What are you planning to do on Independence Day this year? Declare independence from war and bring the "Peace is Patriotic" message to your local parade, firework show, picnic, BBQ party, and other events! Check out our action ideas below to find out how to be in the PINK on the 4th.
In 2006 CODEPINK launched the Troops Home Fast, a rolling fast and sustained hunger strike outside the White House and around the world that raised awareness about the occupation of Iraq and led to an invitation for a CODEPINK delegation of fasters to meet with Iraqi Parliamentarians in Jordan. For the past two years we had a vibrant PINK presence at the national parade in Washington, D.C. and around the country.
Will you be in the Pink at your local 4th of July event this year?
We LOVE a Parade! Join your local 4th of July parade and bring some peace and pink to the festivities. You can search the internet for your city's parades- most often there is a contact listed. If you know of another local peace group that is already participating in the parade, see if you can join them and form a peace contingent! If you can't officially join the parade, you can always walk the length along the sides- great outreach opportunity!
We recommend dressing up as pink statues of liberty (pink crowns at most large craft stores) or with pink gowns and sashes as "I Miss America", carrying signs and banners or handing out fliers. Don't forget to bring outreach flyers and sign up sheets with you (download them from the links above!)
Join us in Washington, D.C. for the national parade,
and stay at the Pink House! Click here for more info and to sign up.
Declare Independence from Oil! Ride your bike! FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE, NOT WARS FOR OIL! It's time to bridge the divide between the peace and justice movement and the climate action movement.
1. Declare independence from oil. Walk, ride a bike, or take mass transit. Visit www.nowarnowarming.org for more ideas
2. If you must drive, carpool and choose the most efficient vehicle you can.
3. Demand zero-emission cars. Tell the Ford Motor Company to stop driving America's oil addiction. Take action now at www.jumpstartford.com.
Join us in declaring your independence from oil – here are some ideas.
Have a Birthday Party for America Celebrate what this country was really founded on- dissent! Invite your friends and neighbors over, have a BB-Q and take the opportunity to invite the media to see what the majority of America is thinking: Yes We Can End War!
Make Bubbles Not Bombs with our Pink is Patriotic Cocktail Nothing says patriotism like a cold bottle of bubbly on a hot day! 2 parts bubbly to 1 part juice: -- Prosecco, Cava or any sparkling beverage will work -- Pomegranate, cranberry or any red juice or nectar (you want to achieve a pinkish hued drink!) -- Add blueberries for garnish (frozen can work--fresh from your local farmer's market are best!) (Recipe courtesy of Dana Balicki, Campaign Manager & Matriot)
Honk to Impeach! Local impeachment activists report great success holding signs at busy intersections that say "HONK TO IMPEACH!" Most of the drivers who pass these signs are delighted to honk - which makes them happy and makes activists happy too. Best of all, the drivers and pedestrians discover how much support there is for impeachment.
For more ideas, including some festive recipes, click here!
This Fourth of July, while Americans are marching in parades and oohing and aahing at the fireworks, it would be a patriotic gesture to also spend some time thinking about what independence means today. Our nation was founded on a determination to be free of domination by the British empire. The US Declaration of Independence proclaimed the need to fight the War of Independence against Britain because King George III had 'kept among us standing armies' that committed intolerable 'abuses and usurpations.' Today it is our government whose standing army is committing abuses and usurpations in foreign lands. More...
Americans need to recognize that, in addition to the lives and dollars the occupation of Iraq has cost the United States, it has also assaulted democratic ideals handed down by the founders of this country's experiment with democracy. "We should have nothing to do with conquest," warned Jefferson, who believed the US must lead by example, not by force. The invasion and occupation of other lands would, the founders feared, turn America into precisely the sort of empire against which they had so recently rebelled. More...
Celebrating Independence in the Era of Empire, by Medea Benjamin
