Join us for a book talk with Greg Grandin, Pulitzer Prize–winning historian, on his new book America, America—the first comprehensive history of the Western Hemisphere. This sweeping five-century narrative of North and South America redefines our understanding of both.

When: Wednesday, May 14, 6:30 PM
Where: Brooklyn Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
110 Schermerhorn St, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (2nd floor)
Wheelchair accessible

RSVP required, as space is limited.  

Sponsors: Brooklyn For Peace, Peace and Social Action Committee of the Brooklyn Monthly Meeting
Co-sponsors: Jacobin, NYC War Resisters League, Peace Action New York State

US State Department Determines Genocide in Sudan
According to Human Rights Watch, already in January 2025 the US State Department determined that genocide was being committed in Sudan.

Robbing the People of Sudan
On Dissident Voice, Joseph Essertier and Zobidah Yousif Elamin explain the dire situation in Sudan and the nations backing the military conflict.
On Responsible Statecraft, Asha Asokan explains that violence between factions led by the president and vice president, compounded by regional proxy dynamics, risks igniting a broader conflict.

Hands off Sudan! Since 2023, the war in Sudan has resulted in the devastating loss of more than 150,000 civilian lives and the displacement of more than 12 million people, and widespread human rights violations, supported by multiple international players involving a constellation of international players. 
Sign this petition to the governments of Iran, Russia, Ukraine, and United Arab Emirates. 

Also sign this petition to our elected officials. Demand that they use Congressional power to stop the flow of arms to Sudan, ensure humanitarian aid, and push for an end to the genocide in Sudan.

Grandparents Fight Back is a network of grandparents and friends of grandparents devoted to preserving America's democracy and decency. It was started in early February 2025 by two Brooklyn grandmothers who saw a need and urgent desire among Americans everywhere for help in responding to the many unlawful, unconstitutional, dangerous and abhorrent actions of the Trump Administration that threaten our democracy, our national security and our values.

Get more info and sign up here. 

Sat. May 3, 4-7 pm: 50 Years of Peace & Social Progress in Vietnam Veterans, Activists, & Refugee Communities Share Lessons and Hope for a Future without War and Imperialism In-person at lower Manhattan location. Address shared upon registration. Zoom livestream available. Get tickets here.
Speakers include:
**Susan Schnall, President of the Board of Directors at Veterans for Peace, and member of the Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign
** Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi, Director and Senior Scholar, Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Studies, San Francisco State University
**JJ Johnson, retired labor journalist and retired editor of 1199SEIU publication "Our Life And Times"
** Ed Ott, former Executive Director of New York City Central Labor Council
** Claire Tran, Member of Viet Left Power

Sun. May 4, 2-5 pm: Day of Action in Support of the People's Peace Summit. At Union Square, 14th St side. Organized by Israelis for Peace/NYC in support of It's Time: The People's Peace Summit: the biggest Israeli-Palestinian peace conference ever, demanding to stop the bloodshed now.

Wed. May 7, 7:00 pm-8:30 pm. Artists Tackling the Futility of War. Program featuring works of art depicting war's consequences, and artists and writers who will provide the means to imagine a world beyond war. Led by peace organizer Kathy Kelly. Sponsored by a wide range of peace organizations. On Zoom. Register here.

For daily updates of NYC area actions for Gaza, send an email to joecatron@gmail.com and ask to be added to an extensive list of NYC-area actions to stop Israel's genocide.

Fri. May 2--Thurs. May 8: The Encampments is still playing at the Angelika.  See it, if you haven't already! Tickets available at the Angelika, 18 W. Houston St, NYC. 

May 2nd-May 11th: "The Mistake," a play that fatally intertwines the stories of a brilliant scientist who helped create the atom bomb, the American pilot who delivered it, and a Japanese daughter who suffers its deadly consequences. At 59E59 Theatres, 59 East 59th Street, Manhattan. Find showtimes and purchase tickets.

Wed., May 28, 8- 10 pm. Screening of “No Other Land,” Oscar-winning documentary.  Sponsored by Friendly Strangers (a friendly community of strangers using art to serve our communities). At the Cobble Hill Cinemas, 265 Court Street Brooklyn. Details the destruction of Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank by Israeli soldiers, and the alliance which develops between the Palestinian activist Bassel and Israeli journalist Yuval, Get tickets here. Ticket sales will directly benefit the families of Masafer Yatta, West Bank, Palestine.

