The Johnson County Post is a United States nonpartisan subscription-based online newspaper founded in 2010. It is updated daily, Mondays through Fridays.
127-589: Upon their return in 2010 from volunteer Peace Corps postings in Panama , Jay Senter and Julia Westhoff, a couple who had worked together on their college newspaper found that media coverage of their home in northern Johnson County, Kansas , lacked coverage of government and school news. In response, they started a news website At first, they called their publication, the Prairie Village Post. As they broadened their extent of their coverage, they adopted
254-597: A 20/20 investigation found that "more than 1,000 young American women have been raped or sexually assaulted in the last decade while serving as Peace Corps volunteers in foreign countries." In a historic first, all Peace Corps volunteers worldwide were withdrawn from their host countries on March 15, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Volunteers were not eligible for unemployment or health benefits, although some Members of Congress said they should be. Legislators also called upon FEMA to hire Peace Corps volunteers until
381-458: A college degree , who are assigned to specific projects in certain countries based on their qualifications and experience. Following three months of technical training, Peace Corps members are expected to serve at least two years in the host country, after which they may request an extension of service. Volunteers are strongly encouraged to respect local customs, learn the prevailing language, and live in comparable conditions. In its inaugural year,
508-778: A Communist." Despite removing Communists from the labor movement, J. Edgar Hoover , Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation , never stopped suspecting Reuther to be a Communist for working in Russia and having early associations with Communists. In 1959, at the request of the Department of State, Reuther met with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev , who was visiting the U.S. They discussed, among other things, capitalism versus communism, organized labor, and US-Russia relations. The meeting happened in San Francisco and
635-619: A Day." After getting the support of workers, he publicly announced the "Reuther Plan: 500 Planes a Day," shortly before Christmas, 1940. He said, during a national radio address on December 28, 1940: In London they are huddled in the subways praying for aid from America. In America we are huddled over blueprints praying that Hitler will be obliging enough to postpone an "all out" attack on England for another two years until new plants finally begin to turn out engines and aircraft. We believe that without disturbing present aircraft plant production schedules we can supplement them by turning out 500 planes
762-579: A critical role in funding and organizing the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. According to Denis Hayes , the principal national organizer of the first Earth Day, "Without the UAW, the first Earth Day would have likely flopped!" Reuther was recognized by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995 by President Bill Clinton , who remarked at
889-401: A day of a single standard fighting model by the use of idle automotive capacity. . . . England's battles, it used to be said, were won on the playing fields of Eton. America's can be won on the assembly lines of Detroit. Give England planes and there will be no need to give her men. A week after receiving the plan, on December 30, 1940, President Roosevelt wrote William S. Knudsen , chairman of
1016-414: A different type of labor leader when he led a strike challenging GM to increase workers wages by 30% without increasing the price of their new cars. Worker pay had been restricted during World War II and Reuther sought to get them a raise but not at the cost of increased inflation. Historically, when workers won a pay increase, the company would pass on the expense to their consumers. GM refused
1143-449: A four-week strike, Chrysler followed General Motors’ lead and negotiated its first collective bargaining agreement with the UAW. Henry Ford had stated that he would never allow his workers to unionize. His main enforcer was Harry Bennett , who led a 3,000-man Security Department for Ford Motor Company, whose mandate was to intimidate, beat, and fire any worker who showed signs of favoring unionization. In 1932, when workers marched out of
1270-535: A leader of the Women's Brigade, took turns in the sound car exhorting the workers to stand their ground. Michigan Governor Frank Murphy called in 2,000 members of the National Guard, not to force the workers out of the plants, but to keep the peace. After a brilliant move, the workers were able to gain control of the only plant in the country that made Chevrolet engines. Finally, 44 days later, General Motors
1397-417: A long time that I believe the more young Americans who are trained to join with other young people in the world to be sent abroad with slide rule, textbook, and medical kit to help people help themselves with the tools of peace, the fewer young people will need to be sent with guns and weapons of war. In August 1960, following the 1960 Democratic National Convention , Walter Reuther visited John F. Kennedy at
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#17327907422671524-437: A man is where he stands in moments of challenge and controversy, when the only consolation he gains is the quiet whisper of an inner voice saying there are things so eternally true and significant that they are worth dying for, if necessary. You have demonstrated over the years that you can stand up in moments of challenge and controversy. One day all of America will be proud of your achievements, and will record your work as one of
1651-425: A period of 5 years following Peace Corps Service. Peace Corps employees receive time-limited appointments, and most employees are limited to a maximum of five years of employment. This time limit was established to ensure that Peace Corps' staff remain fresh and innovative. A related rule specifies that former employees cannot be re-employed until after the same amount of time that they were employed. Volunteer service
1778-594: A policy platform that included a "youth peace corps" to be sent to developing nations. Subsequently, at the urging of Reuther, John F. Kennedy announced the idea for such an organization on October 14, 1960, at a late-night campaign speech at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor on the steps of the Michigan Union . He later dubbed the proposed organization the "Peace Corps." A brass marker commemorates
1905-840: A prisoner exchange with Fidel Castro . He was instrumental in spearheading the creation of the Peace Corps and in marshaling support for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 , the Voting Rights Act of 1965 , Medicare and Medicaid , and the Fair Housing Act . He met weekly in 1964 and 1965 with President Lyndon B. Johnson at the White House to discuss policies and legislation for the Great Society and War on Poverty . The Republican Party
2032-445: A result, the target company would accept Reuther's demands to prevent its competitors from absorbing its sales and market share. Once he secured the initial agreement, he would use it as a pattern against the other automobile companies, threatening to strike if they too did not match the same terms to which the initial target company agreed. Reuther employed pattern bargaining to leverage competition among automobile manufacturers, maximize
