The World March for Peace and Nonviolence Kick-Off in NYC on October 2nd

WORLD’S FIRST SIX-CONTINENT PEACE MARCH KICKS OFF
93 DAYS OF GLOBAL ACTIVITIES WITH OCTOBER 2 NYC EVENT


NEW YORK, September 25, 2009—The World March for Peace and Nonviolence (www.worldmarchusa.net / www.theworldmarch.org), the world’s first 93-day, six- continent peace march, announced Friday, Oct. 2, the International Day of Nonviolence, as the kick-off date for both its worldwide march and corresponding series of cultural, educational, and social events taking place in more than 100 countries to abolish nuclear weapons and reject violence of all kinds.
The march begins in Wellington, New Zealand with an international team of 25 marchers who will cross through Asia, Europe, Africa, and North and South America before reaching Punta de Vacas, Argentina, on January 2, 2010. The group will carry the Hiroshima Flame for the duration of the journey.

Launched by the international organization, World Without Wars, the World March has been endorsed by the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter and other Nobel Peace Prize winners, Noam Chomsky, seven presidents, hundreds of world leaders, including President Obama’s Kenyan grandmother and celebrities like Yoko Ono, Cate Blanchett, Viggo Mortensen, thousands of organizations and more than a million citizens.


OCTOBER 2nd KICK-OFF EVENTS IN NEW YORK CITY
In New York, the World March will celebrate 93 days of activities promoting peace and nonviolence in schools, nonprofit organizations, peace organizations, arts groups and faith communities.

An 8 a.m Interfaith Blessing Ceremony will take place on the waterfront in Battery Park in front of the East Coast Memorial, opposite 17 State Street. The ceremony will be led by religious and community leaders who will offer their blessings to the marchers and march supporters worldwide. The event is being coordinated by World Without Wars and co-sponsored by the Interfaith Center of New York. Participants include (partial list):

Matt Weiner (Program Director Interfaith Center of New York)
Robert B. Coleman (Interim Chief Program Minister Riverside Church)
Martha Niggeman, CS (Christian Science Healing Practitioner)
Rev. Masafumi Nakanishi (Shinto International Foundation)
Imam Shamsi (Ali Imam/Islamic Cultural Center/ 96th Street Mosque)
Hardayal Singh (United Sikhs)
Chris Wells (Spokesperson, World Without Wars/World March)
Terry Greene (Families of 9/11 for Peaceful Tomorrows)
Mark Farrell (New York Community of Silo’s Message)

A press conference will immediately follow at 9:15 a.m. featuring Chris Wells, spokesperson and Dennis Redmond, US Coordinator of the World March, along with some of the morning’s speakers.

In New York City schools, educators will hold activities such as peace murals, moments of silence and reflection, role playing, film discussions, and workshops on conflict resolution and anti-bullying as a way to teach nonviolence to students. (A teacher is available for interview).

At 7:30 PM, Brooklyn Ahimsa! Bringin’ the Funk Back to Brooklyn celebrates the power of nonviolence at the Brooklyn Lyceum through music, dance, and a multimedia presentation of march events from around the world, including footage of the kickoff in New Zealand. An international lineup of performers will feature Earthdriver, The Citizens, Mahina Movement, Red Baraat and Choco Orta. Tickets are $10 online (www.brooklynlyceum.com) and $15 at the door. (The Brooklyn Lyceum is located at 4th Ave & Union Street).

Visit www.worldmarchusa.net (national) and www.theworldmarch.org (international).



Contact:

Nicole Myers, US Press Coordinator for the World March for Peace and Nonviolence

917-609-8029 press@worldmarchusa.net


ABOUT THE WORLD MARCH

The World March was officially launched at the Symposium of the World Center for Humanist Studies in Punta de Vacas, Argentina, on November 15, 2008. It was initiated by World Without Wars, an affiliated organization of the Humanist Movement that is internationally active in the fields of peace and disarmament. The march has five goals:

• abolition of nuclear weapons worldwide

• immediate withdrawal of invading troops from occupied territories

• progressive and proportional reduction of conventional weapons

• signing of non-aggression treaties between countries

• renunciation by governments of the use of war as a means to resolve conflicts