Celebration of Peace with the Earth, Peace with Each Other, Peace Within on International Day of Peace in El Paso
El Paso, TX
By Laurie Marshall
A celebration of International Day of Peace hosted by Unity Through Creativity Foundation and the Interfaith Alliance of the Southwest was held on September 21, 2022.
Nine speakers/performers and 18 vendors welcomed people to Keystone Heritage Botanical Garden. Around 83 people of all ages participated. Attendees added to "The Nectarine Singing Tree Mural of Peace", the 111th mural in a project that invites the whole world to make a painting together.
Here are some of the heartbreaking issues that our community in El Paso, TX, has identified as needing to be addressed by Peace Building:
Racism, Prejudice (inside and out)
Food deserts, housing instability and environmental degradation
Equality of wealth and opportunity
Migrant Issues
Equality of women and men
How to take care of our planet and each other
The unhoused and immigrant placement
The celebration went on all day long. Television and radio broadcaster Monica Gomez emceed the day. Grandma Beatriz Villegas opened the day with a ceremony. Neema Soratgar, the first woman to drive in Afghanistan in 2001 when the Taliban fell who carried the Afghanistan flag in the Olympics in 2004, spoke about her experience narrowly escaping with her children in 2021. She is a guest Scholar in Women Studies at University of Texas in El Paso.
Rev. Michael Grady spoke about "Ending Racism, Building Peace" and the recovery of his daughter who was shot four times at Walmart by a young man who killed 22 people and injured 25 more in August, 2019. Jacklyn Correan, 16, read her winning essay "One Must Work At It", about Eleanor Roosevelt's writing of the Declaration of Human Rights.
Bettina Escudero, led a guided meditation, accompanied by the cello playing of ProMusica. Laurie Marshall, founder of Unity Through Creativity and the Singing Tree Mural Project, spoke about the neurobiology of ending racism and building peace and her journey digging deep to become aware of white privilege. Fernanda Lugo led young and old in Yoga throughout the day. Young Tigua men shared the Eagle dance and Grupo Folklorico Valle del Sol invited attendees to join in the dance.
The day was closed out with songs of Anna Maria Rosales, native of El Paso whose songs have been played on the television show Grey's Anatomy. A Great Blue Heron flew overhead as the sunset filled the sky with oranges, pinks and turquoises and Anna's voice filled hearts with the power of choosing love over hate.
Vendors shared their services in the areas of “Peace with the Earth”, “Peace with Each Other” and “Peace Within.” Eco-ElPaso, Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens, Interfaith Power and Light and the Singing Tree Mural project celebrated Peace with the Earth.
“Peace with Each Other” was strengthened by Rainbow Borderland; Pax Christi; Veterans’ Administration Care Giver Support; Annunciation House; Abara Frontera; Quakers of El Paso; The League of Women Voters; Dialogue Institute Southwest; Volar (serving those who are differently-abled) and St. Columban Mission for Justice, Peace and Ecology who sold handbags embroidered by women stuck in Juarez.
“Peace Within” was embodied by the Desert Bloom Healing Collective offering massage, essential oils, tinctures and healing wisdom. Fernanda Lugo offered yoga throughout the day. Pamela Vigo Sanchez shared her artwork exploring her passion for horses, inviting her horse to paint abstract backgrounds and adding fine ink drawings of animals.
Here are some of the take-aways from the participants:
“There are many amazing, interconnected organizations in El Paso working towards Peace.”
“The future is so bright - so many people coming together!”
“I loved meeting many positive, committed, serious and fun-loving people. It gives me hopefulness for peace in this city and in the world.”
“I need to become aware of my local charities and pick some to be active in1”
“I felt peaceful. One Planet, One People, please.”
“All different communities came together for good and to make a difference.”
“Peace is Possible!!”
We will continue the momentum of the day by working towards making El Paso an International City of Peace. We all became stronger from being together and learning of the great work of the participating organizations, speakers and performers.
