom Cochran of the Natural Resources Defense Council draws 130 at Trinity Church, Princeton.
Some 80 people of varying nationalities attend June 19 Forum at Nassau Presbyterian Church with Pakistani and Indian scientists speaking on nuclear crisis in that region.
Second annual Peace is Patriotic Gathering on July 2 honors Rep. Donald Payne and Sen. Shirley Turner for peace leadership; talks by a veteran and by author Naomi Drew follow.
Some 100 attend August 6 annual Commemoration of Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to hear former Assistant Secretary of Defense and survivors of bombing.
September 23 Demonstration against invading Iraq in Trenton while President Bush appears there for fundraiser; some 150 attend with significant press coverage.
September 30 Emergency Lobby Trip to D.C. includes 20 to oppose bill to authorize invading Iraq. Delegation told that constituent calls running as high as 100-1 against war.
October 5 Emergency Rally Against War in Iraq attended by 250 at Palmer Square.
Four buses carry 200 supporters to D.C. for October 26 Demonstration Against War in Iraq attended by 200,000; front-page coverage results in a number of area newspapers.
Signature Ads present Peace Voter Guide published in 216,000 newspapers in early November.
Nearly 300 attend Coalition’s November 10 Annual Conference and Interfaith Service on “Preventing Biological and Nuclear Terrorism” at Princeton University.
Over 100 rally at Trenton and Princeton train stations before boarding Peace Train on December 7 to statewide anti-war Rally in Newark attended by 750.

2003 HIGHLIGHTS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Annual Membership Dinner featuring journalism professor Dr. Robert Jensen draws 160 on May 16, 2003.
Executive Director Rev. Bob Moore receives “Distinguished Leadership” Award from NJ Council of Churches on May 22.
Coalition co-organizes statewide “Waging Peace” conference at United Methodist Church in New Brunswick on May 31, attended by 175.
Coalition sponsors third “Arts for Peace” dance and performing arts event of the year on June 20 at Arts Council of Princeton, attended by over 100.
Annual Commemoration of Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, featuring survivors of the bombings, draws over 125 on August 6.
Coalition organizes, in conjunction with Princeton Clergy Association and September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, interfaith candlelight commemoration of 9-11 on September 10; diverse group of 125 attend. Front page articles and photos in area newspapers.
• Coalition co-sponsors October 29 forum with Trenton NAACP at Shiloh Baptist in Trenton on community justice issues, over 75 attend.
Coalition sponsors panel on media and peace featuring American Phil Donahue and Russian Vladimir Pozner on November 6 at Princeton University. Overflow crowd of 400 attends.
Coalition hosts annual National Congress of Peace Action at Princeton University November 7-9, culminating with 24th annual Conference and Interfaith Service on November 9 with 1,000 attending. Executive Director Rev. Bob Moore receives “Grassroots Organizer of the Year” Award from National Peace Action.
Former US diplomat Dr. Brady Kiesling and United Methodist Pastor Rev. Frederick Boyle, who had been to Iraq with Christian Peacemakers, speak at forum on Iraq attended by 70 in Princeton on December 2.
Lobby meetings held with Representatives Rush Holt, Rob Andrews, Frank LoBiondo, and Senators Corzine and Lautenberg, during Congressional recess from mid-December through late January, 2004.
Coalition co-sponsors talk on deceptions in Iraq by 26-year CIA veteran, Ray Close, on February 15 at Princeton University; several hundred attend.
Annual Concert for Peace on February 28, featuring John Sebastian and Michelle Shocked, draws over 400.
• Coalition coordinates candidate briefing for Rep. Joseph Hoeffel, running for Senate in Pennsylvania, on March 15.
Coalition co-organizes Peace Train to NYC, with over 300 riders from central Jersey, on March 20—they join estimated 100,000 in New York on first anniversary of US invasion of Iraq.
Coalition coordinates statewide workshop on Patriot Act resolutions attended by 50 organizers, after four municipal resolutions successfully passed in central Jersey.

2004 HIGHLIGHTS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Lobby meetings held with Representatives Rush Holt, Rob Andrews, Frank LoBiondo, and Senators Corzine and Lautenberg, during Congressional recess from mid-December through late January 2004.
Annual Concert for Peace, February 28, featuring John Sebastian and Michelle Shocked, draws over 400.
Non-Partisan Candidate Briefings held for US Senate candidate and two US House candidates in Pennsylvania March-August 2004.
Coalition co-organizes Peace Train to NYC, with over 300 riders from central Jersey, on March 20—they join estimated 100,000 in New York on first anniversary of US invasion of Iraq.
Coalition co-organizes April 12 panel on verified voting, including Rep. Rush Holt and computer scientist Edward Felten, attended by over 100 at Princeton University.
Coalition coordinates April 17 statewide workshop on municipal resolutions against abuses in USA Patriot Act attended by 50 organizers; five resolutions successfully passed, with Coalition leadership, in central Jersey.
April 23 Membership Dinner with bio-weapons expert Dr. Jonathan Tucker draws 150 at Trinity Church, Princeton
Trenton Peace Center, monthly program of Trenton Chapter of the Coalition, opens to crowd of 100 at Trinity Cathedral, Trenton, on April 26.
Coalition organizes annual Lobby Day to Washington D.C. to lobby against new US nuclear weapons on May 5. Delegation of 25 includes lawyers, religious leaders, etc. from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Coalition also arranges for Prof. Frank von Hippel, nuclear weapons expert, to participate in lobbying Senators from Maine on same issues in June.
Coalition hosts inaugural display of “Wall of Remembrance,” which includes names of all US troops killed in Iraq and as many Iraqi civilians as can be identified, just before Memorial Day at State House in Trenton.
Coalition Rally against US occupation of Iraq draws 200 at Palmer Square on June 26.
Over 120 attend special showing and discussion of movie Farenheit 911 on June 27 in Princeton.
Fourth annual Peace is Patriotic picnic and program draws 75 at Princeton Borough Hall on July 1.
Coalition co-organizes July 13 Rally on State House steps calling for a voter-verified paper trail to be mandated for all electronic voting machines, attended by over 100, resulting in extensive statewide press coverage. Subsequently a law suit with the Coalition as initial plaintiff seeking the above filed in NJ Superior Court, and case initially heard on October 27.
Annual Hiroshima/Nagasaki Commemoration held August 5 at Institute for Advanced Study; speakers include survivors of the bombing and Japanese-American who had been interned during WWII.
Major Peace Voter effort in swing state of Pennsylvania, led by Coalition, distributes voter guide comparing US Presidential, Senate, and House candidates in two swing districts. More than 950,000 in total are distributed through mailings, emails, and signature ads.
Church Folks for a Better America “Dove Ad” critiquing US policy in Iraq from faith perspective, signed by 25 world class theologians, published by Coalition in New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, and a number of newspapers in Ohio. Ad appears in over 6 million copies of newspapers total.
Coalition launches 25th Anniversary with November 13 Gala attended by 115 at $250 per plate, and November 14 Conference and Interfaith Service attended by over 1,000.
Coalition co-coordinates statewide Peace Train on December 4 to protest continuing US quagmire in Iraq, with some 75 boarding trains in Trenton and Princeton to Newark, where statewide rally and March with over 150 is held.

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