The South Mountain Peace Action contingent marching in the Maplewood Memorial Day Parade on May 26, 2008. For more photos click "continue" below.

Photos by Mary Gallagher, Chris Black and Jamie Ross

Maplewood Deputy Mayor Fred Profeta, Township Committee Member Kathy Leventhal,
Mayor Ken Pettis and Vice Mayor Vic De Luca.

Bernie and Joan Crystal lead the march. South Mountain Peace Action chair Paul Surovell
with veterans' honor guard on the right.

Photo from Maplewood Online. For more photos click www.maplewoodonline.com

The News-Record of Maplewood and South Orange

"Be About Peace Day unites two towns in peace"

by Chris Black, Beth Boily, Paul Surovell and Donna Welsh
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South Orange Village President Douglas Newman reads a Proclamation declaring March 29, 2008 as Be About Peace Day in South Orange, as South Mountain Peace Action members Nkosi Anderson and Paul Surovell look on. The Maplewood Township Committee passed a similar Proclamation earlier.


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Be About Peace Day is an annual intergenerational event held in Maplewood and South Orange, NJ, featuring arts and crafts, music and discussion around the theme of peace. This year, for the second time, the event has been recognized by both town councils, in proclamations designating March 29, 2008, as Be About Peace Day in Maplewood and South Orange.

We haven't been able to find another example of a US town declaring a day for peace.

The story of how this came to pass in Maplewood and South Orange centers around the evolution of the event sponsor, South Mountain Peace Action, which took the issue of peace from the margins of the community to the mainstream. The process began with a boy's design of a lawn sign and a meeting with a local Congressman.

In January 2003, 10-year-old Jackson Roberts of Maplewood created a poster with the words "Be About Peace" against a gray background of "WarWarWar..." The poster was converted into a lawn sign that has been adopted by more than 1,200 homes in Maplewood and South Orange.

The "Be About Peace" lawn sign has made peace advocacy part of the landscape of Maplewood and South Orange. Its positive, non-confrontational message has helped define the message and approach of South Mountain Peace Action, the sign's distributor.

As South Mountain Peace Action member Beth Boily likes to say, "we're so grassroots that our message literally emerges from the grass of our community."

A little more than a year after the first Be About Peace lawn sign was installed, South Mountain Peace Action organized a delegation to present a petition to South Orange’s Congressman Bill Pascrell calling for him to speak out against the war in Iraq. During the discussion, the Congressman said that in Congress the antiwar movement had a radical, anti-military image which made many in the House reluctant to be identified with it.

The Congressman’s words accelerated efforts by South Mountain Peace Action to bring our programs into the mainstream, by focusing on realistic goals responsibly attained that would resonate with the community.

Our efforts to adopt a mainstream approach to peace have led to some simple steps, including the following:

-- We try to always frame issues in a positive manner. Our slogan, "Be About Peace," is a good example of this. On March 29th our evening forum will focus on the benefits of a Peace Economy not simply military budget cuts.

-- We frame our calls for the US to end its military involvement in Iraq without using the words "now" or "immediate" in order to be as inclusive as possible. We take note that while a majority of Americans favor an end to our troop presence in Iraq, only about 20% support immediate withdrawal.

-- We honor those who serve in the military and recognize their great sacrifice. Some of our members are veterans or belong to military families.

-- We advocate full and fair disclosure by military recruiters and we support the rights of students and parents to opt out of the transfer of student information to military recruiters. However, we avoid the phrase "counter-recruitment," used by some in the peace movement, because it suggests opposition to military recruitment in general, which is not our mission.

-- We participate in the local Memorial Day parade and carry our South Mountain Peace Action banner and American flags, but no political signs or slogans, which might distract from the purpose of the day, which is to honor the fallen.

-- At our events and activities we invite all to join us in discussion including those who disagree with us. It is by engaging in conversation that we honor each other's thoughts and opinions. In December 2007 South Mountain Peace Action co-sponsored a meeting at Seton Hall with conservative columnist Paul Mulshine and Maplewood Mayor Fred Profeta on the topic, "Can Liberals and Conservatives Find Common Ground on the War?" We hope to follow up with further dialogue.

-- We organize an annual event called Be About Peace Day, where politics takes second place to art, education and individual expression.

