Peace Week gathering set in Georgetown Oct. 11
Each year, the Peace Week organization in Delaware arranges a series of seminars and programs promoting understanding among people.
More than 100 presentations will be easily available over the internet this year. They range from a movie about the late John Lewis to a session on staying calm amid chaos.
A march and gathering at The Circle is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 11. For more information and a complete listing of programs and information about Peace Week, go to peaceweekdelaware.org.
While poles are usually thought of as markers for distant geographical points, there is a pole close to the center of Sussex County which serves as a reminder of humankind’s long-held hope for a peaceful world.
The Georgetown Peace Pole stands outside Georgetown Presbyterian Church on North Bedford Street, marking the spot where participants assembled last year and marched several blocks to The Circle to call for a commitment to peace.
The march was sponsored by Peace Week Delaware, and the pole was a gift to Georgetown Presbyterian from Malcolm Goekler, chair of the Unitarian Universalist Peace Ministry Network and a member of the Peace Week planning group. The pole is made of white metal and stands about 8 feet high. On each of its four sides the phrase “Let Peace Prevail” is written in different languages chosen by the Georgetown congregation: English, Spanish, Urdu and Haitian Creole.
Peace Poles are found all over the world. They were initiated in 1955 by a Japanese woman, Masakisa Goi. Through this simple device, she hoped to help promote peace and understanding among the peoples of the world. The movement has spread, and peace poles with a variety of designs and sponsored by various organizations and individuals, are found in different spots ranging from parks, to churches, to sites of destruction and tragedies.
There are now four poles in Sussex County, with a fifth one to be installed at Seaford’s Mount Calvary AME Church during Peace Week 2020, which will be held virtually Saturday, Oct. 3, to Sunday, Oct. 11. Wherever Peace Poles are found, their meaning and purpose is the same: They stand as silent witnesses to the universal human desire for peace and harmony.
