Louisville Peace Action Community Records, 2002-2011
Held by The Filson Historical Society
Creator: Louisville Peace Action Community
Title: Records, 2002-2011
Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these papers, contact the Collections Department.
Size of Collection: 6 cubic feet and 2 oversized folders
Location Number: Mss. BJ L888
Historical Note
In 2002, a group of concerned citizens gathered to protest against a war in Iraq. Initially, they called themselves the Louisville Committee to Stop the War Against Iraq (LCSWAI). In June 2003, the organization was renamed the Louisville Peace Action Community (LPAC). LPAC was one of several peace organizations active in the region. (Citizens Standing Against the War, a student group at the University of Louisville, had similar aims and sometimes worked in conjunction with LPAC.) LPAC saw the height of its activity during the war years of George W. Bush’s presidency; monthly group meetings ended when Barack Obama assumed office in January 2009.
LPAC is dedicated to peace, justice, and world community. The organization strives to educate people through creative non-violent action, the use of technology, and lifestyle changes. LPAC’s stated mission is to build local and national coalitions in order to restore participatory democracy and to act as an outlet for alternative voices in order to promote human rights, economic justice, and self-determination for all people.
LPAC members met monthly for several years to plan protests and events to engage the public about the Iraq war. Each year, the group gathered on the anniversary of the 2003 Iraq invasion to protest the continued presence of the U.S. military in the country. Although the group’s primary objective was to end the war in Iraq, activists also organized other events to promote peace. For instance, LPAC organized a “Peaceful Skies Picnic,” an alternative option to the annual Thunder Over Louisville air show, which features flyovers by military aircraft.
Although group activity has significantly lessened since the end of George W. Bush’s presidency, as of 2015 members continue to occasionally gather for peace vigils.
Sources:
Louisville Peace Action Community Facebook page.
Louisville Peace Action Community (LPAC): history of events and involvement. Draft compiled by Carol Rawert Trainer, 2009.
“Peace Activists rally, decry fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan.” 20 March 2009. The Courier-Journal.
“’Peace Picnic’ Set for Thunder.” 10 April 2008. The Courier-Journal.
Louisville Peace Action Community
Records, 2002-2011
Scope and Content Note
The Louisville Peace Action Community (LPAC) records document the domestic opposition to the war in Iraq in the early 2000s. This collection highlights the activities of Louisville’s peace activist community during the war years of George W. Bush’s presidency. The post September 11th world witnessed a dramatic increase in the powers of the executive branch of the U.S. government, both to pursue terrorist threats abroad as well as to conduct surveillance of its own citizens through mandates such as the Patriot Act. LPAC records exemplify part of the backlash against this movement by a citizenry concerned by the government’s growing power, its intrusion into the lives of ordinary people, and its proclivity to embroil the country in foreign wars.
LPAC records include papers relating to the history of the organization, its meetings and activities, and the planning of events and protests. The collection also contains informational brochures, flyers, and signage, as well as a few membership and financial documents. Several scrapbooks of photographs and clippings document the organization’s activities. Also present are materials gathered by activists that document the war in Iraq, including information about military casualties, the cost of war, and various articles and clippings relating to the war and to the peace movement.
Folders 1-42 contain records of the organization. These include a history of LPAC and monthly meeting agendas from 2002-2008.
Folder 4a contains two flash drives with digital files. Files related to the creation of the LPAC website are included, especially as the site appeared in May 2003. There are also many images from LPAC protests. In addition, there are a number of files concerning “Dissent! Through Performance,” an event at Christ Church Cathedral in 2006, designed to encourage reflection and discussion on the meaning of dissent. Also included are flyers and informational brochures about LPAC events and mission, as well as documents from a forum protesting the Patriot Act. Files from Doug Johnson’s travels to Iraq with the Iraq Peace Team are included, especially images from the trip and a journal he kept while abroad. There are also a few images and files relating to other activist groups in the community, especially Citizens Standing Against War (C-SAW) and Citizens Against Police Abuse (CAPA). Copies of these files have been retained on the Filson’s server. These files are restricted to in-house viewing. Please see the reference desk or email gro.l1714723321aciro1714723321tsihn1714723321oslif1714723321@hcra1714723321eser1714723321.
Records from 2002-2011 have been arranged chronologically, and document the organization’s community involvement and anti-war activities. This portion of the collection contains meeting notes from monthly gatherings as well as printouts of email correspondence between the organization’s members. Documents relating to LPAC’s anti-war demonstrations, peace vigils, and public awareness campaigns are present. There are also flyers and information about other anti-war events in the city, as well as clippings and articles exchanged by LPAC members relating to the progress of the war.
Folders 43-55 contain information about LPAC protests, especially reactions to the U.S. government and its leadership. The Patriot Act, a law enhancing the ability of law enforcement officials to conduct surveillance of suspected terrorists, received a strong negative reaction from LPAC members who organized a forum to protest its passage. The country’s leadership was a primary target of LPAC’s criticism. President George W. Bush was greeted by protestors on his visits to the city in 2004 and 2006. Anne Northup materials include action taken by LPAC members in response to the Congresswoman’s May 2003 letter, which contained an “erroneous” justification for the war in Iraq.
