2027 Peace Calendar

“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now” remains as true in 2027 as in 1962 when Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke these words. Our 21st-century boat is in rough waters, buffeted by fossil-fuel induced climate change, authoritarian threats to democracy everywhere and the rapid rise of unregulated AI technology. Despite all that, we can take solace in our shared humanity and find renewed determination in our collective power to change course. Building on the work of generations, we can overcome the forces of division by refusing to fear our differences. We can mitigate climate change by following the science and pursuing renewable energy aggressively. And we can insist on regulating AI technology in ways that protect families, jobs, the human spirit and the environment. Though our boat may be in a perfect storm, we are together, and far from helpless.

“A salutation to the transcendent power of abiding Black joy,” this painting is inspired by Lucille Clifton’s poem, “won’t you celebrate with me,” which ends, “come celebrate / with me that everyday / something has tried to kill me /and has failed.” In Nicole Dixon’s own words: “Today, as much as Black suffering is on display across every news channel, Black joy, ingenuity, and creativity are equally significant realities and powerful testaments to the failures of white supremacist objectives. In this image, the central figure’s smile radiates, as does the variegated golden column of light, joy, and omnipotence streaming into and out from her crown. In its center hovers a sparrow, a multicultural symbol with many meanings, including joy, communalism, and the divine significance of even the smallest among us. Her cloak depicts two Adinkra symbols: Kwatakye Atiko—the Akan war captain’s hairstyle symbolizing bravery, fearlessness, and valor—and Dwinnemmen—the ram’s horns representing strength and humility. Her open hands float the sacred geometry symbol the Flower of Life, a 6,000-year-old pattern from the temple of Osiris representing the cycle of creation and the interconnectedness of all life.” 

Nearly 200,000 women and girls are behind bars daily in the US, and Black, Latina and Native women are disproportionately represented. The majority are accused of property, drug and public order offenses, and over sixty percent of imprisoned women in state prisons have a child under the age of 18. This  art was created for a 2022 Mother’s Day Bail Out campaign to raise the funds needed to reunite Black families whose mothers or caregivers were imprisoned pending trial. The criminal legal system traumatizes individuals, families and communities. While many advocacy groups like The Philly Bail Fund and The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls do critically important work to end pretrial detention, get wrongful convictions overturned, harsh sentences reconsidered, and conditions of incarceration improved, the fact remains: “The current criminal legal system is a failed system and needs to be dismantled.”

Work underway on part of a 400-foot mural in Philadelphia allows us to imagine these young painters and activists signaling their counterparts far into the future, following the Haudenosaunee principle that decisions made today should lead to a sustainable world for the Seventh Generation. As the Climate Justice Initiative (CJI) explains on their website: “the mural is the first and only mural in Philadelphia that tells the story of the past, present and future of climate justice in Lenapehoking, PA–the homelands of the Lenape people. Three years in the making, this immense work of public art grapples with centuries of environmental harms and injustices, while also manifesting local and regional solutions to inspire hope for a more just future. The mural draws on words and experiences of front-line organizers, activists, and artists, centering the leadership of Black, Indigenous and other people of color.” CJI “hopes that this public artwork inspires viewers to ask questions, to process their own feelings about the climate crisis and its root causes, and to learn more about the stories and communities that inspired this mural. Ultimately, we also hope that viewers take the next step to get involved with one of our collaborating organizations.”

Workers and their labor unions in all sectors of the US economy are continually fighting for fair wages and benefits, robust safety regulations and worker protections, as well as a substantive role in setting terms for contracts. Nowhere is this truer than in our failing profit-driven healthcare system, where the work of nurses in particular is often grossly undervalued. Such was the case for approximately 15,000 nurses in several hospitals in New York City.  Represented by the New York State Nurses Association, they mounted a historic strike on January 12, 2026. Facing “some of the wealthiest, largest private employers in the city and up against unseen levels of union-busting, public denigration and delay tactics,” the strike brought nurses and their allies out onto the street for 41 days in below freezing temperatures, before signing contracts that established new industry standards and ensured better healthcare for patients. In their successful collective action, these NYC nurses demonstrated the power of people, when organized, to improve social and economic conditions all around.

Affirming trans being in the world and universe, Trans People Exist in the Future reminds us that neither nature nor culture abides the imposition of strict binary categories and so we are all, thankfully, free to be as we are. In human history across the globe, gender nonconformity is the rule not the exception, as we see clearly documented in the historical records of virtually every world culture, dating back to ancient Egypt (1200 BCE). Many of these cultures have exalted trans people by affording them special spiritual or political status. But humans throughout history have unfortunately also feared this freedom and often tried through all manner of religious and political doctrines and practices to deny it. Nature, however, will not be denied. Trans people have always and will always exist, and they blessedly light the way for all people to live freely, fearlessly and joyfully.

