Born out of resistance to World War I, AFSC has spent a century challenging the impulse toward militarism and violence. From the Peace Caravans of the 1920s to our current Humanize, Not Militarize art and activism project, we have promoted the vision that peace is achievable only by cooperation and caring for the needs of all humanity.
Through two world wars and many regional conflicts, AFSC has argued for dialogue and diplomacy and exposed the human and financial costs of resorting to military force. Our influential 1955 work, “Speak Truth to Power,” identified many of the roots of conflict—poverty, colonialism, and injustice—and laid out clear alternatives to the mass violence used for centuries to resolve international disputes. We have continued to build on that understanding, exposing the ways that militaristic attitudes affect policing, schools, prisons, and other aspects of community life.
As we approach our second century, we are committed, more than ever, to the vision of a nonviolent, secure, and sustainable world, rooted in love and equality.
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Between the two world wars, AFSC promoted a nonviolent response to world events.
From the 1920s to the ‘40s, AFSC trained thousands of young men and women to travel across the country in Peace Caravans speaking door-to-door, in community settings, and on their own radio programs.
As war encroached in 1938, AFSC’s emergency peace campaign included billboards such as this one in Santa Ana, California. It turned WWI jingoism on its head and presciently warned “Never again!”
In the shadow of the Cold War, AFSC sponsored Institutes for International Relations that brought young people together to hear about the “political, economic, social, and religious aspects of peace.”
This 1955 publication was the fourth in a series by AFSC exploring alternatives to war. It asserted, “Our truth is an ancient one: that love endures and overcomes; that hatred destroys…” and added a new phrase to the popular lexicon.
AFSC’s “Speak Truth to Power” inspired a 1962 film about the threat of nuclear war, featuring Hollywood luminaries such as John Raitt and James Whitmore.
During the Vietnam War, we used silent worship as one form of protest against militarism.
In 1986, our giant graphics on the lawn of the Vermont State House revealed that 54 cents out of every tax dollar went to the military.
During the Iraq War, we commissioned economists to calculate the social trade-offs for the $720 million spent each day on the war.
We continue to illuminate the startling percentage of the federal discretionary budget allocated to the military.
Participants in the “If I Had Trillion Dollars” video festival raised concerns with their Representatives about the impact of military spending on their lives.
During the 2016 presidential campaign, we have asked candidates if they will continue to let excessive corporate influence expand our country’s military machine.
Our Humanize, Not Militarize campaign uses poster art and video to address the ways in which the culture of militarism affects every aspect of our lives.
