There is no Peace without Justice
NFP'S NEW BOOK STUDY GROUP! EVERYONE IS INVITED!
Register soon at https://forms.gle/3aweVtdbCaa4vKYb8
My name is Luisa Palomo Hare. I am a board member of Nebraskans for Peace and chair the Social Justice priority committee. We decided to organize a Social Justice Book Study group as a way to stay connected with each other and make new friends. This group is open to all who are interested, so please feel free to invite your friends and relatives to join us!
We will be reading the book Poverty, by America, by Matthew Desmond. This book, written by the Pulitzer Prize winning author of Evicted, has the following reviews:
If you are interested in joining this book study, please fill out the registration form below.
https://forms.gle/3aweVtdbCaa4vKYb8
Nebraskans for Peace will purchase a limited number of books that we will send to those in need. The books will be first come first serve so please register soon!
After you register we will send more information about the book study and the Zoom links via email. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Thank you,
Luisa Palomo Hare
Register soon at https://forms.gle/3aweVtdbCaa4vKYb8
My name is Luisa Palomo Hare. I am a board member of Nebraskans for Peace and chair the Social Justice priority committee. We decided to organize a Social Justice Book Study group as a way to stay connected with each other and make new friends. This group is open to all who are interested, so please feel free to invite your friends and relatives to join us!
We will be reading the book Poverty, by America, by Matthew Desmond. This book, written by the Pulitzer Prize winning author of Evicted, has the following reviews:
- “Desmond’s new book is short, smart, and thrilling. The thrill comes from the sheer boldness of Desmond’s argument and his carefully modulated but very real tone of outrage that underlies his words.”—Rolling Stone
- “This book is essential and instructive, hopeful and enraging.”—Ann Patchett
- “Provocative and compelling . . . [Desmond] packs in a sweeping array of examples and numbers to support his thesis and . . . the accumulation has the effect of shifting one’s brain ever so slightly to change the entire frame of reference.”—NPR
If you are interested in joining this book study, please fill out the registration form below.
https://forms.gle/3aweVtdbCaa4vKYb8
Nebraskans for Peace will purchase a limited number of books that we will send to those in need. The books will be first come first serve so please register soon!
After you register we will send more information about the book study and the Zoom links via email. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Thank you,
Luisa Palomo Hare
2023 Legislative Session: A Regretful Recap
by Maggie Ballard Nebraskans for Peace Board President
The 108th Nebraska Legislature will go down in history as the session to bring about some of the worst changes that our state has ever seen. We can agree to disagree on the politics around what was passed, but the fact remains that the Speaker and Lieutenant Governor (who serves as the president of the Legislature) chose to ignore the rules that ensure our laws are passed fairly. We’re getting a little ahead of ourselves though, aren’t we? Perhaps I should start back from the beginning.
Every January, the Nebraska Unicameral convenes for either 60 days (a short session, taking place during even-numbered years) or 90 days (a long session during which the state budget must be passed, which takes place during odd-numbered years). This year’s 90 day session began with a bit of excitement in the air that can be compared to the first day of high school or college. There was a mixture of several new or returning freshmen senators, while some were returning for their seventh of eighth years. The Unicameral is officially nonpartisan – meaning that each person works for the agenda of the state, rather than the agenda of their political party. Even so, each senator is known to have an “R” or a “D” next to their name, even if that letter is not displayed anywhere in the Capitol. There was a total of 17 Democrats and 32 Republicans. If you have watched the session in previous years, you know that being outnumbered almost 2:1 does not leave the progressive minded senators powerless. While a simple majority of 25 votes is needed to advance or pass a bill, there is this wild card known as a filibuster, a procedure in a legislative body to prolong debate in order to delay or prevent a decision. Senator Ernie Chambers was the king of filibusters back when he was in office, and once this strategy is implemented, it takes 33 – not 25 – votes needed to advance a bill. Therefore, the minority voice is protected. But only if there are 17 minority voices. 16 will not cut it, and this year’s legislative body was made up of one democrat that sided with conservatives on key issues.
After senators were sworn into office, Committee Chairs were elected by secret ballot and Senator John Arch was unanimously elected to be the Speaker. There was some contention over committee assignments and rules around Points of Personal Privilege (which is fancy talk for taking a moment to make a personal announcement or acknowledgement), but optimists had reason to believe that things could be ironed out and run in their usual, productive fashion. That optimism was short-lived though, once bills started being introduced. As some senators introduced bills to help Nebraskans with issues like food and water, property taxes, education, and criminal justice reform, others focused on controversial issues, some of which seemed to originate from outside Nebraska. Bills that made progressives across the state cringe began making headlines, like expanding the right to carry a weapon without any training or background checks that NFP organized a rally against (LB 77 – Senator Tom Brewer), restricting access to abortion after 6 weeks (LB 626 – Senator Joni Albrecht), making it a crime for minors to be around drag queens (LB 373 – Senator Dave Murman), prohibiting transgender youth from using bathrooms or locker rooms for the gender they identify as, unless it matches the sex they were assigned at birth (LB 575 – Senator Kathleen Kauth) and demanding that Nebraskans prove their citizenship each time they vote (AM 1940 – Senator Julie Slama – to LB 514, as simple Voter ID Bill).
As these “culture wars” began stirring up, the nonpartisan nature of the Legislature started to fade. And then, to top it all off, Senator Kathleen Kauth introduced LB 574, a piece of anti-trans legislation which she named the “Let Them Grow” Act. LB 574 prohibited the use of hormones, puberty blockers, and gender reassignment surgery for transgender minors in Nebraska. The bill was deemed by supporters as a way to prevent children from putting hormones or puberty blockers into their bodies when the long-term effects have not yet been studied, and to prevent children from mutilating their genitals before they become adults. Critics (including Nebraskans for Peace) saw this bill as a means to legislate hatred; it would prevent transgender youth from becoming more comfortable in their own skin – allowing them to match their outsides with their insides. Opponents to LB 574 also asserted that gender-altering surgeries are already rare amongst minors, and the hormones and puberty blockers LB 574 sought to ban were FDA approved, safe, rarely regretted, and a way to help transgender youth become more at peace with who they truly are. To our dismay, LB 574 had 22 co-signers.
Another dismaying event involved committee bill hearings. This year, they were not run fairly. A core tenant of our unicameral system is the committee process. Because we only have one house – the Senate – the people are considered the second house. Every bill is required to have a hearing and citizens, or the Second House, are free to come sit in front of the committee members and offer up their 3 - 5 minutes of testimony, be it personal story, professional experience, or one’s opinion. This system has rules and norms that are followed year after year. But norms were shattered this year in some committees. The hearing on LB 574 in the Health and Human Services Committee was one example: the hearing room, an overflow room and the hallways were filled with people who came to testify on the bill. These were transgender adults, transgender teens, gay people, straight people, parents of transgender kids, social workers, pediatricians, nurses, other healthcare providers, and civil rights advocates. When Senator Hansen, Chair of the HHS committee decided to limit the total number of testifiers to 3 hours per side, lines of people who had been there all day were told to go home, unable to speak to those who represent them in government. The hearing was over by 8:00 p.m. (Hearings are allowed to go to 11:59, as has happened before on controversial bills). But Senator Hansen didn’t want to stay that late. So, the people crying, angry, sad, exhausted, people were sent away. The Second House was silenced. Needless to say, LB 574 came out of committee.
Senator Machaela Cavanaugh was not having any of it. Early on in the session, as soon as she heard LB 574 was introduced, she got on her microphone and told her colleagues, everyone watching the Legislature at home, and the entire world that she would “burn the session to the ground” before she would let such a bill pass. She vowed to filibuster every single bill that came up for debate, which would use up so much time that the body would only have enough time left to pass a small handful of bills. And she was true to her word. Even through having strep throat, Senator Machaela Cavanaugh filibustered every single bill that arrived on the floor. Every. Single. One. After a few weeks, she had company. Senator Megan Hunt disclosed on the floor that her own son was transgender. She and several of her colleagues joined Senator Cavanaugh in filibustering bills.
