Tri-Co Peace Week

Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.

Friday, April 4th, marks the beginning of Tri-Co Peace Week 2008. The week intentionally coincides with this 40th year anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination and Rwandan Genocide Remembrance Day on the 6th, to emblemize the promotion themes of peace and non-violence across the Tri-Co community.

This year’s 7-day peace series will begin with the kick-off collection event with a 1 PM lecture in LPAC presented by alumni Ralph Roy ‘51 commemorating “Dr. King’s Message 40 Years Later.” This event is soon followed by the dedication of the area’s first peace pole dedication at Haverford. Saturday’s events center on the unifying power of music, bringing the Tri-Co community together at Swat for a Tri-Co a Capella and Dance Jamboree followed by an R&M performance. Sunday’s annual walk for peace taking place at Bryn Mawr is designed to promote awareness of peace-related issues but also incorporate action; participants can contribute to a mural, write a letter, or sign a petition at several “action stops” along the way.

Policy talks on Monday brings Representative Sestak along with Dr. Philip Gordon and Dr.Ray Takeyh to Swarthmore to discuss US-Irani relations. Haverford will host Wednesday’s Nobel Peace Laureates panel and discussion centering on recent Global Peace Conference in Rome. Thursday brings acclaimed peace-centered band State Radio to Swarthmore for an 8:30 Peace Benefit Concert. The week is rounded off on Friday with a 60s-themed Paces party and a bookend dedication of Swarthmore’s own peace pole, a 5-sided, 10 foot emblem seated in a serene spot near the amphitheater serves as a permanent marker of the week’s preceding themes.

The annual week of peace-related lectures, screenings, and events has evolved since its founding by senior Brandon Wolff seven years ago. Wolff created the idea as a high school freshman troubled by the recent Columbine event. The realization that “kids my age can be violent towards other kids,” he said, decided to be proactive and promote his own dream of peace. After winning a competition that prompted students to encourage non-violence in new and unique ways, Brandon’s materialized his vision of a peace festival, which has come to incorporate the entire Bucks County school district and adjoining groups.

Bucks County Peace Week continues but is “rather more focused on local violence” according to Wolff. After attending a summer World Youth Center and then establishing Peace Week at Swarthmore in 2005, Wolff decided to expand the festival’s theme to include both local and global issues incorporated various cross-campus groups including Wolff’s own Students Against Violence Everywhere R Us. The next few years saw further expansion of the week to Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges, uniting all three campuses in a common call for peace. In his last year at Swarthmore, Wolff hopes Peace Week will continue to improve and grow stronger as he hands off reins to freshman coordinators Deivid Rojas ‘11 and Ecem Erseker ‘11.

Check out http://www.peaceweek.org/tri-co/index.php for more details on the week’s upcoming events.