Freedom is complicated; peace is compromised when injustice is perpetuated. Last year we posted these three quotations:

“Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility.”–Eleanor Roosevelt

“In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”–Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I love America more than any other country in the world, and exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”–James A. Baldwin

Today, much of the world is at war. Civil wars rage in Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Libya, Ethiopia, Central African Republic, and Myanmar; Russia continues its brutal invasion of Ukraine; terrorist insurgencies destabilize more than 20 countries across Africa and Asia; drug conflicts and gang wars plague Mexico, Haiti, and regions of Central and South America.

As we remember those who died in military service to our country, we also reflect on the inherent tragedy of every war and every breach of peace and justice, from outside and from within.

At PDA, we are not silent. We rededicate our efforts–both short- and long-term–to advance peace, pursue justice, and realize a vision of equity and protection for all of our brothers and sisters.

As our former Executive Director Donna Smith wrote in 2017, “Calling for peace does not weaken or diminish the memory of those who have died in our military…. We believe the best way to memorialize those who have sacrificed their lives is to do our best to pursue peace and achieve justice for all.”

No justice, no peace.

Debra Schrishuhn for the PDA National Team