Carleton College invites the community to celebrate International Day of Peace with a special event Thursday, Sept. 21 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in the Larson Family Room (236) of the Weitz Center for Creativity.
Also known as World Peace Day, the holiday has been observed annually on September 21 since 1982 and begins with the ringing of the United Nations Peace Bell at U.N. Headquarters in New York City; the bell was cast from coins donated by children from around the world and was a gift to the U.N. from Japan, as “a reminder of the human cost of war.” And inscription on the bell reads, “Long live absolute world peace.”
2017 celebrates the theme “Together for Peace: Respect, Safety, Dignity for All,” based on the TOGETHER global campaign that promotes respect, safety, and dignity for everyone forced to flee their homes in search of a better Life. For more information, visit www.un.org/peaceday/ and www.together.un.org.
The Northfield event, which is free and open to the public, will feature a reception with refreshments along with commemoration of the Veterans for Peace and Arts Peace Awards, a poetry reading and open mic, and performances by Aztec dancers, Taiko drummers, and Nordic musicians.
This event is sponsored by the Department of Political Science at Carleton College, with support from the United Nations Stassen Fund. Additional support comes from the Northfield Human Rights Commission, the Healthy Community Initiative, the Northfield Arts Guild, the Northfield Union of Youth (The Key), Northfield Students for Social Justice, and the Northfield City Council.
For more information, including disability accommodations, call (507) 222-4117. The Weitz Center for Creativity is located at Third and College Streets in Northfield.
