Madison Masonic Center
Madison, WI
5/26/2025
The Peace Rally and Community Gathering event was, as expected, the polar opposite of the ceremony this morning at Forest Hills Cemetery. This afternoon focused on peace and the pursuit of an end to endless wars. It was a call, or rather a plea, not to have to send anyone to die for capitalism under the guise of patriotic duty. No one asked anyone to lay down their lives, nor did anyone suggest that the answer to a conflict was to send more people and act as an aggressor. The message: Stop feeding the military-industrial complex with human lives and money that could be keeping our country from sliding into another depression.
I hadn’t attended this event, hosted by the Madison chapter of Veterans for Peace, in several years. The last time was at the Gates of Heaven Synagogue, a unique place with limited capacity. This year, the event relocated to the Madison Masonic Center, not only increasing capacity but also allowing for tabling by some of Madison’s organizations promoting peace and social justice.
The emcee for the event was Norm Stockwell, publisher of the Progressive magazine. Stockwell discussed the work of Clarence Kailin, who dedicated his life to promoting peace and justice. There was an invocation by Rev. David Couper, a former Madison police chief, an Episcopal priest, poet, pundit, and social activist. The band Old Cool provided musical interludes.
Guest speakers included John Nichols and Will Williams: Nichols, an author, journalist, and orator. I’ve had the opportunity to hear Nichols speak on several occasions over the years, and he never disappoints. Nichols spoke about growing up a Quaker and how that shaped his worldview later in life. He called for individuals to be advocates for peace, not violence or hate. Nichols also fondly spoke of Clarence Kailin and the importance of Kailin's work to Nichols.
Will Williams was the other guest speaker. Williams, a Madison peace activist and war veteran who has been speaking out since 2001, said, “I’d rather be with family today… But it’s important to keep speaking as long as I can about peace.” He spoke of the need to stop molding people into killing machines and that America is the biggest grower of terrorists. Williams also talked about how there is no such thing as a just war, and we need to stop bombing everyone around the world. He reminded us, too, that we are hypocrites for lashing out at immigrants when we are all immigrants living on stolen Indigenous land. Williams said we need to call on the young people to take action to preserve their future. He finished with the call, “No Justice, No Peace!” Words not uttered at Forest Hills earlier today.
The event concluded with the handing out of red carnations for guests to leave at the Lincoln Brigade monument near James Madison Park. The memorial is to commemorate “… the 45,000 International Volunteers who fought for the Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), including the 2800 Americans who served in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. The monument includes the names of 37 Wisconsin volunteers.”
Community Co-sponsors:
- 350 Wisconsin
- Social Justice Ministry of First Unitarian Society of Madison
- Church Women United of Madison
- Colombia Support Network
- Family Farm Defenders
- Farley Center
- Indivisible Madison
- Interfaith Peace Working Group
- Jewish Voices for Peace
- JustDane
- Madison for a World BEYOND War
- Madison Area Democratic Socialists of America
- Madison Friends Meeting
- Madison-Rafah Sister City Project
- Madison Workers Cooperative
- Mennonite Action Madison
- Moms Demand Action-WI
- National War Tax Resistance
- Our Wisconsin Revolution
- Palestine Partners
- Pax Christi-Madison
- Physicians for Social Responsibility Wisconsin
- The Progressive
- Safe Skies Clean Water Wisconsin
- South Central Federation of Labor
- AFL-CIO
- WI Anti-Violence Effort Educational Fund
- WI Bail Out the People Movement
- WI Network for Peace and Justice
- WORT
Note: As an independent freelance documentary photographer, I am not affiliated with any political organizations. I document marches, protests, and rallies in Madison, Wisconsin, capturing the people's right to free speech and their right to organize.
