Events

EVENT: Golden Rule Peace Boat in Milwaukee

Labor Day Weekend, September 1-4, Discovery World & Lakeshore State Park

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The Golden Rule, the sailboat that helped bring about an end to atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons, will stop in Milwaukee Sept. 1-4 as part of a 15-month, 11,000-mile voyage to inform and educate the public about the dangers of nuclear weapons proliferation.

Public viewing and boat tours will be offered every afternoon:

  • Friday Sept. 1, 12-4 p.m. at Discovery World
  • Saturday Sept. 2, 2-5 p.m. at Lakeshore State Park
  • Sunday Sept. 3, 1-4 p.m. at Lakeshore State Park
  • Monday Sept. 4 (Labor Day), 1-5 p.m. at Lakeshore State Park

But there’s MORE! In addition to touring the Golden Rule, join us for:
Friday Events —
• 10 a.m. News Conference at Discovery World: Proclamation from Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Land acknowledgment by Mark Denning, remarks by Helen Jaccard, Janet Hilliker of Friends Meeting.

Saturday Events —
2-5 p.m.: Party in the Park with music by Flagship Wisconsin, with folksingers David H.B. Drake, Rick Fitzgerald, John Higgins and Craig Siemsen; and the Raging Grannies. Attendees encouraged to bring lawn chairs. Light snacks and water available. Boat tours and visits with the crew. (Rain date Sunday, Sept. 3).

Sunday Events —

Monday (Labor Day) Events —
Laborfest sponsored by Milwaukee Area Labor Council, will be taking place concurrently (11 a.m.-5 p.m. at Henry Maier Festival Grounds), and Golden Rule is listed as the special guest. Admission is free.

Tuesday Sept. 5 — Golden Rule departs for its next stop in Racine (Sept. 5-7)
Racine Events

  • Tuesday Sept. 5, 3:30 p.m.: Welcome at Reefpoint Marina — The Native American Color Guard, a welcome by Skip Twardosz, a welcome by the County, by a Potawatomi Elder, and a Proclamation by Mayor Cory Mason.
  •  4-5:30 p.m.: public viewing and boat tours — Visit the boat, meet the crew, discuss what you can do to stop the possibility of nuclear war
  • Wednesday Sept. 6, 10:30 a.m.: Presentation at the Siena Retreat Center for the Sisters, followed by “Dinner” for Sisters and the Golden Rule team at 11:30 a.m.
  • 1-5 p.m.: public viewing and boat tours at Reefpoint Marina, with music by David H.B. Drake (1-1:45 and 2:45-3:15), and speakers and activities for kids and actions for adults (1:45-2:45 p.m.)
  • 3 p.m.: Presentation by Golden Rule Ambassadors at Ground Zero Veterans Outreach, public welcome
  • 5:30 p.m.: dinner with crew Infusino’s Pizzeria (Rapids Drive location), RSVP to RCPJpeace@yahoo.com by Sept. 1
  • 7 p.m.: Presentation at First Presbyterian Church

The Golden Rule began its trip on the Great Loop route in September 2022 on the Mississippi River in Minnesota and is circling the south and east coasts before reaching the Great Lakes this summer. It will make more than 100 stops.

In 1958 a crew of Quakers sailed the Golden Rule from Hawaii towards the Marshall Islands, intending to protest and interfere with atmospheric nuclear weapons tests, although that voyage was halted by the government and the crew arrested. As a result of the mission and others it inspired, and public outcry about the radiation blowing around the world, President Kennedy signed the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963. The Golden Rule action inspired many peace makers and peace ships that followed, including Greenpeace.

Golden Rule was in private hands and sunk off the California coast in 2010, but was rescued and restored to her former beauty by Veterans For Peace and others who support her new mission: to promote a nuclear free future, to educate about the dangers of radiation to humanity and the environment, and to support peaceful alternatives to war.

Learn more:
Brochure (with Schedule Summary)
Ways to Take Action!
VFP Nuclear Posture Review

SPONSORS: Milwaukee Veterans For Peace Chapter 102, Peace Action Wisconsin, Physicians For Social Responsibility Wisconsin, Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice, Wisconsin Coalition to Normalize Relations With Cuba, United Nations Association of Greater Milwaukee, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom-Milwaukee, Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee, Milwaukee Turners at Turner Hall, Casa Maria Catholic Worker Community, Racine Coalition for Peace and Justice, Madison Veterans For Peace Chapter 25, 350 Milwaukee, and Building Unity Wisconsin.

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