The Madison Branch of Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom invites you to join our breakfast series hosted by Linden Co-Housing. Each breakfast is a place for activists to come together, connect, converse, and engage with a topic affecting the peace and freedom of our world. Featured speakers presents their passion and work and leads a discussion about how we, as a community, can take action and contribute to solutions.
Vegetarian breakfast buffet served.
The cost of the breakfast is $20, with a sliding scale of $10 - $20. (Cash or Check)
Funds are used to provide an honorarium to our guest speaker
and to further the work of Madison WILPF.
Reserve a spot by emailing: carol.wilson.622@gmail.com
Upcoming Breakfast
Wednesday, September 18, 20248 till 9:30 am
Learn about taking action and standing up to injustice within Wisconsin state law
A morning with State Representative Francesca Hong
Representative Hong will speak about the issue of divestment (for example, BDS) as it relates to Wisconsin State Law, our role as a community to stand up to injustice everywhere, and what the future looks like in the legislature and beyond for the issues that matter the most to Wisconsinites.
Francesca Hong is a mom, service industry worker, and community organizer. Elected in 2020, Hong serves as the first and only Asian American elected official in the Wisconsin State Legislature representing the 76th Assembly District in Madison. She prioritizes pro family, pro-worker and pro-freedom legislation including universal school meals, paid leave for all and fully funded public education. Francesca is the Co-Founder of the Dane County Food Collective, Culinary Ladies Collective and the Healthy School Meals for All Coalition. She also serves on the AAPI Coalition of Wisconsin’s Executive Committee and is on the board of Rooted WI and Kennedy Heights Community Center.
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Join in conversation with Francesca on September 18
Previous Breakfasts
(Since 2022)
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Wednesday, May 1, 20248 till 9:30 am
Palestine: The Search for Dignity
Join local author Christa Bruhn to deepen our understanding of how Palestinians have been forced to live in Israel’s shadow. The Palestine Question is a microcosm of the failure of the modern world to live up to principles of democracy, human rights, and the Rule of Law. Palestinians are vulnerable to state violence and restrictions that have culminated in widespread death, destruction, and environmental desecration, all in the name of Israel’s national security.
Christa will discuss how to hold our elected leaders accountable and challenge us to re-envision a future where all people between the River and the Sea can live with dignity. Christa will also read from her award-winning memoir Crossing Borders: The Search for Dignity in Palestine released in 2023 for the 75th anniversary of the state of Israel, which for Palestinians marks the 75th commemoration of the Nakba, Arabic for Catastrophe. Signed copies will be available for purchase.
Christa Bruhn is an award-winning American author and mother of three Palestinian Americans with a lifelong passion for peace and justice. She is an active non-Jewish member of Jewish Voice for Peace – Madison and serves as a writing mentor for We Are Not Numbers (https://wearenotnumbers.org/) to share Palestinian voices with the world. Christa has published academic work on Palestine, peace education, and diversity and led and participated in roundtables on the future of Palestine and Israel. Christa remains involved in her family’s business Canaan Palestine (https://canaanpalestine.com/) which exports fair trade, organic, and regenerative certified olive oil and other artisan food products to the world sourced from small family farms in Palestine. Christa splits her time between Madison, Wisconsin and among her extended family in the village of Al-Jalameh near Jenin, Palestine.
On Febrary 7
Mary Sanderson Just Money
Somehow a mighty human invention, money, has been twisted away from human and planetary needs. Eco-systems are being ransacked. Between interest, inflation and taxes, we all are serving the billionaires and fearing the next crash. Fortunately that secret twist has been identified and it is fixable. Mary Sanderson will pinpoint the problem and invite us to work for a historically grounded plan that addresses it directly. She will also introduce vibrant allied projects modeling how money can work for the common good. The Alliance For JUST MONEY, WILPF’s Women, Money & Democracy Committee, and Move To Amend invite us to challenge corruption and dystopia at their roots.
Mary SandersonMadison WILPF member, Raging Granny, retired postal worker & Spanish Medical interpreter who was feeling like all our peace & justice efforts were just spinning wheels until 2017 when the underlying private money system came to her attention. Money reformers are excited imagining healing futures that will be possible with permanent, debt-free money
Mary SandersonMadison WILPF member, Raging Granny, retired postal worker & Spanish Medical interpreter who was feeling like all our peace & justice efforts were just spinning wheels until 2017 when the underlying private money system came to her attention. Money reformers are excited imagining healing futures that will be possible with permanent, debt-free money
On October 25, 2023
Lauren Cohen of Moms Demand Action - Dane County Addressed
Gun Violence Prevention
Moms Demand Action...is a grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence. We pass stronger gun laws and work to close the loopholes that jeopardize the safety of our families. We also work in our own communities and with business leaders to encourage a culture of responsible gun ownership. We know that gun violence is preventable, and we’re committed to doing what it takes to keep families safe.
Lauren Cohenis a volunteer local group lead with the Dane County chapter of Moms Demand Action. She joined the movement after a school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland Florida in 2018. She is mom to two kids and currently working on her Master’s degree in Sustainable Management. Lauren shared:a brief overview of current Wisconsin gun safety billshow MDA is advocating for and pushing for public hearings,in light of upcoming elections---gun sense candidates,what Moms Demand Action does and how to support their work,actions to take to support gun safety.
On August 10, 2022 Aurielle Smith addressed: Local Efforts to End Gun ViolenceOver the past 8 year, Aurielle has specialized in Violence, Injury Prevention, and Public Health Emergency Response and Preparedness including within the Wisconsin Department of Health Service and the UW Hospitals. She is currently Director or Policy, Planning and Evaluation for Public Health Madison and Dane county. In this role, she is working to provide a safe and healthy community in which Madison andDane County residents can thrive.
On June 15, 2022
Erika Rosales addressed: Immigration Rights - DACA Support
Erika is the director of the new UW Center for Dreamers. She says, "We understand the impact we can have just by supporting one DACA recipient. If just one student renews their DACA through our legal clinics, they can continue to use their driver’s license, they can continue to work with their employment authorization....this person could be a single mother working in health care and wanting to go back to school, a graduate student of counseling psychology ready to graduate and support her Spanish-speaking immigrant community, or a factory worker wanting to get an associate’s degree in business management. These are examples, but they are also real stories of people in our community; a story of one and many at the same time,”