By Nanci Swenson
Michigan

Local people are not surprised to see the Manistee Area Peace Group in the Fourth of July parade after their third year of participation. The first year there was a small group of six carrying peace flags and American flags and handing out brochures. The next year, there were a few more pulling a float by hand down the main street of town. This year, 14 adults and six children participated wearing colors and symbols of peace. (One mother designed a dove on matching shirts for the youngest members of the unit.)

The children handed out 540 informational baseball-sized cards from The Peace Alliance website--modified with our local contact phone number on the back--all within the first block and a half of the 3/4 mile long parade! That was alright though, because we still had our chants to shout out for the throng of several thousand people in town for the Forest Festival on beautiful Lake Michigan.

Our group wanted positive messages and couldn't find any online, so we made up our own. With a small megaphone, one member marched backward "lining" the chant while the rest of the group responded. We ended each chant the same way, spelling out:

"P E A C E... that's Peace!" and raising our fingers in the peace sign.

There was applause many times along the route from the crowd, and we were stopped after the parade by a few who thanked us for being a presence for peace in the parade or by those who asked where we got the cool buttons that read "PEACE IS PATRIOTIC." It's a good thing that The Peace Alliance website is on the buttons, because several of us took the buttons off of our shirts and gave them to the inquiring individuals.

One person said that he was part of a rather "clandestine peace group" in a conservative part of the state, and he was curious about the efforts of The Peace Alliance. We immediately introduced him to our district volunteer, Janet Schultz, who took his card and promised him a contact by his own district representative of the Department of Peace Campaign.

We were glad to be part of the celebration of the birthday of our nation, and we were glad to be advocates for peace. Thanks to all those other members of The Peace Alliance in the United States who are banding together to offer a specific measure of hope for a more peaceful society by supporting House Bill 808.

Chants

 

#1   

We know what we want to get.
Peace is what we have not yet.

A Dept. of Peace is what we need.
You can help us plant the seed.

P E A C E...That's Peace!

#2    
No more violence is the key.
Bring the world security.

Create a vision of our best.
Help each other in this quest.

P E A C E....That's Peace!

#3
We have a voice in politics.
We have a world that we must fix.

Opportunity's the key
in building peaceful community.

P E A C E...That's Peace!

#4.
I don't know but I've been told.
Peace on Earth is as good as gold.

No more violence no more strife.
We want good things in our life.

P E A C E ...That's Peace!