Peace Day Chicago by Jennifer Kim

Peace Day Chicago

by Jennifer Kim The City of Chicago will celebrate the 44th anniversary of Peace Day this September with a beautiful public observance highlighting unity and diversity in our city and world. Chicago pioneered the observance of Peace Day in 1978 with a free downtown celebration organized by The Peace School, a not-for-profit organization celebrating its 50th anniversary in Chicago this year. The Peace School’s founder, Grand Master MyungSuYuSung Kim (1927-1999) came up with the idea of creating Peace Day Chicago. He requested the support of the mayor who issued the city’s first Proclamation for Peace Day on September 7, 1978. In it, the mayor asked all Chicagoans to observe One Minute of Silence for World Peace at noon. This observance has continued to be a highlight of every Peace Day Chicago celebration.

Grand Master Kim felt it was essential for people set asidea special day each year to intentionally focus on the positive side of peace (as opposed to “anti- violence”, “anti-war,” etc.), beginning with steps individuals can take to build peace in daily life. He saw this as the way to create the foundation for a broader peace in families, communities, cities, nations and ultimately the world as a whole. He taught that inner peace and world peace are interconnected and that every person has the ability and responsibility to help bring peace to our world.

The Peace School has continued to organize annual Peace Day events with the support of every Chicago mayor since that first celebration in 1978. The Peace School also spent many years asking other cities and states to participate, and by the mid-1980’s had received Peace Day Proclamations from governors in all 50 states and mayors in over 540 US cities. Chicago began observing Peace Day in cooperation with the International Day of Peace after it was established by the United Nations in 1981. For its many years of Peace Day involvement, The Peace School was honored to be named a Peace Messenger organization by the United Nations in 1987.

Peace Day Chicago celebrations are lively, heartfelt gatherings that truly build the energy of peace. Daley Plaza, located in the heart of downtown Chicago, has been the venue for most of the annual events. The crowd enjoys live music, cultural performances and speakers from both government and community. Resource tables provide ways to get involved with peacemaking, community initiatives and cultural activities. Best of all, everyone on the Plaza focuses their wishes, thoughts and prayers on peace during the Minute for Peace, and through the interactive Call to Peace and World Peace Flag Ceremony. As the flags of the world move through the Plaza in a dignified procession, a call and response with the audience is held. One by one, each country is honored by having its name is announced as the flag is presented on stage. The audience responds by saying together, “Peace in…” [each country, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe]. The procession ends with the Earth flag to represent all the unnamed places along with great nature and our living Earth. Peace Day Chicago celebrations include people of all ages, races, beliefs, cultures and backgrounds joining together in the spirit of peace. International diplomats and other dignitaries stand shoulder to shoulder with students, members of cultural organizations, tourists, community activists, business people, environmental leaders, and people from Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods. Simply being present within this representation of all humanity is an impactful and moving experience. It makes it easy to understand the common bonds we share as members of Earth’s family. For the 30th anniversary of Peace Day Chicago in 2008, The Peace School formed the Chicago Build the Peace Committee. Chicago’s mayor has served as the Committee’s Honorary Chair each year since. The Committee has a dedicated group of Honorary CoChairs to support its mission including leaders of the Chicago Consular Corps, Illinois Department of Human Rights, Cook County Board, Chicago Commission on Human Relations, City Colleges of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools. The working group of the Committee is headed by The Peace School and taps into the talent of great local organizations like Greenheart International, The Peace Exchange, Rotarians in Action in Chicago, ABJ Civic Arts Center, Chicago Peace Fellows, United Nations Association USA-Chicago, Forest Preserve District of Cook County and Chicago Cultural Alliance.

The Committee provides free Peace Day materials annually to every Chicago Public School. The goal is for students across the city to engage in positive actions for peace on September 21st, the UN International Day of Peace. This is a wonderful way to focus on peacemaking

early in the school year. The package of materials includes suggested activities for Peace Day, in addition to encouraging schools to come up with their own ideas. A recent activity created by The Peace School is called Pause for Peace, Pledge for Peace. Other activity examples include peacerelated art, music, poetry, drama, environmental projects, posters and more.

The Peace School also provides free workshops for schools that are planning to attend the celebration in Daley Plaza. Students learn about the meaning of Peace Day, both in Chicago and around the world, and are given the United Nations theme for that year. They are taught flag etiquette and practice carrying flags respectfully in preparation for the Flag Ceremony. Students also practice the Call to Peace so they will be prepared to enthusiastically add their voices to the Call during the celebration. Students are encouraged to take at least one positive action for peace each day as a step toward making Every Day Peace Day. The celebration of Peace Day Chicago changed over the past two years with the inability to gather in large groups due to pandemic restrictions. The Committee worked hard to create an engaging online Peace Day celebration that included a virtual Flag Ceremony with stunning images from Daley Plaza. Some of the fun short videos created for Chicago’s online Peace Day events were What’s Your Language of Peace? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqN5ZBAvshQ and Build the Peace Pledge https://youtu.be/XyovVZB5Ozs With the 100 Day Countdown to Peace Day coming up June 13th, this is a good time to look into what may be planned in your area, or to begin making plans for yourself. Know that you will be part of a global community when you observe the UN International Day of Peace. If you are not ready to organize an event, consider starting with a small gathering of family, friends or neighbors. You can begin setting the tone right away by following the daily Call to Peace on social media, honoring one country each day. Get inspired at Peace Day Chicago’s Build the Peace website, the International Day of Peace website and the United Nations’ IDP page.

Peace Day is for all of us. There is plenty of time to get involved in Peace Day 2022!

Jennifer Kim is director of The Peace School, an educational not-for-profit celebrating its 50th Anniversary in Chicago this year. She also chairs the Chicago Build the Peace Committee and has been involved with Peace Day Chicago since it was founded in 1978. Jennifer teaches Peace Breathing Meditation and was an editor of Master Charles Kim’s book, Peace Breathing: Lessons on Achieving Peace in Everyday Life.