2159-533: A single municipality, they would constitute the second largest city in Kansas, with a population of over 400,000. The Shawnee Mission Post has part of their site covered by a paywall, noting that the people who pay want "More civics. Fewer restaurants." This may not work for other news outlets, but it seems to be working for the Shawnee Mission Post . The Shawnee Mission Post is a member of both
2286-619: A speech at the White House on June 22, 1962, "Remarks to Student Volunteers Participating in Operation Crossroads Africa", acknowledged that Operation Crossroads for Africa was the basis for the development of the Peace Corps. "This group and this effort really were the progenitors of the Peace Corps and what this organization has been doing for a number of years led to the establishment of what I consider to be
2413-480: A stern warning to never treat another human being like that. The Reuther boys never forgot that lesson, spending the rest of their lives fighting for racial and economic equality for all people. In 1927, at the age of 19, Reuther left Wheeling for Detroit and argued himself into an expert tool and die maker job at Ford Motor Company that required 25 years experience. The foreman was baffled that at his young age he could read blueprints and dies, becoming one of
2540-573: A stipend is given for "basic expenses". Anyone who has worked for an intelligence agency is ineligible. All volunteers must provide their medical information. The Peace Corps aims to educate community members on the different illnesses that are present in developing countries as well as what treatments exist in order prevent these illnesses from spreading. Volunteers are also often there in order to teach community members about modern agricultural techniques in order for them to more effectively produce food for themselves and each other (Peace Corps). The Corps
2667-532: A streetcar arrived with union women to pass out leaflets and the thugs turned their attention to viciously attack them. Press photographers were attacked as well and their cameras confiscated but one camera was inconspicuously thrown into a convertible and the next day, the " Battle of the Overpass ," was national news. The beatings taken by the union organizers in the long run hurt Henry Ford more, as national sentiment turned against him. Time magazine published
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#17327907422672794-818: A variety of environmental programs. Needs assessments determine which programs apply to each country. Programs include effective and efficient forms of farming, recycling, park management, environmental education, and developing alternative fuel sources. Volunteers must have some combination of academic degrees and practical experience. The three major programs are Protected-Areas Management, Environment Education or Awareness, and Forestry. In Protected areas management , volunteers work with parks or other programs to teach resource conservation. Volunteer activities include technical training, working with park staff on wildlife preservation, organizing community-based conservation programs for sustainable use of forests or marine resources, and creating activities for raising revenue to protect
2921-639: Is also a proponent of equal education and moves to allow for equal education opportunities for girls in countries like Liberia and Ethiopia. In 2015, the organization partnered with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement First Lady Michelle Obama 's Let Girls Learn initiative. The Corps launched its initiative to engage volunteers in malaria control efforts in 2011. The initiative, which grew out of malaria prevention programs in Peace Corps Senegal, now includes volunteers in 24 African countries. The Corps offers
3048-625: Is as follows: Walter Reuther Walter Philip Reuther ( / ˈ r uː θ ər / ; September 1, 1907 – May 9, 1970) was an American leader of organized labor and civil rights activist who built the United Automobile Workers (UAW) into one of the most progressive labor unions in American history. He considered labor movements not as narrow special interest groups but as instruments to advance social justice and human rights in democratic societies. He leveraged
3175-594: Is not counted for the purposes of either rule. Non-supervisory domestic employees are represented by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 3548. The Federal Labor Relations Agency certified the Union on May 11, 1983. About 500 domestic employees are members. The current collective bargaining agreement became effective on April 21, 1995. On January 3, 2018, President Donald Trump nominated Josephine "Jody" Olsen as
3302-655: Is to fight for the welfare of the public at large." One of his first acts as president was to fight to integrate the American Bowling League, which had previously excluded black bowlers. He was a new kind of leader who viewed the labor movement as "an instrument for social change." Although presidents of much smaller unions were making 3 or 4 times his salary, Reuther purposely kept his salary low to stay in touch, and show solidarity, with UAW members he represented. He never made an annual salary of more than $ 31,000. Author David Halberstam writes: "His life
3429-457: The Big Three automobile manufacturers, General Motors , Ford Motor Company , and Chrysler . He would first target a company that seemed most likely to accept his bargaining objective. If that target company refused to offer concessions, Reuther would threaten a strike to halt production at its plants only while allowing production operations at its competitors' plants to go uninterrupted. As
3556-622: The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom , which was scheduled for two months later. An estimated 125,000 people attended and it was the largest civil rights demonstration in the nation's history up to that date. Reuther mobilized support for the protest and donated office space at the UAW's headquarters Solidarity House for Martin Luther King Jr. to organize the event. Along with others, including King, Reuther marched down Woodward Avenue and delivered remarks afterwards at Cobo Hall . It
3683-598: The Shawnee Mission Post and the Blue Valley Post merged to become the Johnson County Post . 39°0′N 94°42′W / 39.000°N 94.700°W / 39.000; -94.700 Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It
3810-492: The United States Congress proposed bills to establish volunteer organizations in developing countries . In December 1951, Representative John F. Kennedy (D- Massachusetts ) suggested to a group that "young college graduates would find a full life in bringing technical advice and assistance to the underprivileged and backward Middle East ... In that calling, these men would follow the constructive work done by
3937-603: The War Production Board , "It is well worthwhile to give a good deal of attention to this (Reuther) program." Three days later on January 2, 1941, Reuther met with President Roosevelt at the White House to discuss the possibility of implementing his plan for 500 Planes a Day. General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler all opposed the Reuther Plan because they wanted the government to build new plane and tank factories that could be sold to them at giveaway prices after
