The History and Spirit of the House of the Lord Churches
National Action Network (NAN)
Saturday 6/11 - I spoke at the National Action Network, Reverend Al Sharpton had been one of the organizing committees. In my remarks I rehearsed the history of June 12th, the Department of Defense’s military budget is $75.5 billion dollars and this does not include the Overseas Contingency Budget Operation, nor does that include the DOD’s base budget, that comes to $933 trillion dollars while there’s a desperate need for programs for the needy. I have heard it said that America is one of the sickest nations in the world. At the same time, America is said to be one of the richest nations in the world. What a glaring contradiction. While millions of Americans' income is below the poverty line, yet the rich get richer and do not pay their fair share of taxes. The poor get poorer. Neighborhoods are deteriorating. Roads are crumbling. Bridges are falling down. Homelessness is pervasive.
What Congress has given freely to war, death, and destruction, human needs in comparison is a pittance. And there is stiff resistance to its allocation.
Also, I discussed the war in Ukraine. There was an agreement between negotiators of Ukraine and Russia that called for Russia’s withdrawal from Ukraine and the granting of Ukraine’s full independence.
For that Ukraine would not join NATO but would be free and independent, nor would it have an army but would trust the United Nations to supply a military presence. In other words, Ukraine would be completely neutral. For some reason, it was rejected. And so, the war continues. I’m including the actual quote from an article written by Michael von der Schulenberg. He was a former senior German diplomat with the United Nations and with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe:
“The key elements for a peaceful solution have already been worked out by courageous Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in the first two months of the war. According to these, Ukraine would renounce NATO membership and not allow any foreign military bases on Ukrainian soil, while Russia would commit to recognizing Ukraine’s territorial integrity, withdraw all Russian troops from Ukraine and accept international security guarantees for Ukraine. It had also already been tentatively agreed to give a special status to the Donbas within Ukrainian territory (as already foreseen in Minsk II) and to resolve the future status of Crimea at a later stage through purely diplomatic means.
Certainly, this is not a complete peace treaty – not yet; many difficult details remain unresolved. But the outcome of these peace negotiations, even if only provisional, represents an astonishing achievement at a time of war. There is and will be no other peaceful solution than to agree to some form of Ukrainian neutrality to preserve Ukraine's territorial integrity. It would be completely illusory to assume, as some Western governments like to claim, that such a peace treaty is a purely Ukrainian responsibility and that they should stay out. To use this to justify the West's silence on Russian-Ukrainian peace efforts is highly disingenuous.”
And as the war continues, this is the most dangerous time for war than the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. I urged the audience to become informed and to get involved in these global issues. After all, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. observed a long time ago, "what does it mean to have access to restaurants, hotels, etc. if nuclear war can blow us all off the map.” The speech was overwhelmingly received. NAN gave my speech a standing ovation.
Washington D.C. Rally
Our next event for the day was in Washington, D.C. but, unbelievably, there were no cars to be leased. Our delegation had decided to rent a car. Again we had the competition of gun violence. We believed that that was the cause or at least one of the causes for all the cars being leased. It was reported that hundreds of thousands were in Washington for the gun rally. We learned later that even the equipment people charged with setting up the sound system were trapped in that huge crowd and the rally had to be delayed. I would like to interject here that we, the organizers of June 12th, saw no dichotomy between gun violence in the streets of America and war abroad, they were connected we felt.
We had scheduled a rally on Pennsylvania Avenue, in front of the White House. Not to be defeated, I spoke to the rally via conference call. I was told that my message was clear and convincing. I made some of the same points that I expressed at NAN. One of the main subjects that was different was the military budget and the threat of nuclear war. While I addressed these issues, as I stated, I put more emphasis on these two issues.
