Sunday, September 21, 12:30 to 2:00 pm at the corner of Geist Road and University Avenue
The International Day of Peace (“Peace Day”) is observed around the world each year on 21 September. Established in 1981 by unanimous United Nations resolution, Peace Day provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace. The theme for this year’s Peace Day is “Act Now for a Peaceful World”.
In solidarity with other cities and towns throughout the world, we’ll hold a rally to call attention to this day and its purpose. Bring signs supporting world peace and international co-operation. We can do our small part to encourage world leaders to pursue calmer and more respectful foreign policies with more dialogue and less confrontation.
Sunday, September 21, 12:30 to 2:00 pm at the Geist Road/Univerity Avenue intersection.
Agenda Items will include updates and reviews of recent past activities such as our booth at the Fair, sponsorship of Alaska Protective Witness, ongoing activities such as the bus ad, Future activities including potential celebration of International Day of Peace on Sept. 21, Armistice Day Celebration Nov. 11, and more.
If you would like to help the movement for peace, please show up.
Get a free day pass for day(s) you host our 20th annual booth, interacting with folks on issues of Peace, Justice, and Sustainability, encouraging participation in our Bean Poll in which folks add their “druthers” for how their taxes get spent, and more.
It’s that time of year again! We need volunteers for working the fair booth. It’s a great time to help and we would appreciate it so much. The times are 12-3, 3-6, 6-10 with free admission. Please think about taking a slot or two. Thanks so much for your consideration. Check the schedule for available times and dates. You can sign yourself up directly on the schedule, but please make sure that Heather Koponen has your contact info. Thanks everyone!!
Friday, July 25 through Sunday, August 3, the Alaska Peace Center will have a booth at the Fair, as we have for many years! We once again need people to staff the booth and meet the public.
This is an opportunity to be Present for Peace at the biggest social gathering in interior Alaska. It is a remarkable opening to interact and gain insight into other people’s understanding of world affairs, deepen our own understanding of what we mean by “Peace”, and to exercise our ability to be people of Peace. Help with the interactive Bean Poll.
We need at least one person per shift. The Peace Center will provide a ticket to the Fair for the day you volunteer. Send an email to info@alaskapeace.org, Subject: Fair Booth. Volunteer for one, two, or three shifts, meet people, ask folks their opinions and experiences on current and historic issues. Be amazed!
Dates: Friday July 25 – Sunday August 3 Shifts: noon-3pm; 3-6pm; 6-10pm
Thanks so much to those who have already signed up! Heather Koponen, shift coordinator
Alaska Peace Center booth staffing schedule for Tanana Valley State Fair, 2025 – draft (b) – June 25
Around 25 people gathered together on November 11 to commemorate Armistice Day with songs and bell-ringing. After an eloquent introduction by Maia we rang our bells. Then the Fairbanks Peace Choir led us in songs of peace and hope. Finally we went around our circle with everyone giving a concise statement of what Armistice Day means to them. We were all inspired to follow the original meaning of Armistice Day and rededicate ourselves to the pursuit of peace.
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner front page article about the event is reproduced below:
Bells rang out at 11:11 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Park as two dozen people gathered to celebrate Armistice Day and hope for peace.
Hosted by the Alaska Peace Center and Veterans for Peace, people bundled up in the 1-degree weather to rededicate themselves to work toward peace in the world. They assemble every year on Nov. 11 to ring bells for a full minute.
Bells rang out to announce the armistice between Allied nations and Germany to end the fighting during World War I on 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 2018. Armistice Day was celebrated on Nov. 11 for many years until it was renamed to Veterans Day in the U.S. in 1954.
Maia Genaux, of the Alaska Peace Center, led the ringing, stating, “Let our bells today call out to the beauty, the harmony, the relationships and all that thrives in peace. Let our bells call us now and lead us in our work for healing.”
The Fairbanks Peace Choir led participants in singing “Dona Nobis Pachem,” which means “Give Us Peace” in Latin, and “This is my song (Finlandia)” by Jean Sibelius.
Residents shared their hopes for peace in the future. They encouraged one another to love and talk to their neighbors.
One woman said that she is transmitting her rage into art and love for Fairbanks. “Now is the time of artists,” she said.
“One of the strangest stories that we tell ourselves is that war is inevitable. It’s not,” one man said.
Alaska Peace Center and Veterans For Peace North Star Chapter 146 invite the Fairbanks community to ring bells at 11:00 am at Veterans Memorial Park, 700 Cushman Street in Fairbanks, in celebration of Armistice Day on Monday, November 11. Bring a bell if you have one (we’ll have extras if you don’t), in any case bring a friend. The Peace Choir will be present to lead us in some songs.