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4064-627: The 20th director of the Peace Corps. Olsen has a long history with the agency, serving as Acting Director in 2009, Deputy Director from 2002 to 2009, Chief of Staff from 1989 to 1992, Regional Director, North Africa Near East, Asia, Pacific from 1981 to 1984, and Country Director in Togo from 1979 to 1981. Olsen also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Tunisia from 1966 to 1968. She left office on January 20, 2021. In April 2022, President Biden nominated Carol Spahn as director to succeed Olsen, and she
4191-624: The CIO, leading Hubert Humphrey to write, "Communist infiltration of the CIO was a direct threat to the survival of all of our country's democratic institutions. The CIO's victory over the Communist party was a significant victory for our nation." In response, Trud , a Soviet newspaper, called Reuther a "traitor and strikebreaker" and a favorite of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce . The Republican Party called Reuther "the most dangerous man in America and
4318-543: The Code of Federal Regulations under Chapter 3. Former members of the Peace Corps may not be assigned to military intelligence duties for a period of 4 years following Peace Corps service. Furthermore, they are forever prohibited from serving in a military intelligence posting to any country in which they volunteered. Former members may not apply for employment with the Central Intelligence Agency for
4445-595: The Communist Party for some months in 1935–36 and one source listed him as attending a Communist Party planning meeting as late as February 1939. Reuther did cooperate with the Communists in the mid-1930s; this was the period of the Popular Front , and the Communist Party agreed with him on internal issues of the UAW; but his associations were with anti-Stalinist Socialists. Reuther remained active in
4572-495: The Corps, as the organization continued to reflect the evolving political and social conditions in the United States. Funding cuts during the early 1980s reduced the number of volunteers to 5,380, its lowest level since the early years. Funding increased in 1985, when Congress began raising the number of volunteers, reaching 10,000 in 1992. After the 2001 September 11 attacks , which alerted the U.S. to growing anti-U.S. sentiment in
4699-692: The Crisis Corps, was created by Peace Corps Director Mark Gearan in 1996. Gearan modeled the Crisis Corps after the National Peace Corps Association 's successful Emergency Response Network (ERN) of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers willing to respond to crises when needed. ERN emerged in response to the 1994 Rwandan genocide . On November 19, 2007, Peace Corps Director Ronald Tschetter changed Crisis Corps's name to Peace Corps Response. The change to Peace Corps Response allowed Peace Corps to include projects that did not rise to
4826-672: The Democratic Party, Reuther was a member of the Socialist Party of America . Although Reuther always denied it, some, including J. Edgar Hoover , have suspected that at one time he was a member of the Communist Party . On this subject, Reuther said in 1938, "I am not and never have been a member of the Communist Party nor a supporter of its policies nor subject to its control or influence in any way." Nevertheless, people have suspected that he may have paid dues to
4953-546: The Kansas Press Association and Local Independent Online News Publishers (LION). In 2021 a sister publication, the Blue Valley Post , was launched to focus on issues on the Blue Valley region of east central and southeast Johnson County centered around Overland Park and parts of Leawood and Stilwell . The two newspapers shared the same staff and ownership under Post Publishing Inc. In January 2024,
5080-605: The Kennedy compound in Hyannisport to discuss Kennedy's platform and staffing of a future administration. It was there that Reuther got Kennedy to commit to creating the executive agency that would become the Peace Corps. Under Reuther's leadership, the United Auto Workers had earlier that summer put together a policy platform that included a "youth peace corps" to be sent to developing nations. Subsequently, at
5207-579: The Middle East, President George W. Bush pledged to double the size of the organization within five years as a part of the War on Terrorism . For the 2004 fiscal year, Congress increased the budget to US$ 325 million, US$ 30 million above that of 2003 but US$ 30 million below the President's request. As part of an economic stimulus package in 2008, President Barack Obama proposed to double
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5334-734: The NAACP's efforts—led by Thurgood Marshall —before the Supreme Court in the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education . According to King, Reuther sent letters to all of his local unions in 1957, requesting members to attend and provide financial support to the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom in Washington, D.C. On the 25th anniversary of the UAW, King wrote a letter to Reuther, congratulating him on his successes and observing: More than anyone else in America, you stand out as
5461-659: The Nigerian students agreed to open a dialogue with the Americans. The theme of enabling Americans to volunteer in poor countries appealed to Kennedy because it fit in with his campaign themes of self-sacrifice and volunteerism , while also providing a way to redefine American relations with the Third World . Upon taking office, Kennedy issued an executive order establishing the Peace Corps. Shriver, not Kennedy, energetically lobbied Congress for approval. Kennedy proudly took
5588-473: The Peace Corps and served in 142 countries. In 1950, Walter Reuther , president of the United Auto Workers , proposed, in an article titled, "A Proposal for a Total Peace Offensive," that the United States establish a voluntary agency for young Americans to be sent around the world to fulfill humanitarian and development objectives. Subsequently, throughout the 1950s, Reuther gave speeches to
5715-433: The Peace Corps had 900 volunteers serving 16 countries, reaching its peak in 1966 with 15,556 volunteers in 52 countries. Following budget cuts in 1989, the number of volunteers declined to 5,100, though subsequent increases in funding led to renewed growth into the 21st century; by its 50th anniversary in 2011, there were over 8,500 volunteers serving in 77 countries. Since its inception, more than 240,000 Americans have joined
5842-411: The Peace Corps is trying to recruit more diverse volunteers of different ages and make it look "more like America". A Harvard International Review article from 2007 proposed to expand the Peace Corps, revisit its mission, and equip it with new technology. In 1961 only 1% of volunteers were over 50, compared with 5% today. Ethnic minorities currently comprise 34% of volunteers, compared to around 35% of
5969-404: The Peace Corps. Concerned with the growing tide of revolutionary sentiment in the Third World , Kennedy saw the Peace Corps as a means of countering the stereotype of the " Ugly American " and " Yankee imperialism ," especially in the emerging nations of post-colonial Africa and Asia. Kennedy appointed his brother-in-law, Sargent Shriver , to be the program's first director. Shriver fleshed out
