The Washington Peace Center envisions a world based on respect for people and the planet that is achieved through nonviolence, peace and social justice. 

Our mission is to provide education, resources, and action for those working for positive social change and a world free from oppression.  We strengthen the impact of peace and justice movements by:

  1. fostering greater collaboration among activist groups
  2. bridging the gap between global, national & local issues and communities, and
  3. providing the material support to achieve these goals.

WHAT ARE OUR CORE VALUES?
(from Visioning Retreat, May 2010)

  • Empowerment of working people
  • Human rights and dignity for everyone
  • Respect for people and the planet
  • Respect for leadership from impacted communities
  • Empathy for impacted/frontline communities
  • Solidarity with people in struggle
  • Peace through justice
  • Equal access to resources and power for all people
  • People over profit, don’t accumulate wealth at expense of others – distributive justice.
  • Principles of nonviolence in our work and lives, how to apply nonviolence in what we do.
  • Commitment to sustainable living without wreaking havoc on environment.
  • Commitment to anti-oppression work and working to recognize the violence inherent in systems of oppression. 
  • Value in creativity.

HOW DO WE DEFINE PEACE?

The Washington Peace Center envisions a world based on respect for people and the planet that is achieved through nonviolence, peace and social justice. 

A peaceful world is one that seeks, sustains and nurtures collective liberation both for those who have been historically marginalized and those who have been historically privileged.
A peaceful world is one that fosters the dignity of the human person and prioritizes the leadership and perspective of traditionally oppressed communities.
A peaceful world is one where we acknowledge our long-term commitment to living well together, locally and globally.

Peace is not just the absence of war, but the absence of violence, including structural or systemic violence (deprivation, social exclusion and oppression) and the presence of justice.

A world at peace is not just one without war and militarism, but one without racism, heterosexism, misogyny, economic exploitation and other forms of injustice.   We know that we can never truly have a peaceful and just world as long as such oppressions exist.

Peace is not a static state.  It is a process of confronting oppression and working towards justice. 

The process of building peace involves illuminating conflict that stems from the systems of injustice, as well as creating tension as a catalyst for change – this is why those in power are so afraid of heightened tension and exposure of conflict. 

We believe that the means inevitably impact the ends for which we are working.   We work with and advocate tactics in the nonviolent tradition and believe that nonviolent confrontation with injustice and oppression is essential for creating the world we envision.   We stand in solidarity with people and communities around the world who are resisting injustice, and recognize that resisting injustice and oppression takes many forms.

As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, true peace includes the “presence of justice”.

Approved by the WPC Board of Directors, 5/14/2012