Dear Friends and Allies,
What. A. Year.
We are confronted daily with an embarrassing barrage of insults and threats carelessly tossed at world leaders, professional athletes, and the media by an untethered administration. Many of these flippant remarks offend our sense of basic decency, others fly in the face of true American values, and some are so racially and religiously bigoted, homophobic, and misogynistic that they make your skin crawl.
All of them are awful, but the most terrifying reality is the re-emerging threat of nuclear war. Diplomatic resolve has been a cornerstone of reducing conflict and mitigating nuclear proliferation in the international community. For the President of the United States to instead inflame tensions with Pyongyang in his address to the U.N. by saying, “we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea,” is unconscionably poor leadership with civilization-ending consequences.
One can feel hopeless in these times–but we won’t idly stand by.
“Let there be Peace on Earth, and Let it Begin with me”
We chose this quote for our end-of-year giving campaign this year because, despite where we find ourselves and the grave threats we face, we are still hopeful. We are hopeful because:
when women leaders are included in diplomatic efforts the likelihood of achieving sustainable peace increases dramatically,
women at the tables of power direct more of the budget to unmet human and environmental needs, and
record numbers of women are interested in running for elected positions and winning seats in state and local government.
WAND is dedicated to educating, growing, and mobilizing current and future generations of women leaders and diplomats. Through our conferences, trainings, advocacy work, and activism, we empower women to actively participate at the local, state, and federal levels. We count among our ranks peace activists, state legislators, thought leaders, and congressional representatives. The women leaders we send out into the world–steeped in WAND’s commitment to peace, diplomacy, and security–will lead us through this.
We thrive on this work but we cannot do it without you.
As a loyal and generous WAND supporter, I am asking you to please consider a gift of this year to support the critical work we do. Help us increase outreach to up-and-coming young leaders and grow our connection to women elected officials in all 50 states to ensure that your voice is heard loud and clear.
Thank you for your support and for helping ensure a more peaceful world.
Nancy Parrish
Interim Executive Director