Feature Article

Peace Activists in New Forms

By Nianjia Chen

The stereotypical image of peace activists as hippies and left-wing crazies portrayed by the mainstream media in the past are changing due to the rise of a new generation of innovative peace organizations. These alternative peace organizations promote peace through diverse forms such as art, sports and science. Instead of simply gathering people and holding a protest, these peace groups take one step further to bring the peace idea into people’s daily life.

Furthermore, the new forms of promoting peace are proving successful according to research conducted by my classmate Eleven Liu. Through an analysis of media coverage of Washington State peace groups in the Seattle Times over the past 10 years, Liu found that the groups that received the most attention did not fit the hippie protester stereotype.

For example, the Seattle Peace Chorus uses music to spread the idea of peace. On the website, the group claims as its mission “to communicate through music the desire for a just and peaceful world.” The organization was founded in 1983 to help bring an end to the threat of nuclear war by producing meaningful and collaborative concerts worldwide. The chorus consists of forty-five men and women whose members go on a tour at least three times a year. For example, in 2007, the chorus went to Venezuela and in 2008, the same group of people went to Minneapolis to hold concerts. This musical strategy has resulted in 82 articles mentioning the Seattle Peace Chorus in the Seattle Times over the past ten years.

Another successful way to educate about peace – and gain media attention – is through sports. For instance, Bike4peace links the idea of environmental sustainability to peace through riding bikes. This year, the biggest event of Bike4peace will be held on September 22nd, the World Car Free Day, when hundreds of bicyclists from across North America converge upon Washington, D.C. Bike4peace, unlike other traditional peace groups, is using the bicycle as a transformational tool to show the link between peace and environmental health.

In a final example, science is being used to spread peace messages. The value of scientific research is highly regarded in American society and thus policy suggestions based on scientific evidence more easily gain credibility in the public eye. The Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility (WPSR) is recognized as a science-oriented peace organization. Instead of being a political and liberal organization, WPSR is an educational organization that makes science-based suggestions to policymakers. For instance, in 2009 WPSR led the way with new research on body burden and toxic chemicals, demonstrating that our exposure every day to a wide array of chemicals is dangerous.

In conclusion, these new emerging peace groups provide people the possibility of embracing a peaceful future. Peace is becoming an idea that everyone can engage in, and connect to, their daily life and health, through singing and biking and science education.