Even those that agreed with Senator Machaela Cavanaugh could be frustrated that stopping one bad bill came at the expense of not being able to pass a number of good bills. Remember though: Senator Cavanaugh left her colleagues with an alternative from the beginning: she encouraged them to take their name off of “that piece of poop” legislation and agree to not let this bill become the priority of the entire body. Unfortunately, too many of her colleagues refused to budge. Some thought that the puberty blockers and hormones would be okay, but the surgery (which, I remind you, hardly any minors ever receive) should be banned. A compromise could not be reached, and instead of letting the bill fail, the Speaker gave Senator Kauth a time out to strategize how she could keep the legislation alive. She introduced a compromise that would take hormones and puberty blockers out of the bill’s language, but she turned around and asked her colleagues to oppose that amendment.
In the midst of all of this controversy over one bill that was sucking up all the oxygen of the Unicameral, the Speaker and several other senators were tired of not getting anything done. They decided to overcome Senator Cavanaugh’s strategy by changing the rules and allowing numerous bills to be combined into one, as long as their topics were related. (The ladder is important to note: each bill must be confined to a single subject.) This allowed more than a small handful of bills to pass.
Meanwhile, LB 626, the bill to ban abortions after 6 weeks into a pregnancy, was unable to overcome a filibuster. Senator Merv Riepe had had a change of heart and decided that 6 weeks was too close to being a total abortion ban. He proposed they amend the bill to banning after 12 weeks. No agreement was reached. His amendment failed, as did LB 626.
On May 16th, Senator Ben Hansen introduced an amendment to LB 574, the “Let Them Grow” Act. His amendment had nothing to do with transgender care. Instead, it was an amendment to ensure that fetuses could grow into babies. This was an obvious attempt to get some form of an abortion ban to pass. The only problem is that these two subjects have nothing to do with each other. What they have in common is that they were both WANTED by a majority of the body.
Many of us can empathize with wanting to go to any length to pass a bill into law if we are passionate enough about it. That’s why we have rules, to ensure that no matter how much we want something done, it has to happen the right way.
There were many motions made by a number of senators that attempted to make the legislative body play by those rules. There was a motion to return LB 574’s amendment to committee for a hearing. There was a motion to call into question the germaneness of the amendment. There was another motion to return LB 574 to the Judiciary Committee because it included criminal penalties, and criminal penalties fall under the Judiciary Committee’s scope of expertise. None of these motions passed. Neither Speaker Arch, who had a reputation for being conservative but fair, nor Lt. Governor Kelly directed the Legislature to play by the rules.
On Friday, May 19th, LB 574 made it to final reading. A vote was taken to end the filibuster and it passed. A vote was taken on the bill itself and it passed. An overflowing rotunda full of opponents, including several members of Nebraskans for Peace, fell silent. Tears flowed and people clung to each other in defeat. The governor proudly signed it into law. And every single Nebraskan that knows and loves a transgender person has had a harder time sleeping at night.
May 19th was a hard day to be a Nebraskan. It was a hard day to stand for peace. The attack on transgender people’s rights will not be the last attack Nebraskans for Peace fights. Every one of us that is able to do something to stop these attacks, must do something. We must come together, vote, canvas, protest, and demand better from our Unicameral. May we never have another session that disgraces our state like this one has done.
by Maggie Ballard Nebraskans for Peace Board President
The 108th Nebraska Legislature will go down in history as the session to bring about some of the worst changes that our state has ever seen. We can agree to disagree on the politics around what was passed, but the fact remains that the Speaker and Lieutenant Governor (who serves as the president of the Legislature) chose to ignore the rules that ensure our laws are passed fairly. We’re getting a little ahead of ourselves though, aren’t we? Perhaps I should start back from the beginning.
Every January, the Nebraska Unicameral convenes for either 60 days (a short session, taking place during even-numbered years) or 90 days (a long session during which the state budget must be passed, which takes place during odd-numbered years). This year’s 90 day session began with a bit of excitement in the air that can be compared to the first day of high school or college. There was a mixture of several new or returning freshmen senators, while some were returning for their seventh of eighth years. The Unicameral is officially nonpartisan – meaning that each person works for the agenda of the state, rather than the agenda of their political party. Even so, each senator is known to have an “R” or a “D” next to their name, even if that letter is not displayed anywhere in the Capitol. There was a total of 17 Democrats and 32 Republicans. If you have watched the session in previous years, you know that being outnumbered almost 2:1 does not leave the progressive minded senators powerless. While a simple majority of 25 votes is needed to advance or pass a bill, there is this wild card known as a filibuster, a procedure in a legislative body to prolong debate in order to delay or prevent a decision. Senator Ernie Chambers was the king of filibusters back when he was in office, and once this strategy is implemented, it takes 33 – not 25 – votes needed to advance a bill. Therefore, the minority voice is protected. But only if there are 17 minority voices. 16 will not cut it, and this year’s legislative body was made up of one democrat that sided with conservatives on key issues.
After senators were sworn into office, Committee Chairs were elected by secret ballot and Senator John Arch was unanimously elected to be the Speaker. There was some contention over committee assignments and rules around Points of Personal Privilege (which is fancy talk for taking a moment to make a personal announcement or acknowledgement), but optimists had reason to believe that things could be ironed out and run in their usual, productive fashion. That optimism was short-lived though, once bills started being introduced. As some senators introduced bills to help Nebraskans with issues like food and water, property taxes, education, and criminal justice reform, others focused on controversial issues, some of which seemed to originate from outside Nebraska. Bills that made progressives across the state cringe began making headlines, like expanding the right to carry a weapon without any training or background checks that NFP organized a rally against (LB 77 – Senator Tom Brewer), restricting access to abortion after 6 weeks (LB 626 – Senator Joni Albrecht), making it a crime for minors to be around drag queens (LB 373 – Senator Dave Murman), prohibiting transgender youth from using bathrooms or locker rooms for the gender they identify as, unless it matches the sex they were assigned at birth (LB 575 – Senator Kathleen Kauth) and demanding that Nebraskans prove their citizenship each time they vote (AM 1940 – Senator Julie Slama – to LB 514, as simple Voter ID Bill).
As these “culture wars” began stirring up, the nonpartisan nature of the Legislature started to fade. And then, to top it all off, Senator Kathleen Kauth introduced LB 574, a piece of anti-trans legislation which she named the “Let Them Grow” Act. LB 574 prohibited the use of hormones, puberty blockers, and gender reassignment surgery for transgender minors in Nebraska. The bill was deemed by supporters as a way to prevent children from putting hormones or puberty blockers into their bodies when the long-term effects have not yet been studied, and to prevent children from mutilating their genitals before they become adults. Critics (including Nebraskans for Peace) saw this bill as a means to legislate hatred; it would prevent transgender youth from becoming more comfortable in their own skin – allowing them to match their outsides with their insides. Opponents to LB 574 also asserted that gender-altering surgeries are already rare amongst minors, and the hormones and puberty blockers LB 574 sought to ban were FDA approved, safe, rarely regretted, and a way to help transgender youth become more at peace with who they truly are. To our dismay, LB 574 had 22 co-signers.
Another dismaying event involved committee bill hearings. This year, they were not run fairly. A core tenant of our unicameral system is the committee process. Because we only have one house – the Senate – the people are considered the second house. Every bill is required to have a hearing and citizens, or the Second House, are free to come sit in front of the committee members and offer up their 3 - 5 minutes of testimony, be it personal story, professional experience, or one’s opinion. This system has rules and norms that are followed year after year. But norms were shattered this year in some committees. The hearing on LB 574 in the Health and Human Services Committee was one example: the hearing room, an overflow room and the hallways were filled with people who came to testify on the bill. These were transgender adults, transgender teens, gay people, straight people, parents of transgender kids, social workers, pediatricians, nurses, other healthcare providers, and civil rights advocates. When Senator Hansen, Chair of the HHS committee decided to limit the total number of testifiers to 3 hours per side, lines of people who had been there all day were told to go home, unable to speak to those who represent them in government. The hearing was over by 8:00 p.m. (Hearings are allowed to go to 11:59, as has happened before on controversial bills). But Senator Hansen didn’t want to stay that late. So, the people crying, angry, sad, exhausted, people were sent away. The Second House was silenced. Needless to say, LB 574 came out of committee.
