CHESTER COUNTY PEACE MOVEMENT celebrated the International Day of Peace on the Old Courthouse Steps in West Chester, PA. on Saturday, September 21, 2024.

The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly. Two decades later, in 2001, the General Assembly unanimously voted to designate the Day as a period of non-violence and cease-fire.”  This call is timely as much of the world is calling for a ceasefire and release of the hostages in the war in Gaza. This year’s theme is “Building a Culture of Peace”

2024 Theme: Cultivating a Culture of Peace

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace.

In that declaration, the United Nations’ most inclusive body recognized that peace “not only is the absence of conflict, but also requires a positive, dynamic participatory process where dialogue is encouraged and conflicts are solved in a spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation.”

In a world with rising geopolitical tensions and protracted conflicts, there has never been a better time to remember how the UN General Assembly came together in 1999 to lay out the values needed for a culture of peace. These include: respect for life, human rights and fundamental freedoms; the promotion of non-violence through education, dialogue and cooperation; commitment to peaceful settlement of conflicts; and adherence to freedom, justice, democracy, tolerance, solidarity, cooperation, pluralism, cultural diversity, dialogue and understanding at all levels of society and among nations.

In follow-up resolutions, the General Assembly recognized further the importance of choosing negotiations over confrontation and of working together and not against each other.

The Constitution of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) starts with the notion that “wars begin in the minds of men so it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed”. It is this notion that framed the theme and logo of this year’s observance of the International Day of Peace. The ideas of peace, the culture of peace, need to be cultivated in the minds of children and communities through formal and informal education, across countries and generations.

The International Day of Peace has always been a time to lay down weapons and observe ceasefires. But it now must also be a time for people to see each other’s humanity. Our survival as a global community depends on that.

John Scardina entertained with Songs of Peace before the commemoration began.

FOLKS GATHERED AT THE OLD COURTHOUSE STEPS TO CELEBRATE THE

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2024 HOSTED BY THE CHESTER COUNTY PEACE MOVEMENT.

Chris Barr, President of CCPM, welcomed those attending and introduced the speakers.

Jerry Simotas, from Veterans of Peace, did his presentation of

General Smedely Butler’s iconic “War is a Racket” speech.

Christina “PK Ditty” DiGiulio, currently the Environmental Chemist for Physicians for Social Responsibility, spoke of corporate greed of the fossil fuel industry and the harmful effects of that industry upon the world’s climate.

Andi Hubbard, Member of the CCPM, listens to the speakers at the event.

Stephanie Phillips gave a rendition of of her songs. She sang of the tragedy of school shootings and the lack of commonsense gun control.

Melissa Robbins, a community activist in Philly, talked about diversity and inclusivity in her neighborhood in NorthEast Philly helping to create a”Culture of Peace”.

Kelly and Steve O’Connor, from Change Up, spoke to the crowd of their successful efforts to set up community activities and sporting events for the youth in Philly helping to create a “Culture of Peace” in the neighborhoods.

Mary Fuller, President of the Phoenixville Area Community Services (PACS) spoke of their mission to aspire to be the lead resource for food security in the Phoenixville Area while meeting people where they are and serving them with dignity and respect.

Eric Riddick, wrongfully incarcerated but now released and helping others in like circumstances, spoke of pursuing peace but that could only be achieved through Justice.

Sakina Farooq, from the Islamic Center of Chester County, spoke of the coming together of peoples of all faiths, creed and nationalities to celebrate our common humanity as a path to peace.

John Hellmann, Member of CCPM, read the Citation from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives recognizing the International Day of Peace. The Proclamation was received from the office of Rep. Chris Pielli, the 156th District Rep.

Presentation of the 2024 Anne Moore Peace Award was made by Cathy Lakoff, Andy Hubbard and Chris Barr of the Chester County Peace Movement. This year’s recipient was Karen Porter, the founder of CCPM. Cathy read a statement from Ms. Porter accepting the award.

Cathy Lakoff, Member of the CCPM, holds the 2024 Anne Moore Peace Award that was awarded that evening to Karen Porter, Founder of the CCPM.

STATEMENT FROM KAREN PORTER ON THE AWARDING OF THE ANNE MOORE PEACE AWARD

I will be brief:

I cannot tell all of you how much I appreciate your thinking of me and granting this award, which means the world to me.

Many years have gone by since we started The Chester County Peace Movement. My initial motivation and gut reaction to those dishonest, wasteful, and tragic wars in Iraq and Afghanistan came upon me as the mother of a teenaged son who, in my rational opinion, might have faced a military draft as did our generation during the Vietnam War. That son is now in his late thirties with children of his own, and I am an aging grandmother. Here we are again, facing new wars in different places and situations in which our country could easily become more directly involved in. In fact, as I write this, morning headlines portend a possibly wider war in Europe itself.

Lest anyone have any doubt that we were right to oppose those wars – and all wars – and I have absolutely no doubt about that today – I recently saw a headline here in Scotland where I am traveling. That headline was about the arrival here of several female Afghan medical students who came here to continue medical studies because they are not allowed to do so in their own country by order of the Taliban. That headline, photo, and article made me ask one basic question: What possible good did we achieve with all those lost lives in Afghanistan (not to mention Iraq), where the Taliban has reverted even further into its reign of terror?

We accomplished nothing with the thousands of lost lives in those wars. Today people do not even try to gloss over the stupidity and futility of those wars. Instead, our country chooses collective amnesia when I comes to those wars.

So it goes. 

I am so gratified that CCPM goes on. It is needed now more than ever to meet the new challenges that face our country and this world every day. So, if we managed to bring a bit more light into this world by organizing ourselves for peace and against war those many years ago, let us take some satisfaction that we at least have stood up for what is good and just.

May The Chester County Peace Movement continue to speak up for peace and justice in every realm and in every way it can.

Again, thank you so much for this award. It means a great deal to me and to my family.

Karen Porter

Karen Porter (on the left) at a vigil for Peace in the lead up to the Iraq War in 2003.