Column: Community invited to celebrate peace in Morro Bay
Event at ‘Peace Pole’ in Morro Bay happening Sept. 22
– The first sentence of the Proclamation of the City of Morro Bay states that “peace is not merely the absence of war and violence,” yet most people only identify peace in that way. So in 2018, I joined with the then-mayor of Morro Bay Jamie Irons to construct a peace proclamation that better explains the concept of peace. This one-page document that goes on to state that “peace is achieved through following the concepts and methodology of nonviolence,” and that the City of Morro Bay “is committed to establishing peace and nonviolence in the region,” was issued in a city council ceremony on Sept. 11, 2018. That the day was special in more ways than one is true; the anniversary of a horrendous attack on our country and the day Morro Bay became the first, and still the only city on the Central Coast of California, to have a peace proclamation.
This document established Morro Bay as a city of peace and nonviolence designating Sept. 21st of each year to be the City of Morro Bay Day of Peace and the month of September as the City of Morro Bay Peace and Nonviolence Month. Each year my organization Yes We Can Peacebuilders celebrates peace with an action. In years past this has included special programs held in churches throughout the county as well as two “Peace Picnics in the Park” for community members to attend and enjoy. This year the celebration of Morro Bay Day of Peace will honor that document with a full reading of the proclamation on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, when Yes We Can Peacebuilders and members of the community, city officials as well as members of the congregation of the Estero Bay United Methodist Church will gather outside the church around the Peace Pole.
Along with the Peace Proclamation, a reading from the book by Jane Goodall, “A Prayer for World Peace” will be held. Goodall wrote a universal message of hope and serenity for all of Earth’s inhabitants in this beautiful book illustrated by artist Feeroozeh Golmohamadi from Iran. Goodall asks us to rise above our dogmas, to bring a spirit of generosity to the living world around us, and to pray for justice and for those who are suffering.
Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on Sept. 21, and the General Assembly of the United Nations has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.
Everyone is welcome and we hope you will join Morro Bay to “Celebrate Peace” around the Peace Pole on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, at 12 Noon at 3000 Hemlock Avenue, in Morro Bay.
For information on Yes We Can Peacebuilders go to www.yeswecanpeacebuilders.org or email at yeswecanpeacebuilders1@gmail.com.
