Upcoming event expected to promote peace

by Gloria Diaz
Assistant Editor

Whoever said achieving peace was a lost cause did not count on the upcoming peace day taking place April 9.

Peace Day started in the spring of 1998 after an interterm trip to Vietnam. The students who went on the trip were interested in sharing their experience with other students at ULV. This led to the first Peace Day, which included a speaker.

"The day will be filled with events aimed at helping students to think about peace in the midst of education," said professor Debbie Roberts, event organizer.

This year, there will be four events throughout the day aimed at bringing awareness of peace to ULV.

Mayan spiritual leader Felipe Gomez-Gomez will speak in Founders Auditorium on the importance of respecting indigenous religious traditions.

Then from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., information booths will be set up in the Quad. The booths will explore the various aspects of peace.

Later on that evening, a Hunger Banquet sponsored by Aramark and ASF will be held at Sneaky Park.

There, participants will pull the name of a country, and the country's economic status (first world, second world, or third world) and will decide what type of food and portions they will receive.

Tickets for this event are $1. Its purpose is to show participants how food is distributed around the world.

"The event is to help people realize that there are people in the world who are hungry," Roberts said.

"The hunger banquet is meant to dramatize global issues of hunger and the economy," said professor Steve Kinzie, who is participating in the event.

Some dedicated students and faculty will be fasting throughout the day and will break their fast at the Hunger Banquet.

Some students have also signed up to sponsor the students. All the money will go to Eshoppe, a non-profit peace group which was founded by African women. The organization will take the money to help start a business.

The final activity of the day will be a benefit concert in Dailey Theatre at 7 p.m.

There will be music performances, spoken word and dance. Scheduled to perform are music professor Reed Gratz, Kinzie and English professor William Cook, who will be reading his poetry. Tickets are $5.

The proceeds from the concert will go to Heifer Project International. The Heifer Project will take the money donated to purchase a lamb for a family in Afghanistan.

Once the lamb has a female offspring, it is then passed onto another family raise it.

"It is a gift for people who need livestock to help them survive," Kinzie said.

Students who have coordinated the day's events are those who are deeply committed to achieving peace and raising awareness. The event is sponsored by the Peace Studies Department.

"We need to see that we are one community. We need to help each other," Roberts said.