Present: Peter, Ellyn, Glenda Rae, Lois,Wanda, Galen
Old business
1. Approval of Minutes for September 25: The minutes were approved as corrected.
2. Progress Reports
a. Armistice Day events: This day, November 11, is now called Veteran's Day but it was originally set up to celebrate the end of the First World War. We will dedicate the vigil on November 14 to encouraging everyone to reclaim Armistice Day. Lois emphasized that Veterans for Peace is supporting this effort. We will display their flag at our vigil. . Peter will make some signs to the effect that there are no winners in war. Lois brought some notes she had prepared for a Letter to the Editor she hoped MPJC would sign on to. She hoped to get it in the paper before Election day so that folks would consider voting for candidates who wanted to eliminate war. Peter offered to help her draft the letter but she wanted to continue working on it. Wanda mentioned the huge amount squandered by maintaining U.S. military bases in other countries.
b. Human Rights Day: The date is December 10 from 1-3pm. The committee is trying to schedule it at Wiecamp Hall at IUSB. More information at the next meeting.
c. Book of the Month report: Ellyn is still reading Truman's biography. She is trying to get the "Underground Railroad" from the library. Glenda Rae mentioned the book by Gabrielle Robinson, "Better Homes of South Bend," about the struggle of black Studebaker workers to get permission to build homes in a white-only section of South Bend. They finally went to court in 1950 and secured the right to build their homes. Wanda talked about history, especially the recollections of a friend, Alex, who had been born in 1915 in the South. When growing up he thought that slavery was still in effect due to the Black code which made illegal most of the activities of African Americans. During reconstruction it was illegal to make folks work without pay unless they were criminals. They could then be conscripted into chain gangs and forced to work without pay. Alex much later returned to the town he grew up in and found 3 of his friends.
3. Treasurer's Report: $83.72 with a $5.11 in petty cash. Glenda Rae will pay $50 dues to Jobs with Justice and also the fee for our MLK day table.
New Business
1. What do we (can we) do next? We incorporated this topic into other discussion
2. Little Taste of Peace: the LTOP will be beld at Little Flower Church on January 14, 2017. There will be facilitator refresher training at the church on January 5, 2017. Glenda Rae was concerned that the folks attending the afternoon Mass at Little Flower would use the parking spaces near the kitchen dining room where the LTOP will take place.
3. MLK Day Table: Lois and MPJC will have tables at Century Center on MLK Day, January 16, 2016. We hope to get them together. Ellyn will help set up. Peter will staff the table in the afternoon and close up. We need to find folks to staff the table in the morning. Lois will feature the Vets for Peace at her table. We talked about supplying information on the preditor and reaper drones which kill folks in the troubled spots in the world but are controlled from bases inside the U.S. and UK. Also, we wondered if we could display the National Priorities Project Cost of War continuously changing cost display at the MPJC table.
4. Topic of the Month: We decided to skip this topic for this month.
5. Other Topics and Issues: There will be a follow-up meeting for the local chapter of SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice) on Friday, November 18, 5pm to 7pm at the First Unitarian Church of South Bend, 801 E Washington St, South Bend. Folks are asked to bring soup or bread.
Frack-free Michiana has disbanded and taken down their web and facebook presence. The small amount of money they had left was donated to the Sierra Club.
St. Marcellus Day events occurred on October 30. Lois, Wanda and Galen attended. Lois could hear well, but Wanda and Galen could not hear Dorothy Day's granddaughter.
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7. Next meeting: Monday, December 5th, at 2:30pm at Peter and Ellyn's.