Folders 56-71 contain additional materials regarding LPAC events. Included are planning documents for “Dissent: Through Performance”, an event designed to encourage reflection on the meaning of dissent. LPAC’s presence at the Kentucky State Fair from 2003-2006 is also documented. State Fair papers include materials regarding the logistics and planning for the booth, literature prepared for volunteers and visitors, signatures of supporters, and the responses of volunteers and visitors to the experience. LPAC members also had a presence at the Kentucky Derby and the Derby Festival.
Folders 72-74a contain the writings of LPAC members, especially letters to the editor of the Louisville Courier-Journal. Sam Avery’s correspondence includes his communications with Louisville Metro Police regarding planned demonstrations. This portion of the collection also contains clippings of news coverage of LPAC activities and local anti-war demonstrations.
Folders 75-77 contain membership and financial documents.
Folders 78-83 include items such as flyers, brochures, posters, signs, and bumpers stickers. Some materials reflect opposition to the war, while others criticize the leadership of President George W. Bush and his supporters in Congress.
Volumes 84-93 are scrapbooks. Volume 84 contains a history of the organization, meeting agendas, and membership lists, as well as unpublished letters to the editor and correspondence from members of Congress responding to LPAC concerns. Other scrapbooks contain photographs, newspaper clippings, and meeting documents and correspondence which document LPAC’s activities from 2002-2009.
Folders 94-98 contain collected information on the war in Iraq, including statistics on the monetary cost of the war as well as its toll on human lives.
Folders 99-105 contain information on other peace and activist groups. In particular, the local chapter of the Fellowship of Reconciliation often worked in conjunction with LPAC on events and protests. Copies of the organization’s newsmagazine FORsooth are included in the collection.
Folders 106-112 contain periodicals and are representative of the reading interests of LPAC members. Periodicals touch on national and world peace causes, as well as other social and environmental issues which concerned group members.
Folders 113-119 contain miscellaneous materials. Included is some literature on peaceful protests and how to handle situations and the possibility of arrest. There is also information on the efforts of Louisvillians to promote peace between Israelis and the Palestinians. Also included is a folder with school activities, including children’s drawings and a lesson plan for teaching nonviolence to students.
Folders 120-121 contain oversized materials, especially signs used at LPAC protests. Folder 121 contains signs used at an LPAC demonstration in Fall 2005, where protestors hung t-shirts on a line to represent those who had died in the war. (T-shirts used in this protest were transferred to the museum collection.)
Photographs found within the LPAC records have been transferred to the Filson’s photograph collection, with the exception of images included in the scrapbooks and on the flash drives. Likewise, materials more appropriately housed in the Filson’s museum collection have also been transferred.
Folder List
Box 1
Organizational Records
Folder 1: LPAC History and Mission
Folder 2: Meeting agendas, 2002-May 2003
Folder 3: Meeting agendas, June 2003-2005
Folder 4: Meeting agendas, 2006-2008
Folder 4a: Digital files, 2003-2008 – These files are restricted to in-house viewing. Please see the reference desk or email gro.l1714723321aciro1714723321tsihn1714723321oslif1714723321@hcra1714723321eser1714723321.
Folder 5: Records, October-December 2002
Folder 6: Records, January-February 2003
Folder 7: Records, March 2003
Folder 8: Records, April-May 2003
Folder 9: Records, June 2003
Folder 10: Records, July-August 2003
Folder 11: Records, September 2003
Folder 12: Records, October-December 2003
Folder 13: Records, January-February 2004
Folder 14: Records, March 2004
Folder 15: Records, April-June 2004
Folder 16: Records, July-September 2004
Folder 17: Records, October-December 2004
Folder 18: Records, January 2005
Folder 19: Records, February-March 2005
Folder 20: Records, April-May 2005
Folder 21: Records, June-July 2005
Folder 22: Records, August 2005
Folder 23: Records, September-December 2005
Folder 24: Records, January-February 2006
Box 2
Folder 25: Records, March 2006
Folder 26: Records, April 2006
Folder 27: Records, May 2006
Folder 28: Records, June 2006
Folder 29: Records, July 2006
Folder 30: Records, August 2006
Folder 31: Records, September 2006
Folder 32: Records, October-November 2006
Folder 33: Records, January-March 2007
Folder 34: Records, April-August 2007
Folder 35: Records, 2008
Folder 36: Records, 2009
Folder 37: Records, 2010-2011
