Action Days Reports from Estero Bay, CA; Frederick, MD; Eugene, OR; Chennai, India; and Beaverton, OR
During Campaign Nonviolent Action Days, people across the country and around the world show up in a variety of creative ways to move their communities towards nonviolence. Through vigils and gatherings, teach=ins and marches, organizers have been busy making change. Read the latest post-action reports below, and be sure to check upcoming actions for some you can join before Action Days wraps up.
Ruth Ann Angus with Estero Bay Nonviolent Cities in California writes about their Cambria Peace Corner Peace Day and International Peace Day Morro Bay events, “On Friday September 20th the Cambria Peace Corner held a silent, nonviolent demonstration the prominent corner they use regularly every Friday to do actions in this north coast community on the Central Coast of California. They gathered from 3 to 6 PM with signs and posters in front of the peace pole and peace pickets and waved to the passing cars and people. The Cambria Peace Corner was put together several years ago by Yes We Can Peacebuilder member Theresa Lees to extend the actions of the Nonviolent Cities Project to this community. Their peace day event brought out a variety of people and unknown amounts of spectators. In Morro Bay on Saturday evening from 6 to 8 PM the Yes We Can Peacebuilders gathered together to celebrate International Peace Day at Let's Get Tuned Sound Bath and Yoga Studio in Morro Bay, CA, where everyone participated in singing some peace songs from the 1960s and enjoyed a talk from Ruth Ann Angus, Peacebuilders Director on how everyone can do actions for peace and nonviolence. She said, ‘Don't let fear and the need for being safe keep you silent!’ Then Natalie from Let's Get Tuned offered a half-hour sound bath playing the Gong and the Sound Bowls that helped everyone dig deeply into their spirits and bring peace to their souls. We hope by being peace action people visible in our communities and offering important nonviolence educational programs we will spark a desire in the public to follow the principles of nonviolence in their daily lives.”
David Hazen from Eugene, OR, writes about their event called “Medicine for the Culture of War.” He says, “We held seven daily, 40-minute zoom conversations focused on our individual role in the transition from a culture of war to a culture of peace. Questions were used to tease out personal reflections from all the participants, and all were grateful for the experience of bonding with each other. Primary conclusion was ‘peace begins with each one of us,’ with a deeper personal meaning than what has been said before. As each one of us deepens our commitment to the praxis of holding nonjudgmental space for others, it makes a safety zone for them to do the same.
Vasanthi Ranganathan with CNV lake view Training center shares two more events from Chennai, India. The first was Peace for posterity on September 27, with 140 attending. She writes, “A women's college students, Gandhian forum were coordinated by lake view training center. Students put together an animation movie and a number of paintings, all of which were highly creative and direct message. The animated movie is for the world forum, is priceless, can be viewed and taken up for discussion in any forum. Rtn. Arzu with great digital skills talked about how her digital knowledge will be used to reach everyone with the message of peace and prosperity. She commended the movie makers. Vasanthi Ranganathan is happy to coordinate with any institution worldwide when we can ignite the minds with peace for the world the youth will enter. Congrats to the college, the Rotractors and Gandhian forum for their path breaking effort. The movie and paintings have developed artistic skills and in a few Min helped everyone think through. The participants and the viewers who will get to see it later, will never forget the finesse of peace and it's importance for all of us.”
The next event for CNV lake view Training center was “Jackal To giraffe, stand tall,” on September 28, with 135 people attending. Vasanthi writes, “80 students of the center from various government schools, Rotarians, Anns, Rotractors, parents, members of community attended. International Association facilitators Dr. Rajini Sriraman and Sarah kutchwallah have done these sessions at no cost, pro bono. Every year they have been doing workshops, for us at Ayapakkam Center, thanks to IAF Facilitation week activities. Youth coming from economically and socially deprived groups are grouped here. Consistent inputs not only keep them on track but help them think creatively and impact their peers, families, community.”
Annette Breiling from Frederick, MD shares that on September 21 they held an event “Celebrating Peacemakers and the UN International Day of Peace” with 50 people attending. She writes, “As people gathered in the back yard of Frederick Friends Meeting House, children and adults participated in a peace art project on shelf paper, ‘hands for peace’ in which they traced their hands and decorated them. Others made peace signs and a large collection of signs was laid out on another table for people to take with them on the march. Chairs were laid in front of a mike for the first part of the program which began with a welcome from spiritual leaders from the 2 sponsoring faith communities plus the mayor of Frederick. Other speakers for peace included a Vietnamese immigrant (who had never experienced peace till he arrived in this country at age 18), a native American, a Muslim, (no Jewish leader as we forgot that Saturday is their Sabbath), a student peace poster winner, the head of a school that focuses on peace, an advocate for Braver Angels, members of other community groups that advocate for peace.
After the rally, the group marched 5 blocks down the main street in town waving their peace signs and getting honks from cars driving by. Leading the marchers was a child holding a UN flag. The marchers ended at the other sponsoring UCC faith community for final speeches and refreshments. Participants seemed to be happy about the event. We did not get coverage from the Frederick News Post which had committed their limited staff to two other significant events in town. Next year we plan to schedule our event so that it will not compete with other major local events or the Jewish Sabbath. We impacted the broader effort to build a culture of nonviolence by promoting awareness of their importance. We also received a great endorsement from the mayor.
Mary Ryan-Hotchkiss from Beaverton, OR, held another event called “Nonviolence Sunday”. She shares, “Our special lay-led church services highlighted Nonviolence and preventing gun violence, with the theme, ‘We Are Nonviolent Peacemakers.’ Our Campaign Nonviolence sign was displayed in the entry way. Signs and cards that had been used at an earlier public event on gun violence were distributed around the church interior and on all the chairs. Readings from Gandhi and the Bible, including the Beatitudes, and traditional hymns bracketed witness by 3 congregants on the impact guns have made on their lives. Stories of accidents, suicides, and anxiety concluded with pleas for adequate restrictions, safety and storage of firearms, and for courageous, respectful conversations with those who may have different attitudes about guns. The 100 or so congregants took a few minutes to each think about what we could do to minimize gun violence and shared our ideas with those next to us and then the whole congregation. We financially contributed to an organization who is working to minimize gun violence and promote nonviolence and made a Nonviolence Pledge. With the closing hymn we picked up the gun violence info signs and marched out the door singing down the sidewalk, waving at those driving by.
Between services the men’s group treated us to Peace Pancakes and fruit. Peace flags were hung in the community room and table signs reminded us ‘We Are Nonviolent Peacemakers.’
We received many positive comments of things people had learned and of commitments to get rid of some guns.”