THIRD WORLD WITHIN - PEACE ACTION COALITION'S GUIDING PRINCIPLES (New York)

10/27/01

The Coalition is calling for a National Day of Action on November 3rd

The following summarizes Third World Within/Peace Action Coalition's concerns and analysis regarding September 11th and the aftermath:

Compassion and mourning for lives lost. We must demonstrate compassion for the tremendous loss of lives in New York City, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania from the events of September 11th. We must support families and communities - particularly immigrant, working class and people of color communities in NYC and Washington, DC. Relief must be made available to all who were injured or lost loved ones on September 11th, regardless of immigrant status, marital status (including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender families), national origin, and other factors that are used to discriminate.

Resisting racial/xenophobic backlash. We can not ignore the thousands of reported (and unreported) incidents of racial violence against people of color in the US, particularly those of/perceived to be of Arab, South Asian, Central Asian descent and/or of Muslim faith. Furthermore, racial profiling - along with surveillance, arbitrary arrest, incarceration and indefinite detention - have been re-accepted by mainstream America, as INS detention centers are being readied as modern-day internment camps. More lives are being lost in this climate of fear and hatred.

Safety and peace are not possible without racial and economic justice. We, Third World peoples within and outside of the US, have lived without safety and peace for years preceding September 11th. This is the time to redefine our collective understanding of safety and peace to ensure that it is shared amongst all, and includes freedom from all types of violence (including racial, economic and other forms) - not just physical violence. We recognize that many who were unsafe before September 11th continue to be under attack in these times - whether immigrants, communities of color, women, youth, poor and working-class people, LGBT peoples, or others who oppose institutionalized oppressions. Current government-sponsored attacks on civil liberties and increased criminalization/militarization of our communities will be felt most deeply by communities of color - which have historically borne the brunt of state violence. We believe that safety and peace will not be real until all of us are safe.

Solidarity in a call for peace with justice. We, as communities of color, see it as our obligation to hold the US government accountable for its actions, carried out in the name of people who reside in the US. We believe we must unite with other justice-loving people in this country, and stand in solidarity with those around the world calling for peace and an end to US-sponsored military and economic retaliation (past & present) against Third World nations and their peoples - No More Lost Lives!

For all these reasons, TWW calls for an end to violence and No More Lost Lives. If we are serious about creating safety, it can only come about through peace and justice, not just for ourselves but also for the world community. More and more, our world is connected. It is crucial that the ties that bind us are fair and productive for all - not just a few.

Third World Within - Peace Action Coalition
E-mail: twwpeace@yahoo.com
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