Global Peace Day in Washington DC tomorrow

Tomorrow, August 9th — on the anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki — the nation's capitol will host an international peace gathering. I learned about this program through FOR member Johnny Sonneborn, a long-time member of our NYC Local Group who chaired that chapter some years ago. Johnny wrote to me:

A Global Peace Festival will occur in Washington, DC., on Saturday, August 9. 1) An interfaith rally with the theme "We are all one family under God" and to embody Dr. King's statement that "We must promote peaceful ends through peaceful means" will be held on the western lawn of the Capitol Building from 2-5 p.m. 2) An expo with some 40 booths of relevant organizations will be in the National Mall area near 3rd Street from 12-2. All true peace lovers are invited. For more information visit the website or call 888-636-8852.

I have studied the Festival's web-site and have found out that although the director of the organization is an Evangelical minister, it has many partners including Christian, Muslim, and Jewish groups, and a civil rights group. So I am convinced that the event will be inspiring and contribute to the spreading of peace.

I have looked briefly at the website, too, and see that Dr. Joseph Lowery, long-time leader in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, is one of the noted speakers. Hopefully, this will be a positive and energizing way to observe this sad anniversary.