Marching For Change

"World March for Peace & Nonviolence

First U.S. stops: Nov. 30 New York; Dec. 2 Washington, D.C.

5,000 people joined the World March for Peace team on Nov. 14 in Spain as it marched along the Paseo del Prado to the Puerta de Sol, accompanied by musical groups and dancers from different countries, members of distinct political parties, neighborhood associations, university students, cyclists and up to a hundred different cultural and social organizations. Pau Segado, spokesman of the March for Spain, called on President Zapatero to withdraw Spanish troops from Afghanistan, and denounced the government’s “double game” of promulgating peace while selling weapons internationally.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The “World March for Peace & Nonviolence” will travel to the U.S. capital for a rally at the Lincoln Memorial Wednesday, Dec. 2, from 2-3:30 p.m. The rally will pay tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and present the “Charter for a World Without Violence.”

The charter was produced by the 10th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates meeting in Berlin. The charter was entrusted to the World March during its visit there. It emphasizes a vision of a new world where all forms of violence are rejected.

The World March is expected to reach more than 1 million people in 350 cities, 100 countries on six continents. Rallies, demonstrations, summits, programs, festivals and celebrations will address urgent, timely objectives such as nuclear disarmament at a global level; immediate withdrawal of invading troops from occupied territories; the progressive and proportional reduction of conventional weapons; signing of non-aggression treaties between countries; and the renunciation by governments of the use of war as a means to resolve conflicts.

Sitting presidents of seven countries have endorsed the march, along with Nobel Peace laureates including the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu and Jimmy Carter.

Call for change
Over the course of three months, a core team of international marchers will meet with world leaders, faith communities, civic groups and ordinary citizens to unite the world in calling for change. The U.S. portion of the march will take them through New York City, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles and Puerto Rico.

These stops will be followed by international travels in Central and South America where the march will end on Jan. 2, in Punta de Vacas, Argentina.

New York City, Monday, Nov. 30, will be the World March’s first day in North America. Some marchers will have covered 30 countries and five continents in 60 days prior to arriving in the United States.

New York City
At 1 p.m., participants will gather at Borough Hall in Brooklyn prior to marching over the Brooklyn Bridge to New York’s City Hall to bring a universal call for peace and nonviolence. At 3 p.m., the International March Team will hold a press conference on the steps of City Hall. Team members will explain the march’s goals and achievements. They will also receive a proclamation from the New York City Council.

At 7 p.m., Riverside Church will host a World March celebration. “Beyond Violence” will be an evening of presentations and cultural performances intended to reflect the diversity of New York City itself. Details about performers, speakers, program and tickets can be obtained at World March.

The International March Team will meet with U.N. General Secretary Ban Ki Moon before heading to Washington, D.C.

Proclamations and papal blessings
On Nov. 17 ,San Francisco’s City Council passed a unanimous resolution in support of the World March, which was launched by World Without Wars & Without Violence, an organization of the Humanist Movement. On the same day, the city of Tarpon Springs, Fla., officially endorsed the World March with a proclamation.

On Nov. 11, Pope Benedict XVI offered a blessing to the marchers who arrived at Vatican City following legs in Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

The march began Oct. 2, Gandhi’s birthday and the International Day of Nonviolence. On that date, an international team of marchers set off from Wellington, New Zealand, on a 93-day, 99,000-mile journey around the world. Marchers will pass through countries on six continents before ending in the Andes mountains in Argentina. Closing ceremonies will feature Rafael de la Rubia, World Without Wars founder who initiated the World March. Members of the International Team of Marchers will also take part.

For more details about the U.S. portion of the march, including activities in Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Diego/Tijuana, visit World March USA, contact Chris Wells, (646) 258-7520, or Cres O’Neal, (301) 646-4989."
Date: 11/22/2009
©2005-2009

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I would love for people to share with myself and with others what motivates you enough to stand up and march for change? What change do you want to see in the world and what are you doing to make that change happen?

Erin