6096-641: The Peace Corps’ six project sectors: Agriculture, Environment, Community Economic Development, Health, Education, and Youth in Development. Applicants may also narrow down their application of choice by country they want to serve in various regions of the world. Peace Corps volunteers are expected to serve for two years in the foreign country, with three months of training before swearing in to service. This occurs in-country with host country national trainers in language and assignment skills. Prior to 2014,
6223-825: The Socialist Party and in 1937 failed in his attempt to be elected to the Detroit City Council when the AFL and blacks opposed his CIO ticket. (Historian Martin Glaberman found proof of Reuther's less-than-one-year CPUSA membership in the papers of UAW activist Nat Ganley . ) However, impressed by the efforts by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to tackle inequality, he eventually joined the Democratic Party . Upon returning from Europe to Detroit, Reuther hitchhiked to South Bend, Indiana , to attend
6350-686: The U.S. Senate. Dan Blom, a former newspaper editor, joined the organization in 2012. By 2014, 35,000 unique visitors per month were logging on. By 2019, the site had 2,700 subscribers paying up to $ 72 annually. "Shawnee Mission" is not the name of a municipality, but rather refers to a postal area designation that incorporates all or parts of 16 cities and towns with Zip Codes in North and Northeast Johnson County Kansas. It borders southwest Kansas City, Kansas The towns include Leawood, Lenexa, Mission, Mission Hills, Overland Park (partial), Prairie Village, Roeland Park, Shawnee, and Westwood. If those towns were
6477-527: The U.S. population. In 2009, Casey Frazee, who was sexually assaulted while serving in South Africa, created First Response Action, an advocacy group for a stronger Peace Corps response for volunteers who are survivors or victims of physical and sexual violence. In 2010, concerns about the safety of volunteers were illustrated by a report, compiled from official public documents, listing hundreds of violent crimes against volunteers since 1989. In 2011,
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#17327907422676604-582: The UAW into this plant." Reuther inquired, "What do you mean?" Ford replied, "Well, you've been fighting General Motors and the Wall Street crowd. Now you're in here and we've given you a union shop and more than you got out of them. That puts you on our side, doesn't it? We can fight General Motors and Wall Street together, eh?" In the 1950s, Reuther and Henry Ford II , CEO of Ford, toured a state-of-the-art engine plant in Cleveland. As they walked about
6731-605: The UAW's resources and influence to advocate for workers' rights , civil rights, women's rights , universal health care , public education , affordable housing , environmental stewardship and nuclear nonproliferation around the world. He believed in Swedish-style social democracy and societal change through nonviolent civil disobedience . He cofounded the AFL-CIO in 1955 with George Meany . He survived two attempted assassinations, including one at home where he
6858-553: The age of nine. He later dropped out of high school during his junior year and worked in a local factory to help support the family. He learned firsthand about inadequate worker safety when a 400-pound die that he and three other men were lifting fell and severed his big toe. From an early age, the Reuther boys received lessons on racism . One day they saw local boys throwing rocks at black people being transported north through their hometown in open railway cars. Their father gave them
6985-504: The aimless agencies of Washington, the red-headed labor leader exhibited atomic spirit of action. He never let up." In 1953, President Eisenhower wrote in a letter to Reuther, "When I last addressed a CIO Convention, I came to thank you for your magnificent performance in World War II in supplying the planes and tanks and ships and arms. You did your job, and you did it well." After the war ended in 1945, Reuther proved he would be
7112-400: The application process took about a year. There is no maximum age limit to joining the Peace Corps. Married couples may join but cannot have any "dependent children". Most positions require a volunteer to have at least a bachelor's degree but this can vary depending on the field one is volunteering in. Volunteers in the Peace Corps do not receive wages but transportation costs are paid for and
7239-579: The center of the Arsenal of Democracy , which gave the Allies a decisive advantage to win the war. By 1943, Chrysler President, K. T. Keller , reported that his company had converted 89% of its machine tools to wartime production, leading Washington Post publisher, Phil Graham , to state that meant Reuther was 89% right. At the war's end, Fortune magazine wrote: "Reuther was right on track. Compared with many industrialists that sat back and hugged profits and
7366-519: The ceremony, "Walter Reuther was an American visionary so far ahead of his times that although he died a quarter of a century ago, our Nation has yet to catch up to his dreams." Reuther was born on September 1, 1907, in Wheeling, West Virginia , to Valentine and Anna (née Stocker) Reuther, who were German-Americans . His father Valentine was a horse-drawn beer wagon driver and Socialist union organizer who at age 11 had emigrated from Germany. Walter
7493-536: The civil rights movement, Reuther marched with King in Detroit , Selma , Birmingham , Montgomery , and Jackson . When King and others including children were jailed in Birmingham, Alabama , and King authored his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail , Reuther arranged $ 160,000 for the protestors' release. He also helped organize and finance the March on Washington on August 28, 1963, delivering remarks from
7620-401: The coalition that brought about civil rights, it wasn't just folks who believed in racial equality; it was people who believed in working folks having a fair shot. It was Walter Reuther and the UAW coming down here because they understood that if there are some workers who are not getting a fair deal then ultimately that’s going to undercut their ability to get a fair deal." The Walk to Freedom
7747-408: The countries they worked. That may be true, but it ought not demean their work. They touched many lives and made them better. Only in 1959 did the idea receive serious attention in Washington when Congressman Henry S. Reuss of Wisconsin proposed a "Point Four Youth Corps". In 1960, he and Senator Richard L. Neuberger of Oregon introduced identical measures calling for a nongovernmental study of
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#17327907422677874-617: The credit, and ensured that it remained free of CIA influence. He largely left its administration to Shriver. To avoid the appearance of favoritism to the Catholic Church , the Corps did not place its volunteers with any religious agencies. In the first twenty-five years, more than 100,000 Americans served in 44 countries as part of the program. Most volunteers taught English in local schools, but many became involved in activities like construction and food delivery. Shriver practiced affirmative action, and women comprised about 40 percent of
