Celebrate Athlete Activists Who Hit the Truth
Sally Jones
The 2021 William Sloane Coffin, Jr. Peacemaker Awards Honoring the Activism of Athletes 
Dear Friend,
In the last year, we have seen an uprising of activism in the sports world in support of Black Lives Matter, voting rights, gender equality, and economic justice. Today’s athlete activists stand on the shoulders of Paul Robeson, Muhammad Ali, Tommie Smith, and John Carlos, all of whom took great risks for social and racial justice.
Next Monday, October 4th, Peace Action New York State will honor athlete activists at our annual William Sloane Coffin, Jr. Peacemaker Awards night on Zoom with an energizing program that connects sports, activism, justice and peace! Check out our terrific keynote speaker and very special honorees below.
We hope you’ll join us!
The Fundraising Team (Ashleigh, Baleigh, Sylvia, Joanne, Jim, Mary, Carole, Aziz, and Sally) 
Dave Zirin Sportswriter, Author, and Activist Dave Zirin — The Nation‘s sports editor and host of the Edge of Sports podcast — will be our keynote speaker. He is the author of ten books on the politics of sports, and is a frequent guest on ESPN, MSNBC, and Democracy Now! His new book, The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee, Changing the World, came out this month! “The Kaepernick Effect reveals that Colin Kaepernick’s story is bigger than one athlete. With profiles of courage that leap off the page, Zirin uncovers a whole national movement of citizen-athletes fighting for racial justice.” —Ibram X. Kendi, National Book Award–winning author of Stamped from the Beginning and How to Be an Antiracist 
Etan Thomas Athlete, Activist, and Author Etan Thomas, author of We Matter: Athletes and Activism will be receiving the William Sloane Coffin Jr. Peacemaker Award. An 11-year NBA basketball star, author, poet, organizer, commentator, radio host, and motivational speaker, Etan has deep ties to New York State: he was born in Harlem and played on the Syracuse University team. In 2003, Etan was the first American professional athlete to publicly oppose President George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq. Throughout his career, he has been outspoken and a leader in creating space for other athletes to speak out. 
Renee Montgomery Athlete, Activist, and Sports Analyst Renee Montgomery, WNBA All-Star, graduated from UConn as a two-time All-American will also receive the William Sloane Coffin Jr. Peacemaker Award. Drafted 4th in the WNBA, Renee was named All-Star and “6th Woman of the Year” in her 11-year professional career. Renee sat out the 2020 season with the Atlanta Dream to focus on social reform and justice. Renee and the Atlanta Dream were instrumental in getting out the vote in the 2020 Georgia elections. She retired in 2021, and Renee now serves as a Sports Analyst for NBA/ESPN and hosts her own weekly podcast, Remotely Renee. She is currently part Owner and V.P. of the WNBA Atlanta Dream. Renee continues her dedication to social justice and to expand access to voting for all. 
Macaulay Peace Action Student Chapter of Macaulay Honors College at CUNY On the 10th anniversary of the Peace Action NYS student organizing program, we are proud to present the Don Shaffer Student Peacemaker Award to Macaulay Peace Action. In the Fall, Macaulay hosted the webinar, “Where do we go from here: a Panel on Reproductive Health & Justice.” They also co-hosted a town hall and letter-writing event with CUNY for Abolition, focusing their efforts on building a more equitable Macaulay Honors College and discussing racial justice, equity, and reparations. In the Spring, Macaulay Peace Action hosted the webinar “Preventing & Countering Violent Extremism: An Afternoon Chat with Mutaru Mumuni Muqthar, the Executive Director of WACCE (West Africa Centre for Counter-Extremism) & 2017 African of the Year”; an origami night to celebrate cultural diversity and discuss the history and recent surge of violence against AAPI communities in the United States; and two multi-session workshops with Legal Momentum and PEN America. 
Peace Action Fund of New York State recognizes Ben & Jerry’s
A Conscious of Justice Recognition will be presented to Ben & Jerry’s for their courageous and principled decision not to sell or manufacture Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in the Israeli Occupied Palestinian Territory, and in recognition of the hard work of Palestinian rights activists. Ben Cohen will join us by video! 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 11AM-1PM. IN PERSON NYC. Protect Our Ocean Rally and March. March will start from 41st St & 6th Avenue (near Bryant Park). Rally at 47th St & 1st Ave (Dag Hammarskjold Plaza) near the UN. We are marching to oppose Japan’s decision to dump radioactive water from Fukushima into the Pacific. Please wear blue or light blue if you can. Contact augu...@gmail.com. FACEBOOK EVENT. 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2PM-4PM ET. IN PERSON: Reception for Americans Who Tell the Truth Exhibit, Broome County Public Library, 185 Court St, Binghamton, NY 13901. This is a project of Broome County Peace Action and Veterans for Peace. Portraits are by Robert Shetterly. Portrait at left is Michelle Alexander. For more information about this project go to https://www.americanswhotellthetruth.org/. 
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, NOON ET. IN PERSON. NYC. Protest 20 YRS of War. On this 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, U.S. wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Syria, Pakistan, and north Africa continue. 12 noon: Gather at NY PUBLIC LIBRARY (Fifth Ave. and 41st St.). 12:30 pm: Solemn march along 42nd Street to demonstrate at TIMES SQUARE MILITARY RECRUITMENT CENTER until 1:30 pm. Sponsored by NYC War Resisters League, Catholic Worker, Kairos Community, Granny Peace Brigade, Brooklyn For Peace, NYC Metro Raging Grannies, World Can’t Wait, Veterans for Peace/Chapter 34, Pax Christi New York State, Peace Action New York State, Peace Action Bay Ridge (list in formation). FACEBOOK EVENT.
Every MONDAY, 10am-11am. EDT. Conversations with Jim Anderson. Listen to international peace & social justice activist, organizer and mentor to the community, and Peace Action NYS President Jim Anderson. On the Legendary WUFO 1080 the Mix / Power 96.5FM in Buffalo and beyond by internet Power965radio.com. Connect on Facebook.
EVERY MONDAY, 4:30PM-5:30PM ET. Broome County Peace Action Weekly Vigil, Federal Building, 15 Henry Street, Binghamton, NY. The Weekly Peace Vigil is held on the sidewalk in front of the Federal Building on Henry Street each Monday. It has been held continuously since April of 1999. We hold signs pertaining to issues of peace and justice ranging from local to global topics, speaking peace in our community, country, and the world.
EVERY THURSDAY, 5PM-6- ET. Weekly Vigil for Julian Assange. Grand Central Terminal Main Concourse, 89 E 42nd St, New York, NY. For more information, go to StandWithAssange.org. Julian Assange, an Australian citizen, is the first publisher ever to be charged under the 1917 Espionage Act and is liable for extradition from the United Kingdom to the United States where he faces 175 years in prison. His prosecution is a direct attack on freedom of the press and our right to know the truth about crimes and human rights violations committed in our name.
Every SATURDAY, 11am-12:00pm EDT. In Person Vigil For Yemen in NYC. Union Square steps (south side of 14th St. NYC, (this is an ongoing action, same time and same place every Saturday). President Biden has announced the U.S. withdrawal of support for the Saudi-led war on Yemen! The war and the humanitarian crisis must now end!
Every SUNDAY, 12pm-1pm EDT. In Person Vigil in Rochester. A group of dedicated peace activists holds a peace vigil every Sunday from 12:00 Noon to 1:00 PM at the corner of East Avenue and Goodman Street in Rochester.
Peace Action New York State |
