Michael McPhearson

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Michael McPhearson

Michael T. McPhearson... is a leading "peace' activist.

United for Peace and Justice affiliation

In July 2007 Michael McPhearson representing Veterans for Peace was affiliated to United for Peace and Justice.

In 2005 and Dec 2008 Michael McPhearson, Veterans for Peace was voted onto the Steering Committee for United for Peace and Justice.

Iraq "peace" delegation

The ACLU has posted a letter it sent to the FBI on behalf of McPhearson and various “peace” and Muslim activists suggesting they had been improperly monitored by the FBI. McPhearson, the letter says, had “traveled to Iraq, Italy and Turkey as part of a peace delegation” in 2003 and 2004 and was “detained at the airport.”

Another article on the ACLU website provides additional details, saying that McPhearson traveled to Iraq as a Veterans for Peace delegation member in December 2003, attended an international peace conference in Turkey in January 2004, and attended a peace conference in Bologna, Italy, before returning to the U.S.

BRING THEM HOME NOW!

Soldiers and Families Oppose the War in Iraq

Brecht Forum 03/11/2004.

Bring Them Home Now is a network of U.S. soldiers, their families and veterans who want to protect U.S. men and women in uniform. They believe that the war and occupation in Iraq is unnecessary and immoral and that under such circumstances the only way to be pro-soldier is to be anti-war. As U.S. soldiers and Iraqis die every day, the role of military families, active duty G.I.’s and veterans is key to building an anti-war movement. How is this opposition and the resistance of military people bringing anti-war politics to communities across the U.S.? What is the role of Bring Them Home Now in building a strong and enduring anti-war movement? Can it change the political landscape in the US? A panel of veterans, activists and military families will discuss this growing movement and it’s implications.

Bios:

Michael McPhearson, a native of Fayetteville, NC, was a field artillery officer of the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division during Desert Shield/Desert Storm. His military career includes 6 years of reserve service and 5 years active duty service. Now living in Bloomfield, N.J. and a member of Veterans for Peace, Michael works as an activist and facilitator to help bring about social and economic justice. He is the father of an eighteen-year-old son who is planning to join the Army in September.

Dennis O'Neil is an associate member of Veterans for Peace and a postal worker from NYC.

Fayetteville peace rally

The Fayetteville rally for peace was held on March 19th 2005.

Speakers included;

• Lou Plummer, Military Families Speak Out, Fayetteville, NC
• Rev. Nelson Johnson, Civil Rights Activist, Greensboro, NC
• Kelly Dougherty, Co-Founder of Iraq Veterans Against the War, Colorado
• Thomas Barton, Shop Steward with Local 768, Heath Care Workers, AFSCME
• David Potorti, September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, Cary, NC
• Cindy Sheehan, Co-Founder of Gold Star Families for Peace, California
• Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, California
• Stan Goff, Retired Special Forces Master Sergeant, Raleigh, NC
• Nancy Lessin and Charley Richardson, Co-Founders of Military Families Speak
• Shawn Cunningham, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC
• Michael Hoffman, Co-Founder of Iraq Veterans Against the War, Pennsylvania
• Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Florida
• Rann Bar-On, International Solidarity Movement, Durham
• Ricanstruction, NYC
• Ed Whitfield, Steering Committee
• Michael McPhearson, Executive Director, Veterans for Peace
• Michael Berg, Father of Nick Berg, West Chester, PA
• Felicia Eaves, Black Voices for Peace, United for Peace and Justice
• Mendy Knott, NC Performance Poet, Asheville, NC
• Ajamu Dillahunt, Black Solidarity Against War, Raleigh, NC
• Kara Hollingsworth, Military Families Speak Out, Fayetteville, NC
• David Couso, brother of Slain Spanish Journalist Josi Couso
• Dante Zappala, brother of Army Sgt. Sherwood Baker, with family members.
• Ruba Nuwayhid, Progressive Student Alliance, UT/Knoxville
• Camilo Mejia, Iraq Vet, Conscientious Objector, Miami, Florida
• Kevin Lucey and Joyce Lucey, Military Families Speak Out, Massachusetts
• Dennis Kyne, Gulf War Vet, California
• Rev. Ralph Baldwin, Vietnam Veteran, Greensboro, NC
• Diedra Cobb, Conscientious Objector, Virginia
• Catherine Lutz, Author and Academic, Brown University
• Stephen Funk, Gulf War II war resister
• Chuck Fager, Quaker House, Fayetteville, NC
• Medea Benjamin, Global Exchange and Code Pink
• Patricia Roberts, mother of Army Spc. Jamaal Rashard Addison, killed in Iraq
• Jibril Hough, Islamic Political Party of America, Charlotte, NC
• Cynthia Brown, Community Activist, Durham, NC
• Wade Fulmer, Carolina Peace Resource Center, South Carolina
• Manju Rajendran, Organizers' Gathering and Spring Conference Coordinator
• Jimmy Massey, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Waynesville, NC

MCs were Bridgette Burge, Peace LEAP (NC; and Bryan Proffitt, North Carolina Peace and Justice Coalition.