8001-552: The election overwhelmingly, severely weakening the Communist's hold on the union's leadership. Life magazine reported that Reuther's victory was "the biggest setback of all time for the Communists in the American Labor Movement." Reuther became president of the CIO in 1952 until its merger with the AFL in 1955, and continued as head of the UAW until his death in 1970. As president of the CIO, Reuther sought to remove officers from Communist-dominated unions within
8128-523: The end of their service. In June 2020, the Peace Corps ended its programs in China. The application for the Peace Corps takes up to one hour, unless one talks to a recruiter. The applicant must be at least 18 years old and a U.S. citizen and, according to a 2018 document, is advised to apply six to nine months before they want to leave. They must go through an interview. Applicants can apply to only one placement every year. Placements can be sorted through
8255-767: The environment. Environment Education or Awareness focuses on communities that have environmental issues regarding farming and income. Programs include teaching in elementary and secondary schools; environmental education to youth programs; creation of environmental groups; support forest and marine resource sustainability; ways of generating money; urban sanitation management; and educating farmers about soil conservation, forestry, and vegetable gardening. Forestry programs help communities conserve natural resources through projects such as soil conservation, flood control, creation of sustainable fuels, agroforestry (e.g., fruit and vegetable production), alley cropping, and protection of biodiversity . Peace Corps Response, formerly named
8382-445: The ever-increasing speed of the assembly line. It was December 1936 when the workers pulled a surprise strike and sat down in the plant refusing to leave until management negotiated with their representative, Walter Reuther. When management tried to enter the plant to remove the machinery, thousands of sympathizers swarmed the sidewalks and blocked the doorways. Ford needed those brake drums and wheels badly and after 10 days of striking
8509-467: The first 7000 volunteers. Given the paucity of black college graduates, racial minorities never reached five percent. The Corps developed its own training program, based on nine weeks at an American university, with a focus on conversational language, world affairs, and desired job skills. That was followed by three weeks at a Peace Corps camp in Puerto Rico, and week or two of orientation the home and
8636-539: The first Peace Corps bill in 1957. It did not meet with much enthusiasm. Some traditional diplomats quaked at the thought of thousands of young Americans scattered across their world. Many senators, including liberal ones, thought it silly and an unworkable idea. Now, with a young president urging its passage, it became possible and we pushed it rapidly through the Senate. It is fashionable now to suggest that Peace Corps Volunteers gained as much or more, from their experience as
8763-624: The first bill to create the Peace Corps in 1957—three years before Kennedy, as a presidential candidate, would raise the idea during a campaign speech at the University of Michigan . In his autobiography The Education of a Public Man , Humphrey wrote, There were three bills of particular emotional importance to me: the Peace Corps, a disarmament agency, and the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The President, knowing how I felt, asked me to introduce legislation for all three. I introduced
8890-472: The first time since the strike began, kids hanging onto daddy with tears of joy and happiness. It was a sea of humanity in which fears were no longer on the minds of the workers." In 1950, Reuther negotiated and signed with Charlie Wilson , chief executive officer of General Motors, the Treaty of Detroit , an historic five-year labor contract that, in exchange for a commitment not to strike, gave rank-and-file workers better wages, health care, and pensions. At
9017-421: The following effect: I have been saying for a long time that I believe the more young Americans who are trained to join with other young people in the world to be sent abroad with slide rule, textbook, and medical kit to help people help themselves with the tools of peace, the fewer young people will need to be sent with guns and weapons of war. In addition, following the end of World War II , various members of
9144-561: The giant Ford River Rouge Complex in protest of the speed-up of the assembly lines, they were attacked by Bennett's armed men; five workers were shot dead and hundreds suffered injuries. Barely a month after the Chrysler signing, Reuther got permission from the City of Dearborn to pass out handbills titled, "Unionism, not Fordism" on public property at Gate Four of the giant Ford River Rouge Complex . As he and three other UAW leaders climbed
9271-483: The glowing epics of our heritage. In the early 1930s, Reuther first challenged racism as a student at what is now Wayne State University. When a local hotel, which had agreed with the college to let students use its swimming pool, refused to let blacks swim, he organized a picket line. The protest surrounded the block. As a result, the hotel closed its pool to all students. In a 2013 interview with The New York Times , President Barack Obama said, "When you think about
9398-575: The heat in the plant. In solidarity with the Flint strikers, Reuther led a strike at Detroit's Fleetwood Plant, where bodies were made for GM's luxury vehicle, the Cadillac. Support strikes were also called in Oakland, California; Pontiac, Michigan; and St. Louis, Missouri. Autoworkers around the nation engaged in action in support of the Flint sit-down strikers. Back in Flint, the police tried to force
9525-454: The highest paid mechanics in the factory. He finished high school while working at Ford and enrolled at Detroit City College, which is today known as Wayne State University . In 1932, he was fired for organizing a rally for Norman Thomas who was running for President of the United States as the nominee for the Socialist Party of America . His official Ford employment record states that he quit voluntarily, but Reuther himself maintained that he
9652-492: The hopes and the aspirations of working people every day." As a child, he and Victor accompanied their father on a visit to a jail to meet Eugene V. Debs , who was being incarcerated for his pacifism during World War I. The Reuthers were frugal and learned not to waste. To save money, Walter's mother Anna would make underwear for her sons out of used flour sacks. When Valentine was partially blinded by an exploding bottle, Walter began doing odd jobs to bring in family income at
9779-431: The host country. In July 1971, President Richard Nixon , an opponent of the program, brought the Peace Corps under the umbrella agency ACTION . President Jimmy Carter , an advocate of the program, said that his mother, who had served as a nurse in the program, had "one of the most glorious experiences of her life" in the Peace Corps. In 1979, he made it fully autonomous in an executive order. This independent status