I should point out that the rally in Washington was organized by the Hiroshima Nagasaki Peace Committee (HNPC). I have pointed out in other places that they were exceptionally supportive on the original June 12, 1982. There were racists who sought to exclude us. Primarily the National Black United Front. We organized Third-World People into a Third-World People Progressive Alliance. I traveled to various cities telling people what happened with the organizers of June 12th. One of the cities I visited was Washington D.C. I met Mr. John Steinbach. He set up meetings with organizations spearheaded by The HNPC Washington D.C. area committee. After hearing my story they agreed to support us. They brought over 31 buses to the rally in New York on the day of the rally, June 12th. I always felt gratitude to John Steinbach for his generous support. We met nine times in our organizing for the Washington, D.C. event. We had 9 weekly zoom sessions. Following is my speech:
Herbert Daughtry Global Ministries on the Occasion of the
40th Anniversary Hiroshima Nagasaki Peace Committee
Rev. Dr. Herbert Daughtry Sr.,
Honorable Sirs and Madams,
As Emeritus National Presiding Prelate of the House of the Lord Churches and Chairman of the National Black United Front and at the present Founding President of the Herbert Daughtry Global Ministries, with profound praise, appreciation, and gratitude. I wish to convey our congratulations to the Hiroshima Nagasaki Peace Committee (HNPC) on its 40th Anniversary.
For four decades you have not faltered nor failed to fulfill the vision of your founders, Louise Franklin- Ramirez and Josephine Butler: “let us work unceasingly to establish a just peace to oppose militarism, and to completely dismantle all nuclear weapons, that the world's children will be free of the threat of nuclear war and share and enjoy the beneficent and bountiful future.”
Let me say at this point we, The Herbert Daughtry Global Ministries share the vision of your founders. We work, advocate, and pray for a world in which all enjoy freedom, justice, and equality where there is quality education, health services, and meaningful employment for all in a world of sustainable energy, nuclear disarmament, and peace between nations and individuals.
The world is indebted to you for all that you have done and are doing. I tremble to think where we humans would be — if we would be at all— if there had been no Hiroshima Nagasaki Peace Committee and like-minded organizations and individuals who have been in the struggle for lo these many years, and have declared they will be in the struggle until the end.
Especially with all the emphasis I can command, on behalf of the Third World Progressive Committee, we owe you and are deeply indebted to the Hiroshima Nagasaki Peace Committee.
In 1981/82 when world leaders were convening in great global demand for the disarmament of nuclear weapons, there were powerful racists who sought to block the participation of the National Black United Front which I headed at the time. But because we had secured the permit for the sites that they wished to hold their demonstrations they were forced to deal with us.
We expanded our original group to include all so-called “third world people”. We named the group the Third World Progressive Committee and commenced the hard work of deepening and increasing our coalition. We became an integral part of the Internal Leadership of the Disarmament Committee. We demanded and received ⅓ of all the Disarmament Committee activities. ⅓ of progressive people participated in the program and ⅓ of the budget for promotion and other expenses.
I called John Steinbach and asked him to arrange a meeting for me to speak to the Washington D.C area HNPC. To the eternal credit of John, he effectuated my request.
We journeyed to Washington, D.C. I spoke to the members of the HNPC. I gave them an update on what was happening in the International Disarmament Committee and how we were organizing. The HNPC wholeheartedly endorsed our efforts and became members of a Third World Progressive Committee and helped us in our organizing work.
For the event, on June 12, 1982, they brought three busloads to New York. The event will always be remembered as the greatest peace disarmament rally ever held. Over one million people from across the world came to New York for the nuclear disarmament rallies and demonstrations.
I spoke twice, first in front of the United Nations then we marched to Central Park where we continued the rally. And again I was asked to address the rally.
I WANT TO MAKE A PROPOSAL THAT WE COMMENCE ORGANIZING IMMEDIATELY FOR NEXT YEAR'S 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREATEST NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT RALLY EVER HELD.
May God bless our efforts and allow us to see the day in the words of the Holy Scriptures of the Christian faith.
“God shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” Isaiah 2:4
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