Folder 38: Records, undated
Folder 39: Action Committee records, 2004
Folder 40: Media Committee records, 2004-2005
Folder 41: Writer’s Group Committee records, 2003-2009
Folder 42: Patriot Act Committee records, 2003
Protests against government actions & leaders
Folder 43: Patriot Act response, 2004-2005
Folder 44: Patriot Act response, 2004-2005
Folder 45: Patriot Act publicity
Folder 46: Patriot Act publicity
Folder 47: Action vs. Anne Northup
Folder 48: Action vs. Anne Northup
Folder 49: Protests vs. George W. Bush, 2004 & 2006
Folder 50: Protest vs. Condoleezza Rice, 2004
Folder 51: Downing Street Memo protests, 2005
Folder 52: Downing Street Memo protests, 2005
Folder 53: Calls for Impeachment of George W. Bush
Folder 54: Police surveillance
Folder 55: Johanna Camenisch case file
Box 3
Events
Folder 56: “Dissent! Through Performance” event, 2006
Folder 57: “Eyes Wide Open” exhibit, 2006
Folder 58: Kentucky Derby
Folder 59: Thunder Over Louisville air show
Folder 60: Kentucky State Fair booth, 2003
Folder 61: Kentucky State Fair booth, 2003
Folder 62: Kentucky State Fair booth, 2004
Folder 63: Kentucky State Fair booth, 2005
Folder 64: Kentucky State Fair booth, 2006
Folder 65: Kentucky State Fair booth, 2006
Folder 66: Kentucky State Fair booth, 2006
Folder 67: Kentucky State Fair booth, 2006
Folder 68: “Lest We Forget: Five Years Too Many Memorial,” 2008
Folder 69: “Lest We Forget: Five Years Too Many Memorial,” 2008
Folder 70: Peace Essay Contest, 2007-2010
Folder 71: “Read Your Way to Democracy” summer reading program, 2005
Letters to the Editor & News coverage of LPAC
Folder 72: Sam Avery correspondence
Folder 73: Miriam Corcoran correspondence
Folder 74: Letters to the editor, 2003-2009
Folder 74a: News coverage of LPAC & local demonstrations, 2003-2008
Membership & Financial
Folder 75: Membership lists
Folder 76: Membership lists
Folder 77: Financial documents
Signage
Folder 78: Flyers & brochures
Folder 79: Flyers & brochures
Folder 80: Signs & posters
Folder 81: Signs & posters
Folder 82: Stickers
Folder 83: Fake money
Box 4
Scrapbooks
Volume 84: Archive book: Org. history, meeting agendas, correspondence
Volume 85: LPAC archives, 2002-2003
Volume 86: LPAC archive, 2004
Volume 87: LPAC archive, 2005
Box 5
Volume 88: LPAC archive, 2006
Volume 89: LPAC archive, 2007
Volume 90: LPAC archive, 2008-2009
Volume 91: “Voices for Peace” (scrapbook of peace literature, including information on Cindy Sheehan)
Volume 92: “Voices for Peace” (scrapbook of peace literature, including information on the Downing Street memo)
Volume 93: Kentucky Military Casualties
Box 6
Collected Information on the Cost of War
Folder 94: Cost of war statistics
Folder 95: Military recruitment
Folder 96: Military casualties
Folder 97: Military casualties
Folder 98: Military casualties
Other Peace Organizations
Folder 99: American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
Folder 100: Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR)
Folder 101: Friendly Answers retreat center
Folder 102: Friends Committee on National Legislation
Folder 103: Louisville Peace Center
Folder 104: Presbyterian Peacemaking Program
Folder 105: Rainbow Spirit Educational Center
Periodicals
Folder 106: The Nation
Folder 107: Religious group publications
Folder 108: Stanley Foundation publications
Folder 109: United States Institute of Peace publications
Folder 110: United States Institute of Peace publications
Folder 111: Miscellaneous publications
Folder 112: Miscellaneous publications
Miscellaneous
Folder 113: Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Folder 114: Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Folder 115: Nonviolence training literature
Folder 116: Political causes
Folder 117: School activities
Folder 118: Scripture and prayer readings
Folder 119: Miscellaneous documents
Oversized Materials
Folder 120: Protest signs
Folder 121: Protest signs
Subject Headings
Anti-war demonstrations – Kentucky.
Avery, Sam.
Bentley, Sue.
Bush, George W. (George Walker), 1946-
Camenisch, Johanna.
Citizens Standing Against War.
Corcoran, Miriam.
Fellowship of Reconciliation.
Iraq War, 2003-2011.
Iraq War, 2003-2011 – Protest movements – Kentucky.
Iraq War, 2003-2011 – Public opinion.
Kentucky Derby.
Kentucky State Fair.
Louisville Committee to Stop the War Against Iraq.
McMillin, James.
Munro-Leighton, Judy.
Nevitt, Ken.
Northup, Anne Meagher, 1948-
Pacifists – Kentucky.
Peace movements – Kentucky.
Police patrol – Surveillance operations.
Political activists – Kentucky.
Protest Warriors.
Sheehan, Cindy.
Trainer, Carol Rawert.
United States – Foreign relations – 21st century.
United States – History, Military – 21st century.
United States – Politics and government – 21st century.
United States. Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001.
War casualties – Statistics.
War on Terrorism, 2001-2009.
World politics – 21st century.
