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BUILD THE PEACE IN CHICAGO

SAVE THE DATE! September 18, 2009 Peace Day Celebration in Daley Plaza 12:00 noon

Peace Day: A Chicago Institution

Chicago pioneered the celebration of Peace Day and serves as a model for cities throughout the world. Four years before the United Nations established the International Day of Peace, Chicago designated an official Peace Day on September 7, 1978. Chicago is the only major city in the world with a 30+ year history of Peacebuilding through annual Peace Day events, and is an official United Nations Peace Messenger city. The Peace School, the founding organization of Peace Day, is a U.N. Peace Messenger organization.

Peace Day has been celebrated in Chicago every year since 1978 and has been organized in cooperation with the City of Chicago Mayor's Office of Special Events since 1993. The annual celebration includes One Minute of Silence for World Peace, the Call to Peace, the World Peace Flag Ceremony, and cultural performances celebrating the diversity of our city and world. Representatives from the Consular Corps of Chicago, cultural and ethnic organizations, students and other volunteers form a unifying procession as they present on stage the nearly 200 flags of every U.N. member nation. Each nation is honored equally with wishes, thoughts or prayers for peace.

Chicago Build the Peace Committee (CBTPC)

The goal of the CBTPC is to mainstream a Culture of Peace in Chicago. This means that we work to insure a just and sustainable peace that promotes the values, attitudes, behaviors and institutions that build the peace. Please join our meetings - details below.

30th Anniversary of Peace Day in Chicago

The Chicago Build the Peace Committee organized a weekend of exciting events to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of Peace Day in Chicago in 2008. In addition to the Peace Day celebration in Daley Plaza, the Committee created a 20-panel Build the Peace Display, partnered with the Chicago World Music Festival, held a public Build the Peace Workshop and provided Peace Day activities to every school within the Chicago Public School system at the direction of Arne Duncan, CEO of Chicago Public Schools and Committee Honorary Co-Chair. Please click on each activity below to learn more.

Build the Peace Display

This art quality display, now available for circulation in Chicago Public Schools and other public institutions, offers an introduction to the origins, foundations and nature of peace building.

Click here for information and to view the exhibit

2008 30th Anniversary Peace Day activities:

1 - Chicago Public Schools Commemorated Peace Day

Chicago Public Schools' CEO directed all schools to participate in Peace Day activities.

Click here for sample activities

2 - 2008 Build the Peace Celebration

Daley Center Plaza, 50 W. Washington, Chicago, IL USA

Prominent speakers, Minute of Silence for Peace, World Peace Flag Ceremony, diverse cultural performances.

Click here for details

3 - 2008 World Peace - World Music