Who We Can Be

With focus on the use of nonviolence, this book shares stories told as witnessed  'on the ground'  by people actually doing the work.  In particular, it is about the Meta Peace Team (MPT). Co-founded by Gandhi Peace Award winner, Rev. Peter Dougherty, the Meta Peace Team actively engages the skills and tactics of nonviolence in areas of conflict where escalation to violence is a potential. 

Stories include domestic peace teams at Ku Klux Klan rallies, Gay Pride Marches, Arab-American Festivals, the Poor People's Campaign,  the Flint Water Crisis, and numerous rallies and marches. International Peace Teams have served in Haiti, Chiapas Mexico, regularly in the Israeli occupied territories of Palestine and most recently, at the US/Mexico border. 

Given the current public health crisis from the novel Covid19 virus, the resulting economic implosion, and the rise in violence from fringe 'white supremacist' groups, the lessons from this book are needed now more than ever.  Relevant to the current struggles regarding the economic, racial and partisan divisions in our country today, this book provides information and stories on how and why active nonviolence works.  At a time when hate speech is free speech, when the Press is labeled 'false news,' and protests turn vitriolic and violent, this book provides valuable guidance for effective communication strategies, Bystander Intervention, and Third-Party Nonviolent Interactions.   It is written for those of us who feel the tensions in our society and are looking for nonviolent ways to communicate and relate to one another. 

"The author has compiled a moving collection of compelling stories of how individuals and groups have transformed violence. It's hard to put down. The reader is exposed to many skills employed to de-escalate violence in one/one situations and on a societal level along the lines of Gandhi's vision of 'Shanti Sena,' creating a 'Peace Army.' This book is for the everyday person and those already seasoned in peace and justice work, who yearn to address the global crises of our time in a nonviolent way."

from the Reverend C. Peter Dougherty, co-founder of the Meta Peace Team 

Through stories lovingly told, Julie Thomas-Beckett captures the history, personalities and essence of the Meta Peace Team's rise. Every page testifies to the power of doing small things with great love and calls us to a new paradigm of healing through connection and respect. This is how we will heal our beautiful, broken world.

Nancy Schertzing  

Restorative Justice Trainer and Consultant      

Facts and figures aren’t always the best way to make a point. Reaching out heart-to-heart and sharing stories can create a powerful impact on the reader. That is just what “The Work of   Nonviolence; Stories from the Frontline” does. Meta Peace Team members share their personal stories of how they have transformed a situation of violence into one of peaceful reconciliation.

Now more than ever we need to learn from these courageous people how we can transform our world from a culture of violence to a culture of peace.

Bishop Thomas Gumbleton