CAMS is an organization of students, activists, parents and teachers.
General Coordinator : Arlene Inouye is coordinator and founder of CAMS which began after the global protest to stop the war in 2003. She is a bilingual Speech and Language Specialist in East Los Angeles and spent her life addressing oppression and working for social change in education, multiculturalism, human relations, nonprofit organizations and parent/community activism. She is on the Steering Committee of the National Network Opposed to the Militarization of Youth (NNOMY) and the Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN). She enjoys her one year old Grand daughter and rich family life along with keeping up with her black belt in the Martial Arts.
Multimedia Director: Gregory Sotir is Web Designer for CAMS and also does outreach to student groups. He teaches 8th grade English in an inner-city LAUSD middle school. He has worked with environmental and anti-militarism groups for almost three decades. His interests currently revolve around promoting sanity over the ravages of transnational corporations, medium format photography, hiking in the American wilds, and trying to keep this site up-to-date on his Apple G5.
Alternatives Coordinator: Michelle Cohen is a volunteer for CAMS and teaches teenagers and adults in different educational programs around Los Angeles. For CAMS she does the graphics work in flyers and brochures, and has produced (with help from Jochen Strack and AFSC) a booklet of alternatives to the military: "Great Careers and Educational opportunities". She is also an artist and loves plants and gardening. She is the "Project Great Futures".
CAMS Grant Application Coordinator: Paul Wicker is a volunteer who has taken on the responsibility for coordinating the CAMS grant application process. He has spent many years as a Red Cross Disaster volunteer. He is known in the Los Angeles school community for his astronomy work as "The Galileo Guy". He is a scuba diver, bike rider, backpacker and world traveler. He is currently self-employed as a private fiduciary.
Secretary: Stephanie Hammett is a volunteer for CAMS providing support (and munchies!) for various projects, including the alternatives booklet. In her ‘day job’, she manages finances for high-net-worth individuals but is vastly more interested in organic gardening, political activism and communing with nature.
Sandra and Ulis Williams head up the CAMS Leafleting team and are active members of Palisadians for Peace, School of the Americas Watch-Los Angeles., and EMERGENCY. As activists, they participate in many peace and justice causes such as the yearly vigil/protest to close the School of the Americas, and the historic Peregrinacionpor la Paz led by Fernando Suarez del Solar and Pablo Paredes. Sandra is a former bilingual school teacher in East L.A. Ulis is a community college president emeritus.
Maureen Cruise - CAMS Counter Recruitment Team & Progressive Dems of LA Liaison has been involved with liberal political and social justice movements for over 50 years. A UCLA grad and RN formerly of LA Co Public Health Dept, Maureen retired from five years as a program coordinator for Palisades Charter High School. She enjoyed 17 years volunteering with LAUSD in areas of student services, parental involvement, program development, special events, teacher support, school governance, public relations and fundraising.
Robert and Lupe Lujan were initiated into the peace movement by joining Proyecto Guerrero Azteca on their Peregrinacion from Tijuana to San Francisco. Since then they have participated in various peace projects finding special gratification in being able to reach out to the Spanish speaking community.
Scott Ratigan is a safety inspector with Cal/OSHA. He organizes events, actions, and teach-ins--often with a counter-recruitment emphasis--in the larger Whittier area in conjunction with the Whittier Area Peace and Justice Coalition www.WhittierPeace.org.
Rosa Furumoto
Teri Klauss
CAMS ADVISORY BOARD
Adele Siegel - Peace Guides
April Fitzsimmons - Veterans for Peace
Ashley Moon Stanfield- Youth Activist, Writer
Blase Bonpane - Office of the Americas
Celes King – California Congress of Racial Equality
Cindy Sheehan –Gold Star Families for Peace
Don White-Pacifica Radio National Board, CISPES-LA
Frank Dorrel - Addicted to War
James Lafferty - National Lawyer's Guild
Jorge Mariscal - Project YANO
Luis Rodriguez - Tia Chucha's Café Cultural
Marcy Winograd- Progressive Democrats of LA, President
Maricela Guzman-Iraq Veterans Against the War, American Friends Service Committee
Norma Bowles- Fringe Benefits Theatre
Peter Dudar and Sally Marr- Arlington West Documentary
Ron Kovic-Vietnam Veteran, Author, “Born on the Fourth of July”
Rosa Romero- Axis of Justice
Tom Hayden- Professor, Anti War Advocate
CAMS is a program of the International Humanities Center under Section 501[c](3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
CAMS has received grants for 2007 from: A.J. Muste Memorial Institute ($2,000), RESIST ($2,000), In Memory of Henry Siegel Memorial Fund and primarily from individual supporters and contributors. Additionally in previous years, CAMS was awarded grants from Liberty Hill and the Tides Foundation.
CAMS has been awarded the Season of Nonviolence LA Award presented by Agape International Spiritual Center in 2005, the CTA Human Rights Award in 2006, and the Office of the Americas Lotie Wexlar Peace and Justice Award in 2006.
MISSION STATEMENT OF THE COALITION AGAINST MILITARISM IN THE SCHOOLS
To inform and educate the public, especially students, parents and school personnel about the growing militarization of our schools, and to create and present positive nonviolent alternatives which promote the value of human life, justice and equity for all persons.
We envision accomplishing this in the following ways:
By bringing together a network of organizations and individuals to oppose the growing intrusion of the military commonly present in the lives of young people throughout Southern California, and to present organizing strategies, campaigns and actions.
By sharing information, legislation, advocacy efforts, and resources in order to raise awareness and mobilize against the aggressive and deceptive tactics of the military, which especially target African American and Latino males and females.
By bringing awareness about these issues through a speakers bureau, workshops and presentations, along with written articles, media contacts, school board actions, brochures, educational curriculum (e.g. Addicted to War), online resources and multimedia.
By providing resources for youth activists and encouraging youth leadership roles and mentoring in the movement to demilitarize our schools. By facilitating the sharing of alternatives and exposing the myths and realities to militarism and war.
By collaboratively working to ensure equal access in all public school areas and spaces regarding the presence of counter recruitment literature, presentations and nonmilitary options.
By working to eliminate the Junior Reserves Officer Training Corp in our High Schools and the California Cadets in our Middle Schools, along with the school community.
By sponsoring and co-sponsoring events and activities with students, families, educators, and community/labor organizations to include conferences, teach-ins, forums and workshops.
By reinforcing and promoting through training's and workshops the values of critical thinking, dialogue, conflict resolution and nonviolence.
info@miltaryfreeschools.org
CAMS
PO Box 3012
South Pasadena, CA. 91031
626-799-9118
