This April, hundreds of people from across the country joined us in Washington, D.C., for our first-ever Friends Changemaker Weekend. Across generations, faiths, and backgrounds, we came together to deliver one clear message to Congress: Not Another Penny for War on Iran.
Our advocacy came at a critical moment for peace, just six weeks after President Donald Trump launched an illegal, immoral, and disastrous war on Iran.
In just those six weeks, we saw horrors unleashed. Hundreds of Iranian schoolgirls were killed in a U.S. airstrike. Thousands more civilians in Iran and throughout the region were killed, along with 13 members of the U.S. military. President Trump issued a genocidal threat to destroy Iran’s “entire civilization.” The global economy was thrown into turmoil. Regular people, already facing an affordability crisis, saw gas prices and energy bills surge. Across the globe, the cascading economic consequences threatened to throw millions of the world’s most vulnerable people into hunger and poverty.
From the outset of the war, FCNL and our network sprang into action, carrying forward our long history of work as a leading voice for peace in Washington, D.C.
Coming together with faith partners, grassroots advocates, and a diverse national coalition of organizations, we lobbied Congress to pass War Powers Resolutions to stop the violence. While those efforts were narrowly defeated, our collective advocacy built important momentum. Polling showed that the overwhelming majority of Americans opposed the war, and our advocacy contributed to a growing national awareness of the immoral disparity between funding for war and funding for human needs.
As we gathered for Friends Changemaker Weekend, the Trump administration was requesting about $200 billion in additional funding to continue the war, and we had a vital opportunity to continue building pressure for peace.
“During some of the lobby visits I joined, advocates from across generations and geographies shared why funding peace, not war, matters to them,” FCNL’s Bridget Moix wrote. “Their stories reflected a growing movement of people of conscience around the country standing up for a more just, peaceful, and resilient world.”
On lobby day, more than 300 people of all ages and backgrounds gathered on Capitol Hill. We held more than 100 lobby meetings, while those who joined us virtually made more than 400 phone calls to their members of Congress.
One of the many groups that exemplified our intergenerational advocacy was the delegation from New Mexico.
Bruce Nelson, a grandfather from Albuquerque, New Mexico, was inspired to make the journey to D.C. to lobby Congress because he felt compelled to help ensure a better, more peaceful future for his grandchildren.
“I’ve had a very easy life,” he said. “My concern is for my four grandchildren. What kind of moral atmosphere are they going to face? Will they be able to hold on to their values in the face of a repressive regime?”
Advocating alongside Bruce was Galen Yane, a young adult advocate also from Albuquerque.
“I come from a community where a lot of people are dependent on SNAP benefits and Medicaid,” he said. “And I’m here to advocate for them and share their voices with Congress and say that they want their tax dollars spent on making America better and not being sent overseas on an illegal war.”
Among the youngest advocates lobbying with us were high school students from New Jersey. After they met Senator Andy Kim, the senator took to social media to thank them for their advocacy.
“The next generation is feeling the same anxieties we all face, including the higher cost of groceries, gas, health care, and education,” Sen. Kim said. “I admire their advocacy and will continue to fight for them and all New Jerseyans.”
We were also inspired by messages from two other members of Congress: Senator Chris Van Hollen (MD) and Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07).
Accepting FCNL’s annual Justice Award, Senator Van Hollen thanked everyone for being a part of a “very important community” of people speaking up in defense of peace and justice—both at home and around the globe.
“You give me hope,” Sen. Van Hollen said. “Because you are all coming together to stand up for what we believe in. These [are] core principles that we teach our children … justice, human rights, and the quest for peace.”
Sen. Van Hollen’s message of gratitude and hope was echoed by Rep. Jayapal, who received our annual Edward F. Snyder Award for National Legislative Leadership in Advancing Disarmament and Building Peace:
“Everything you do in organizing and advocating for our shared vision of justice and humanity is so critically important. So do not be discouraged. Do not lose hope. And do not stop organizing. Together, we are on the right side of history. And we will prevail.”
While there’s much work for peace ahead, we saw clear signs that our advocacy made a difference in helping to halt more war funding.
In the weeks following Friends Changemaker Weekend, leaders in Congress abandoned plans to vote on billions more to continue the war, with some Republicans joining a strong majority of Democrats in voicing their opposition.
“Could this be a turning point for Congress to rethink how it spends our taxpayer dollars and finally put people over the Pentagon?” FCNL’s Bridget Moix asked in her article in Religion News Service. “It can be if we make it so.”
Finding Joy in Advocacy and Community
These are difficult times. But as Friends Changemaker Weekend showed us, we can find hope and joy in coming together in community to act for peace and justice.
Before lobbying our members of Congress, we gathered for three days of learning and community-building, hearing from policy experts and making art and music together. Thank you to everyone who helped make Friends Changemaker Weekend such a rewarding and powerful experience.
One of the highlights was a song written and performed during the event. Set to the tune of “For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield, this was the catchy chorus:
Nothing for the Iran war
Para la guerra, nada más
Nothing for the Iran war
Don’t you spend a penny more!