PWW event

Veterans for Peace Director Michael McPhearson was the featured speaker at Chicago’s 2007 PWW banquet, which drew 140 people and raised nearly $6,000. McPhearson had just come from a meeting of the United for Peace and Justice steering committee. He called for new and broader efforts to mobilize grassroots pressure for peace in the 2008 elections.

“Forging a Black Liberation Agenda for the 21st Century”

10th Anniversary Meeting of the Black Radical Congress, “Forging a Black Liberation Agenda for the 21st Century” Black Radical Congress, June 20-22, 2008, St. Louis, Missouri.

Endorsers for the Congress included Michael McPhearson, exec director Veterans for Peace.

Black Radical Congress

McPhearson, participated in the 2008 national convention of the Black Radical Congress.

National Peace Conference

The National Peace Conference, took place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Albany New York, July 2010. Many workshops are scheduled and many leaders of the peace and progressive movements will be there: Cindy Sheehan, Kathy Kelly, Medea Benjamin, Ann Wright, Dahlia Wasfi, Leila Zand, Michael McPhearson, Kevin Martin, David Swanson, Glen Ford, and many others.

Keynote speakers were Noam Chomsky and Donna DeWitt (President of the South Carolina AFL-CIO).

Married Deborah Jacobs

In 2010 Michael McPhearson married Deborah Jacobs, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey. He was working in New Jersey for the National Conference for Community and Justice.

Meeting with Ahmadinejad

More than 100 activists and journalists from a variety of organizations, religious groups and media outlets attended a gathering with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the Warwick Hotel here Sept. 21. 2010. The leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran was in the city to attend the annual United Nations General Assembly.

These prominent leaders of grassroots social justice and human rights movements within the U.S. consciously rejected a well-funded campaign to demonize Iran and whip up a pro-war climate. Ahmadinejad’s visit had been preceded by incendiary billboards, ads in buses and newspapers, hostile media coverage and demonstrations against Iran, much of it funded by the CIA-connected U.S. Agency for International Development and private corporations.

After an Iranian-style dinner, the gathering moved to a conference room where representatives from various organizations spoke on the plight of people inside the United States. The displacement of African Americans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the burgeoning prison-industrial complex, conditions facing political prisoners, the crisis in U.S.-Iranian relations and the overall economic crisis dominated the discussion.

Among the individuals and organizations in attendance were Cynthia McKinney, a former U.S. House of Representatives member from Georgia and the Green Party’s presidential candidate in 2008; poet and activist Amiri Baraka; MOVE Minister of Information Ramona Africa; International Action Center co-director Sara Flounders; Ardeshir Ommani and Eleanor Ommani, co-founders of the American-Iranian Friendship Committee; former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark; Million Worker March Movement organizer Brenda Stokely; Shafeah M'Balia of Black Workers for Justice; Phil Wilayto of Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice and Equality; Larry Holmes of Bail Out the People Movement; Don DeBar of WBAIx.org; Ryme Katkhouda of the People’s Media Center; Michael McPhearson of United for Peace and Justice; and Rev. Graylan Hagler.

After listening for an hour and a half to 22 different speakers, President Ahmadinejad addressed the guests for approximately 45 minutes. He touched on the international struggle for peace and justice, saying that “trying to build peace is the most important and comprehensive struggle that mankind can have.”

He added, “Those who are opposed to justice are a few, a minority.”

Iran Forum

An anti-war forum entitled “Syria & Iran: The Next War?” was held in New York, June 10 at the Solidarity Center. It featured anti-war veterans from the Iranian, Israeli and U.S. militaries, and was organized by United for Peace and Justice, Veterans for Peace and the U.S. Peace Council. The International Action Center hosted the meeting and IAC co-founder Sara Flounders chaired. All the speakers were members of the VFP Iran Working Group.

Michael McPhearson, who is originally from Fayetteville, N.C., was a field artillery officer in the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division during the 1991 Gulf War. He is the national coordinator for United For Peace and Justice and a national board member as well as a former executive director of Veterans for Peace. He is a member of Military Families Speak Out, works closely with the Newark, N.J., based People’s Organization for Progress and publishes the mcpearsonreport.org, expressing his views on war and peace, politics, human rights, race and other things.

Communist Party speaker

Speak Progress is the speakers bureau of the Communist Party USA. Listed speakers, as of October 2014, included Michael McPhearson

Michael Mcpherson is National Coordinator for United For Peace and Justice – the nation’s largest peace coalition. He is the interim Executive Director of Veterans for Peace, and still serves on their board of directors.

He resides with his wife in Newark NJ where he works with the People’s Organization for Progress and publishes mcphearsonreport.com.

Michael joined the Army Reserve 1981 as an enlisted soldier at the age of 17. He was a field artillery officer in the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division during Desert Shield/Desert Storm, leaving active duty in 1992 as a captain. His son joined the Army and served one tour in Iraq in 2005-2006. In December of 2003 Michael returned to Iraq as part of a peace delegation to examine the state of the occupation firsthand.

