Meta Peace Team (MPT), formerly Michigan Peace Team, is a nonprofit, grassroots organization founded in 1993 that seeks to pursue peace through active nonviolence and create an alternative to militarism through empowered peacemaking. MPT provides creative nonviolence training workshops to ordinary citizens with a framework of third party nonviolent intervention (TPNI), and it deploys peace teams to conflict areas both domestically and internationally. Its peace teams have worked in places such as Iraq, Haiti, Bosnia, Egypt, Panama, Mexico, Gaza Strip, and the West Bank; they have also been placed within the United States to create peaceful presences at national and state political conventions, Ku Klux Klan rallies, and gay pride parades, among many other events.Riegle, Rosalie G. Crossing the Line: Nonviolent Resisters Speak Out for Peace. Eugene: Cascade Books, 2013. 307. MPT also works in collaboration with other peace and justice groups around the globe, including Nonviolent Peaceforce, Christian Peacemaker Teams, Veterans for Peace, the International Solidarity Movement, Peace Brigades International, the Shanti Sena Network, and the Metta Center for Nonviolence.“Peace Partners.” Meta Peace Team. Retrieved 6 June 2013. Its current offices are located in Lansing and Detroit, Michigan. MPT is a founding member of the Shanti Sena Network.
History Formation MPT initially began in the 1980s as Michigan Faith and Resistance before evolving into Michigan Peace Team in 1993. Peace activists Rev. C. Peter Dougherty and Jasiu Milanowski co-founded MPT, and in 1998, MPT officially became a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization."Michigan Peace Team, Inc." 501c3 Lookup. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
MPT's original focus was to recruit volunteers for peace teams to be deployed internationally, but after realizing that peace team members needed rigorous training beforehand in order to be successful, developing a training curriculum in nonviolent peacemaking also became a core focus of MPT's work.
Work with domestic and international peace teams
MPT deployed its first international peace team in 1993, sending its members to take part in a three-month project in Bosnia, joining Mir Sada ("Peace Now" in Serbo-Croatian).Rupersberg, Nicole. "An Evening with Michael Moore." The Detroiter. 30 April 2009.Howard, Donna, et al. "Nonviolent Peaceforce Feasibility Study: Strategies, Tactics, and Activities in Intervention." St Paul: September 2001. 51. Two years later, MPT joined Christian Peacemaker Teams for its first excursion to the Middle East, working to establish peace in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. As of 2001, MPT began sending teams there regularly for three to twelve weeks at a time and has maintained an active presence in Gaza Strip and the West Bank. To prepare for these trips, MPT members say that they participate in multiple all-day training workshops and study manuals.Means, Greg. "Bringing peace to the West Bank." Beacon. September 12–18, 2010. 7A.
During a 2004 trip to Palestine, MPT peace team members attended the Sabeel Conference on the Threat of Christian Zionism held in Jerusalem. In addition, they supported the release of Israeli peace activist Mordechai Vanunu, who was imprisoned for 18 years for publicly exposing Israel's nuclear weapons program. The MPT activists also attended Palestinian protests against Israeli occupation.Smith, Danielle. "Michigan Peace Team delegation returns from Palestine." The Arab American News. May 22–28, 2004, Vol. 20, Issue 954. In April 2007, the organization established its first long-term team in the West Bank.Cordaro, Frank. "Report from the West Bank by Sr. Martha Larsen of the Michigan Peace Team." 18 June 2009. In 2008, a four-member team of MPT traveled to the West Bank to promote nonviolent conflict intervention by accompanying Palestinian children to school and shepherds to their fields and acting as international observers at military checkpoints; they also participated in a demonstration against the separation wall that Israel was building on Palestinian-claimed land."Michigan Peace Team sends four to West Bank." The Arab American News. Dearborn, MI. 12 Apr 2008. Throughout a 2009 trip, MPT members assisted Palestinians who claimed to have been harassed by illegal settlers. Their work included attempting to prevent potential violence and documenting what they witnessed with photographs.Mumford, Lou. "Niles couple’s trip to Palestine is an eye-opener." South Bend Tribune. 28 October 2009. MPT representatives returned to the West Bank in 2010 to oversee the annual olive harvest that was allegedly disrupted by Israelis and to protect against the demolition of Palestinian homes.
MPT also advocates for peace in the Middle East from its home in Michigan. For example, in May 2004, MPT held a sit-in at Senator Carl Levin’s office in Lansing in an attempt to speak with the senator and persuade him to oppose Israel's onslaught on Rafah in southern Gaza.Smith, Danielle. "Michigan Peace Team holds sit-in at Senator Carl Levin’s Lansing office." Arab American News. 4 June 2004. Also, its members were present at a May 2010 rally in the state's capital, which called for an end to the massacres occurring in Palestine under Israeli occupation as well as protesting military aid to Israel by the United States.Prater, Kathryn. "Palestinian supporters rally in Lansing against occupation." Lansing State Journal. 13 May 2010.
In addition, MPT sends international teams to other areas around the world. For example, throughout 1996–1999, MPT deployed multiple teams to Chiapas, Mexico.Stahler-Sholk, Richard. "A Chiapas Diary." University of Michigan Agenda. June 1999. 20-22.
