Photo by The Peace Times Media
By Shelby Woodward
What does it mean to live in peace?
This year, as the campus gathers for a day centered on Peace, kindness, and community, William Peace University hopes students will reflect on that question.
Heidi Gailor, a professor in the business and honors program, says the United Nations organized the International Day of Peace and it began at Peace about six years ago as a small celebration within Honors 100.
Over time, more people became interested, and the event grew into a larger, campus-wide celebration.
“As it has been happening for some time, the institution didn’t decide on it,” Gailor explained. “It has more or less developed on its own.”
Students, faculty, and community members are coming together to give the event a larger presence on campus.
Gailor said the goal is to take time to reflect on what it means to live together peacefully and for an institution named William Peace University to embody Peace.
The event isn’t just about sitting around and talking about Peace. It’s about bringing the Peace community together.
The festivities will start at 3:30 p.m. on the Main Lawn, where students can see an African drumming group and hear a spoken-word piece by Dasan Ahanu, North Carolina’s Piedmont poet laureate and a teacher at Peace. Instructor Ana Teresa Galizes will also lead students in making paper cranes, a symbol of world peace.
The event will be celebratory and give students a chance to hang out, enjoy live performances, try new things, and get to know their campus community.
The event will continue in Leggett with a talk given by Lisa Yebuah, a peace and justice advocate, on what Peace might look like in our communities.
Day of Peace also offers students the chance to take part in activities that extend beyond the event itself.
Students will also have the opportunity to participate in a Habitat for Humanity service day on Sept. 26, organized by SGPA, putting the principles of community and service into practice. Sign up at https://vhub.at/WilliamPeaceUniversity.
Gailor hopes the Day of Peace will continue to grow in the years to come, with more students, faculty members, and organizations taking part.
She also sees potential for Peace to collaborate with local nonprofit organizations, attract more advocates for Peace and social justice to the university, and link Peace with service and sustainability.
Most importantly, students do not have to do something big to make a difference.
Gailor urged students to find small ways to help people nearby, such as offering an opportunity, helping a classmate, or being more careful with how they word things.
So go to the Main Lawn, enjoy the performances, meet other community members, and stop by to celebrate what Peace might look like around campus.