8/27/02
DuPage Peace Through Justice Coalition Peace Vigil
The DuPage Peace Through Justice Coalition will hold a peace vigil from
7:00 - 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 8th in Naperville. The vigil will begin
at the Dandelion Fountain at Webster St. and
Jackson Ave. in downtown Naperville and move along the Riverwalk.
This
event is being held in solidarity with an organization of family members
of victims of last year's tragedy. "Don't let the first year commemoration
of the 9/11 tragedy be used to call for more war and violence. Please
help us honor the death of our loved ones by creating peaceful and healing
Sept. 11, 2002 events that move us towards a future of peaceful tomorrows."
-Kelly Campbell, September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
The vigil will honor the lives of the people who died on Sept. 11, 2001 and
victims of violence all over the world. Similar events are being planned
in more than 100 communities throughout the United States. The event titles
range from “work a day for peace” to “our grief is not a cry for war” to
“from ground zero to common ground,” but what ties them together is their
theme: working for a world without terrorism and war. “We’re going to show
the world that in hundreds of U.S. cities, people are saying that the best
way to honor those who died on Sept. 11 is to work for a world that is free
of war and violence,” said Medea Benjamin of United for Peace, the coalition
of groups that put out the call for peace events.
The DuPage Peace Through Justice Coalition, which was formed in response
to the terrorist attacks of September 11, has held rallies in Villa Park,
Naperville, and Wheaton that have been attended by over 150 people and has
sponsored public forums at the College of DuPage to educate the public about
the illegality of the war against Afghanistan, the Israeli occupation of
Jenin, the effects of sanctions on the people of Iraq, and alternative actions
the US can take to end terrorism.
The goals of the DuPage Coalition are: to promote nonviolent solutions to
terrorism, to call on members of Congress to protect civil liberties, and
to provide a public forum to present alternatives to war and education on
cross cultural issues. The Coalition is made up of people from diverse ethnic,
racial, religious and cultural backgrounds united in their belief that war
is not the answer to terrorism. Delegates from the coalition have met
Representative Judy Biggert and with the office of US Speaker of the House
Dennis Hastert to discuss alternatives to current US actions in Afghanistan.
For more information about the past or planned activities of the Coalition,
please visit the DuPage Peace Through Justice Coalition website at http://DuPagePeace.home.att.net
The astounding array of events planned throughout the United States and the
world are listed on the website www.unitedforpeace.org. They include overnight
vigils, peace walks, fasts, concerts, art projects, donating the day’s wages
to peace groups, and teach-ins about peace issues. The events are taking
place from the big cities of New York and Los Angeles to the smaller cities
of Boise, Idaho and Hood River, Oregon.
Endorsers of United for Peace include international peace leaders like Arun
Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatama Gandhi, and Nobel Peace Laureate and former
President of Costa Rica Oscar Arias. “Many people who have lost loved ones
to violence have come to the realization that only by planting the seeds
of peace will their loss not have been in vain,” says Arias. United for Peace
is also endorsed by September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, the
National Coalition for Peace and Justice, Fellowship of Reconciliation, American
Friends Service Committee, Peace Action, Veterans for Peace, War Resisters
League, and Global Exchange.