FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 21, 2018
MEDIA CONTACT:
ING Communications Manager Tim Brauhn (720-381-1096) or tim@ing.org.
Every year, the United Nations marks the
International Day of Peace
on September 21st by ringing the Japanese Peace Bell at UN Headquarters in New York City. Japan gave the Peace Bell to the UN in 1954, declaring that it was meant to be “a reminder of the human cost of war.”
ING Executive Director Maha Elgenaidi notes that,
"Today, more than ever, we in the United States need to mark this day of peace — and more importantly, act on it. Not only are there seemingly endless wars in the world, some of which involve our country, but our nation itself is torn by conflict and division, as the forces of racism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and other forms of bigotry have broken out of the societal fringes and are today tearing communities apart."
Millions of Americans have lost the ability to relate and talk peacefully with fellow citizens about their — often admittedly profound — differences and have fallen into the habit of hurling epithets at each other rather than engaging in rational efforts at mutual understanding and persuasion. Indeed, there are probably few of us who have not taken on such antagonistic attitudes, at least internally.