Social progress requires strong, dedicated activist-leaders, and disability justice activist Anita Cameron is among them. Kind and gentle in her demeanor, she has fought hard for her and others’ rights for over 44 years, working locally and nationally in Rochester, NY, Denver, CO, Washington, DC and elsewhere. On March 12, 1990, Anita participated in the Capitol Crawl, when she and 60 others abandoned their wheelchairs and mobility devices and crawled up the steps of the US Capitol to demand the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Her compassion and passion have always led her efforts to ensure marginalized communities have their rights, freedom and opportunity. In the course of her advocacy efforts, Anita has been arrested over 140 times. Whether fighting for voting rights or transportation accessibility, Anita’s voice is often loudest when not speaking, as her presence exudes determination and confidence. She gives all of herself and then some, knowing that we can only thrive in our communities when all are included.

For decades, the US Congress has failed to pass sensible and humane comprehensive immigration reform, leaving the door open for Donald Trump’s 2016 divisive, cruel call for building a border wall and the 2025 passage of his horrific “Big Ugly Bill,” which authorized mass deportations and made Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) one of the top 20 most well-funded military forces in the world. Its mission to terrorize, detain and deport is based on a public narrative that equates human worth with nationality, skin color, immigration status, or detention status. Much of the world, and certainly we in the United States, live in a colonial geography created through brutal wars of conquest. As we are reminded in the artwork above by the mother-activist straddling the border between Mexico and the US, borders are to be crossed in the natural course of human affairs, effectively erased by the complexity of human migration and our natural social and economic interactions. ICE’s multibillion-dollar budget is allowing the government to put more immigrants behind bars, often in inhumane conditions and with little oversight. Resistance to these anti-migrant atrocities exists in the form of grassroots groups supporting those in federal detention; helping find shelter, legal support, and emergency funds for migrants in the community; and organizing for a future of immigrant justice. 

This mural in San Francisco’s Clarion Alley honors five journalists assassinated by Israel on August 10, 2025 outside of Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Anas Al Sharif, Mohammed Qrieqeh, Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal (Al Jazeera) and independent journalist Mohammed Al Khaldi are five of over 270 journalists killed by Israel since October 2023. Inspired by a Nikita Gill poem, the mural is part of I Witness Silwan’s “Look Palestinians in the Eyes” campaign against Israel’s ethnic cleansing, from Gaza to Silwan (occupied Jerusalem). The poppies represent hundreds of martyred Palestinian journalists. In Palestine, poppies are said to be the way the land honors and embodies those who die defending it; their bright red color comes from soil soaked with the blood of those killed for their resistance. Attacks against protected persons such as journalists violate international humanitarian law and are a war crime.

Love is the natural soil for human flourishing. Courageous acts of resistance, whether individual or communal, light the way for all of us. In this era of hard right and authoritarian consolidation and nationalistic entrenchment across the globe, holding onto love as a guiding force is really hard. With the myriad threats coming at us daily, grass roots resistance pierces the oppressive ideologies that sponsor human rights abuses and state violence in all forms—including genocide and war.  The attacks on protesters and journalists who witness and dissent will not stop us from vigilantly tending the seeds of kindness and love that cannot be destroyed.

Indigenous wisdom teaches that humans are one small part of the natural world. Indigenous communities have acted on that knowledge to protect their communities from environmental assault for generations. In 2016-17 we witnessed the remarkable resilience of Indigenous Peoples when 200 nations and thousands of other activists joined the Standing Rock Sioux “Water Protectors” to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. Resilience and resistance go hand-in-hand, and the list of 21st-century indigenous-led opposition to industrial projects and defense of sovereignty is long. From the Tonawanda Seneca fight to stop the STAMP mega industrial complex in Western New York to the Waorani and other Amazonian nations who successfully halted oil drilling in one of the most biodiverse places on Earth (and home to uncontacted peoples), to the Mbororo in Cameroon fighting continually to defend their land and people from multiple threats, Indigenous peoples’ fierce stewardship of Mother Earth is ongoing. They put their bodies on the line to prevent land degradation, biodiversity loss and displacement of communities. They fight in the forests, courts and in the court of public opinion, using technologies both ancient and modern. We all benefit when their fights become shared struggles based in solidarity and mutual aid.

If you should come across a giant troll anywhere in the world, be sure to greet them with a smile and ask their favorite question, “What are you are made of?” They love to brag about how they are made of discarded, recycled materials and brought to life by visionary artist Thomas Dambo. His life’s mission is to “[show] the world that beautiful things can be made from trash.” The trolls also love to talk about the natural world and to interact with visitors who come outside to meet them, maybe to play or even just to wander around. They are not big fans of things you can only spy on a screen. You might also tell them a story or a joke, as they love to learn about and laugh with humans. And don’t be surprised if, as you part ways, they pose you a riddle: “Which is more magical, art or nature?”

The 2027 Peace Calendar is dedicated to Rose Zappala who played a central role at SCW for nearly 30 years, before passing away suddenly in January 2026. Rose was the link for thousands of people to the Peace Calendar and other SCW products. She is deeply missed, but the work will carry on!