Creating a culture of peace with justice.

This amazing planet with its beautiful landscapes, wildly varied life forms and diverse people and cultures is in the midst of some very hard times. As determined and idealistic activists, honoring WILPF's 90th anniversary, we are all asking ourselves--what actions can we take in the face of today's problems?

In an effort to answer this question, WILPF women from around the world gathered at the 28th International WILPF Congress in Sweden this summer. Information on the developments in our respective countries was shared and resolutions passed. In a spirit of optimism, a proposal to hold an International Women's Peace Conference in Cuba in 2006 was unanimously accepted. We are also looking forward to our 90th Anniversary WILPF Congress, which will be held in San Francisco August 10-14, 2005.

In the meantime, we have the opportunity to unify our national work by choosing two campaigns to focus on in 2005-2008. It will be a challenge. Our greatest strength as an organization has always been our dedication to finding connections and interrelationships between the critical issues of the day. Consequently, our activism is widely varied, with individuals and branches finding many different ways to apply the sweeping language of WILPF's mission statement.

You may wonder how it is possible to select just two campaigns when so many issues demand our attention. The answer is clear, although not easy. By choosing only two campaigns, we do not abandon the rest of our work. Rather, we pick two particular areas in which we feel we can make an impact and which will further national WILPF coherence for the next three years. This issue of Peace & Freedom outlines the campaign proposals for the year 2005-2008. We look forward to hearing from all current members of WILPF as to which campaigns you wish to focus on. (Please see the ballot on page 31.)

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This issue of Peace & Freedom also has a list of job descriptions for national Board positions. To serve on the Board and to work with our fine staff is an honor and a privilege. It also involves a great deal of hard work with no financial gain. If you enjoy doing collaborative work with women of diverse backgrounds, cultures, talents and geography, I urge you to apply for a position on the Board. Expect there to be disagreements and conflicts interspersed with intellectual challenges, new ideas and time spent with some of the most remarkable women you'll ever meet.

At the end of Congress, our former Co-President Darien De Lu assumed a new position as a member on WILPF's International Executive Committee. It has been an incredibly wonderful working experience for both of us. Darien and I strongly encourage those of you in branches to experiment with various forms of group leadership as many branches are beginning to do. The unexpected effects of sharing leadership responsibilities are pretty amazing. Darien and I have experienced an increase in our own personal enthusiasm and energy levels, which in turn has led to stimulating others to join WILPF. With more members, we have more people to share the workload--as well as the joys of being in WILPF.

Sandy Silver, President