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Women Assemble

If you are passionate about peace, you may be interested, during this time of terrorism and turmoil, in taking action to give anexperience of peace to your community. The walk below was created for women, however it could be done with men, with men and women or with the whole family. I chose to begin with women, due to the unusual nature of the Walk, not march. The Walkers needed to see and experience the impact of the unity created by the silence, the solid clothing color and flowers, the beauty of the flowing simplicity of the matching silk flags, and the soft voices singing peace refrains. The first WOMEN'S PEACE WALK drew 365 women.

Here are the steps that worked for me and made a peaceful impact in Santa Barbara, CA on 01/05/03.

  1. The guidelines should be created first. You must be clear on your purpose and the actions that need to be taken to create your vision. Here are mine:

    Our Purpose:

    The purpose of WOMEN'S PEACE WALK is to promote an EXPERIENCE OF PEACE. We will show what peace looks like, sounds like, behaves like and feels like. Our message is in the experience. We are not connected with a political party, faith, or particular philosophy. We are unified in our passion for peace.

     
     
    Walk Begins
     
     
     
    Through the Arch

    Our Guidlines:

    1. We will show up on time (1:45) at the SB Courthouse Sunken Gardens in the arch by Anacapa Street the first Sunday of each month. The walk will begin promptly at two and be over between 3 and 3:30 PM.
    2. We will wear white or pastel colors, if at all possible. We will carry white flowers or wear white ribbons on our arms. We will not carry any signs other than the three flowing silk PEACE flags, which are provided for the front, middle and end of the parade.
    3. Out of respect for the women who come to be with other women, we request that our male allies wait for us in peace while we walk.
    4. In recognition that not all women are comfortable when dogs are present, we will not include our canine friends in our walk.
    5. Those who meditate or pray are requested to spend some time centering and focusing on peace prior to the walk. While waiting for the walk to begin, we will speak softly and share with one another when we have felt most peaceful in our lives.
    6. Those who choose to sing will sing peace songs and song sheets will be provided. Please share the sheets with others and follow the PEACE SONG LEADERS' guidance.
    7. We will walk silently from the courthouse to State Street, up to Alice Keck Park, through the park and those who wish to continue will walk back down State to City Hall forming a circle in the plaza.
    8. We will walk in silence communicating with smiles, loving eyes and appreciation. We will be conscious of our personal example in the expression of peace.
    9. There will be sign up charts at the PEACE table in the courthouse archway and also circulating during the walk.
    10. We will be responsible for sharing this information with those who have not received it and refer all potential WALKERS and their questions to PEACE facilitator Betty Hatch: betty@selfesteem.org

    After each Women's Peace Walk, we will share our experience with family and friends throughout the world.

  2. Next a permit was secured by simply phoning the local police department, filling out a form and receiving an approval noting the rules Walkers needed to follow. I selected Sunday afternoons as a time that would be easy for women to spend a couple of hours on creating an experience of peace.
  3. Contact through e-mail and telephone those who you feel will want to support you and the cause requesting that they send the guidelines, Walk date and time to their e-mail lists.
  4. Print copies of the guidelines to be used as flyers, releases and also as handouts at the Peace Walk.
  5. Find a talented sign maker to create at least three PEACE signs for the beginning, middle and end of the Walk. For a peaceful look I used silk as the fabric with PEACE painted in script.
  6. Ask your main supporters to become your PEACE CORE TEAM and meet with them to decide who will hold the following PEACE WALK POSITIONS:

    Peace Core Team Positions:

    A. PEACE PACER    --heads those who make sure there are no lags in the WALK line. The Peace Pacer walks the length of the line checking to see if the pacers are handling the flow smoothly and relaying messages from the police escorts.

    B. PEACE ASSISTANT--heads those who support all positions.

    C. PEACE KEEPER--heads those who handle up-sets.

    D. PEACE PHONE FACILITATOR--heads those who call, read and explain guidelines to Walkers without e-mail.


    E. PEACE COLLECTOR--heads those who make donation requests for printing, flowers, ribbon, signs--whatever needed.

    F. PEACE SONG LEADER--leads in song selection and placement of strong singers throughout the line-walks the line starting songs and listening for strong singers to enlist as song leaders.

    G. PEACE LOGISTICS--heads those in charge of setting up of tables and signs at the beginning and breaking down and collecting at ending of WALK.

    H. PEACE PR--heads contacts with the media.

    I. PEACE SIGN-UP--makes sure we have all NEW e-mail addresses or phone numbers of those who have walked or wish to be on our list as potential WALKERS. The Sign-up team makes sure the WALKERS print legibly.

    J. PEACE DATA PROCESSOR--inputs e-mail and telephone numbers, e-mails guidelines to Walkers and releases to the media.
    Circling Park
       
     
    Final Flag  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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