A boy, his lawn sign, a conversation with a Congressman and a commitment to make peace a cause embraced by mainstream Americans are the stories behind the proclamations for a day of peace in Maplewood and South Orange, NJ.

Be About Peace Day runs on March 29th from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm at Maplewood Memorial Library on Baker Street and then reconvenes from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the Ethical Culture Society at 516 Prospect Street in Maplewood. The afternoon session features arts and crafts for peace. The evening session features music and a public forum on "A Peace Economy and the 2008 Elections." We would love to see you there.

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Chris Black is a resident of South Orange and Beth Boily, Paul Surovell and Donna Welsh are residents of Maplewood. All four authors are members of South Mountain Peace Action and Surovell is the chairman. More information is available at South Mountain Peace Action's web site www.BeAboutPeace.com.
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Copy these petitions, paste them in an email, sign the email and send it to paul4sure@aol.com.

Petition to Congress to
Invest in America
Not War in Iraq

Dear Member of Congress:

The war in Iraq has cost 4,000 American and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives. The war has cost America more than $500 billion in military spending and more than $1 trillion in total economic costs, according to Nobel Economics Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz.

We urge you to use your Constitutional authority to bring all of our troops home as soon as possible and to redirect our federal pending to America's communities and protecting the environment.

Name (print) _________________________ (sign) _____________________
Address ____________________________________________________________
Phone / Email (optional) ___________________________________________

_________________________________

Petition to Governor Jon Corzine:
Oppose Deployment of the
NJ National Guard to Iraq

Dear Governor Corzine:

Thank you for speaking out against the planned deployment of 3,000 New Jersey National Guard troops to Iraq.

We urge you now to take legal action to de-federalize the New Jersey National Guard to stop their deployment to Iraq.

At the same time, we urge you to speak out and urge Congress to assert its Constitutional authority to bring all troops home from Iraq as soon as possible.

Name (print) ________________________ (sign)______________________
Town _________________________________________Zip Code ___________

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On September 26, 2007, a delegation from Maplewood and South Orange urged representatives of Senators Lautenberg and Menendez to stand firm and oppose any Iraq appropriations that do not have a binding timetable for withdrawal.

The group also urged the Senators to take a stronger leadership role among their colleagues to encourage Congress to use its constitutional powers to end the war, and to support diplomacy rather than military action to resolve differences with Iran. A plea was made for global peace and for using resources for human needs and the environment instead of war.

Click here for documents presented by the delegation to the Senators.

The delegation was organized by South Mountain Peace Action, the Seton Hall College Democrats and the Peace, Love MapSO Club of Columbia High School. Featured in the photo are (L-R) Desiree Ramos (Senator Menendez's rep), Walt Sampson (SHU), Dan O'Flaherty (Maplewood), Nkosi Anderson (South Orange), Pam Black (South Orange), Shayla Campbell (CHS), Laura Brett (CHS), Judi Kramer (Maplewood), Steve Spagnolo (SHU), Jayson Harpster (SHU), Paul Surovell (Maplewood), Tim O'Donnell (SHU) and Lisa Plevin (Senator Lautenberg's rep). Surovell is holding a floor statement by Senator Lautenberg commending South Mountain Peace Action.

Maplewood Memorial Library
Downstairs

1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Arts and Crafts for Peace for All Ages

-- Wall-Hangers
-- Buttons (peace symbols, doves, make-your-own)
-- Flower-making
-- Native American Peace Prayer Ties
-- Beading
-- Tee-shirt painting
-- Face-painting
-- Silent Auction from 30 local businesses
-- Peace Cookies
-- Be About Peace T-shirts, lawn signs, magnets, buttons, note cards, DVDs
-- Color Posters by MoveOn "Invest in America Not War in Iraq"
-- Peace literature and petitions

Ethical Culture Society
516 Prospect Street, Maplewood
7:00 to 9:00 pm

Music and Community Forum

"A Peace Economy and the 2008 Elections"

-- Music by Maggie Kraus and Gabe Marr of Columbia High School and the Jaybirds
-- Congressman Donald Payne
-- Iris Bieri director of the Cost of the War Project of the American Friends Service Committee
-- Columbia University economics prof Dan O'Flaherty
-- Maplewood Vice Mayor Vic De Luca
-- Maplewood Deputy Mayor Fred Profeta
-- South Mountain Peace Action member Chris Black
-- Peace, Love, MapSO president Shayla Campbell
-- Moderated by Nkosi Anderson and Paul Surovell

Question & Answer Period / Refreshments

Both events free and open to the public.


