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Press Release: 2013

Festival in Pearl City Calls for
Peace in the World

Peace Day Hawai’i Unites Cultural Groups

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


SEPTEMBER 19, 2013; HONOLULU HAWAII:  The Sixth Annual Peace Day Hawaii will be held at the Urban Garden Center in Pearl City on Saturday, September 21, from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. The Distinguished Peacemaker Award will be presented to Kumu Ramsay Taum, and the Lei of Peace that began at Forgiveness Day and the birthday of Queen Lili’uokalani will be extended, to travel on to Beijing for the Five Principles of Peace celebration. Former State Representative Lyla Berg will speak at the closing. This family event is free to all, and features natural food, live music, dancing and drumming from several cultures.

Complimentary ticket reservations at:  http://peacegarden.eventbrite.com/

Jeannie Lum, one of the organizers, said, “We honor our multicultural diversity as an island, and at the same time our sense of belonging and interconnectedness to each other and to our global neighbors around the world, in both material and spiritual ways. This weekend our mission widesn, to include local peace groups under the umbrella of Peace Day Hawai’i in uniting to celebrate peace.”

Peace Day Hawaii is affiliated with United Nations International Peace Day, officially celebrated in more than 200 countries on September 21 each year. The Urban Garden Center is a facility of the Cooperative Extension Service of the University of Hawai’i College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.

A key theme is cultivating peace through peace gardens in the schools and community. There will be exhibits by the Mastergardener program, MA’O Organic Farms, Kokua Foundation, Hawaii Farm to School Network.

Performances include: Sri Lankan Buddhist Monk Blessing, Korean drummers Thunder Hawai’i, multicultural Lion Dancers, O’Infinity Chant & singing bowls, Mastergardener Hula & Band Hui, and Nia Dancing. Participation events include lei-making and hand-print pledges for peace. Special Awards will be given to the Honolulu Rose Society, for the addition to the Peace Garden Pathway.

Simultaneous events, linked to the Pearl City celebration, are being held by the International Cities of Peace, shared with cities across the nation and globe, including Eugene Oregon, Philadelphia, Kathmandu, Nepal; Freetown, Sierra Leone, Tunis, Tunisia, Lagos, Nigeria and many more.


The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by resolution 36/67 of the United Nations General Assembly, which was held annually on the third Tuesday of September. The United Nations invites all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities during the Day, and to otherwise commemorate the Day through education and public awareness on issues related to peace. See http://www.un.org/en/events/peaceday/

On April 18, 2007, the Governor of Hawaii signed Act 23, stating, “September 21 of each year shall be known and recognized as ‘Peace Day’ to promote peace programs, improve international relations, and increase educational awareness of peace.”  This made Hawaii the first state in the United States to officially recognize the United Nation’s International Day of Peace and Non-Violence, now celebrated in more than 200 countries worldwide.


Full details are available at http://peacegardenhawaii.com;
this release may be downloaded at http://www.peacegardenhawaii.com/Peace-Garden-2013-Press-Release.pdf

Complimentary ticket reservations at:  http://peacegarden.eventbrite.com/

Press contact: Michael North at 808-638-7100; mjnorth@mac.com

peacegardenhawaii.com