Buddhist Peace Fellowship

Statement at Interfaith Workers Justice Press Conference

Washington, D.C.

September 23, 2005

The Buddhist Peace Fellowship (BPF) represents nearly 5,000 people who feel an obligation to bring their Buddhist practice out of meditation halls and into the streets to work for peace and justice for all. We are honored to be here today.

We recognize that in a country where nearly 36 million people live under the poverty rate, including nearly two out of every three people who lived in New Orleans, these cannot be conditions for peace and wellbeing.

We share the concern, along with other religious groups in the Interfaith Workers’ Justice (IWJ) coalition, that fair labor practices and economic justice will not be a priority in rebuilding efforts along the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Our tradition teaches us that injustice has its roots in our unwholesome mental states: greed, anger, and delusion. But we also learn that in each one of us, there is a natural wisdom and compassion.

BPF endorses IWJ’s proposal for an Ethical Reconstruction Commission, and we encourage President Bush to find this wisdom and compassion within and to:

• Re-direct a substantial portion of funds designated for war on Iraq for the support and rebuilding of the New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region;

• Create a real partnership between state, local, and federal resources that heeds the voices of the displaced. This partnership should: 1) place local residents and community organizations in decision-making roles in the rebuilding of their cities and towns, 2) provide living wage jobs by restoring the Davis-Bacon Act, and 3) guarantee the right of return for all evacuees.

For more information, see Interfaith Workers Justice press release.