9906-967: The idea's "advisability and practicability". Both the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee endorsed the study, the latter writing the Reuss proposal into the pending Mutual Security legislation . In this form it became law in June 1960. In August the Mutual Security Appropriations Act was enacted, making available US$ 10,000 for the study, and in November ICA contracted with Maurice Albertson , Andrew E. Rice , and Pauline E. Birky of Colorado State University Research Foundation for
10033-422: The influence of labor, and reduce the frequency of costly strikes. In 1950, Reuther proposed, in an article titled, "A Proposal for a Total Peace Offensive", that the United States establish a voluntary agency for young Americans to be sent around the world to fulfill humanitarian and development objectives. Subsequently, throughout the 1950s, Reuther gave speeches to the following effect: I have been saying for
10160-535: The level of a crisis. The program deploys former volunteers on high-impact assignments that typically range from three to twelve months in duration. Peace Corps Response volunteers generally receive the same allowances and benefits as their Peace Corps counterparts, including round-trip transportation, living and readjustment allowances, and medical care. Minimum qualifications include completion of at least one year of Peace Corps service, including training, in addition to medical and legal clearances. The Crisis Corps title
10287-599: The machines and assembly line. With that employment assurance, the brothers embarked on a three-year adventure, first bicycling through Europe, then working in the auto plant in Gorky , in the Soviet Union where the unheated factories were often 30–40 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. He frequently wrote letters to the Moscow Daily News criticizing the many inefficiencies associated with how the communists operated
10414-607: The march. Originally, the march was planned to take place outside of the Capitol Building . Reuther, however, persuaded the other organizers to move the march to the Lincoln Memorial . He believed the Lincoln Memorial would be less threatening to Congress and the occasion would be more appropriate underneath the gaze of Abraham Lincoln's statue. The committee, notably Bayard Rustin , agreed to move
10541-492: The most encouraging indication of the desire for service not only in this country but all around the world that we have seen in recent years". The Peace Corps website answered the question "Who Inspired the Creation of the Peace Corps?", acknowledging that the Peace Corps was based on Operation Crossroads Africa founded by Rev. James H. Robinson . On March 1, 1961, Kennedy signed Executive Order 10924 that officially started
10668-561: The name, Shawnee Mission Post. The intent of the publishers was to focus on local news, most particularly in Northern Johnson County, Kansas. To that end, they covered municipal affairs in the sixteen towns within the Postal-designated area Shawnee Mission, as well as school district meetings and news. They have also covered state legislators and federal representatives from the 3rd Congressional district and
10795-444: The necessary skills and maturity for such a task, the idea was popular among students, and Kennedy pursued it. He asked respected academics such as Max Millikan and Chester Bowles to help him outline the organization and its goals. During his inaugural address, Kennedy again promised to create the program: "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country". President Kennedy in
10922-492: The organization and his think tank outlined the organization's goals and set the initial number of volunteers. The Peace Corps began recruiting in July 1962; Bob Hope recorded radio and television announcements hailing the program. Until about 1967, applicants had to pass a placement test of "general aptitude" (knowledge of various skills needed for Peace Corps assignments) and language aptitude. After an address from Kennedy, who
11049-556: The organization's history. The organization experienced controversy in its first year of operation. On October 13, 1961, a postcard from a volunteer named Margery Jane Michelmore in Nigeria to a friend in the U.S. described her situation in Nigeria as "squalor and absolutely primitive living conditions." This postcard never made it out of the country. The University of Ibadan College Students Union demanded deportation and accused
11176-503: The pay increase and after a 113 day strike , the sides settled on an eighteen and a half cent hourly raise. Reuther's bold collective bargaining leadership in this strike catapulted him into the union's top position. On March 27, 1946, Reuther won the election and became the president of the UAW in a very close race, defeating incumbent UAW president R. J. Thomas by a mere 124 votes, out of almost 9,000 cast. The new UAW president pledged his vision of "a labor movement whose philosophy
11303-436: The photographs with descriptions of how the union men and women were mercilessly beaten by Henry Ford's paid thugs. Ford retaliated against Time , Life , and Fortune magazines by withdrawing all advertising. It took four more years, but finally, in 1941, Henry Ford signed his first agreement with the UAW. Shortly after, Henry Ford told Walter Reuther: "It was one of the most sensible things Harry Bennett ever did when he got
11430-477: The place where Kennedy stood. In the weeks after the 1960 election, the study group at Colorado State University released their feasibility a few days before Kennedy's Presidential Inauguration in January 1961. Critics opposed the program. Kennedy's opponent, Richard M. Nixon , predicted it would become a "cult of escapism " and "a haven for draft dodgers ." While others doubted whether recent graduates had
11557-416: The plant, Ford gestured to the cutting-edge, automated machines, saying, "Walter, how are you going to get these robots to pay union dues?" Without missing a beat, Reuther famously replied: "Henry, how are you going to get them to buy your cars?" In 1940, in the midst of World War II , the United States was producing fighter planes to help the allies in their war against Hitler's aggression. The production
11684-558: The plants. After almost two years in the Soviet Union, the brothers travelled through Turkey, Iran, British India , and China. After crossing the East China Sea , they finished their Far East tour by bicycling throughout Japan. Finally, after being gone from home for almost three years, they found work for passage on the steamship SS President Harding to San Francisco and hurried back to Detroit where their brother Roy
11811-534: The program, with a follow-up history of Peace Corps geoscientists appearing in that publication in 2004. During the Nixon Administration the Peace Corps included foresters, computer scientists , and small business advisers among its volunteers. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed director Loret Miller Ruppe , who initiated business-related programs. For the first time, a significant number of conservative and Republican volunteers joined
11938-553: The protestors' release. He also helped organize and finance the March on Washington on August 28, 1963, delivering remarks from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial shortly before King gave his historic " I Have a Dream " speech. He served on the board of directors for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Under his leadership, the UAW donated $ 75,000 in 1954 to help underwrite
