The War Resisters League (WRL) is the oldest secular pacifist organization in the United States. The organization is celebrating its centennial from the founding date of October 19 into 2024. [1][2]
Founded in 1923 by men and women who had opposed World War I, it is a section of the London-based War Resisters' International.[3] It continues to be one of the leading radical voices in the anti-war movement.[1]
Many of the organization's founders had been jailed during World War I for refusing military service. From the Fellowship of Reconciliation many Jews, suffragists, socialists, and anarchists separated to form this more secular organization.
Although the WRL was opposed to US participation in World War II, it did not protest against it; the WRL complied with the Espionage Act, ceased public protests, and did not solicit new members during this period.[4] During World War II, many members were labeled conscientious objectors.[5] In the 1950s, WRL members worked in the civil rights movement and organized protests against nuclear weapons testing and civil defense drills.[2]
In the 1960s, WRL was the first pacifist organization to call for an end to the Vietnam War.[2] WRL also organized the first demonstration against the war with a September 21, 1963 vigil at the U.S. Mission to the UN, followed by an October 9, 1963 picket of Madame Ngo Dinh Nhu speaking at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.[6] WRL was among the primary groups (along with Committee for Nonviolent Action, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the Socialist Party, and the Student Peace Union) to organize coordinated nationwide protests against the Vietnam War on December 19, 1964.[7]
The organization's opposition to nuclear weapons was extended to include nuclear power in the 1970s and 1980s. The WRL has also been active in feminist and anti-racist causes and works with other organizations to reduce the level of violence in modern culture.
WRL published many important periodicals including The Conscientious Objector (1939-1946); WRL News (1945-1984); the WRL Peace Calendar from 1955-2012; Liberation magazine (1956-1977); WIN Peace & Freedom Through Nonviolent Action (1966-1984); The Nonviolent Activist (1984-2006); and the quarterly magazine WIN through revolutionary nonviolence (2006-2015), and other materials. See the external links below to find the archived publications.
The War Resisters League actively organized against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and continues to protest what it perceives as U.S. militarism and commitment to endless war, as well as the impact of war at home.[8] Much of its organizing is focused on challenging military recruiters and ending corporate profit from war.
WRL is involved in a number of national peace and justice coalitions, including National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth and the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee. Starting in 1958, WRL awarded almost annually the War Resisters League Peace Award to a person or organization whose work represents the League's radical nonviolent program of action. The Covid-19 pandemic curtailed the peace award ceremonies.
The War Resisters League annually publishes a pie chart showing how much of the U.S. federal budget actually covers current and past military expenses, listing the total as 37% based on the FY2023 proposed federal budget:
Using the larger total spending that includes trust funds, official government figures produce smaller percentages for military spending:
