Links & Resources

Alternative Media and News Sources

Common Dreams News Center

Politics, issues and breaking news with an emphasis on progressive perspectives.

The Nation Magazine

Unconventional Wisdom Since 1865.

The People’s Weekly World

News and views from a labor and left perspective.

Democracy Now

A daily TV/radio news program, hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez.

Inter Press Service News

Journalism and communication for global change.

Truthout

A growing progressive e-Zine.

CounterPunch

Bi-weekly muckraking newsletter edited by Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair.

The Progressive Magazine

Journalistic voice for peace and social justice at home and abroad.

In These Times

A national, biweekly magazine of news and opinion published in Chicago.

The Progressive Populist

A journal from the Heartland that believes people are more important than corporations.

Independent Media Center

A network of collectively run media outlets for the creation of radical, accurate, and passionate telling of the truth. See also: Chicago Independent Media Center

Local and National Peace and Justice Organizations

United for Peace and Justice

OPCTJ is a founding member of UFPJ which has emerged as one of the largest peace and justice organization in the U.S. Find out about recent actions and access peace and justice resources.

Illinois Coalition for Peace and Justice

April 1, 2006 marked the successful formation of the Illinois Coalition for Peace and Justice, (ICPJ), a network of over eighty Illinois groups comprised of labor, youth, faith-based, community, and peace and justice organizations. OPCTJ is one of the founding organizations.

Chicagoans Against War and Injustice

A group of citizens from many walks of life and political persuasions who have come together to voice opposition to the war and to anti-democratic and aggressive policies.

MoveOn.Org

Join a nationwide network of online activists.

Third Unitarian Church of Chicago

The Social Action Committee of Third Unitarian Church in Chicago is committed to activities that promote social change for peace and justice.

American Friends Service Committee

The AFSC carries out service, development, social justice, and peace programs throughout the world. Founded by Quakers in 1917 to provide conscientious objectors with an opportunity to aid civilian war victims, AFSC’s work attracts the support and partnership of people of many races, religions, and cultures.

Antiwar.com

Devoted to the cause of non-interventionism, the site provides a great resource for antiwar news, viewpoints, and activities.

Not In Our Name

Initiated at a meeting in New York City, on March 23, 2002. The meeting was called for by a letter that proposed ways to strengthen and expand resistance to the U.S. government’s course in the wake of September 11, 2001.

Peace Action

Peace Action (formerly SANE/Freeze) works to achieve the abolition of nuclear weapons, the development of a peace-oriented economy, an end to the international weapons trade, and promotes non-military solutions to international conflicts.

8th Day Center for Justice

Provides a critical alternative voice to the systems that suppress the human community and environment.

International Action Center

Founded by former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark, provides peace movement coverage.

Activist Toolkits and Resources

The OPCTJ Film Series Toolkit

We are sharing what we have learned from our experience with our own successful film series (co-sponsored by the Oak Park Public Library), In this toolkit you can find flyer templates, publicity material, and many other resources to organize your own successful film series.

How to Plan an Action

You’re upset about the war in Iraq. You’ve called and written your representatives, you’re tired of just grumbling at the TV. You want to do more, but you don’t know what or how. Maybe you don’t think of yourself as an organizer. But if you’ve ever thrown a party, run a meeting, or gathered a group of friends together to go to a show or a sporting event, you have the skills you need to organize a small but effective action.

Inner Peace/World Peace Bibliography

This bibliography was compiled as a resource for the weekly Inner Peace/World Peace gatherings at the First United Church, in Oak Park, Illinois. The citations here have been contributed by people attending those gatherings, by those working in peace and justice movements. At the end of the bibliography there is also an extensive list of links to various peace and justice organizations and resources.

Peace and Justice Organizing Training Program

The Chicago Peace Response Coalition and OPCTJ have formed an Education Committee to identify training and support needs of various peace and social justice organizations, and to plan some educational activities to address these needs. This survey is designed to collect input from a variety of organizations so that the most needed and useful training and educational activities can be planned. Please take a moment to complete and submit the survey on behalf of your organization.

Global Exchange Organizer Toolkit

Step-by-step instructions on everything from organizing a teach-in to writing a press release to passing a city council resolution. Including “Ten Things You Can Do to Stop the War on Iraq.” The tutorial can also be downloaded in PDF format.

Progressive and Educational Resources

Global Exchange

A non-profit research, education, and action center dedicated to promoting people-to-people ties around the world.

Institute for Policy Studies

Ideas into Action for Peace, Justice, and the Environment..

The World History Archives

Documents for teaching and learning about world history from a working-class and non-Eurocentric perspective.

Human Rights Watch

The largest human rights organization based in the United States. Human Rights Watch researchers conduct fact-finding investigations into human rights abuses in all regions of the world.

US Labor Against the War

Advocates, educates and mobilizes in the US labor movement for a just foreign policy and against US occupation of other countries.

The AFL-CIO Homepage

Policy statements, press releases, papers on social issues (working poor, international issues, NAFTA), news, boycotts, Organizing Institute, Stand UP Campaign. Press releases and other public documents archived by month from Dec.’94.

Center for Defense Information

A non-partisan, non-profit organization committed to independent research on the social, economic, environmental, political and military components of global security.