Community of the Peace People, Inc. (also referred to as The Peace People, USA) was a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1977 with the mission to increase public awareness of conflict in Northern Ireland during the late 20th-century and to provide support for the work of Mairead Corrigan Maguire’s Peace People in Belfast, the Committee for the Administration of Justice, and other organizations committed to nonviolent conflict resolution in the region. The organization was incorporated in Delaware, but based in New York and governed by a 20-member Board of Trustees. By supporting and developing programs focused on community dialogue, human rights justice, youth recreation, outreach to prisoners’ families, and increasing domestic public awareness of the Troubles, the Community of the Peace People sought to serve as an example of Americans playing an active role in the efforts to secure a lasting peace in Northern Ireland.
In March of 1997, the Community of the Peace People changed its name to Bridges to Peace in an effort to broaden the organization’s mandate while maintaining a commitment to nonviolence, reconciliation, and the protection of human and civil rights. Bridges to Peace emphasized grassroots engagement, focusing on peacemaking initiatives born out of the daily lives in local communities. Major project areas included efforts to combat sectarian antagonism through mutual respect, cross-community programs for youths, individual human rights protections in the wake of the Good Friday Agreement, and engaging women in the democratic process through education. Examples of such endeavors included Kilcranny Farm reconciliation center, sports and recreation programs for youths, and groups like Women’s Involvement Now. Domestically, Bridges to Peace focused its activities on raising public awareness of the work being accomplished through these initiatives.
From the guide to the Community of the Peace People and Bridges to Peace Records, 1987-2010, (Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archive)
