Attentive to Peace: A New
Canadian Chapter of FOR
By Jim Terral and David Boyd (editing by Bobbie Ogletree)
Among other things, the Fellowship of Reconciliation is about
being attentive to the concerns of people and to the issues
of peace and well being of the world. This principle of attentiveness
was very evident at the January 18th international day of
protest against the Iraq war in Nelson, BC. Jack Ross, an
Argenta, BC Quaker, FOR member, political and peace activist,
and environmentalist spoke at a teach-in held in the basement
of the United Church. Jack, an eloquent elder for the peace
movement, has lost some vocal power over the years. He spoke
softly through a microphone and the whole group leaned forward
to better hear what he had to say. A bridge was created between
Jack, with his quiet voice, and the teach-in participants,
who were very mindful of Jack and his call for peace and the
building of connection to the Iraqi people.
Attentiveness has been one of the qualities
that has marked the formation of a new Canadian chapter of
FOR. Located in the Kootenay region of British Columbia, where
the international Kootenay and Columbia rivers flow, local
FOR members have built upon the principle of attentiveness
to form a chapter. The possibility of a Kootenay chapter of
the FOR was first discussed early in 2002. Isaac Romano, knowledgeable
about the peace-making history of the Kootenay area and familiar
with FOR through a chapter in Seattle, broached the idea of
forming a new chapter with interested folk. Isaac, along with
Bobbie Ogletree, and David Boyd founded the first chapter
and invited others to join them. Some people who live in the
small community of Kaslo on Kootenay Lake found it hard to
make the chapter meetings and therefore formed a sub-chapter.
Thus, the Kootenay chapter of the Fellowship of Reconciliation
began.
Because of the flow of the two international
rivers, the Columbia River Basin Trust--a trust formed as
the result of hydro-electric dams--and the Kootenay wilderness,
which knows no boundary, the Kootenay region has long attracted
people attentive to the international flavour of the area.
People from around the world have come to the Kootenay region
and been touched by the beauty of the mountains and valleys
and the awareness of the people to the environment, local
politics, world peace and international affairs.
Members of communities along the Kootenay and
Columbia rivers and connected watersheds have had a long historical
involvement in labour organizing, peace promotion, political
activism and environmental protest. In Argenta, a small town
on Kootenay Lake, there are a number of FOR members who joined
the Fellowship in the 1940's in the United States and who
in the 50's moved to Canada to escape the McCarthy era; many
of these folk were Quakers and continued their peace-making
activities in Canada. Jack Ross, was one of those who joined
FOR in the 1940's.
In other parts of the Kootenays, many American
citizens, rather than facing the draft in the United States,
found refuge in the Kootenay area and have also continued
their peace-making ways. The community of Trail has a strong
history of union organization and labour activism. These people,
along with Doukhobors--a Christian pacifist group who fled
Czarist Russia and are known as "Spirit Wrestlers"--faith
groups, environmental and political activists and peace-making
individuals have long recognized the power of peace and the
call to justice, and thus provided the impetus for a new FOR
chapter.
In a symbolic gesture of solidarity, a member
of a former FOR chapter in Canada in the 50's and 60's, Dee
Heston, presented Isaac, Bobbie and David with a homemade
leather, portable brochure holder, full of FOR material from
the 50's and 60's; it was quite delightful to read through
the material of that time period.
True to the spirit of many people in the Kootenay
region, the January 18th video discussion, rally, march and
teach-in attracted 1000 people. The city of Nelson, the place
where the events took place, has a population of about 10,000
people. The day's events were organized by a new peace coalition,
made up of various community organizations, labour organizations,
peace groups and FOR members.
One of the moving moments during this day took
place at a busy Nelson intersection; in a non-violent action,
aware of the plight of those who have been ravaged by bombs
from the air, marchers paused to look up in a mock attitude
of scanning the sky for bombers and then looked down in an
attitude of prayer and quiet meditation. The whole day was
a powerful reminder that people can make a difference in world
affairs.
Keeping in mind the interests of the members
of the new FOR chapter, we have held a number of events. In
May of 2002, we joined with the United Nations Association
and the Union of Spiritual Communities of Christ, a union
of Doukhobor communities, to sponsor a talk by two women from
the Ta'ayush organization, an activist organization which
promotes Arab/ Jewish partnership. In November we hosted Scott
Kennedy to speak about FOR work around the world and about
his peace and partner work in the Middle East with Palestinians
and Jews. There were about 100 people who attended, asked
questions, offered comments and participated in this informational
gathering.
Members of FOR helped sponsor the international
day of protest on February 15th; a rally and march took place
in Castlegar and there was a teach-in in Nelson. One thousand
people participated in the rally and march and at the teach-in,
there were nearly 100 participants. In their typically haunting
style, a Doukhobor choir sang songs of protest and affirmations
of peace.
In the spirit of Jack Ross, the new FOR chapter
continues to be attentive to world events and the struggle
of people to live in freedom and peace. As a chapter, we are
coming together as a new community, making connections, building
bridges, learning from each other, and developing strategies
for peace in our world.
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