By Jacob Trump
As another semester begins in the fall on WPU’s campus, so does another celebration of International Day of Peace. While the United Nations International Day of Peace was set for Sept. 21 this year, a Saturday, Peace held its event on Sept. 23.
The celebration invites students, faculty, and guests off campus to come and celebrate a day of community and peaceful thinking, as well as offering information and lessons on the topics as well.
This year, students in the honors program had the opportunity to help lead and manage the celebration.
“We’re trying to move it from being faculty managed to being student managed,” says Dr. Heidi Gailor, who leads the honors program on campus. “This year Honors 300 students are owning it.”
The celebration took place on the campuses Main Lawn with Dr. Eliza Fisher Laskowski welcoming everyone and offering a few words to help start the celebration.
“More than four decades ago, the United Nations recognized Sept. 21 as the International Day of Peace,” said Laskowski. “Over the years millions worldwide have joined together for intercultural dialogues, workshops, meditations, and other global peace-building initiatives.”
Junior TJ-Hill-Johnson served as emcee, announcing the guest speakers and introducing the student artists that contribute pieces representing ideas related to peace.
As the artists concluded, Johnson invited Honors 300 students Tameka Adams and Caedmon Holland to lead prayers from a variety of world religions, including Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim.
Christian Knight, a local artist in the Raleigh area, then sang a few songs that centered peace and harmony among people.
By this point, everyone was engaged and immersed in the celebration. Once Knight finished his final song, Johnson showed attention to the tables that sat around the Main Lawn.
The tables allowed guests to rotate and either participate in activities that were significant to peace and community or learn more about different organizations like the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh. with guest speaker Sharon Mitchell.
Dr. Wade Newhouse, an English professor, then invited guests, students, and faculty to join in a circle and participated in improv games that showed a basis of teamwork and attention to community.
As Newhouse’s activity concluded, Lakowski invited everyone attending the event to come up to the fountain on the Main Lawn. The attendees were offered roses, which play a significant role in the inauguration and graduation process for students on campus.
“Look at your rose, feel its gentle petals, the strength of its stem,” Laskowski said as everyone joined around the fountain. “Notice the music of the fountain and the birds. Take in the faces of those gathered in community here this afternoon, the tapestry of color in their hands. Take a deep breath. Honor your own commitment to peace.”
After Lakwoski finished her final remarks, everyone threw their rose into the fountain, offering an end to the celebration.
The leaders of this celebration always look forward to this event yearly and hope that those who attend are able to take the ideas they practiced into their daily lives.
“People who come, I hope they take a moment to think about what peace means in their own lives,” said Gailor. “I hope they take a moment to really think about what’s happening in places where people don’t have the opportunity to celebrate peace, where they’re dealing with war and conflict.”
To learn about more events like this one, make sure to see the Pacer Engage website: https://pacerengage.peace.edu/
Photos by Isaiah Grady