Senator Machaela Cavanaugh was not having any of it. Early on in the session, as soon as she heard LB 574 was introduced, she got on her microphone and told her colleagues, everyone watching the Legislature at home, and the entire world that she would “burn the session to the ground” before she would let such a bill pass. She vowed to filibuster every single bill that came up for debate, which would use up so much time that the body would only have enough time left to pass a small handful of bills. And she was true to her word. Even through having strep throat, Senator Machaela Cavanaugh filibustered every single bill that arrived on the floor. Every. Single. One. After a few weeks, she had company. Senator Megan Hunt disclosed on the floor that her own son was transgender. She and several of her colleagues joined Senator Cavanaugh in filibustering bills.
Even those that agreed with Senator Machaela Cavanaugh could be frustrated that stopping one bad bill came at the expense of not being able to pass a number of good bills. Remember though: Senator Cavanaugh left her colleagues with an alternative from the beginning: she encouraged them to take their name off of “that piece of poop” legislation and agree to not let this bill become the priority of the entire body. Unfortunately, too many of her colleagues refused to budge. Some thought that the puberty blockers and hormones would be okay, but the surgery (which, I remind you, hardly any minors ever receive) should be banned. A compromise could not be reached, and instead of letting the bill fail, the Speaker gave Senator Kauth a time out to strategize how she could keep the legislation alive. She introduced a compromise that would take hormones and puberty blockers out of the bill’s language, but she turned around and asked her colleagues to oppose that amendment.
In the midst of all of this controversy over one bill that was sucking up all the oxygen of the Unicameral, the Speaker and several other senators were tired of not getting anything done. They decided to overcome Senator Cavanaugh’s strategy by changing the rules and allowing numerous bills to be combined into one, as long as their topics were related. (The ladder is important to note: each bill must be confined to a single subject.) This allowed more than a small handful of bills to pass.
Meanwhile, LB 626, the bill to ban abortions after 6 weeks into a pregnancy, was unable to overcome a filibuster. Senator Merv Riepe had had a change of heart and decided that 6 weeks was too close to being a total abortion ban. He proposed they amend the bill to banning after 12 weeks. No agreement was reached. His amendment failed, as did LB 626.
On May 16th, Senator Ben Hansen introduced an amendment to LB 574, the “Let Them Grow” Act. His amendment had nothing to do with transgender care. Instead, it was an amendment to ensure that fetuses could grow into babies. This was an obvious attempt to get some form of an abortion ban to pass. The only problem is that these two subjects have nothing to do with each other. What they have in common is that they were both WANTED by a majority of the body.
Many of us can empathize with wanting to go to any length to pass a bill into law if we are passionate enough about it. That’s why we have rules, to ensure that no matter how much we want something done, it has to happen the right way.
There were many motions made by a number of senators that attempted to make the legislative body play by those rules. There was a motion to return LB 574’s amendment to committee for a hearing. There was a motion to call into question the germaneness of the amendment. There was another motion to return LB 574 to the Judiciary Committee because it included criminal penalties, and criminal penalties fall under the Judiciary Committee’s scope of expertise. None of these motions passed. Neither Speaker Arch, who had a reputation for being conservative but fair, nor Lt. Governor Kelly directed the Legislature to play by the rules.
On Friday, May 19th, LB 574 made it to final reading. A vote was taken to end the filibuster and it passed. A vote was taken on the bill itself and it passed. An overflowing rotunda full of opponents, including several members of Nebraskans for Peace, fell silent. Tears flowed and people clung to each other in defeat. The governor proudly signed it into law. And every single Nebraskan that knows and loves a transgender person has had a harder time sleeping at night.
May 19th was a hard day to be a Nebraskan. It was a hard day to stand for peace. The attack on transgender people’s rights will not be the last attack Nebraskans for Peace fights. Every one of us that is able to do something to stop these attacks, must do something. We must come together, vote, canvas, protest, and demand better from our Unicameral. May we never have another session that disgraces our state like this one has done.
Now, through May 24th, is the best time to donate to the Nebraska Peace Foundation this year!
The more we can raise, the more that will be matched by the Give to Lincoln Day Foundation. During the month of May, all your favorite local nonprofits will receive increased donations. This will be the ninth year that the Nebraska Peace Foundation has been involved in the fundraising event. We hope to make it our best year yet!
Please consider making a donation to the Nebraska Peace Foundation for Give to Lincoln Day!!
ANYONE ANYWHERE CAN PARTICIPATE!!
If you support the work we do to raise awareness to the injustices occurring in Nebraska and around the globe, our work on Anti-war issues, or our work on environmental issues, please show us through your donation on Give to Lincoln Day!
Online donations need to be made TODAY! All donations will be eligible for matching funds.
Go to givetolincoln.com/nonprofits/nebraska-peace-foundation or go to givetolincoln.com and search for Nebraska Peace Foundation.
Donations to the Lincoln Community Foundation for the benefit of the Nebraska Peace Foundation are not only increased by matching funds but are tax-deductible and help our work towards Peace & Justice to carry on!
The more we can raise, the more that will be matched by the Give to Lincoln Day Foundation. During the month of May, all your favorite local nonprofits will receive increased donations. This will be the ninth year that the Nebraska Peace Foundation has been involved in the fundraising event. We hope to make it our best year yet!
Please consider making a donation to the Nebraska Peace Foundation for Give to Lincoln Day!!
ANYONE ANYWHERE CAN PARTICIPATE!!
If you support the work we do to raise awareness to the injustices occurring in Nebraska and around the globe, our work on Anti-war issues, or our work on environmental issues, please show us through your donation on Give to Lincoln Day!
Online donations need to be made TODAY! All donations will be eligible for matching funds.
Go to givetolincoln.com/nonprofits/nebraska-peace-foundation or go to givetolincoln.com and search for Nebraska Peace Foundation.
Donations to the Lincoln Community Foundation for the benefit of the Nebraska Peace Foundation are not only increased by matching funds but are tax-deductible and help our work towards Peace & Justice to carry on!
Niskíthe Prayer Camp Update — The Journey thus far…
by Erin Poor
Citizen of Cherokee Nation, member of Niskíthe Prayer Camp
It is mid-March. Nettles are beginning to break through the ground, the Sandhill cranes have arrived, and the Thunder Beings will soon make their return to the prairie. As the sun rises over southeast Lincoln, Nebraska, the landscape has once again changed, but not from natural causes. Snell Hill, the highest point in Lancaster County, and a place of historical, spiritual, and environmental significance to many, has been desecrated by bulldozers. Trees and medicine plants have been ripped from the ground; bird relatives displaced. Just east, flags fly from the tops of tipi poles.
The people of Niskíthe Prayer Camp, made up of Tribal citizens, environmental advocates, and people from all walks of life reconnecting with Mother Earth, mobilized again on February 6th, 2023, to protect Indigenous ceremony, and defend the land and waters. One of our relatives who lives near Snell Hill alerted us to the arrival of the machines the week prior. It was the thing we had been dreading since the proposed development was brought to our attention in March of 2022.
Nearly one year ago, signs were placed by city officials along south 1st street between Pioneers Boulevard and Old Cheney, alerting area residents to a proposed change of zones. The area, then part of Lancaster County, had been zoned for agricultural purposes for generations, and before that, it was part of the Otoe Missouria peoples’ territory. In addition to being Otoe Missouria homelands, it was (and will forever be) an intertribal gathering place. People of many tribal nations came to the area to harvest salt from the Salt Creek, which winds its way through what we now call Wilderness Park. Undoubtedly, the original Indigenous stewards of this land would have gathered at the highest point in the area, what we now call Snell Hill.