12065-469: The religious missionaries in these countries over the past 100 years." In 1952 Senator Brien McMahon (D-Connecticut) proposed an "army" of young Americans to act as "missionaries of democracy". Privately funded nonreligious organizations began sending volunteers overseas during the 1950s. While Kennedy is credited with the creation of the Peace Corps as president, the first initiative came from Senator Hubert H. Humphrey, Jr. (D- Minnesota ), who introduced
12192-470: The second annual convention as a delegate of the fledgling UAW. Upon his return he became president of newly formed Local 174 on Detroit's west side and with brother Victor, led the first successful strike against the automotive giants at Kelsey Hayes, which supplied brake drums and wheels to Ford Motor Company. The main complaint was the speed-up of the assembly line was intolerable. Workers were losing limbs and even their own lives trying in vain to keep up with
12319-402: The shining symbol of democratic trade unionism. Through trials, efforts and your unswerving devotion to humanitarian causes, you have made life more meaningful for millions of working people. Through moments of difficulty and strong obstacles, you have stood firm for what you believe, knowing that in the long run 'Truth crushed to earth will rise again.' As I have heard you say, the true measure of
12446-409: The sides settled. The first major UAW victory to unionize the auto factories was won. Upon Reuther's insistence, women won equal pay for equal work: 75 cents an hour. The speed-up of the assembly line was slowed down and the company could not fire a worker for joining the union. UAW Local 174's membership expanded from 200 before the strike to 35,000 within the next year. In 1936, General Motors (GM)
12573-506: The site on the condition that Reuther pay for a $ 19,000 sound system so that everyone on the National Mall could hear the speakers and musicians. Reuther and the UAW financed bus transportation for 5,000 of its rank-and-file members, providing the largest single contingent from any organization. The UAW also paid for and brought thousands of signs for marchers to carry. Among other things, the signs read: "There Is No Halfway House on
12700-527: The size of the Peace Corps. However, as of 2010 , the amount requested was insufficient to reach this goal by 2011. In fact, the number of applicants to the Peace Corps declined steadily from a high of 15,384 in 2009 to 10,118 in 2013. Congress raised the 2010 appropriation from the US$ 373 ;million requested by the President to US$ 400 million, and proposed bills would raise this further for 2011 and 2012. According to former director Gaddi Vasquez ,
12827-441: The stairs to the bridge, they were attacked by Bennett's "enforcers" who severely beat them. Reuther was instantly surrounded by at least a dozen men, knocked to the ground, kicked and punched in the head and body, picked up four feet parallel to the ground then slammed to the concrete repeatedly, then thrown and kicked down three flights of stairs. The pummeling continued as four or five men beat him in and out of parked cars, until
12954-547: The steps of the Lincoln Memorial shortly before King gave his historic " I Have a Dream " speech on the National Mall . An early supporter of Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers , he asked Robert F. Kennedy to visit and support Chavez. He served on the board of directors for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and was one of the founders of Americans for Democratic Action . A lifelong environmentalist, Reuther played
13081-500: The study. In August 1960, following the 1960 Democratic National Convention , Walter Reuther visited John F. Kennedy at the Kennedy compound in Hyannisport to discuss Kennedy's platform and staffing of a future administration. It was there that Reuther got Kennedy to commit to creating the executive agency that would become the Peace Corps. Under Reuther's leadership, the United Auto Workers had earlier that summer put together
13208-483: The time, Fortune Magazine wrote that the Treaty of Detroit “made the worker to an amazing degree a middle class member of a middle class society.” Chrysler was next on the list of the young UAW. In March 1937, 60,000 Chrysler workers went on strike. When police started roughing up pickets and strikers, over 150,000 citizens gathered at Detroit's downtown Cadillac Square where Reuther and others led them in protest. After
13335-671: The urging of Reuther, John F. Kennedy announced the idea for such an organization on October 14, 1960, at a late-night campaign speech at the University of Michigan . Reuther was a strong supporter of the Civil Rights Movement . He marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma , Birmingham , Montgomery , and Jackson and when King and others were jailed in Birmingham, Alabama , and King authored his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail , Reuther arranged $ 160,000 for
13462-406: The volunteers of being "America's international spies " and the project as "a scheme designed to foster neocolonialism ." Soon the international press picked up the story, leading several people in the U.S. administration to question the program. Nigerian students protested the program, while the American volunteers sequestered themselves and eventually began a hunger strike . After several days,
13589-558: The war. They also disliked that labor had the audacity to stick their nose into production, which they felt was management's exclusive domain. Alfred P. Sloan , chairman of General Motors, scoffed at the idea, stating, "only about 10 to 15% of the machinery and equipment in an automobile factory can be utilized for the production of special defense material." After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 , many of Reuther's proposals were implemented. Detroit's automobile plants produced planes and tanks in mass volume and became known as
13716-457: The workers out of the plant in what became known as the "Battle of Bulls Run." Over a hundred policemen attacked the pickets with tear gas and bullets, sending thirteen workers to the hospital with gunshot wounds. Victor manned the sound car and encouraged the workers to fight back, which they did by sling-shotting door hinges from the factory roof and turning fire hoses on the police in the 16-degree Fahrenheit winter night. Victor and Genora Johnson,
13843-469: Was a mass march during the Civil Rights Movement on June 23, 1963, in Detroit , Michigan . The purpose of the demonstration was to protest racism, segregation, and the brutality inflicted upon civil rights activists in the South as well as the discrimination facing African-Americans in the North such as inequality in hiring, wages, education, and housing. In some ways, it was considered a dress rehearsal for
13970-428: Was already deeply involved with organizing autoworkers. Walter later stated the world tour taught him that "all people long for the same basic human goals of a job with some degree of security, greater opportunity for their children, and of course, freedom. We felt we could make a contribution by helping American workers build strong and democratic labor unions. That's why we went into the labor movement." Before joining
