The VFP Howard Zinn Fund for Peace and Justice has made two awards for the Spring proposal review period:
Paul Deaton, VFP Chapter 161: Public Opposition to the Iowa Drone Center
VFP Chapter 161 is making an effort to change public policy related to the creation of a military drone base in Iowa. They are building a popular movement that includes other VFP chapters in the state to pressure political figures and demand accountability for drone warfare, both in Iowa and in other states. They have initiated a public dialog to challenge the military rationale for the drone bases, and are engaged with the national VFP working group on drones. They have developed measures to estimate the actual outcomes of their efforts for greater peace and justice.
Brian Sparks: Iraq War Stories
Brian Sparks, an at large VFP member, is working to build to build public opposition to war as a foreign policy through informed decisions in a democracy. His project involves documenting the impacts of the Iraq war through the personal narratives of both his platoon and the Iraqis in their war zone, as well as through military documents related to war incidents in which his unit was involved. He has developed long-term plans to collect and disseminate these stories through radio and print media, and has developed measures to assess the actual outcomes of this effort for greater peace and justice.
Congratulations to Paul and Brian for putting together projects designed to make a concrete difference for peace and justice!
For more information on developing projects that are effective in making changes for peace and justice, please see the Howard Zinn Fund for Peace and Justice. Keep you eye on this site, as the Zinn Fund committee regularly updates the materials.
The next deadline for Zinn Fund applications will be in early September. We will make announcements a couple of months in advance about the specific deadline and materials related to developing projects and preparing proposals. We also plan to hold workshops for those interested in putting together proposals to the Zinn Fund. Keep checking!
For questions regarding the Howard Zinn Fund, please contact us at ZinnFund@veteransforpeace.org.