Ferguson protest leader

Organizers of protests planned in Ferguson are determined to see that it's peaceful. They will train people to ensure it stays that way, especially as they plan to close in on and "shut down" the town of Clayton on the first business day after the grand jury announcement on the Michael Brown case.

"We, as a community of people, we aren't going to use violent power," remarked organizer Michael McPhearson in a hall meeting of about 100 in St. Louis on Nov. 13. McPhearson is the co-chair of the Don't Shoot Coalition, and addressed the crowd together with Julia Ho, a community organizer with Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment. Meanwhile in Ferguson, a similar meeting was held simultaneously, at Greater St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church.

More than half of the diverse St. Louis crowd was present during the initial protests that took place when Brown was shot Aug. 9 by police officer Darren Wilson, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. They agreed that four areas would likely emerge as hotspots for protest going forward: the Ferguson police station; the area near the QuikTrip that was burned the day after the shooting; the Clayton business district; and Shaw, the neighborhood where VonDerrit Myers Jr. was killed by a St. Louis police officer in October. It was suggested goggles and gasmasks be used to protect activists from mace and teargas.

Underscoring what he felt was the importance behind the continuing actions, McPhearson said, "We're in a struggle that takes a long time to make things happen. In order for it to be a movement, we have to stay in it."

2015 Hershel Walker Peace and Justice Awards

On Saturday, May 2, 2015, the Missouri/Kansas Friends of the People's World hosted the 23rd Annual Hershel Walker 'Peace and Justice' Awards breakfast to recognize outstanding leaders and activists, and their work towards creating a more just and equitable society.

A diverse crowd of 120 union, community, peace and faith leaders joined together at 9:30 a.m., at the Communication Workers of America, Local 6300, union hall for a morning filled with conversations and solidarity.

"This is an awards ceremony for activists," said Nicholas James, a Service Employees International Union collective bargaining rep. "This is amazing. Usually, only famous people get awards. That we take the time to recognize the everyday, ordinary people struggling to change our world is what makes this Awards Breakfast so special."

on ceremony.

Receiving the 2015 Hershel Walker 'Peace and Justice' Awards were:

• Michael McPhearson, co-chair of the Ferguson Don't Shoot Coalition, and Executive Director of Veterans for Peace

• Jen Bersdale, executive director, Missouri Health Care for All

• Mark Esters, president, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists St. Louis Chapter, and CWA 6355-Missouri State Workers Union lead organizer.

• Rep. Tommie Pierson (D-69), pastor at Greater Saint Marks Church (in Ferguson), and retired United Auto Workers Union member.

• James Raines (posthumously), CWA 6355-Missouri State Workers Union organizer, and Peoples' World staff reporter.

In a beautiful moment of remembrance, Mark Esters, recounted the amazing life and work of James Raines. A tireless advocate for the working class and a gifted people's reporter, James touched the lives of thousands through his impressive career fighting for a better world. Esters presented his family with the 'Peace and Justice' award as well as a Missouri House Resolution submitted by State Rep. Clem Smith honouring Raines' life, work, and dedication to public service. James is survived by his wife, Wendy, daughter, Emmaline; and parents, Jim and Sue..

Bank rally

Derek Laney, Michael McPhearson, and Jeff Ordower (from left to right)

March 2015, about a dozen protesters called on the Fed to focus on unemployment, especially among minorities, rather than on keeping inflation rates low. They said if the Federal Open Market Committee raises the interest rate this year, as anticipated, it would likely mean fewer jobs.

"We’re calling on the Fed to do the right thing by most people, because the people they’re helping by changing the policy is a very small minority people and a very influential and affluent group of people," said Derek Laney of Missourians for Reform and Empowerment.

Jeff Ordower and Michael McPhearson were also involved.

The protest was one of several held at Federal Reserve Banks around the country to highlight a new report by the Center for Popular Democracy and the Economic Policy Institute. The report calls on the Fed to focus on “full unemployment,” and highlights disparities between white and minority unemployment levels.

Missouri comrades

Alison Dreith March 13, 2015:

With John Chasnoff, Jasmin Maurer, Kirstin Palovick, Sandra Tolbert-Abron, Lauren May, Mike Kinman, Michael McPhearson, Deborah Jacobs, Mustafa Abdullah, Denise Lieberman and Jennifer Knopf Bernstein at Missouri State Capitol.

Revolutionary Strategies to Beat the Rising Right Wing

Revolutionary Strategies to Beat the Rising Right Wing, was a nationwide conference call organized by Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Sunday October 30, 2016.

What's the nature of this right-wing threat? What has this election cycle changed about the political terrain we're fighting on? How do we need to prepare for whats coming after the election? Hear about these crucial questions from our panel of top political strategists, including Nelini Stamp, Bill Fletcher, Jr., Linda Burnham, and Sendolo Diaminah.

Those invited, on Facebook included Michael McPhearson.

References

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