Sat. May 3, 11 AM-12 Noon: Vigil for Yemen. This vigil has been ongoing since April 10, 2017, when peace activists held a week-long vigil and fast in front of the United Nations, calling for peace and justice in Yemen. All welcome to join as US resumes bombing

Sat., May 3, 12-1 PM: Permanent Ceasefire Now Vigil, by Sunset Park Elders.
5th Ave & 44th St, Sunset Park.  Also Tues., Apr. 29, 5PM.

Sun. May 4, 4-5 PM: Israelis for Peace/NYC Regular weekly vigil at Union Square (south steps). All welcome, but please do not bring flags.

Wed., May 7, 5- 6 pm: Close Guantanamo Now! Steps of NY Public Library, 41st St & 5th Ave., NYC. Every month on the first Wednesday of the month.
Co-sponsors: Brooklyn For Peace, World Can't Wait, and many others

Thurs., May 8, and every Thursday from 12 noon to 2:00 PM: Regular vigil outside the U.S. Mission to the United Nations on First Avenue at 45th Street in New York City. Signs call for Stop Killing, Cease Fire Now, Stop Funding Israel War Crimes.  All welcome!

Thurs, May 8, 5:30-7:30 PM: New Sanctuary Coalition. Meets every Thursday from 5:30 – 7:30 at the Brooklyn Friends Meeting House, 110 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn. We are activists working out ways to protect communities, including the immigrant community, and the LGB and trans communities, from this administration’s policies. All welcome! Especially needed are people with legal expertise–lawyers, legal assistants, and paralegals, currently working or retired, to help revitalize its pro-se clinic.  If you’re interested or possibly available, email bfp@brooklynpeace.org or call 718-624-5921

Thurs., May 8, 5-6 PM: Women in Black Vigil at Union Square, on the traffic island on 14th St. between Broadway and 4th Avenue. For over 20 years, Women in Black Union Square has been part of the international movement of Women in Black (started by Jewish and Palestinian women in Israel in 1988). More here.

Fri., May 9, 10-11 AM: Hands Off Gaza! Hands Off the West Bank! Picket Dan Goldman's office, 36th St & 3rd Ave, Brooklyn. NY10-Neighbors. Confirm by Direct Mail to their Instagram 

Ukraine’s Worst Day: Zelensky Rejects Trump’s Peace Plan
On AntiWar.com, Ted Snider argues convincingly that Ukraine’s rejection of the Trump peace proposal will only lead to a worse settlement later.

How Trump Plays Into Putin’s Hands, From Ukraine to Slashing U.S. Institutions
In The NY Times, Peter Baker details how many of President Trump’s actions have been seen as benefiting Russia either directly or indirectly, so much so that Russian officials have celebrated some of his moves.

Is Trump’s “Minerals Deal” a Fossil Fuel Shakedown? Antonia Juhasz on New U.S.-Ukraine Agreement
On Democracy Now, Amy Goodman and Nermeen Shaikh speak with investigative journalist Antonia Juhasz, who characterizes the US minerals deal with Ukraine as an “unprecedented” resource “grab” that allows Trump to reopen U.S. access to Russian oil and gas, channeled through Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Negotiating Lasting Peace in Ukraine
On Consortium News, policy analyst Jeffrey Sachs explains that to achieve peace, Ukraine will have to cede more territory than it would have in the April 2022 peace deal that the US and UK undercut, but will gain sovereignty and international security arrangements.

My Oscar for ‘No Other Land’ Didn’t Protect Me From Violence
In the NYT, Hamdan Ballal discusses the violence he experienced in the West Bank even after his documentary won an Oscar.

The Leahy Law Can Bring Justice For Amer Rabee, the Latest American Citizen Killed by Israel
On Dawn, Palestinian-American political analyst Abdelhalim Abdelrahman details how the Leahy Law against funding of military assistance to countries committing gross violations of human rights should be used in response to the IDF’s murder of many Palestinian-Americans.