Around the turn of the 20th century, a house was built not far from the banks of the Salt Creek. That house would eventually come to be known as the Flying Fish Farm and would be surrounded on three sides by Wilderness Park. On that property, tucked between the trees and set back from the road, a sweat lodge was built. Though we know that lodge was consecrated by the great Sicangu Lakota medicine man Chief Leonard Crow Dog in 1979, oral histories tell us that it had been there even before then, operating clandestinely when it was still illegal to practice Indigenous ceremonies in the United States. Chief Leonard Crow Dog was instrumental in advocating for Indigenous People’s right to religious freedom and was a part of the movement that led to the Native American Religious Freedom Act of 1978. His work and his subsequent consecration of sweat lodges across the country is American History, and we are fortunate to have a lodge in Lincoln that bears that history. For generations upon generations the Inipi ceremony has been life-sustaining and powerfully healing for countless people. Native and non-Native people alike will tell you stories about how that ceremony saved their life, helped them in their recovery from substance use, supported healing from acute and generational traumas, helped them reconnect to their ancestors, Mother Earth, a higher power, find community, and feel at home while away from their reservations. Impermanent and humble as the structure may be, the sweat lodge at the Fish Farm represents life, history, healing, and Indigenous resistance.
It was a shock then, when the ceremonial family who prays at the Fish Farm learned of the proposed housing development to be constructed directly across the street. The development, called Wilderness Crossing, would create nearly 600 housing units, bring in 1200 motor vehicles daily, and dramatically change the environment. Ceremonial practitioners raised the alarm at official city meetings in March and April of 2022, stating that a peaceful natural environment is vital to the practice of the ceremony there. Building a dense neighborhood across the street and annexing that area into the City of Lincoln would make the lodge vulnerable to city code violations like noise ordinances and open fire laws. New residents of Wilderness Crossing may hear loud singing or drumming late into the night and call the police. Likewise, our large sacred fire may scare new residents into calling first responders. Each scenario with the potential to disrupt ceremonies and lead to citations. Such a situation is no minor inconvenience, it is the contemporary version of Indigenous ceremonial persecution.
In addition to threatening ceremonial practices, the annexation into the City of Lincoln places financial burdens on the landowner of the Fish Farm, requiring major construction costs to connect her property to City Water and Sewage systems. The cost would likely be impossible for the landowner to meet and could force a sale, again threatening the future of the lodge and the ceremonies practiced there.
Environmental advocates and residents of the area near the proposed development also raised serious concerns about the destruction of natural habitat for plants and wildlife, light pollution, run-off and pesticide drift from the development into Wilderness Park and Salt Creek. Area residents who had seen flood waters at their doorsteps in 2015 warned that the development could make their homes and lives even more vulnerable with the loss of porous land to absorb excessive rainwater. With concrete roads and shingled roofs replacing soft earth, rainwater will run into the storm sewers and into Salt Creek, which have already been maxed out in extreme flooding events—events we can expect to see more of as the climate crises worsens.
Despite thousands of letters and hours of public testimony advocating for Indigenous ceremonial rights and warning of the environmental and personal property damage, Lincoln’s Planning Commission and City Council swiftly approved Wilderness Crossing. It should be noted that in six hours of public testimony at the City Council on April 18th, 2022, only one person testified in favor of the development, and that was a representative of Manzitto, the developer who stands to make millions from this project. The people of the city of Lincoln resoundingly rejected the development, citing numerous moral and environmental reasons, pointing to Lincoln’s 2050 comprehensive plan and demanding the city be accountable to the sustainable and ethical growth plan they themselves developed and published. But the elected representatives ignored the will of the people and approved all ordinances and amendments in support of Wilderness Crossing.
The day of the City Council’s vote, April 25th, 2022, there was a strong showing of Lincoln’s Native Community. Elders, teens, long-time advocates for Native Rights were sitting side by side with their Environmentalist allies. Though hundreds of letters, phone calls, and testimonies had addressed the concerns for the sweat lodge at the Fish Farm, the word sweat lodge wasn’t uttered once by the council members. The Native Elders in the room went unacknowledged and attempts made by Council Women Raybould and Washington for Environmental Impact studies were batted away like a bothersome fly. The motions passed. We were gutted.
One week after that decision, dawn rose on Snell Hill, illuminating seven tipis that had been erected overnight. Niskíthe Prayer Camp was established, and with our presence we stated, “We are still here. We are strong. We will remain.”
From May 2nd-May 18th we camped on Snell Hill. Through freezing rain, blazing hot days, and countless thunderstorms, our tipis stood tall. We were in ceremony, constantly in prayer, educating visitors, making new relatives, decolonizing our minds and hearts, singing late into the night, feeding the fires, reconnecting to the Land and each other. We made earnest attempts to negotiate with the Mayor, the City Council, with Manzitto, the developer, and the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln—the landowner prior to Manzitto. One thing was clear, no one was willing to take responsibility. Each entity, with their unique positioning, had ample resources to make decisions and effect change. All claimed powerlessness and abdicated responsibility for, yet another community of Indigenous people displaced for the sake of “development.” Demonstrating that neocolonialism is alive and well in this country, and even so-called liberal city administrations would not defend the land or Indigenous ceremonial rights when dollars were at stake.
With heavy hearts, uncertain if we were doing the right thing, many of us deeply conflicted, we took our last tipi down on May 18th, 2022. We needed to return to our homes, our jobs, our responsibilities. Our negotiations had not led to the protections for the land or the lodge, and Manzitto was threatening to send the police in the day they became the legal landowners. Rather than see our relatives in jail, and our tipis and sacred items in the hands of law enforcement, we changed tactics. We would come off the hill and continue our fight in the courts.
During the summer of 2022 we were blessed to be connected to the ACLU of Nebraska and Big Fire Law and Policy group, who agreed to represent the Niskíthe community pro-bono. This was the answer to many prayers, and thanks to the diligence of our dear friend Ken Winston. Our Indigenous-women led legal team went to work and on August 2nd, we formally filed a notice of appeal with the city, requesting a hearing with the Board of Zoning Appeals. It is our position that the City approved their actions in support of Wilderness Crossing outside of the legal administrative timelines and in violation of several parts of the 2050 Comprehensive plan. Nebraska State law mandates that a board be appointed to hear zoning disputes within the city of Lincoln. Our legal team sought to utilize that right. The City of Lincoln disagreed. On September 21st, the same day Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird signed a proclamation declaring that day Otoe Missouria Day, her administration filed a lawsuit against Niskíthe representatives and the Indian Center, requesting a judge formally deny us our right to a hearing with the Board of Zoning Appeals.
On November 18th we were called to court. We came with our relatives, and we came with our tipi. Again, we gathered, brought our drum, sang our songs, brought our medicines, made our prayers, held up our signs, and shared our story with local journalists. We sat on the lawn of the courthouse in our tipi while our legal team argued for our rights.
Months passed, the calendar year changed, and finally on February 1st, 2023 we were given a decision. The Judge had ruled in Niskíthe’s favor. The City could not sue to block us from the Board of Zoning Appeals. The same day we celebrated our court win, the first bulldozer was moved onto Snell Hill. The city had tied our hands with their lawsuit for months, and now time had run out. We needed to get in front of the Board of Zoning Appeals and ask for all progress to be stopped while the entire project was reviewed. We began gathering, organizing, and strategizing. However, on Friday, February 3rd the City indicated to our legal team that despite the Judge’s ruling, we would not be offered a hearing with the Board of Zoning Appeals. We were out of time. We needed to act to defend the land.
Monday, February 6th in the early morning hours, we gathered in prayer, laid down tobacco, and raised our tipi polls yet again. The quiet of the morning dawn was broken by the sound of diesel engines. The desecration of Snell Hill was about to begin.
