Joe Elder received on October 3rd, 2009, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Network for Peace & Justice. Joe has traveled the world with quiet off-the-record messages and worked for peace from Vietnam to Sri Lanka. A University of Wisconsin professor of sociology and Asian studies, he has inspired thousands of students to broaden their horizons. Raised in Iran, son of Presbyterian missionaries, he was a CO in the Korean War and has been a Quaker since the 1950's.
The Freedom Song of Sara Thomsen
First Air Date
Sara Thomsen is strongly called to heal the world through her music. One of her songs, "Is It For Freedom", has been heard repeatedly on Democracy Now, because of its poignant call for our nation's self-examination following 9-11. Her concerns are wide - women, LGBT issues, care for creation, peace and more - and she writes and sings with soul-deep sensitivity.
All the songs in this program are performed by Sara Thomsen
Estonian Artists for Peace and Unity
First Air Date
Too few Americans know about Estonia's amazing, non-violent, "Singing Revolution" for independence from the USSR, but it is but one of the characteristics that make the country fertile ground for Leon Miller's work with the International Association for Religious Freedom.
Charlie King's Song of the Soul
First Air Date
Charlie King has been performing music since he was four, eventually finding a home with folk music. A lifelong Roman (or roaming) Catholic, he morphed from a Goldwater supporter in 1964 to an anti-war protester by 1967, and he's been an outspoken voice for peace and justice ever since.
David Rovics' Song of the Soul
First Air Date
David Rovics is a singer/songwriter with a cause - actually many of them. His music takes him wherever there are listeners for his activist selection, with concern for peace, social justice and much, much more.
Jim Scott - A Song for the Earth, A Prayer for Peace
First Air Date
Jim Scott: is, perhaps, best known for the many years he was part of the Paul Winter Consort. He tours widely as a solo act and his music frequently excites the listener, delicately, to care for the Earth and strive for Peace. He's a pedigree Unitarian-Universalist.
Sami Rasouli 2008 - Muslim Peacemaker Teams
First Air Date
As a dual citizen of Iraq and the USA, resident for 20 years of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, Sami Rasouli brings a special perspective to his work with the Muslim Peacemaker Teams.
David Rovics - Music for Social Justice
First Air Date
David Rovics is a perpetual activist energy machine with his music, calling attention to the problems that need addressing and recognizing the successes of those working for social justice. He tours extensively in the US and Europe, and occasionally to the Middle East and beyond.
Frances Ford & The War Plays Project
First Air Date
Frances Ford conceived of The War Plays Project, Inc in the period leading up to the US invasion of Iraq, a way to invite people to think of the too-little-thought-of aspects of war. She and the other folks with The War Plays Project have produced a series of short plays going beyond what the mainstream media is willing to consider.
A Day of Forgiveness and Rebirth
First Air Date
On September 11, 2007, the people of Eau Claire gathered at Phoenix Park to remember the events of 6 years earlier, but also to seek a way forward to a better, healed world. Take part in the music, reflection and visioning of the event on this program, including the keynote by Mike Boehm, founder of the My Lai Peace Park & Loan Fund, and other acts of reconciliation with Vietnam, Japan and Central America.