Serious Disregard for Human Life': Dem Senators Press Hegseth on Yemen Civilian Casualties
On Common Dreams, Brett Wilkins details the falseness of Trump calling himself a “Peacemaker” in light of the killing of many civilians by the U.S. military in Yemen.

’I have no plan B': Gaza's families left to starve under Israeli aid shutdown
On Middle East Eye, Maha Hussaini reports that desperate Palestinians live on an unhealthy single meal a day as 'silent malnutrition' spreads among children

Hopes for Iran nuclear talks tempered by threats and mixed messages
On BBC News, Parham Ghobadi explores the complicated nature of US-Iran talks over Iranian nuclear weapons.

Trump Doesn’t Want to Protect All Jewish Students — Just Those on His Team
In The NY Times, Peter Beinart uses the recent University of Florida crackdown on a Jewish student calling for divestment from Israel as an example of the uneven treatment of Jewish students to protect them from “antisemitism.”

Curb the Skyrocketing Cost of U.S. Nuclear Modernization
The newsletter of the Arms Control Association details the enormous waste—and danger—of nuclear modernization in the US and elsewhere.

US Led 'Unprecedented' Surge in Global Military Spending in 2024
On Common Dreams, Jessica Corbett draws on experts to argue that as governments’ increasingly prioritize military security, the economic and social trade-offs could have significant effects on societies for years to come.

Harvard Promises Changes After Reports on Antisemitism and Islamophobia
In The NY Times, Anemona Hartocollis and Vimal Patel discuss two Harvard reports, which run hundreds of pages, explaining that they come at a difficult time for the university, which is suing the Trump administration over federal funding cuts.

The First Forever War
On the Intercept, Nick Turse explains how unexploded mortars fr9m the Vietnam War are still killing people fifty years later.

Symposium: Was the Vietnam War a mistake or fatal flaw in the system?
On Responsible Statecraft, a symposium of experts—including our own Rusti Eisenberg—debate whether the Vietnam War was a one-off mistake or a reflection of all US foreign policy after World War II.

Trump can boycott, but the failure and end of the Vietnam War is a fact
On Responsible Statecraft, Vietnam War veteran Paul R. Pillar argues that Trump’s demand to boycott 50th anniversary memorials of the fall of Saigon cannot obscure decades of repairing relations and national reflection about the war.

Columbia Student Who Was Arrested at Citizenship Interview Is Freed
In The NY Times, reporter Ana Ley covers a judge’s decision to free Mohsen Mahdawi, an organizer of pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia whom the Trump administration is trying to deport for his actions.

“I Am Not Afraid of You”: Mohsen Mahdawi’s Defiant Message to Trump After Release from ICE Jail in VT
On Democracy Now, Amy Goodman and Nermeen Shaikh interview a member of Mahdawi’s legal team about his release, including a long statement he made after that release.

Peace Activists Rally for Tax Resistance
In the Indypendent, Adrita Talkuder reports that as DOGE continues to make massive budget cuts to social services, longtime anti-war activists are taking control of where their tax dollars go — or don’t. Hear their voices!

Carl Hallberg shared the premiere of his "Performed Lecture on Gardening, Neighborliness, and John Brown" at the Brooklyn Friends Meeting House last week. Blending history, storytelling, and reflection, he explored how cultivating the land and community can be radical acts of solidarity. It was a moving and memorable evening.

Brooklyn For Peace is our LOCAL peace and justice organization. Since 1984, we have been addressing the racial, social, and economic injustices which lead to war. We are primarily an educational organization. We are non-partisan and tackle multiple issues from different perspectives. We see active response to injustice as a crucial part of our mission.

Over the years the specific issues have changed, but urgent challenges remain: to promote social justice at home and abroad; to tackle the climate emergency; to address the continuing impact of white supremacy and profound racial inequalities. Our distinctive contribution is speaking out against militarism and war.

When you donate to Brooklyn For Peace, you bolster our ability to educate and advocate for a world where US policies uphold human rights and prioritize peaceful solutions to conflict. Click here to join or renew your membership.

BFP is a 501-c-3 non-profit organization; all donations are tax-deductible.