The land and ceremony defenders looked on in horror as the first trees were ripped from the ground. We could only take so much until we were compelled to step in. Several of us moved to put ourselves between the machines and the trees. The police arrived moments later. While we were up on the hill, witnessing the beginnings of the destruction, we saw a string of prayer ties in a heap on the ground. A bird that had been placed in a tree during a ceremony last spring was also displaced, laying in a heap next to splintered wood.
For months we had thought that Manzitto and the City were not listening to us. But that morning they demonstrated that they had heard us. They had heard us when we said that land was sacred, that hill held our prayers, and was home to many spirits and non-human relatives. With trees all over that property, they started there, on Snell Hill, where we had camped, where we made our prayers, the part of the land we were striving so hard to preserve. We understood then that they were listening, and that they wanted to hurt us.
Over the course of that painful day and the next, we had many relatives stand with us in support. Six of our people were arrested. Countless tree relatives lost their lives. The Lincoln Police Department established a large presence with multiple road blockades, nearly 20 police officers, and a 24-hr surveillance station. They had the land surrounded, and they ensured the desecration would continue undisrupted.
What could we do then but pray. Night fell and we once again walked the land, careful to avoid the eye of the surveillance cameras. It looked like a battlefield. The bodies of slain tree relatives laid in heaps on land scarred by giant tire treads. We stepped over broken limbs, said prayers for the fallen, laid down tobacco, and let our tears fall.
Our tipi still stands just east of Snell Hill. We gather there to pray and be with the land as she experiences these deaths, like sitting with a relative before they make their journey to the spirit world. Our prayer leaders tell us to be proud of what we have done, to keep our heads high, even as our hearts hang heavy in our chests. But we are lifted by one another, by the sacred fire, by our prayers, guided by our ancestors, and connected to one another through Spirit. We are still here. We are strong. And we will remain. The desecration and disrespect we experienced here in Lincoln has been going on for 500 years. It is not new, nor is it close to done. But we stood up and disrupted that system. And we will continue to do whatever we can to protect Unci Maka, Grandmother Earth, and to carry on the legacy of our ancestors who lived and died so that we could pray in our way.
Our legal fights continue. Now our relatives who were arrested make their way through the injustice system. We have trials set for April 24, May 1, and June 7th, 2023. Our legal team at Big Fire and ACLU of Nebraska submitted a new case against the City of Lincoln on Monday, March 6th, alleging that the city denied us our right to due process by withholding a hearing with the Board of Zoning Appeals. We will see this through using every avenue available to us. For we are committed to our Mother Earth and sustained by our ceremonies. We are blessed with new relationships, new kinship bonds that have formed over this past year, newcomers to our ceremonies, new supporters looking to do their part. We are focusing on healing and renewing our work to rematriate the land to Indigenous stewardship. We encourage everyone to move to be in right relation with each other and with Mother Earth, to see yourself and understand your role in the land back movement. We are all related. Mitakuye Oyasin.
by Erin Poor
Citizen of Cherokee Nation, member of Niskíthe Prayer Camp
It is mid-March. Nettles are beginning to break through the ground, the Sandhill cranes have arrived, and the Thunder Beings will soon make their return to the prairie. As the sun rises over southeast Lincoln, Nebraska, the landscape has once again changed, but not from natural causes. Snell Hill, the highest point in Lancaster County, and a place of historical, spiritual, and environmental significance to many, has been desecrated by bulldozers. Trees and medicine plants have been ripped from the ground; bird relatives displaced. Just east, flags fly from the tops of tipi poles.
The people of Niskíthe Prayer Camp, made up of Tribal citizens, environmental advocates, and people from all walks of life reconnecting with Mother Earth, mobilized again on February 6th, 2023, to protect Indigenous ceremony, and defend the land and waters. One of our relatives who lives near Snell Hill alerted us to the arrival of the machines the week prior. It was the thing we had been dreading since the proposed development was brought to our attention in March of 2022.
Nearly one year ago, signs were placed by city officials along south 1st street between Pioneers Boulevard and Old Cheney, alerting area residents to a proposed change of zones. The area, then part of Lancaster County, had been zoned for agricultural purposes for generations, and before that, it was part of the Otoe Missouria peoples’ territory. In addition to being Otoe Missouria homelands, it was (and will forever be) an intertribal gathering place. People of many tribal nations came to the area to harvest salt from the Salt Creek, which winds its way through what we now call Wilderness Park. Undoubtedly, the original Indigenous stewards of this land would have gathered at the highest point in the area, what we now call Snell Hill.
Around the turn of the 20th century, a house was built not far from the banks of the Salt Creek. That house would eventually come to be known as the Flying Fish Farm and would be surrounded on three sides by Wilderness Park. On that property, tucked between the trees and set back from the road, a sweat lodge was built. Though we know that lodge was consecrated by the great Sicangu Lakota medicine man Chief Leonard Crow Dog in 1979, oral histories tell us that it had been there even before then, operating clandestinely when it was still illegal to practice Indigenous ceremonies in the United States. Chief Leonard Crow Dog was instrumental in advocating for Indigenous People’s right to religious freedom and was a part of the movement that led to the Native American Religious Freedom Act of 1978. His work and his subsequent consecration of sweat lodges across the country is American History, and we are fortunate to have a lodge in Lincoln that bears that history. For generations upon generations the Inipi ceremony has been life-sustaining and powerfully healing for countless people. Native and non-Native people alike will tell you stories about how that ceremony saved their life, helped them in their recovery from substance use, supported healing from acute and generational traumas, helped them reconnect to their ancestors, Mother Earth, a higher power, find community, and feel at home while away from their reservations. Impermanent and humble as the structure may be, the sweat lodge at the Fish Farm represents life, history, healing, and Indigenous resistance.
It was a shock then, when the ceremonial family who prays at the Fish Farm learned of the proposed housing development to be constructed directly across the street. The development, called Wilderness Crossing, would create nearly 600 housing units, bring in 1200 motor vehicles daily, and dramatically change the environment. Ceremonial practitioners raised the alarm at official city meetings in March and April of 2022, stating that a peaceful natural environment is vital to the practice of the ceremony there. Building a dense neighborhood across the street and annexing that area into the City of Lincoln would make the lodge vulnerable to city code violations like noise ordinances and open fire laws. New residents of Wilderness Crossing may hear loud singing or drumming late into the night and call the police. Likewise, our large sacred fire may scare new residents into calling first responders. Each scenario with the potential to disrupt ceremonies and lead to citations. Such a situation is no minor inconvenience, it is the contemporary version of Indigenous ceremonial persecution.
In addition to threatening ceremonial practices, the annexation into the City of Lincoln places financial burdens on the landowner of the Fish Farm, requiring major construction costs to connect her property to City Water and Sewage systems. The cost would likely be impossible for the landowner to meet and could force a sale, again threatening the future of the lodge and the ceremonies practiced there.
Environmental advocates and residents of the area near the proposed development also raised serious concerns about the destruction of natural habitat for plants and wildlife, light pollution, run-off and pesticide drift from the development into Wilderness Park and Salt Creek. Area residents who had seen flood waters at their doorsteps in 2015 warned that the development could make their homes and lives even more vulnerable with the loss of porous land to absorb excessive rainwater. With concrete roads and shingled roofs replacing soft earth, rainwater will run into the storm sewers and into Salt Creek, which have already been maxed out in extreme flooding events—events we can expect to see more of as the climate crises worsens.
Despite thousands of letters and hours of public testimony advocating for Indigenous ceremonial rights and warning of the environmental and personal property damage, Lincoln’s Planning Commission and City Council swiftly approved Wilderness Crossing. It should be noted that in six hours of public testimony at the City Council on April 18th, 2022, only one person testified in favor of the development, and that was a representative of Manzitto, the developer who stands to make millions from this project. The people of the city of Lincoln resoundingly rejected the development, citing numerous moral and environmental reasons, pointing to Lincoln’s 2050 comprehensive plan and demanding the city be accountable to the sustainable and ethical growth plan they themselves developed and published. But the elected representatives ignored the will of the people and approved all ordinances and amendments in support of Wilderness Crossing.