Since 1998, MPT started fielding regular domestic peace teams as well, placing teams to prevent violence during events such as the 1999 riot in East Lansing, Michigan; Ku Klux Klan rallies in Ann Arbor, Michigan; the 2001 execution of Timothy McVeigh in Indiana;Emerson, Adam."Michigan Peace Team ready to handle anything." Lansing State Journal. 10 June 2001.Hathaway, Jason. "‘Don’t Kill for Me.’" Tribune-Star. Terre Haute, IN: 11 June 2001. and the 2008 GOP convention in Minnesota.Harris, David. "Lansing man arrested near GOP convention." Lansing State Journal. 5 Sept. 2008. Furthermore, MPT teams have been present at the Terry Jones event; the American Catholic Council Conference in Detroit, Michigan; Gay Pride Day in Lansing, Michigan; the Arab-American Festival; the Occupy Movement in four states; and the Right to Work protests in order to maintain peace and safety.
Awards, honors, and notable achievements
The Ann Arbor City Council issued an official proclamation of gratitude for MPT's peace team presence at City Hall, the Rally for CommUNITY & Justice at Wheeler Park, and the Pledge Against the Klan on May 9, 1998.Ann Arbor City Council. Proclamation of gratitude. 9 May 1998.
As of 2000, MPT became a member organization of Nonviolent Peaceforce. In 2004, the Global Nonviolent Peaceforce invited MPT to present at their North American Conference and provide trainings for domestic peace teams, and in July 2005, MPT was selected to represent the United States at the conference for the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict, located at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.Wake, Jim. "Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict Report: From Reaction to Prevention: Civil Society Forging Partnerships to Prevent Violent Conflict and Build Peace." United Nations. New York: 19–21 July 2005.
In May 2007, MPT received the Certificate of Appreciation from the Palestinian National Authority at the Second Bil'in International Conference on Popular Resistance held in the West Bank."Michigan Peace Team receives award." ‘The Arab American News.’ Dearborn, MI: 19 May 2007.Haifa University. "Michigan Peace Team receives award at the Bil'in Conference on Nonviolent Resistance April 18th." Arab American News. 19 May 2007.
Dougherty, MPT's co-founder, was awarded the Jamnalal Bajaj International Award for Promoting Gandhian Values Outside India in November 2009.Heywood, Todd A. "Lansing priest to receive international peace award." The Michigan Messenger. 20 Oct. 2009.
Also in 2009, MPT initiated its annual Signature Event, which includes presentations by keynote speakers and a dinner. Filmmaker Michael Moore served as the first keynote speaker, where he debuted the trailer for his documentary, Capitalism: A Love Story. Cindy Corrie, mother of Rachel Corrie, and Grace Said, sister of the late Edward Said, presented in 2010.Meyer, Nick. "Corrie, Said’s legacies celebrated at MPT event." The Arab American News. Dearborn, MI: 13 November 2010. 2012's speakers featured Hedy Epstein, a Holocaust survivor, Noura Erakat, a human rights attorney and legal advocate for the US campaign to end the Israeli occupation, and Ann Wright, a former United States Army colonel who resigned in protest of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.Meyer, Nick. "Michigan Peace Team banquet celebrates ‘Women of Conscience & Courage.’" The Arab American News. Dearborn, MI: 4 May 2012. Peace activist Bishop Thomas Gumbleton is anticipated to present at MPT's 2013 Signature Event.
MPT is expected to publish its Field Reports Anthology in 2013, a book containing photographs and field reports honoring the work of its peace team members over the preceding two decades."Current News." Meta Peace Team. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
Name change In 2013, after celebrating its 20th anniversary, Michigan Peace Team changed its name to Meta Peace Team (coming from the Greek word "meta," meaning "beyond" or "transformation"). This was done in order to clarify that a significant amount of MPT's work takes place outside of Michigan, and to represent MPT's aim to transcend physical and metaphorical borders in transforming both itself and the world over the years."Our Name Change." Meta Peace Team. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
Death of Jasiu Milanowski On September 13, 2015, Jasiu Milanowski died while in hospice care. A service was held in his memory at Ottawa Beach, Michigan.
Ideology and approach
Overview MPT's vision is to seek a just world grounded in nonviolence and respect for the sacred interconnectedness of all life. Its mission is to pursue peace through active nonviolence in places of conflict. The goals of MPT are to educate the public about the vision and practice of active nonviolence, provide trainings in active nonviolence designed for the specific needs of the participants, deploy peace teams into places of conflict both domestically and internationally, and collaborate with other peace and justice groups."About Us." Meta Peace Team. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
MPT seeks to embody a non-hierarchical structure. For example, rather than a board of directors, MPT has a "Core Community." It is also heavily volunteer-oriented, with over 30,000 people engaging in its programs during 2011.Powers, Nancy C. "Michigan Peace Team seeks nonviolent options." Detroit Free Press. 21 Apr 2012.
While MPT describes itself as a spiritually-based organization, it is not explicitly affiliated with any one faith tradition."MPT International Peace Teams FAQs." Meta Peace Team. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
Finally, MPT only goes where it is invited, claims not to take sides,Kelly, James. "Couple shares stories, photos from Palestine at SC4 program." The Voice. 12 May 2010. and does not impose its own outside resolutions to conflicts, but merely aims to create a safe space where the parties involved may peacefully work through conflicts in productive ways.
Educating the public on the power of nonviolence