On this day celebrating love and compassion we're asking Congress members to extend their compassion to women. Too many women experience violence: 73% of family violence victims are female and one in six women have been the victim of an attempted or completed rape. (see sources and other stats on violence against women on this violence fact sheet.) 

 

H.R. 808 would establish a Cabinet-level U.S. Department of Peace to refocus our efforts on reducing and preventing violence, including violence against women. Join us in inviting Congress to respect the well-being of all women by supporting the creation of a U.S. Department of Peace.

 

 

Department of Peace Campaign February Action

A joint action of The Peace Alliance and the Student Peace Alliance

• Write valentines to your Representative and Senators. In your note, highlight the problem of violence against women in the United States and the successful programs that are working to end it. Ask your member to support the legislation to establish a Department of Peace to help end violence against women.

• Collect as many valentines from as many different people as you can and drop them off at the local office of your Representative and Senators on February 14, 2008. Help show them that peace is the best Valentine's Day gift!

    1. Make Valentines

For Current Cosponsors of HR 808
(Find out if your Representative is a cosponsor here)

• Write a sincere thank you valentine for their support of HR 808 and commitment to preventing violence against women
• Ask them to take even more action to support the legislation
• Decorate your valentine!

For "Future" Cosponsors of HR 808
(Representatives not yet cosponsoring)

• Write a valentine asking them to support HR 808
• Include statistics on violence against women and information about successful prevention programs, especially any you know of locally
• Link the need to stop violence against women with the need for a Department of Peace
• Decorate your valentine!

Templates for these valentines are available here. You'll also find pre-made messages available to put on your own valentine and national statistics on violence against women.

For Senators
Follow the same procedure as for Representatives who are not yet cosponsors, but ask them to introduce the bill into the Senate instead!

The goal of this action is to deliver a STACK of valentines to the local office.  Here are some ideas for getting lots of valentines:

• Table in an open area or an event with information on the Department of Peace and have pre-made valentines for people to fill out
• Host a Valentines Day Department of Peace House Party, with hot chocolate and valentine writing!
• At colleges, go door to door in the dormitories with pre-made valentines and ask people to fill them out.
  

It's best if you can drop off the valentines (either in a bag or in stacks) at the local offices of your Representatives and Senators. If the local office is too far away, mail the valentines to the local office (mail sent to DC offices still has to go through special screening, which delays and sometimes damages mail) . To find addresses, simply google the name of your Representative or Senator!

 

    4. Coordinate with Others in Your Area

Let others in your area know what you're up to. Use our Distributed Events tool to tell people you plan to collect and deliver valentines, to find others who are already planning the same, to list and publicize your valentine-making parties and more.

    5. Report Your Action

PLEASE tell us what you did! Be sure to fill out the form here with the number of valentines you gave to Congress. Send us stories and pictures of your experience so we can share it in our Enewsletter and on the website. Email stories to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 

Thank you so much for taking action for Peace!
The smallest action makes a big difference!