The day of the City Council’s vote, April 25th, 2022, there was a strong showing of Lincoln’s Native Community. Elders, teens, long-time advocates for Native Rights were sitting side by side with their Environmentalist allies. Though hundreds of letters, phone calls, and testimonies had addressed the concerns for the sweat lodge at the Fish Farm, the word sweat lodge wasn’t uttered once by the council members. The Native Elders in the room went unacknowledged and attempts made by Council Women Raybould and Washington for Environmental Impact studies were batted away like a bothersome fly. The motions passed. We were gutted.
One week after that decision, dawn rose on Snell Hill, illuminating seven tipis that had been erected overnight. Niskíthe Prayer Camp was established, and with our presence we stated, “We are still here. We are strong. We will remain.”
From May 2nd-May 18th we camped on Snell Hill. Through freezing rain, blazing hot days, and countless thunderstorms, our tipis stood tall. We were in ceremony, constantly in prayer, educating visitors, making new relatives, decolonizing our minds and hearts, singing late into the night, feeding the fires, reconnecting to the Land and each other. We made earnest attempts to negotiate with the Mayor, the City Council, with Manzitto, the developer, and the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln—the landowner prior to Manzitto. One thing was clear, no one was willing to take responsibility. Each entity, with their unique positioning, had ample resources to make decisions and effect change. All claimed powerlessness and abdicated responsibility for, yet another community of Indigenous people displaced for the sake of “development.” Demonstrating that neocolonialism is alive and well in this country, and even so-called liberal city administrations would not defend the land or Indigenous ceremonial rights when dollars were at stake.
With heavy hearts, uncertain if we were doing the right thing, many of us deeply conflicted, we took our last tipi down on May 18th, 2022. We needed to return to our homes, our jobs, our responsibilities. Our negotiations had not led to the protections for the land or the lodge, and Manzitto was threatening to send the police in the day they became the legal landowners. Rather than see our relatives in jail, and our tipis and sacred items in the hands of law enforcement, we changed tactics. We would come off the hill and continue our fight in the courts.
During the summer of 2022 we were blessed to be connected to the ACLU of Nebraska and Big Fire Law and Policy group, who agreed to represent the Niskíthe community pro-bono. This was the answer to many prayers, and thanks to the diligence of our dear friend Ken Winston. Our Indigenous-women led legal team went to work and on August 2nd, we formally filed a notice of appeal with the city, requesting a hearing with the Board of Zoning Appeals. It is our position that the City approved their actions in support of Wilderness Crossing outside of the legal administrative timelines and in violation of several parts of the 2050 Comprehensive plan. Nebraska State law mandates that a board be appointed to hear zoning disputes within the city of Lincoln. Our legal team sought to utilize that right. The City of Lincoln disagreed. On September 21st, the same day Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird signed a proclamation declaring that day Otoe Missouria Day, her administration filed a lawsuit against Niskíthe representatives and the Indian Center, requesting a judge formally deny us our right to a hearing with the Board of Zoning Appeals.
On November 18th we were called to court. We came with our relatives, and we came with our tipi. Again, we gathered, brought our drum, sang our songs, brought our medicines, made our prayers, held up our signs, and shared our story with local journalists. We sat on the lawn of the courthouse in our tipi while our legal team argued for our rights.
Months passed, the calendar year changed, and finally on February 1st, 2023 we were given a decision. The Judge had ruled in Niskíthe’s favor. The City could not sue to block us from the Board of Zoning Appeals. The same day we celebrated our court win, the first bulldozer was moved onto Snell Hill. The city had tied our hands with their lawsuit for months, and now time had run out. We needed to get in front of the Board of Zoning Appeals and ask for all progress to be stopped while the entire project was reviewed. We began gathering, organizing, and strategizing. However, on Friday, February 3rd the City indicated to our legal team that despite the Judge’s ruling, we would not be offered a hearing with the Board of Zoning Appeals. We were out of time. We needed to act to defend the land.
Monday, February 6th in the early morning hours, we gathered in prayer, laid down tobacco, and raised our tipi polls yet again. The quiet of the morning dawn was broken by the sound of diesel engines. The desecration of Snell Hill was about to begin.
The land and ceremony defenders looked on in horror as the first trees were ripped from the ground. We could only take so much until we were compelled to step in. Several of us moved to put ourselves between the machines and the trees. The police arrived moments later. While we were up on the hill, witnessing the beginnings of the destruction, we saw a string of prayer ties in a heap on the ground. A bird that had been placed in a tree during a ceremony last spring was also displaced, laying in a heap next to splintered wood.
For months we had thought that Manzitto and the City were not listening to us. But that morning they demonstrated that they had heard us. They had heard us when we said that land was sacred, that hill held our prayers, and was home to many spirits and non-human relatives. With trees all over that property, they started there, on Snell Hill, where we had camped, where we made our prayers, the part of the land we were striving so hard to preserve. We understood then that they were listening, and that they wanted to hurt us.
Over the course of that painful day and the next, we had many relatives stand with us in support. Six of our people were arrested. Countless tree relatives lost their lives. The Lincoln Police Department established a large presence with multiple road blockades, nearly 20 police officers, and a 24-hr surveillance station. They had the land surrounded, and they ensured the desecration would continue undisrupted.
What could we do then but pray. Night fell and we once again walked the land, careful to avoid the eye of the surveillance cameras. It looked like a battlefield. The bodies of slain tree relatives laid in heaps on land scarred by giant tire treads. We stepped over broken limbs, said prayers for the fallen, laid down tobacco, and let our tears fall.
Our tipi still stands just east of Snell Hill. We gather there to pray and be with the land as she experiences these deaths, like sitting with a relative before they make their journey to the spirit world. Our prayer leaders tell us to be proud of what we have done, to keep our heads high, even as our hearts hang heavy in our chests. But we are lifted by one another, by the sacred fire, by our prayers, guided by our ancestors, and connected to one another through Spirit. We are still here. We are strong. And we will remain. The desecration and disrespect we experienced here in Lincoln has been going on for 500 years. It is not new, nor is it close to done. But we stood up and disrupted that system. And we will continue to do whatever we can to protect Unci Maka, Grandmother Earth, and to carry on the legacy of our ancestors who lived and died so that we could pray in our way.
Our legal fights continue. Now our relatives who were arrested make their way through the injustice system. We have trials set for April 24, May 1, and June 7th, 2023. Our legal team at Big Fire and ACLU of Nebraska submitted a new case against the City of Lincoln on Monday, March 6th, alleging that the city denied us our right to due process by withholding a hearing with the Board of Zoning Appeals. We will see this through using every avenue available to us. For we are committed to our Mother Earth and sustained by our ceremonies. We are blessed with new relationships, new kinship bonds that have formed over this past year, newcomers to our ceremonies, new supporters looking to do their part. We are focusing on healing and renewing our work to rematriate the land to Indigenous stewardship. We encourage everyone to move to be in right relation with each other and with Mother Earth, to see yourself and understand your role in the land back movement. We are all related. Mitakuye Oyasin.
NFP Helps Children and Adults in Gaza
It is a pleasure to report about Nebraskans for Peace—Palestinian Rights Task Force’s recent Potluck Fundraiser for Gaza! The weather was cold and windy the evening of November 10th in Omaha. The fellowship hall at St. Timothy’s Lutheran Church at 510 N. 93rd Street was warmed, not just by its heating system, but by the genuine, caring concern on the part of the people in attendance. They came there that night sharing the desire for justice for Palestinians in all areas, especially health care.
Members and guests filled the room numbering around eighty. Attendees’ hearts were inspired to give as they sat at tables together, sharing marvelous food choices from the long potluck buffet table. Many of the dishes were homemade Palestinian cuisine from local Palestinian cooks. Conversations were joyful among people appreciating being together again in person for a fundraising event. It was our task force’s first such gathering since the beginning of Covid-19.
