Lena Silberman (United States) is a student at Ca?ada College in California. She earned her Bachelor¡¯s degree at California Polytechnic State University, graduating with honours and a double major in Comparative Ethnic Studies and Sociology. In her statement below, Ms. Silberman talks about how the ¡°Peace Flag¡± project brought togetherness to her community despite the physical restrictions of the pandemic.
?
It is acutely obvious that we are in the midst of unprecedented times. In addition to the ongoing challenges to peaceful co-existence, we face two separate existential threats that magnify those challenges exponentially: a global pandemic and global warming. Both require us to work together even as one of them requires us to be physically apart.???
I have found that we are most powerful when we work together, so recently I have undertaken a project that is a metaphor and hopefully an inspiration for cultivating peace by creating togetherness while apart:? a Peace Flag.?
I have grown up my whole life by the cold beaches of Northern California. Just outside the bustle of busy San Francisco, Half Moon Bay often moves at a slower and friendlier pace, but in the past year and a half, schoolchildren have lost access to their friends and teachers; vulnerable populations like my grandparents have not been able to see their families. Many could not work, while others were required to work harder in situations where their safety was uncertain.??
This pandemic has disrupted our ties with another, and it has been the most disconnected time in my life.?
These problems cannot be fixed by a single grand gesture, but the culmination of many can make all the difference in the world.?
This past January I was approached by Runa Ray, an activist and resident of Half Moon Bay, with a project for a Peace Flag, a patchwork of 12 by 12 swatches of cloth, that are recycled and sewn together. Each swatch represents its creator¡¯s signature declaring their solidarity with the goals of peace, unity, equality, and sustainability. The project started with the neighborhood schools and local jails, and after receiving hundreds of amazing pieces of artwork the Project was hung in front of City Hall.??
The project has now expanded to include pieces from all over the globe,?and I really like to imagine each contributor standing side by side, stretching as far as we can see. As the flag grows it is easy to see that we are not as far away as we think. Together we are powerful enough to create a future that is more peaceful, more equal, more unified, and more sustainable.?
?
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 ceasefire. This?Youth Action for Peace?series brings together voices of university students around the world?sharing the same mission: to celebrate peace by standing up against acts of hate online and offline, and by spreading compassion, kindness, and hope in the face of the pandemic, and as we recover.
?