Bell-ringing has been a traditional way of celebrating Armistice Day ever since the end of World War One (known at the time as “The Great War”) 106 years ago. It signifies the relief and joy felt around the world when the Armistice was signed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. Bells were rung to celebrate peace and the end of four years of war that killed or wounded more than 21 million people. In the wake of so much carnage, it was then clear to millions of people that wars were not about valor or romantic ideals, but about empire, which benefits a few at the expense of many. A tradition of observing the anniversary of the Armistice by ringing bells to honor veterans and promote peace spread throughout the world.
Armistice Day was first officially recognized by Congress in 1926 as a day that “should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations,” and “with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.” It became a legal holiday nationwide by an act of Congress in 1938, dedicated to the cause of world peace. In 1954 Congress changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day. In his proclamation on the first Veterans Day in 1954, President Eisenhower admonished Americans to “reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.” However, in contrast to Eisenhower’s intention, rebranding Armistice Day as Veterans Day has led to a change from celebrating peace to celebrating the military and glorifying war. Armistice Day has been flipped from a day for peace into a day for displays of militarism.
According to Wikipedia there are currently 56 separate armed conflicts going on in the world, with a combined death toll of 176,993 men, women, and children so far this year. Chief among these in our current consciousness is the horrific ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza. For over a year, unspeakable atrocities have filled our screens and haunted our consciences. The US government is complicit in Israel’s merciless campaign of ethnic cleansing. The bombs that Israel drops on Palestinian children and their parents are made in the USA and provided by the US government. Israel’s US-backed war has now expanded to the West Bank, to Lebanon and to Iran, risking a wider war that could even go nuclear.
The Alaska Peace Center, along with Veterans For Peace nationally and locally, celebrates the original intent of November 11th – as a day to rededicate ourselves to work toward peaceful solutions to the world’s problems. Peace, not war, is the best way to honor the sacrifices of veterans. We are not free until we are all free!
Come up with your own actions or participate in others’!
The Alaska Peace Center joins the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) promoting adherence to and implementation of the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. ICAN is a coalition of non-governmental organizations in more than one hundred countries that was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its successful work getting the Treaty passed in 2017, ratified, and is continuing to work to get it implemented worldwide.
Thanks to all who came out to the Peace Feast at Pioneer Park early last month. The weather was awesome and so were the invited speakers. There is so much good work being done in our community. It is inspiring to find out about it and to discover the inter-relationships between small non-profits making life in Fairbanks better.
The next big thing on the horizon is the Tanana Valley State Fair, which runs from Friday, July 26th through Sunday, August 4th this year. We will have a booth at the Fair, as we have for many years! We once again need people to staff the booth and meet the public. This is an opportunity to be Present for Peace at the biggest social gathering in interior Alaska. It is a remarkable opportunity to deepen our own understanding of what we mean by “Peace” and to exercise our ability to be people of Peace. Volunteer for one, two, or three shifts, meet the people, ask folks their opinions and experiences on current and historic issues. It is a rare opportunity for genuine communication.
Dates: Friday July 26 – Sunday August 4 Shifts: noon-3pm; 3-6pm; 6-10pm
You should be able to follow the “Open with Google Docs” link and add your name directly to the schedule sheet. It would help if you would also provide an email address or phone number. Anyone uncomfortable with providing contact info on a publicly accessible document can put their name in the appropriate spots on the document and email contact information to us at info@alaskapeace.org. Those who don’t want to deal with Google Docs at all can email us information about which shifts you would like to cover and we’ll add it to the schedule (without contact info). We need to have at least one person per shift; it would be nice if we are able to have two people per shift. We really appreciate all of you who come out for this!
On another note, organizing the Peace Feast and maintaining a presence at events such as Earth Day, Arbor Day, the Tanana Valley Fair, and the Renewable Energy Fair requires a lot of organizing, a lot of help and enthusiasm from many people, and, yes, money. Maintaining a website, maintaining our obligations as a charitable entity in the State of Alaska, maintaining an office where we can keep things and organize from, publicizing our events, booth fees at the Fair, all require a certain amount of money. We greatly appreciate the people who have already responded financially to our recent newsletter. If you would like to make a donation you can send a check to Alaska Peace Center, 3535 College Road Suite 203, Fairbanks, AK 99709-3722 or donate through PayPal. We very much appreciate your support.
You will need a Google account or be willing to create one. Click the above link, then click the "Sign in" button on the upper right corner of the Google Groups page that appears. Then click the "Sign up" button in the upper right corner of the ensuing page.
Listserver membership is moderated, so there will be a delay of a day or two while someone approves your application before you will start receiving messages. If you don't have or want a Google account or if you want to avoid all the rigamarole above, just send a note to info@alaskapeace.org requesting to be put on the listserver.
International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICANW)
World Beyond War Peace Pledge Endorser
Forge Swords into Plowshares
Total Cost of War on Terror
September 11, 2001 to November 4, 2025:
$10,574,197,412,827
This figure includes expenses for military, homeland security, veterans' care,
and interest on the war debt, but does not include future veterans' care or future interest.
Alaska Peace Center 