40 year celebration at the Mt. Diablo Peace Center

This month the Mt Diablo Peace and Justice Center celebrates their 40th anniversary. In honor of their many achievements over the year, Rep. Miller entered this statement into the permanent Congressional Record:

MADAME SPEAKER, I rise to recognize the Mt. Diablo Peace & Justice Center, an invaluable institution in the San Francisco Bay Area that will be celebrating its 40th Anniversary on October 19, 2009.

Founded in 1969 by the late Andy Baltzo, the Mount Diablo Peace and Justice Center was initially known to most residents of Contra Costa County as simply, “The Peace Center.” Its goal was to provide residents of the East Bay with a voice against the escalating war in Vietnam as well as a focal point for issues of social justice.

After our troops returned from Southeast Asia, members of the Peace Center recognized that the quest for peace and justice is never ending. The Center turned its attention to issues of nuclear arms reduction, military disarmament, and avoidance of U.S. entanglement in the conflicts in Central America.

Instrumental in the early development of the Peace Center was the work of a core group of committed peace activists including Arne Westerback , Louise Clark, and Sheila Pedersen.
Over the years, the Center expanded its focus to include a wide range of programs that addressed raising peaceful children and race awareness. The larger community continued to have a voice through the Peace Center and has benefited from organized non-violent protests against military conflicts, including most recently the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. These protests take the form of peace marches, demonstrations, and a unique war memorial known as The Crosses of Lafayette. Much national and even international attention was focused on the local community when multi-denominational memorials were erected on a highly visible hillside – one for each American military service member who has died in the current conflicts. It’s a silent but powerful reminder to all who pass by of the human toll of war.

The Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center also provides inspirational classes in non-violence that continue to benefit the community as a whole. With its access to nationally known speakers, educational forums, and film series, the Center is able to promote peace and justice through a variety of mediums. Students, parents and teachers have access to a wide range of programs that include the Art and Writing Challenge and Youth in the Military, a counseling service for young people on national service alternatives to the military. Through local food collection and distribution, The Center also addresses the needs of the poor living in our local community.
As our world becomes seemingly smaller, the Peace Center is once again broadening its program. Currently, plans are underway for an International Peace Youth Camp which will bring outstanding teen leaders from around the world to the Center. Once at camp, they will have the opportunity to get to know each other and learn new methods of co-existence through cultural exchange.

Today, dedicated Peace Center leaders such as Barbara and Ed Tonningsen and Bob Hanson continue to bring the lessons of non-violence to our community and beyond.

I applaud the Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center for its strong, principled, and ongoing voice on the issues of peace and justice and I am proud to bring this organization to the attention of my colleagues. Congratulations to past and present members who have kept the Center viable and dynamic throughout the decades. As you celebrate 40 Years of Peacemaking, I wish you continued success.

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