It was wonderful to have our founder, Anne Else, return to assist with the event details, even though she is retired. She taught me a lot. It was a group production. Thanks to all who worked before, during, and after the event. Everyone joined in the cleanup!
We were blessed to meet Pastor Kathy Gerking several years ago when St. Timothy’s Lutheran Church hosted Mr. Daoud Nassar, whose family owns the Tent of Nations on a hill above Bethlehem. Her church was a perfect location for this event. St. Timothy’s Lutheran Church became our host and first sponsor. Three other sponsors followed: the Social Justice and Peacemaking Committee of the Missouri River Valley Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Holy Land Task Force of the Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church and the Omaha Friends (Quaker) Meeting.
The evening’s announcement of the total donations was proof of the generosity of those who attended. Before the event, donations of over $5,750 had already come in by U.S. Mail and Internet giving. After the evening’s cash, checks, and raffle funds were added, the amount had grown to $12,000. On November 17th, when the checks were dispersed to the two organizations, the total had grown to $13,375.
Augusta Victoria Hospital was sent $6.435. The Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund was sent $6,940. Each donor indicated how their donations were to be split between the two organizations or given to one or the other alone.
We carefully selected those funds, Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem and the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund. Both are highly needed medical providers for the people of Gaza. We were fortunate to have speakers from each group who were part of the organizations.
They inspired us that evening. Our Palestinian American emcee for the evening, Batoul, was ready to go with PCRF on its next mission after hearing Dr. Angela Hanna speak to us in person! Reverend Mark Brown’s description of the dedication of the medical staff at Augusta Victoria Hospital’s separate hotel for Palestinian patients certainly touched my heart and others via his Zoom presentation.
Following the prayer at the start of our dinner offered by Rev. Keith Nelson, Raghda, another Palestinian American member of our group, spoke to us about her appreciation for Americans who travel to Palestine, and then dedicate themselves to working for Palestinian human rights. She also spoke of the frustration many Palestinians have about not being able to go back to their homeland even though they have house keys in
their possession. She then shared her desire to help children in her job as a School Principal at the mosque.
As people first entered St. Timothy’s, they filled out their nametags and were offered the option to purchase raffle tickets. The raffle prize sat on the table at the entrance. The raffle prize was a hand-woven basket from Palestine filled with six bottles of Zatoun Olive Oil and three packages of Zatoun Za’atar from the hills of Palestine (thyme, roasted sesame seeds, and sea salt.) These items are fair-trade products coming from Palestine farmers. They were a gift to us to use as the raffle prize from the Palestinian Canadian owner of Zatoun, Robert Massoud. The youngest child at the dinner got to draw the raffle ticket out of the box with a big smile, and the lucky winner, Karima, went home delighted!
Our task force has Zatoun olive oil available for fair-trade sales in the Omaha area all year round. Just call 402-578-5729. The bottles with 750 ml are $25. The herbs are $6 in 5.3 oz bags. They make great holiday gifts, and the funds go directly back to Palestinian farmers — we make no profit.
If you want to learn more or join one of our meetings, send an email to Sandie Hanna at hanna7@cox.net.
Sincerely yours,
Sandie Hanna
Leadership Team Chairperson, NFP Palestinian Rights Task Force (https://www.facebook.com/groups/NFPPalestinianRightsTaskForce/)
It is a pleasure to report about Nebraskans for Peace—Palestinian Rights Task Force’s recent Potluck Fundraiser for Gaza! The weather was cold and windy the evening of November 10th in Omaha. The fellowship hall at St. Timothy’s Lutheran Church at 510 N. 93rd Street was warmed, not just by its heating system, but by the genuine, caring concern on the part of the people in attendance. They came there that night sharing the desire for justice for Palestinians in all areas, especially health care.
Members and guests filled the room numbering around eighty. Attendees’ hearts were inspired to give as they sat at tables together, sharing marvelous food choices from the long potluck buffet table. Many of the dishes were homemade Palestinian cuisine from local Palestinian cooks. Conversations were joyful among people appreciating being together again in person for a fundraising event. It was our task force’s first such gathering since the beginning of Covid-19.
It was wonderful to have our founder, Anne Else, return to assist with the event details, even though she is retired. She taught me a lot. It was a group production. Thanks to all who worked before, during, and after the event. Everyone joined in the cleanup!
We were blessed to meet Pastor Kathy Gerking several years ago when St. Timothy’s Lutheran Church hosted Mr. Daoud Nassar, whose family owns the Tent of Nations on a hill above Bethlehem. Her church was a perfect location for this event. St. Timothy’s Lutheran Church became our host and first sponsor. Three other sponsors followed: the Social Justice and Peacemaking Committee of the Missouri River Valley Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Holy Land Task Force of the Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church and the Omaha Friends (Quaker) Meeting.
The evening’s announcement of the total donations was proof of the generosity of those who attended. Before the event, donations of over $5,750 had already come in by U.S. Mail and Internet giving. After the evening’s cash, checks, and raffle funds were added, the amount had grown to $12,000. On November 17th, when the checks were dispersed to the two organizations, the total had grown to $13,375.
Augusta Victoria Hospital was sent $6.435. The Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund was sent $6,940. Each donor indicated how their donations were to be split between the two organizations or given to one or the other alone.
We carefully selected those funds, Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem and the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund. Both are highly needed medical providers for the people of Gaza. We were fortunate to have speakers from each group who were part of the organizations.
They inspired us that evening. Our Palestinian American emcee for the evening, Batoul, was ready to go with PCRF on its next mission after hearing Dr. Angela Hanna speak to us in person! Reverend Mark Brown’s description of the dedication of the medical staff at Augusta Victoria Hospital’s separate hotel for Palestinian patients certainly touched my heart and others via his Zoom presentation.
Following the prayer at the start of our dinner offered by Rev. Keith Nelson, Raghda, another Palestinian American member of our group, spoke to us about her appreciation for Americans who travel to Palestine, and then dedicate themselves to working for Palestinian human rights. She also spoke of the frustration many Palestinians have about not being able to go back to their homeland even though they have house keys in
their possession. She then shared her desire to help children in her job as a School Principal at the mosque.
As people first entered St. Timothy’s, they filled out their nametags and were offered the option to purchase raffle tickets. The raffle prize sat on the table at the entrance. The raffle prize was a hand-woven basket from Palestine filled with six bottles of Zatoun Olive Oil and three packages of Zatoun Za’atar from the hills of Palestine (thyme, roasted sesame seeds, and sea salt.) These items are fair-trade products coming from Palestine farmers. They were a gift to us to use as the raffle prize from the Palestinian Canadian owner of Zatoun, Robert Massoud. The youngest child at the dinner got to draw the raffle ticket out of the box with a big smile, and the lucky winner, Karima, went home delighted!
Our task force has Zatoun olive oil available for fair-trade sales in the Omaha area all year round. Just call 402-578-5729. The bottles with 750 ml are $25. The herbs are $6 in 5.3 oz bags. They make great holiday gifts, and the funds go directly back to Palestinian farmers — we make no profit.
If you want to learn more or join one of our meetings, send an email to Sandie Hanna at hanna7@cox.net.
Sincerely yours,
Sandie Hanna
Leadership Team Chairperson, NFP Palestinian Rights Task Force (https://www.facebook.com/groups/NFPPalestinianRightsTaskForce/)
2022 ANNUAL PEACE CONFERENCE LINKS AVAILABLE
We would like to start out by giving a BIG THANK YOU to our Keynote Speakers, Medea Benjamin and Danaka Katovich from CodePink, and to our worshop presenters Jim Rine, Luisa Paloma-Hare and Michael Kelly!
We would also like to extend our heartfelt congratualtions to the winners of the Frank LaMere Peacemaker of the year awards, Ken Winston, Kathleen Rutledge and Paul Olson.
