Brooklyn For Peace Is Thirty Years Old ... And We Celebrate!

Nov 16, 2014 What a night! An evening to come together, to celebrate, to find old friends, to eat and drink, to listen, to ask, to learn. It was Brooklyn For Peace's annual Pathmakers To Peace gala and there were two very good reasons for the gathering of several hundred people to be there - First, they came together to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the founding of Brooklyn For Peace, a most remarkable organization that has been been fighting the good fight for peace and justice for decades and that is declaring its readiness to continue that struggle as long as the plagues of war, inequality, economic distress, environmental deterioration and social injustice require its attention. Secondly, people came to witness this years' Pathmaker To Peace award given to honor the life-long work of ,b>Noam Chomsky, one of the brilliant minds of the century: linguistics professor, scientist, social critic and fierce advocate for peace and social justice, The positive vibe and warm emotions in the grand Hollis Hall of historic Plymouth Church in Brooklyn Heights were palpable. Gathered here were friends, supporters, members, founders and early-on activists of Brooklyn For Peace, all come together to celebrate the longevity, rare in today's world, of this community-based peace organization and to laud the dedication and perseverance of the stalwart activists who have made that possible. The came to hear the words of Professor Chomsky who painted a picture of the dire times we live in. He described the collapse of our democracy, the domination of the one percent, the raping of the environment on behalf of the energy industry's super profits and said the tasks confronting progressive activists are enormous but that we can and must overcome if we are to save our world. Also attending this evening were allies of our peace group - leaders of the movement to save Brooklyn's public libraries, Michael D.D. White and Carolyn McIntyre were there as well as leaders of Brooklyn's Green Party, Gloria Mattera and Jonathan Fluck. Community activist and former candidate for Congress, Jelani Mashariki, was present and Dan Wiley, representing Congress Member Nydia Velazquez attended. Progressive member of Congress, Representative Yvette Clarke, came in person to honor Brooklyn For Peace on its thirtieth birthday and was welcomed heartily by the assembly. Take a look at the photographs of the evening's festivities.