Maplewood Mayor Ken Pettis reads proclamation declaring March 29, 2008 Be About Peace Day in Maplewood. Looking on are Nkosi Anderson, Shayla Campbell and Paul Surovell, Be About Peace Day coordinators.


South Orange Village President Doug Newman reads Be About Peace Day Proclamation as Nkosi Anderson and Paul Surovell look on.

South Orange Trustee Mark Rosner

Maplewood Vice Mayor Vic De Luca

Maggie Kraus

Maplewood Deputy Mayor Fred Profeta

Dan O'Flaherty

Iris Bieri, American Friends Service Committee

Joanna Feinman and Howie Finkel of the Jaybirds

Nkosi Anderson

Chris Black

Congressman Donald Payne

WHEREAS the Township Committee honors the bravery and sacrifice of the men and women now serving in the United States armed forces and;

WHEREAS in 2003 the Township Committee of Maplewood, along with hundreds of other municipalities across the country, urged the President to refrain from acts of war in Iraq and to allow the United Nations inspections continue to determine whether there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and;

WHEREAS in 2007 the Township Committee of Maplewood once again joined hundreds of municipalities across the country and called for the President to end US military involvement in Iraq and;

WHEREAS nearly 4,000 American servicemen and servicewomen have been killed serving in Iraq, one of whom was Marine Lance Corporal Augie Schroeder of South Orange and;

WHEREAS more than 30,000 American servicemen and servicewomen have been seriously injured and;

WHEREAS estimates of Iraqi civilians killed during the war range from 150,000 to in excess of 600,000, and the number of Iraqis displaced internally and externally during the war exceeds 4 million and;

WHEREAS the share to Maplewood taxpayers as of February 2008 of Federal payments for the war in Iraq exceeded $92 million and;

WHEREAS the Township Committee of Maplewood NJ recognizes the importance of efforts by local citizens to promote the goals of peace and security, and that one of those efforts is the holding of an annual Be About Peace Day in Maplewood and South Orange and;

WHEREAS on March 29, 2008, Be About Peace Day will be co-sponsored by South Mountain Peace Action a community organization of Maplewood and South Orange and by the Columbia High School club Peace, Love, MapSO;

NOW, THEREFORE, the Township Committee of Maplewood NJ proclaims Saturday March 29, 2008 as Be About Peace Day in Maplewood NJ and will so inform the towns and cities of New Jersey, our Governor and Senators and Congressional Representatives.

Ken Pettis, Mayor
Elizabeth Fritzen, Township Clerk

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________________________

Township of South Orange Village


Proclamation
"Be About Peace Day"
March 29, 2008

WHEREAS the South Orange Board of Trustees recognizes the long and proud history of current and former residents of South Orange in defending our nation during times of war and crisis and;

WHEREAS the Board of Trustees honors the bravery and sacrifice of the men and women now serving in the United States armed forces and;

WHEREAS nearly 4,000 American servicemen and servicewomen have been killed serving in Iraq, one of whom was Marine Lance Corporal Augie Schroeder of South Orange and;

WHEREAS more than 30,000 American servicemen and servicewomen have been seriously injured and;

WHEREAS estimates of Iraqi civilians killed during the war range from 150,000 to in excess of 600,000, and the number of Iraqis displaced internally and externally during the war exceeds 4 million and;

WHEREAS the share to South Orange taxpayers as of February 2008 of Federal payments for the war in Iraq exceeded $69 million and;

WHEREAS the South Orange Board of Trustees of the Township of South Orange Village recognizes the importance of efforts by local citizens to promote the goals of peace and security, and that one of those efforts is the holding of an annual Be About Peace Day in South Orange and Maplewood and;

WHEREAS on March 29, 2008, Be About Peace Day will be co-sponsored by South Mountain Peace Action a community organization of South Orange and Maplewood and by the Columbia High School club Peace, Love, MapSO;

BE IT RESOLVED, that I, Douglas C. Newman, Village President of the Township of South Orange Village on behalf of the Board of Trustees do hereby proclaim Saturday March 29, 2008 as Be About Peace Day in South Orange and will forward a copy of this proclamation to Governor Corzine, State Legislators, and Congressional Representatives.

Douglas C. Newman, Village President

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