And of course, to our moderator Mike Semrad, THANK YOU for working with us to bring it all come together and make it flow so seamlessly!
For those of you that were not able to watch it live, you are still ble to watch the conference at your convenience! The links to watch are:
On Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/118178884240/videos/411592257767047
On YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gslyZLcpYqc
We would like to start out by giving a BIG THANK YOU to our Keynote Speakers, Medea Benjamin and Danaka Katovich from CodePink, and to our worshop presenters Jim Rine, Luisa Paloma-Hare and Michael Kelly!
We would also like to extend our heartfelt congratualtions to the winners of the Frank LaMere Peacemaker of the year awards, Ken Winston, Kathleen Rutledge and Paul Olson.
And of course, to our moderator Mike Semrad, THANK YOU for working with us to bring it all come together and make it flow so seamlessly!
For those of you that were not able to watch it live, you are still ble to watch the conference at your convenience! The links to watch are:
On Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/118178884240/videos/411592257767047
On YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gslyZLcpYqc
NFP's Billboard in Grand Island, NE
Help Us Spread the Message Visit our billboard near Hwy 281 and Hwy 34 in Grand Island and snap a photo to post to your social media. Please tag Nebraskans for Peace and use one or more of the following hashtags: #NebraskansforPeace #NFP #Cutthemilitarybudget #endhunger The United States spends more on the military budget than the next 9 countries COMBINED. Nebraskans for Peace has and will remain steadfast against this unsustainable budget. This summer Representatives Barbara Lee and Mark Pocan introduced the People Over the Pentagon Act which proposed cutting $100 billion from the proposed $801 billion military budget. The legislation was twofold: to cut funding from excessive spending on war and weapons and to support programs that are underfunded or not funded at all here at home. Imagine how we could use $100 billion here to support renewable energy infrastructure to combat climate change, supply Americans with equitable healthcare or keep our kids safe in schools. Unfortunately, The People Over the Pentagon Act failed but we can keep the message alive. Nebraskans for Peace displayed the billboard above in downtown Omaha during May and June and was viewed by thousands who attended The College World Series. We also held a press conference and were featured on several news outlets. Since that was a successful campaign, we decided to keep our message going. Right now, in Grand Island, you will find another NFP billboard pointing out the bloated military budget that can be viewed through the end of October. But we need your help to spread the message far and wide. Here are some ways you can help:
Dear members of Nebraskans for Peace and peacemakers in general, Please consider donating to one or more of the organizations listed below, known to be responsible organizations and recommended by Global Citizen. The Ukrainian need is dire. How Can I Help? While many of us might feel helpless when confronted with geopolitical machinations of this scale, we’ve rounded up some ways you can help the people of Ukraine right now. DONATE Organizations on the ground and globally are actively supporting people within Ukraine and refugees seeking safety elsewhere with medical and humanitarian aid. These organizations include: 1. People in Need is providing humanitarian aid to over 200,000 people on the ground. For those most in need, they provide food packages, emergency shelter, safe access to drinking water, hygiene items, and coal for heating. Donate here: https://www.peopleinneed.net/donate/once?amount=1000&accountId=7 2. The Ukrainian Red Cross does loads of humanitarian work, from aiding refugees to training doctors. Donate here: https://redcross.org.ua/en/donate/ 3. The International Medical Corps is on the front lines and prepared to help citizens with emergency health care services, as well as mental health and psychosocial support. The agency is also keeping the pandemic top of mind throughout the crisis by prioritizing COVID-19 awareness and prevention services, to help keep displaced citizens safe from the pandemic. Donate here: https://give.internationalmedicalcorps.org/page/99837/donate/1?ea.tracking.id=DP~UA22~DPHHU2202 4. CARE International is responding to the crisis by providing Ukrainians in need with food, hygiene kits, psychosocial support services, access to water, and access to cash. Donate here: https://my.care.org/site/Donation2?df_id=31071&mfc_pref=T&31071.donation=form1&s_src=172220UCFM00&s_subsrc=FY22UkraineCrisisFundMO 5. Nova Ukraine is a nonprofit that delivers aid packages to Ukraine with everything from baby food and hygiene products, to clothes and household supplies. Donate here: https://novaukraine.org/ 6. UNICEF is repairing schools damaged by the bombings and providing an emergency response to children affected by the conflict. Donate here: https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/amid-stress-and-sorrow-support-families-fleeing-ukraine/ 7. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency has stepped up its operations and is working with governments in neighboring countries "calling on them to keep borders open to those seeking safety and protection.” You can help support the UNHCR's work supporting refugees by sending a tweet urging governments and businesses to support the United Nations' urgent appeal for $1.7 billion to deliver life-saving humantarian support. Donate here: https://donate.unhcr.org/int/en/general#_ga=2.33590689.1083292833.1645717134-590708463.1645444824 8. OutRight Action is helping support LGBTQ+ groups and organizations on the ground, setting up shelters and providing safety for citizens. All donations made to OutRight will go directly to the cause. You can donate here: https://outrightinternational.org/ukraine?form=Ukraine 9. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is deploying emergency operations in Ukraine and surrounding countries to provide food assistance to those fleeing the conflict. Donate here: https://secure.wfpusa.org/donate/save-lives-giving-food-today-donate-now-7?ms=2000_UNR_wfp_redirect_EX&redirected=US. 10. Save the Children is working with partners to respond to meet the urgent needs of affected children and their families. It's ready to provide life-saving assistance, such as food, water, cash transfers, and safe places for children as people flee amid freezing temperatures and brutal conditions, and to scale up oprtions to ensure children impacted by the crisis have the support they need. Find out more and donate here: https://support.savethechildren.org/site/Donation2?df_id=5751&mfc_pref=T&5751.donation=form1 11. Mercy Corps is mobilizing a team to the region to assess where help is most needed, and is anticipating providing emergency cash assistance, as well as supporting local organizations that know their community needs best. Between 2015 and 2017, Mercy Corps provided humanitarian assistance in eastern Ukraine, reaching more than 200,000 people with emergency cash, food, water, and sanitation supplies, small business development grants, restoring war-damaged homes and more. Find out more and donate here: https://www.mercycorps.org/donate/crisis-ukraine-give-now 12. Medical Teams International is fundraising to send medical supplies to the region, with all procees going towards sending medicines and/or medical supplies. Learn more and donate here: https://give.medicalteams.org/ukraine.htm Nebraskans for Peace statement on the beginning of the war in Ukraine: Nebraskans for Peace believes that the Russian invasion into eastern Ukraine and escalation of hostilities in the whole Ukraine area is a matter of the greatest concern. Nebraskans for Peace’s central commitment is carried in a statement on its website, “Nebraskans for Peace is committed to the creative, nonviolent resolution of conflict and views war as a practical failure at peacemaking. Confronting violence with violence, we believe, will never create the conditions for peace.” In that light, Nebraskans for Peace believes that the escalation of hostilities in the whole Ukraine area is dangerous as the United States and Russia are the two largest nuclear powers in the world. Credible analysts have asserted that once a hot war gets started in Ukraine, it will be very difficult to prevent its escalation to nuclear exchanges. The board of Nebraskans for Peace calls on our leaders to attempt the following actions:
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"Nothing changes unless someone is made to feel uncomfortable.
Nothing changes unless we make ourselves uncomfortable."
-- Frank LaMere, Native American Activist
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Since 1970
Four themes have defined Nebraskans for Peace virtually from its inception: the search for peace through negotiation and especially through the reduction of nuclear armaments; the pursuit of nonviolence; an opposition to globalization that gives untrammeled power to multinational corporations; and an assertion that we will not stand by while the rights of persons of color and other marginalized populations in our society are trampled. |
Get Involved
If you are interested in volunteer opportunities, we are always looking for people to help in any way that they can.
Contact Email: nfpstate@nebraskansforpeace.org Lincoln Office: P.O. Box 83466 Lincoln, NE 68501 Phone: 402.475.4620 |
