International Day of Peace - End Racism. Build Peace.

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SKYLARK'S FEATURED ARTICLE OF THE WEEK - INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE - END RACISM. BUILD PEACE. (excerpts of this article are taken from un.org)

Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire. We can do this together. It's starts with you. And it can last a lifetime.

Achieving true peace entails much more than laying down arms. It requires the building of societies where all members feel that they can flourish. It involves creating a world in which people are treated equally, regardless of their race. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are some of the main ingredients for peace.

As Secretary-General António Guterres has said:

“Racism continues to poison institutions, social structures, and everyday life in every society. It continues to be a driver of persistent inequality. And it continues to deny people their fundamental human rights. It destabilizes societies, undermines democracies, erodes the legitimacy of governments, and… the linkages between racism and gender inequality are unmistakable.”

As conflicts continue to erupt across the globe, causing people to flee, we have seen race-based discrimination at borders. As COVID-19 keeps attacking our communities, we have seen how certain racial groups have been hit much harder than others. As economies suffer, we have seen hate speech and violence directed at racial minorities. We can do better.

We all have a role to play in fostering peace. And tackling racism is a crucial way to contribute.

We can work to dismantle the structures that entrench racism in our midst. We can support movements for equality and human rights everywhere. We can speak out against hate speech – both offline and online. We can promote anti-racism through education and reparatory justice.

The 2022 theme for the International Day of Peace is “End racism. Build peace.” Let's join the efforts of the United Nations as we work towards a world free of racism and racial discrimination. A world where compassion and empathy overcome suspicion and hatred. A world that we can truly be proud of. A world we want to live in.

When I was growing up, racism was not a part of my world. My parents were open-minded and taught us to be loving and kind to all people. They grew up in mixed-race communities. We did not see color. I attended schools that were multi-racial. This was normal to me. There were some clicks, and those groups stuck together and spent more time with each other. But that's what people do. They find their comfort zone. I understand that. Sometimes there were conflicts with groups, but there was an attempt to work things out for the most part. There wasn't the insidious hate and violence that exists today. It's terrifying. I'm not sure how we got here or what's at the root of it, but I know we can change it. The last few years have been difficult, to say the least, but I believe there's an opportunity here to do much better. We must. They say it starts at home. The messages we get at a young age from our parents are what we carry out into the world. They help to create our perspective on things. Those early messages shape us and are instrumental in how our personalities develop. We may come from different cultures and practice different customs, but I believe we all want the same things - love, understanding, and acceptance. We live in such a beautiful world that each of us are responsible for. From the outside, we may appear to be different, but from the inside, we are made of the same stuff. 

Serial entrepreneur Babita Singh has been conferred as a Global Peace Ambassador for promoting Peace through Education, Sports, Art, Culture & Diplomacy at the India International Conclave 2022 held in collaboration with Asia Africa Consortium (AAC) that took place on 16th April 2022 in Shangrila, New Delhi.

Together, we can end racism. Let’s give peace a chance.

Peace and Love,

Skylark

At 60 and beyond, we can make good use of our knowledge, wisdom, and experiences in life to help others be better people.

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SKYLARK'S PICK OF THE WEEK - BOOKS ABOUT LOVE AND PEACE

Here are some of my picks:

"The Words of Peace" - Selections from the speeches of the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize.

"A Return to Love" - Marianne Williamson - Reflections on the book, A Course in Miracles.

"I Have a Dream" - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - Writings and speeches that changed the world.

"All Men Are Brothers" - The life and thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi.

"Long Walk to Freedom" - Autobiography of Nelson Mandela.

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SKYLARK'S SONG OF THE WEEK - GIVE PEACE A CHANCE by JOHN LENNON

Two, one two three four
Ev'rybody's talking about
Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism
This-ism, that-ism, is-m, is-m, is-m.

All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

C'mon
Ev'rybody's talking about Ministers,
Sinisters, Banisters and canisters
Bishops and Fishops and Rabbis and Pop eyes,
And bye bye, bye byes.

All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

Let me tell you now
Ev'rybody's talking about
Revolution, evolution, masturbation,
Flagellation, regulation, integrations,
Meditations, United Nations,
Congratulations.

Ev'rybody's talking about
John and Yoko, Timmy Leary, Rosemary,
Tommy Smothers, Bobby Dylan, Tommy Cooper,
Derek Taylor, Norman Mailer,
Alan Ginsberg, Hare Krishna,
Hare, Hare Krishna

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