Civic Groups, Campuses, and Congregations: Organizing Around the Decade in Texas

by Brenda Hardt

A memory almost fifty years old surfaced on March 26, 2002. I was participating in the Launching of the 2001-2010 Decade of Building a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World–in Brenham, Texas, population 13,000. Before me stood four small children under the age of five, singing "Teaching Peace" to the assembled crowd. These little ones then instructed us (words plus hand signs) in the Pledge of Nonviolence.

My mind went back to when I was their age. It was in preschool that I learned the words, "Jesus loves the little children/all the children of the world./Red and yellow, black and white/they are precious in his sight." It was my first vision of peace. That vision was brought to me through music about children like me, yet not like me, all given special gifts and graces that made them of infinite worth, to be gently cared for. That song laid down the first layer in the peace-soil of my heart that has nurtured a lifetime of yearning for a world that renounces violence.

I have a wish for the little ones who sang so boldly that night about peace. I want the seed of peace that was planted in them to be just as boldly nurtured by their community–their homes, their schools, the media channels that reach their minds. When one looks in the smiling faces of these little ones, one sees that Herman Will’s proposal is profound and reasonable: he called for the removal of all children from a country before war can be declared on it. What would be even more profound and reasonable would be if mothers the world over could give birth to children who could ask "What was war?"

You may be wondering how this global Decade of Nonviolence initiative reached the small town of Brenham, Texas, better known for its world-famous ice cream than for peace activism.

Well, in February 2001, the Texas Conference of Churches held its annual meeting in Austin. A Presbyterian group introduced a resolution to the assembly asking that all the denominations represented there endorse the Decade and become active promoters of nonviolence. It passed unanimously. I wrote a similar resolution that was unanimously passed by the Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church on May 29, 2001. The United Methodists have an annual Peace With Justice offering. Its funds allow for the distribution of promotional and educational materials about the principles of peace and nonviolence. These caught the attention of Blinn College math teacher and Baha’i Club sponsor Karen Anglin, and through Karen, knowledge of the UN Decade was quickly spread to other campus clubs and local leaders. A group of peace advocates in the Houston area has also picked up the UN Decade as a tool for nonviolence education and formed a "promotion team" called "Decade of Nonviolence–Houston." Its Leadership Council of local leaders includes Houston’s Mayor Lee Brown. (See their website at www.decadeofnonviolence-houston.org.)

In both cities, individuals and organizations are being challenged to prioritize social, emotional, and ethical learning so as to respond to the UN Decade priority: peace through peace education. Violence–behavior that dominates, diminishes, or destroys ourselves or others–must be defeated. No message is more important than "Peace is Possible."

Specific outcomes of promoting the Decade in Houston include Peace Facilitator Workshops for educators that demonstrate respect, better communication, cooperative problem solving, and empathy building. Diann and Jim Rockwood (peaceonthemove@attbi.com) facilitated the ASAP² (All Schools At Peace As Soon As Possible) workshop I attended in March. The elementary school where artist and PTA member Shelly Shanks sends her children has endorsed the Decade and added an after-school "art for peace" project. Five diverse high school-based peace groups that did not know of each other’s existence have met for some exploratory dialogue about increasing effectiveness by waging peace together. A study circle on nonviolence is starting up (www.wagepeace.org). Displays on the Decade and the "Wall of Hope/Nonviolence Throughout History" display are now being exhibited on several college campuses.

The Decade initiative is proving to be an effective way to replace some of the widespread emphasis on violence. With 75,000,000 hearts worldwide (see www.nobelweb.org) ready to discover ways each of us can wage peace, there is great hope. There are songs of peace for us to sing; there are true stories of peacemaking heroes (such as the Nobel Peace Laureates) for us to teach to children; there are magazines of inspiration and cultural awareness for us to place in doctor’s office waiting rooms. We can all find a child to offer to pull away from the TV–which might as well be an acronym for "Transmits Violence."

By encouraging every citizen and organization to respond to the UN Decade for Building a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence, we are again spreading the message of my hero, Eleanor Roosevelt, who said: "It is not enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it is not enough to believe in it. One must work at it." Are you ready? The precious children are waiting for you to plant the seeds of peace in their hearts.

The Pledge of Nonviolence is available in thirteen languages at www.ipj-ppj.org. Brenda Hardt can be reached at bbhardt@mail.esc4.com.