14097-674: Was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 13, 2022. Spahn was acting director from January 20, 2021, until November 16, 2021, and CEO from November 2021 to November 2022. She had previously served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Romania and subsequently returned as Country Director in Malawi, then Chief of Operations for Eastern and Southern Africa, following a career in the NGO and private sectors. The full list of directors
14224-547: Was established in March 1961 by an executive order (10924) of President John F. Kennedy and authorized by Congress the following September by the Peace Corps Act. The official goal of the Peace Corps is to assist developing countries by providing skilled workers in fields such as education, health, entrepreneurship, women's empowerment , and community development . Volunteers are American citizens , typically with
14351-482: Was fired for his increasingly visible socialist activities. Regardless, Walter and Victor decided it was the perfect time to fulfill their childhood dream and travel the world. When Henry Ford retired the Model T in 1927, he sold the production mechanisms to the Soviet Union , and American workers who knew how to operate the equipment were needed. Walter and Victor were promised work teaching Soviet workers how to run
14478-494: Was forced to recognize the workers' right to unionize and signed its first collective bargaining agreement with the fledgling UAW. The Flint sit-down strike has become known as the Lexington and Valley Forge of American industrial unionism. Roy recalled, "When the boys came out of the plants, I never saw a night like that and perhaps will never see it again. I liken it to a country experiencing independence, families reunited for
14605-427: Was front-page international news. As president of the UAW, Reuther negotiated contracts that included unprecedented standard-of-living increases for automobile workers. Such increases include annual raises based on productivity advances, cost-of-living increases, supplementary unemployment benefits, early-retirement options, and health and welfare benefits. He employed a strategy called " pattern bargaining " against
14732-491: Was further secured by 1981 legislation making the organization an independent federal agency. In 1976, Deborah Gardner was found murdered in her home in Tonga, where she was serving in the Peace Corps. Dennis Priven, a fellow Peace Corps worker, was later charged with the murder by the Tonga government. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity, and was sentenced to serve time in a mental institution in Washington D.C. Priven
14859-415: Was introduced by Rev. Russell Fuller of Memorial Christian Church, Disciples of Christ , on August 28, 1961, the first group of volunteers left for Ghana and Tanganyika (now part of Tanzania ). The program was formally authorized by Congress on September 22, 1961, and within two years over 7,300 volunteers were serving in 44 countries. This number increased to 15,000 in June 1966, the largest number in
14986-466: Was never admitted to any institution, and the handling of the case has been heavily criticized. Although the earliest volunteers were typically thought of as generalists, the Peace Corps had requests for technical personnel from the start. For example, geologists were among the first volunteers requested by Ghana , an early volunteer host. An article in Geotimes (a trade publication) in 1963, reviewed
15113-442: Was not about material things. The constant success of the union was reward enough." The following 18 months after Reuther's election win, bitter battles erupted inside the UAW as Communist-backers of R. J. Thomas had a two-thirds majority on the UAW's Executive Board. One observer noted, "The Commies threw everything but their hammer and sickle at Walter." In November 1947, at the next UAW national convention, this time Reuther won
15240-407: Was one of five children, oldest to youngest: Ted, Walter, Roy, Victor, Christine. Valentine would facilitate debates every Sunday for his sons, training them to think on their feet about social issues of the day such as yellow journalism, child labor, women's suffrage , and civil rights . Reuther later recalled, "At my father's knee we learned the philosophy of trade unionism. We got the struggles,
15367-531: Was originally established by Executive Order, and has been modified by several subsequent executive orders including: Federal laws governing the Peace Corps are contained in Title 22 of the United States Code – Foreign Relations and Intercourse, Chapter 34 – The Peace Corps. The Peace Corps is subject to Federal Regulations as prescribed by public law and executive order and contained in Title 22 of
15494-561: Was retained as a unique branch within Peace Corps Response, designed for volunteers who are deployed to true "crisis" situations, such as disaster relief following hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions and other catastrophes. Peace Corps has created resources for teachers in the US and abroad to teach 101 languages. Resources vary by language, and include text, recordings, lesson plans and teaching notes. Peace Corps
15621-472: Was slow, inadequate, and threatening the security of the Allies. The US planned to construct new manufacturing plants specifically to produce more planes. That plan would have taken two years to begin production. The Allies did not have that time to spare. In response, Reuther proposed "to transform the entire unused capacity of the auto industry into one huge plane production unit capable of turning out 500 Planes
15748-468: Was struck by a 12-gauge shotgun blast fired through his kitchen window. He was the fourth and longest serving president of the UAW, serving from 1946 until his death in 1970. As the leader of five million autoworkers, including retirees and their families, Reuther was influential inside the Democratic Party . Following the Bay of Pigs in 1961, President John F. Kennedy sent Reuther to Cuba to negotiate
15875-510: Was the largest corporation in the world and held many plants in Flint, Michigan , about 60 miles north of Detroit. Reuther's brother, Roy, was already in Flint drawing up strategy plans and organizing workers to shut down the automaker until it would recognize the rights of the workers to unionize. The strike began on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1936, when the workers sat down in the plants and refused to leave. General Motors retaliated by turning off
16002-556: Was there that King delivered his first version of his "I Have a Dream," speech, having penned it, at least partially, inside his office at Solidarity House. The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was held in Washington, D.C. , on Wednesday, August 28, 1963. The protest sought to advocate for the civil and economic rights of African Americans . Along with the Big Six and three white religious leaders, Reuther helped organize
16129-498: Was wary of Reuther, leading presidential candidate Richard Nixon to say about John F. Kennedy during the 1960 election, "I can think of nothing so detrimental to this nation than for any President to owe his election to, and therefore be a captive of, a political boss like Walter Reuther." Conservative politician Barry Goldwater declared that Reuther "was more dangerous to our country than Sputnik or anything Soviet Russia might do." A powerful ally of Martin Luther King Jr. and
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